NOVPUB"Hey, hey, hey, look at those two people…"
"That guy is so handsome, his brooding gaze is killing me, ah I'm dead!"
"That girl is so pretty, just the glasses are a bit ugly…"
"Even if they're ugly, she's still pretty, way better looking than our school's 'belle'!"
"I can't handle this, that guy is absolutely stunning… I'm going to ask for his phone number."
"Calm down, look at his girlfriend beside him!"
"Tch, that vixen, stealing my boyfriend!"
"Hey, hey, hey, you only met your 'boyfriend' for the first time today!"
"Who's the guy with that beauty? Why do girls these days all like those pretty boys? Us tough and rugged handsome guys are out of fashion!"
Shen Mochen and Xia Qingrou were walking down the street, Xia Qingrou clinging tightly to Shen Mochen's arm, her soft bosom pressed against him, her eyes seemingly flickering with unease.
"You're being called a pretty boy," said Xia Qingrou.
"And you're being called a vixen," Shen Mochen replied.
"Are there any vixens as good-looking as me?"
"Well, I've heard that thousand-year-old vixens are very beautiful in the stories."
Xia Qingrou gave him a sidelong glance. "Are you complimenting me or insulting me?"
Shen Mochen smiled. "Of course, I'm complimenting you. And don't be nervous, is this your first time hooking arms with a man?"
Xia Qingrou frowned. "Isn't this your first time being held by a girl like this?"
Shen Mochen paused, then chuckled. "I've had a girlfriend before."
"Tch, tch!" Xia Qingrou ground her teeth and muttered under her breath, "Men without integrity!"
"Reject the slut-shaming... ah, no, reject the philanderer shaming, okay? I'm shaking with anger here!"
Xia Qingrou pursed her lips and said nothing.
"Actually, having a fake boyfriend isn't too bad; at least there's no one hitting on you."
The two of them stood by the roadside waiting for a car, and Xia Qingrou suddenly spoke up.
Shen Mochen glanced at her. "Do you really dislike being hit on that much?"
Xia Qingrou looked down. "Do you like it?"
Her aura seemed to change, with a hint of gloominess and disenchantment.
"I don't like it much either, it feels bothersome," Shen Mochen said.
Xia Qingrou remained silent, her expression shifting as she frowned, apparently recalling something unpleasant.
"I really hate boys, so don't fall for me, okay? Because I really hate boys, so it's impossible between us… I'm sorry, just because you're a guy, I feel like I can't accept it."
After a long silence, Xia Qingrou suddenly spoke softly.
Shen Mochen looked at her, seeing her expression darken, her fists clenched slightly.
"It seems like I've been inexplicably dumped by you before I even pursued you…" Shen Mochen said, "Although I admit you might be the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, isn't it a bit narcissistic of you to assume I'd fall for you just like that?"
"Hey, hey, I'm just giving a heads-up, I don't want things to get awkward between us friends," Xia Qingrou chuckled and then glanced at the shiny cross pendant on Shen Mochen's chest, "I know you still like your noble ex-girlfriend."
What's going on, why do I feel a bit uneasy? Xia Qingrou touched her chest.
"Is this how normal friends hug each other?" Shen Mochen squinted.
"I often do this with Yanyan and the others!" Xia Qingrou asserted.
Shen Mochen joked, "You don't happen to like girls, do you?"
Xia Qingrou gave him a look. "I don't think so. At least I've never been attracted to the soul of a woman."
Hmm? So what you're saying is, you've been attracted to the body of a woman? Oh my, it couldn't be Han Muxue, right?
Ah, no way, Han Muxue's figure is so meager, it shouldn't be... unless she has a special liking for the loli type.
The two got into a taxi and headed for Yu Huai's most famous seafood buffet restaurant.
"Oh, young man, are you with the Buque Team?" The taxi driver glanced at Shen Mochen and recognized the combat suit of the Buque Team.
"Ha ha ha, it's fake, it's fake, I bought it online for fun," Shen Mochen said, scratching the back of his head with a smile.
In the entire 0819, only Shen Mochen and Xiao Xingshuang would wear combat suits issued by the Buque. Shen Mochen wore it simply because it was dirt-resistant and easy to wash.
