"Second brother, that's enough!"
Lu Shuyao sat in the corner of the cafeteria on the first floor, glaring hard at Lu Shuwu across from her, though her big eyes had no intimidating power. She said angrily,
"I asked you several times earlier, and you said just one basket of dumplings would be enough. Now you've finished yours and still want to snatch mine!"
"Oh come on, little sister, you can't blame me for this."
Lu Shuwu stuffed the soup-filled dumpling he just grabbed into his mouth, chewed slowly for a while, and then licked his lips like he hadn't had enough. He said with a grin,
"You didn't say earlier that these soup-filled dumplings would be this delicious. If I had known, I would've asked for at least another basket, then why would I snatch yours?"
"What do you mean I didn't say? I told you from the start, these soup dumplings are heavenly! You didn't believe me, and now you're blaming me!"
Lu Shuyao gave a light "hmph," stretched out her hand like she was guarding against a thief and protected the remaining soup dumplings in front of her, saying,
"If you haven't had enough, go queue up to buy more yourself!"
"Hmm, maybe not."
Lu Shuwu was obviously tempted, but he glanced at the time and then looked at the still long queue at the dumpling shop; finally, he gave up,
"It's getting late, I've got to meet a friend, today I'll leave it at this, tomorrow morning I'll come back to eat my fill."
"Oh, that's fine too."
Lu Shuyao nodded, then suddenly realized and looked up in surprise, staring at him,
"You're coming again tomorrow? Didn't you forget grandpa's ultimatum? If you don't hurry back home, grandpa will come and catch you himself!"
"What's there to fear? Didn't grandpa give me a two-day deadline? I'll go back the day after tomorrow, it's fine!"
Lu Shuwu shook a toothpick from the holder on the table, picked it up and stuck it in his mouth, said casually,
"It's rare to find a dish that I can't get enough of, how could I leave without eating my fill?"
"..."
Lu Shuyao looked at his careless demeanor, shook her head helplessly, and said,
"Do whatever you want, you're my brother, I can't control you, just make sure you don't drag me into it when the time comes."
"What are you talking about, dragging you into it? I'm not committing some terrible crime or anything."
As he said this, Lu Shuwu suddenly sat up straight, pointed forward with a smile,
"Ha, looks like the results of the bet are in for those two groups earlier. Just as I thought, that thread starter won without suspense."
…
"How about it? I told you the thread starter would definitely win!"
Tongtong dipped the soup dumpling she had sucked dry of juice into the dipping sauce, took a bite, and her eyes squinted in happiness. After a while, she continued,
"These soup dumplings are fresh and delicious, the meat tender and juicy, even a deity wouldn't trade them for anything. Only a fool wouldn't like them!"
"Indeed, it's a secret delicacy, but it's getting harder and harder to buy!"
Xiaoqi, not caring who won or lost, reluctantly swallowed the last bite of the dumpling, licked her lips, and leaned over asking,
"Tongtong, have you decided? Are you going to work as a waiter to get free meals?"
…
"10 to 0! Total victory for the thread starter!"
"Honestly, these soup dumplings really are delicious, the broth is fresh and tasty, the meat is fragrant and overflowing, it's absolutely amazing! Zhu Youfeng's loss is not unwarranted."
"Of course it's not unwarranted, he just ate two baskets in one go and hasn't stopped yet!"
"... "
"Eat slowly, these soup dumplings are still hot, be careful not to scald yourself with the broth inside."
The thread starter, "Lao Glutton," sat on a stool with a stack of empty steamers in front of him. While wiping oil off the corners of his mouth, he looked at Zhu Youfeng who was still hunched over and gobbling down dumplings, and said with a smiling face,
"We're all food lovers here, and today we've befriended each other through a little rivalry. Let's forget all about the bet, don't take it to heart, tonight's on me, consider it my treat."
"Lao Glutton," whose real name is Duan Yiming, looks about in his twenties, dressed in casual t-shirt and jeans, wearing sneakers—at first glance, he doesn't seem any different from the college students around.
Though in reality, he graduated from Jiangzhou University two years ago, and afterward started a small company with a few classmates in a nearby entrepreneurial park, mainly focusing on software development.
Despite the busy work schedule, Duan Yiming hasn't lost his student spirit and often returns to campus, occasionally grabbing a meal in the cafeteria to reminisce about his student days.
And so, he unexpectedly discovered the soup dumplings in the second cafeteria!
After tasting the soup dumpling, Duan Yiming was amazed and couldn't stop reminiscing, even after returning to the company. Unable to resist, he posted on Jiangzhou University's campus forum, recommending this delicacy to his junior students.
Unexpectedly, the post sparked a stir, attracting challenges from Zhu Youfeng and others.
As the two sides debated back and forth, it eventually turned into a bet.
Duan Yiming didn't hesitate and agreed immediately.
Being a "Lao Glutton" who has tasted food from all over, he has his own understanding of gourmet food. Such delicious soup dumplings, among all he's tried, if not first, would surely rank in the top three.
Such a delicacy is hard to be disliked unless it meets someone with peculiar taste.
So, why not bet? Who's afraid of who!
Of course, he didn't bet for the prize, it was more for fun.
"How can that be?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Youfeng quickly raised his head, waved his hands repeatedly, and said,
"Since you said you'd treat tonight, I won't argue with you.
However, I always keep my word. I promised earlier that the loser would cover the other's meals for a week, and I'll definitely fulfill that promise. A loss is a loss, don't compete with me on this."
"Alright then, I'll just have to thank you, little brother!"
Duan Yiming laughed, a week's meal cost isn't much anyway. After thinking for a moment, he didn't refuse,
"If there's a chance, I'll take you around the city's hidden corners, where there's lots of delicious food. You'll definitely be impressed. Though compared to the soup dumplings here, they're just slightly less appealing."
"Well, thank you, senior."
Zhu Youfeng, who is also open-minded and cheerful, didn't feel embarrassed for losing the bet; instead, he was grateful to Duan Yiming for letting him know the deliciousness of the second cafeteria's soup dumplings. He tossed the last dumpling into his mouth, chewed slowly, and then said with emotion,
"I've had dumplings from many famous shops back home and always thought they were the best. But unexpectedly, the school's soup dumplings are not just comparable, they're even better!
Senior, you previously mentioned taking me to try the city's gourmet food, but I probably won't have time to go anytime soon. These delicious soup dumplings are a must-have; not eating them even for one meal feels like a missed opportunity. I'll wait until I get sick of them before considering finding other good eats."
"Haha, I'm with you!"
Upon hearing this, Duan Yiming couldn't help but burst into laughter,
"I feel the same way, not eating these delicious soup dumplings even for a meal feels like a missed opportunity!"