Lin Jing looked at the beer Sheng Kuang placed in front of her, then at the beer he took away, and wondered if there was any difference.
Compared to He Lin, Sheng Kuang's way of opening the beer can was a bit too flashy.
He hooked the tab with his index finger and opened it with a soft "click."
To be honest, although this scene was a bit showy, it was still pleasing to the eye.
But through this pleasing sight, Lin Jing always felt that Sheng Kuang was secretly competing with He Lin for something.
...Competing over who could open a beer can better?
Lin Jing frowned, instantly speechless at this realization.
Were boys' competitive spirits this childish?
Lin Jing was lost in her thoughts for a few seconds before realizing the atmosphere around her was a bit off.
Wang Qingqing was chatting with two other boys and didn't notice the small incident on their side. Amidst their noisy conversation, Sheng Kuang and He Lin, without a word, stared at each other across the table.
Lin Jing wasn't sure if she was hallucinating, but she felt that these two men at this very moment were like peerless masters in a Wuxia novel, dueling with their minds.
And the duel was so intense, they wouldn't stop until one of them was defeated.
Lin Jing was silent for two seconds. Seeing their gazes still locked in a reluctant stalemate, she worried that if they kept staring at each other, it might lead to a problem. Unable to stand it any longer, she cleared her throat, picked up her beer, and said, "Um, cheers to a peaceful and beautiful life?"
Sheng Kuang: "..."
He Lin: "..."
Three seconds later, they finally broke eye contact, picked up their beer cans one after another, and lightly clinked them with her.
The food arrived very quickly, and soon a large table was filled.
Hunan cuisine is rather spicy. He Lin, fearing that some might not be able to handle it, ordered a few non-spicy dishes.
As the waiter served the dishes, Sheng Kuang gripped a corner of a plate and pulled the non-spicy dishes towards himself and Lin Jing, pushing the spicy ones further away.
In the past month, whether it was Lan Bowen ordering food or the aunt cooking at home, everything had been very light. Lin Jing hadn't eaten anything with strong flavors for a long time, and now she suddenly felt a craving and kept reaching for various spicy dishes.
Sheng Kuang watched her several times. During those times, he didn't even glance at the non-spicy dishes in front of her, let alone reach for them.
Especially the chopped chili fish head, which had been heated for a long time and was deeply infused with chili, was truly spicy. Wang Qingqing, sitting next to her, after a few bites, couldn't help but chug down several mouthfuls of iced drink. Lin Jing, however, took bite after bite without even blinking.
Sheng Kuang slowly made a "tsk" sound.
Lin Jing looked at him. She was solely focused on eating and didn't sense anything was wrong. She saw him staring at her face without moving his gaze. She blinked, leaned closer to him, and whispered, "Is there something on my face?"
Sheng Kuang said, "Yes."
Lin Jing thought she had gotten some oil stain on her face and wiped her face with a tissue, "Anything else?"
Sheng Kuang looked down at her, looking displeased, "Yes."
Lin Jing was about to use her phone to check in the camera when Sheng Kuang spoke again, "There are words."
Lin Jing put down her phone and turned to look at him in confusion, "Ah? What words?"
Sheng Kuang met her eyes, paused for a moment, and then said expressionlessly, "Little liar."
Lin Jing: "?"
Little liar? Was he talking about her? What did she lie to him about?
Lin Jing was filled with questions.
Just as she was about to ask him to clarify, his gaze drifted down, and he stared at her lips, which were red from the chili, for two seconds. "Are you enjoying your meal?"
Lin Jing thought she was enjoying it very much.
This Hunan restaurant was quite authentic, the prices were not high, the portions were generous, and most importantly, the taste was good.
But her intuition told her she couldn't answer him that way.
As she hesitated about how to reply, Sheng Kuang tilted his head and glanced at the very spicy dishes on the table beyond the several non-spicy dishes in front of her, and said slowly, "I didn't realize you could handle spicy food so well."
Lin Jing opened her mouth, and a piece of dialogue suddenly flashed in her mind.
—"Yes, it's particularly red."
—"...Really? Maybe the food is too spicy."
—"You can't eat chili?"
—"Not really."
Not, really, can, eat...