The scene fell silent in an instant.
Tian Liyuan instinctively reached out to touch the tabletop, running his fingers over the holes, ending up with a handful of wood dust.
Then he froze in place.
Not just him, even Li Changyang was wide-eyed, utterly stunned.
Lu Zheng kept his smile, saying nothing, while Lin Wan grinned, nibbling on a skewer, enjoying the shifting colours on Tian Liyuan’s face, pale one moment, flushed the next.
…
“All this talk of Condor Heroes and special forces kings, you lot watch too many films and read too many novels!”
Their table had gone quiet, making the conversations from nearby tables crystal clear.
“Look at the video, read the comments, think for yourselves. Don’t just believe what’s shown. People aren’t stupid anymore. The comments spell it out, it’s all staged, a show!”
“They drugged the boars beforehand, put on a superhero act, then debut to cash in on the traffic!”
“Look at the real pros abroad, every punch solid, built like tanks. With their scrawny builds, that video’s obviously fake.”
“They’re just feeding off patriotism, targeting those naive fans dreaming of Chinese kung fu!”
“Don’t get excited over everything. Think more, ask why these scam videos always get you hyped. Reflect a bit.”
A bespectacled, refined-looking man, slightly tipsy, was holding court, pontificating grandly.
Across from him, two women listened, visibly dazed by his spiel.
People at the other tables frowned but didn’t react.
“Shut up! Idiot! Reflect on your own head!”
Tian Liyuan exploded, roaring as he stood and stormed over, slamming his palm on the man’s table.
*Bang!*
The loud thud made the plates, cups, and chopsticks jump.
Everyone in the restaurant flinched, turning to look.
The refined man didn’t dare breathe, staring blankly at Tian Liyuan, clueless about what set him off.
“Independent thinking, my arse. Just parroting comments, following the crowd. That’s your idea of thinking? You wear glasses, but all your reading’s gone to the dogs!”
“You! You!”
“What about me? Drugged? How do you drug them? Catch wild boars and release them in the city? Drugged or not, that’s illegal! Don’t assume everyone’s as dumb as you!”
“You! You!”
“What do you want to say? They couldn’t have prepped tranquilisers either. Nobody’s psychic, and they sure didn’t trail a herd of boars into the city!”
“It was clearly a pair of low-profile experts resolving a crisis. With so many bystanders, videos from every angle, and you call it staged, a show, a scam, a con?”
Tian Liyuan pointed at his head. “Use that brain of yours, stuffed with bias. Don’t get off on every negative comment like it’s your G-spot!”
“Patriotic nonsense! Whoever coined that term is a traitor. So hating the country makes money, but loving it doesn’t? What kind of double standard is that? What era do you think this is? The days of you know-it-all types stirring trouble are over!”
“I! I!”
“All day long, foreign stuff’s real, domestic stuff’s fake. You lot, fawning over the West, defeated dogs. All you can do is wail while our nation rises to its rightful place in history, powerless to stop it!”
“Well said!”
“Spot on!”
“Mate, brilliant!”
*Clap, clap, clap!*
The barbecue joint erupted in thunderous applause.
Tian Liyuan waved to the crowd. “Nah, nah, just speaking my mind. Can’t stand these types cursing their own country while eating its food. Carry on, everyone!”
Then he turned back, glaring fiercely at the refined man.
The man swallowed hard, looking like he wanted to speak, but after eyeing Tian Liyuan’s bulging biceps, he stayed silent.
Tian Liyuan returned to his seat, his earlier bravado gone.
Swallowing hard, he cautiously glanced at Lu Zheng, saw his smile, and quietly said, “God Lu.”
“God Lu!” Li Fang chimed in immediately.
“God Lu!” Liu Jingbo hurried to add.
*Pfft!*
Lin Wan couldn’t help but laugh. “Didn’t see that coming, quite the talker, eh?”
“Don’t dare, just learning on the fly, hope I didn’t make a fool of myself!” Tian Liyuan said quickly.
Lu Zheng’s display proved the video was real.
Which meant…
Lin Wan was a big shot too!
Tian Liyuan glanced at Li Changyang, realising where he outshone him.
Live long, see more!
Look at Li Changyang’s attitude earlier, so respectful. And him? Starting to think he’d surpassed Li Changyang, forgetting his place.
Damn it, he deserved the embarrassment!
Lucky this big shot seemed good-tempered? Whatever, time to flatter!
“God Lu, you’re so low-key! Fame and fortune mean nothing to you, success like dirt. If I had your skills, I’d be insufferable. Yet you stay humble, no showboating. You’re the real deal!” Tian Liyuan gave Lu Zheng a big thumbs-up.
“Absolutely, absolutely!” Li Fang nodded vigorously.
Then Tian Liyuan turned to Lin Wan, full of admiration. “And you, a true heroine, taking on charging boars like it’s nothing. You two are a perfect match, made for each other!”
“Exactly, exactly!” Liu Jingbo echoed.
Li Changyang: (||๐_๐)
Bloody hell, I hadn’t even figured out what to say, and they’ve already snatched the top spot for sucking up to God Lu?
…
When it came time to pay, Tian Liyuan insisted on covering the bill, his eager look making it hard for Lu Zheng and Lin Wan to refuse.
Not mentioning the baffled restaurant owner cleaning the table, the group, full and satisfied, strolled along the lakeshore.
Li Changyang and the others were tactful. The earlier chat had smoothed over the initial tension, so they didn’t linger to intrude on Lu Zheng and Lin Wan’s private time. After inviting them to visit their fighting club when free, they politely took their leave.
“Didn’t expect you to pull off such a jaw-dropping move, straight out of a wuxia novel,” Lin Wan said, holding Lu Zheng’s hand as they walked. “Wasn’t that a bit too much?”
“No issue,” Lu Zheng grinned. “Worst case, I’ll just tell the truth, I’ve cultivated inner strength, haven’t I? It’s been around since ancient times. Even now, plenty of traditional martial arts masters claim they’ve got inner strength.”
Lin Wan gave a wry smile. “But they don’t have your level of flair.”
“Don’t they? You’ll get there soon enough,” Lu Zheng said with a sly grin.
Lin Wan was already on the seventeenth form. Her body was brimming with vital energy, just not yet circulating fully. Once she could complete the “Eighteen Mountain-Bearing Forms,” her energy would flow naturally, a matter of course.
“Really?” Lin Wan’s eyes lit up with anticipation.
“Easy as pie,” Lu Zheng nodded. “So, should we take up the mantle of the Condor Heroes?”
“Where’s your condor?”
“Guess,” he teased.