However, according to Yin Caiyu's teachings, it was best not to reveal his Buque identity in public because he had to constantly be aware of his image and would unwittingly take on many social obligations, which was very troublesome.
If it hadn't been for the sudden event, Shen Mochen would have definitely changed his clothes.
Xia Qingrou sneakily pinched Shen Mochen, seemingly looking down on him for lying.
Upon reaching their destination, Xia Qingrou and Shen Mochen got out of the car and went straight into the restaurant.
"May I ask if you two are members of our restaurant?"
The waitress approached with a beaming smile.
"No..."
"Then do you have a reservation?" 𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
"Ah, I forgot..." Shen Mochen slapped the back of his head.
The waitress immediately showed a delicate hint of apology, "I'm sorry, but without a reservation, we can't..."
"No problem, no problem, we can just eat somewhere else!"
Xia Qingrou almost laughed out loud, triumphantly glancing at Shen Mochen, thinking that it wasn't her fault for not inviting him. He had brought it on himself!
"I'm really sorry..." The waitress stared at Shen Mochen's face with regret, feeling as if her conscience was being condemned for rejecting such a melancholic and handsome young man.
However, just as Shen Mochen and Xia Qingrou turned to leave, the waitress's gaze finally shifted from Shen Mochen's face to his body.
"Please wait a moment!" The waitress hurriedly stepped forward to stop them. Taking the opportunity, she held Shen Mochen's hand, feeling it, "Excuse me, do you work at Buque?"
Working at Buque didn't necessarily mean being one of the Buque Team. Besides the team members, there were many crucial staff and logistics support... After all, male Buque Team members were extremely rare, so people generally didn't think in that direction.
"Yes, I am a member of the Buque Team," Shen Mochen glanced at Xia Qingrou and revealed his identity, pulling out his Buque Certificate from the pocket over his shoulder.
"Please wait, please wait, I'll call the manager right away!"
The waitress rushed to get the manager. The manager scrutinized the Buque Certificate, returned it with both hands, and smiled broadly, "It's an honor for our establishment to have a warrior from Buque visit."
Shen Mochen waved his hand, "It's okay, I don't have a reservation. I'll come back next time."
"No need for reservations, no need for reservations!" The manager quickly ushered Shen Mochen and Xia Qingrou inside.
He was quite worldly and knew that the Buque Certificate and combat suit were most likely genuine.
Moreover, as the manager of such a high-end restaurant, he naturally had a strong sense of public relations. He knew if he let the Buque Team member leave today and someone in the restaurant took photos and posted them online, to begin a trending topic... then he and the restaurant could look forward to being drowned under the spit of the whole country.
It was just a matter of arranging an additional table, real or fake.
Shen Mochen glanced at Xia Qingrou, his eyes twinkling with amusement. Someone from his family had been a Buque Team member, so he naturally knew the correct use of the Buque Certificate.
After all, both he and Yin Caiyu came from the slums and had thick skins.
...
"Isn't that Shen Mochen? Oh my god, who's that super beautiful woman with him? She's hardly inferior to Teacher Caiyu and the Princess!"
Inside the restaurant, a student from Gaotang State First Middle School saw Shen Mochen from a distance, his face filled with astonishment.
Today was Saturday and he had come casually with his family for a meal, but unexpectedly, upon entering, he saw a scene that made his jaw drop.
Shen Mochen's identity as a mysterious young man with superpowers who had joined the Buque was public knowledge. Now, who at First Middle School didn't know about Shen Mochen?
Similarly, who didn't know that Shen Mochen was Princess Catherine's boyfriend?
But why was he so intimately dining at a restaurant with another woman now?
And this woman, wearing an off-shoulder dress, clung to Shen Mochen's arm, her snow-white breasts pressed against him - this was clearly a sign of an affair!
Before his eyes, he envisioned a green Princess.
Damn, it made people envious... cough cough, despicable!
Beast, to have such luck with ladies again... cough cough, are you really worthy of Princess Catherine, you scumbag!
In that moment, the student's heart burned with righteous fury. He couldn't remain silent and ignore what he saw!
So he suppressed his excited, trembling heart and took a shaky photo of the two.
