I Really Didn’t Want to Increase My Favorability!

Chapter 285

After handing out the soy milk, they found themselves only a few dozen meters away from the sports stadium.

Once inside, the early morning hour and recent snowfall left the track sparsely populated with just a handful of people. The track itself had already been cleared of snow, and the grass field was free of it too, though it looked damp from the melt.

“I’m going for a run. You two do whatever you want,” Xu Lin said as he pulled his cap on. Without waiting for a response, he stepped onto the track and immediately picked up speed, leaving the two girls behind in a flash.

Chu Fengyi and Li Muxue exchanged a glance. Li Muxue’s eyes landed on a nearby circular platform.

“My cousin said you’ve taught him martial arts.”

“How could I dare say I taught him? It’s more like he teaches me.”

“Want to spar up there?”

Chu Fengyi hadn’t expected her to take the initiative, but how could she back down?

“After you, cousin.”

Xu Lin, oblivious to the fact that the two had just arranged a duel, continued his laps around the inner track—400 meters per lap. His usual run was 4,000 meters, or ten laps. Even with his improved physique, running the full distance in one go was still exhausting.

Of course, he could slow down to make it easier, but he preferred to maintain his usual pace and rhythm.

After a few laps, Xu Lin noticed a crowd gathered near the wrestling platform. Given the sparse morning crowd, it seemed like more than half of the people present had moved over there.

“What’s going on?”

Xu Lin wasn’t the type to enjoy drama, but then he remembered his martial arts master cousin and the feisty Chu Fengyi.

“Don’t tell me those two actually started fighting!”

Hurrying over, he saw two young men with boxing gloves practicing sparring. Xu Lin let out a sigh of relief.

But just as he relaxed, he overheard a conversation among a few onlookers nearby.

“Eh, what’s so interesting about this? The two girls earlier were way better.”

“Where?”

“Not sure where they went. Now that was real martial arts—fast, powerful, and with sound effects to boot!”

“Seriously?”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“For real. I saw it too. They were both stunning, like celestial fairies, and one of them was a foreigner.”

Hearing this, Xu Lin immediately turned around to search for them. They had been fighting!

He scanned the area while heading further ahead, looking around the field and track, but neither of them was there. His eyes then fell on a four-story building nearby and he made his way toward it.

The building was part of a school. The first three floors housed various ball sports training facilities, while the fourth floor was home to a renowned Taekwondo dojo.

The dojo had gained fame due to its head instructor, known for his peculiar temperament. He only took on eight students at a time, charged nothing if they didn’t learn well, but demanded absolute dedication. Those who came for fun or without serious intent wouldn’t be accepted.

His rigorous and stubborn approach had earned widespread acclaim, and most parents who wanted their children to learn Taekwondo brought them here.

Xu Lin entered the building, only to be flanked by two burly staff members.

“What are you here for, buddy? Looking to train in something?”

“I’m just looking for my friends. Not sure where they went.”

“Oh, no one’s come in recently. But here, take a brochure. Check it out—if there’s anything you’re interested in, feel free to stop by.”

“Sure, thanks.”

Xu Lin stepped out with the flyer in hand and glanced at the small path not far away. “They wouldn’t have just left directly, would they?”

He walked through the small path, arriving at another street, where a delicious aroma greeted him. Lamb soup?

Xu Lin approached the lamb soup shop. Through the glass, he spotted two people, one big and one small, sitting there chatting happily.

“Fighting actually brought them closer?”

He walked in. The shop wasn’t too crowded, and the two noticed him immediately.

“Knew you’d find us. Sister Chu is amazing.”

“What are you two talking about? Coming here for soup without inviting me?”

“Well, we figured you’d find us anyway. We even ordered your soup; it hasn’t come yet.”

“Three bowls! Cilantro, chili?” the shop owner shouted. Xu Lin looked at Li Muxue and Chu Fengyi.

“I’m fine with anything.”

“I can’t eat cilantro,” Li Muxue said. Xu Lin got the message.

“Boss, two bowls with cilantro, and make all of them spicy.”

“Got it!”

Half a minute later, three bowls of lamb soup were placed in front of them. Xu Lin pushed the bowl without cilantro toward his cousin.

“Two crispy sesame biscuits, be careful, they’re hot!”

With the addition of two biscuits and a small complimentary plate of pickled veggies, the meal was complete.

“I originally thought Cousin didn’t eat meat and planned to look for a vegetarian pancake place,” Chu Fengyi remarked, and Xu Lin recalled something.

After Chu Fengyi had arrived in Linshui, unless he cooked or ate with Chu Qingchan and the others, her breakfast was often a vegetarian pancake — also known as a veggie pancake. It had no meat, typically filled with shredded vegetables like carrots, potatoes, cabbage, spinach, and sometimes tofu or vermicelli.

She’d mentioned wanting to eat a veggie pancake before, but he hadn’t taken her to get one. Next time they went on a date, he decided he’d bring her to eat one.

“Why are you suddenly staring at me? It’s creepy.”

I’m looking at you so tenderly, and you call it creepy?! Xu Lin glared at her.

“Drink your soup; it won’t taste as good once it cools,” Li Muxue said, glancing at Xu Lin. He lowered his head obediently.

Watching the two of them, she thought to herself, Having someone like her as my cousin’s wife isn’t bad. At least she can protect him.

But then again, the girl he mentioned of the same age seemed nice too. Wonder what she looked like.

Wait, why was she thinking about this? Once her cousin had a wife, that meant she wouldn’t have a husband herself!

The three of them ate their biscuits, watched passersby, and sipped their hot lamb soup.

Xu Lin wasn’t particularly fond of lamb offal soup. Or rather, he didn’t like the offal. He enjoyed the soup itself, but not the parts like lamb intestines, lungs, or liver—only the stomach was tolerable.

No matter how well-prepared the offal was, without any gaminess, he still didn’t enjoy it. Yet oddly enough, he liked pork liver.

As he drank about half the soup, more than half of the offal remained, but he felt too embarrassed to waste it.

Just then, he saw a spoon stretch out, scooping up the liver and some other pieces.

“You don’t like organ meat, right? I do,” Chu Fengyi said, eating the liver directly from the spoon.

Li Muxue, sitting nearby, smiled at Chu Fengyi. “He’s so good to you.”

“Mm, two lifetimes of care,” Chu Fengyi replied without missing a beat.

Xu Lin looked at Chu Fengyi, his heart filled with nothing but gratitude. He knew that Chu Fengyi didn’t like organ meat either.

After all, she’d grown up with a life of luxury, and the only organ meats she’d eaten were high-end delicacies like foie gras.

“I’ll treat you to vegetarian pancakes next time.”

“Sure, but can you stop messing up my hair? You’re treating me like a fool or something!”

“Sorry, sorry. By the way, you got up so early today—was it really just for exercise?”

“Yeah, I felt like my body was getting sluggish. It’s been a while since I exercised, but today was refreshing.”

“Speaking of which, you two actually fought, huh? Who won?”

Xu Lin glanced at Li Muxue, genuinely curious about the result since both of them were skilled fighters.

“Not telling you…” Chu Fengyi waved her hand, her face full of mystery.

“You lost?”

“No… I won.”

Chu Fengyi looked even more embarrassed, lowering her head, leaving Xu Lin completely baffled. If she won, why was she acting like this?

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