What’S Wrong With Just Eating His Majesty’S Soft Rice? Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Then Eat a Bit More

Zhou Yinli!

When Zhou Yinli heard him call his name, he seemed somewhat unfamiliar with it. He looked at Fang Cheng with a hint of surprise, a look that made Fang Cheng feel as though Zhou Yinli finally possessed a bit of human vitality.

Fang Cheng held him with one hand while looking down at his phone with the other. His fingers moved as he typed a message in the group chat, saying a relative had come to his house and he wouldn’t be joining them this time.

Fatty Zhang and the others intentionally asked what kind of relative it was—the kind that visited once a month?

The others teased him with a few more remarks, but no one expressed dissatisfaction over his absence. It was clear they were eager to collect the debt; seeing that Fang Cheng wasn’t going actually made them a bit happier. After all, one less person meant their individual shares of the money would be slightly larger.

Fang Cheng wasn’t interested in participating in such things. In his view, hanging out, eating, drinking, and having fun was one thing, but this was different.

In the past, they only dealt with small-time trouble. If someone was causing a scene in a shop, they’d be called over to provide backup, or if a nightclub needed extra hands, they’d go help out.

None of this was done for free; they could earn a bit of pocket money. Sometimes there would be long stretches without any work, and everyone would just idle around with no income.

Of course, as these incidents piled up, they would occasionally end up at the police station over minor matters, but it never reached the level of detention. Usually, they were just given a verbal warning and kicked out.

Fang Cheng had always been the type to avoid using his fists whenever possible. He was getting older and had started looking after himself. When he was younger, he would get into fights now and then, but back then, the sides were always evenly matched. He disdained things like bullying the weak or ganging up on someone.

Occasionally, if he saw someone bullying the elderly or harassing a girl, he would step in to demand justice. Consequently, while those around him generally thought he was a drifter who didn’t hold a proper job, no one felt that he or his friends were truly dangerous.

On the contrary, the group often received lectures from the local aunties and uncles, who wanted to find them proper work. It was just that they were all used to being lazy; they couldn’t stick to a serious job and would quit shortly after starting. In the end, they just continued to drift through life.

Generally speaking, calling them underworld figures was far from the truth. To be honest, even calling them “thugs” was a bit of an overestimation.

Now, it seemed they had used the excuse of debt collection to embrace that feeling of strength in numbers.

Ever since they started following Brother Wei’s lead, many things had changed.

Fang Cheng had a faint, bad premonition and was increasingly reluctant to participate.

The last time he had secretly called the police, nothing had come of it. Whether that family was truly in the wrong or if Brother Wei had the connections to suppress the matter, Fang Cheng didn’t know. But the world behind Brother Wei was clearly much more complicated than theirs.

However, Fang Cheng also knew his friends’ personalities. Persuasion was useless; they had to trip and fall on their own. Even one fall wouldn’t be enough to make them learn; they’d have to fall a few more times.

He himself was a bit of a drifter, doing things based on his mood and occasionally doing small things that lacked integrity. He wasn’t a particularly good person, but he wasn’t that bad either.

There were plenty of people far worse than him. If he truly hardened his heart and turned bad, his life would certainly be better than it was now, but he didn’t think his current life was that bad.

Let it be, Fang Cheng thought. He would respect their choices.

Fang Cheng put away his phone. The mental patient had helped him get some money today, and following his principle of spending what he had—eating well when there was money and eating grass when there wasn’t—he raised an eyebrow. “Let’s go, Brother will take you for hotpot.”

Zhou Yinli was clearly at a loss due to his attitude. He also showed a bit of helplessness regarding the title “Brother,” but he followed him obediently. As he walked, his eyes darted around, unsure of what he was looking at.

Fang Cheng nudged him. “We’re taking the bus.”

It was peak commuting hours, and the bus was packed. The two were pressed together by the crowded tide of people. Fearing that Zhou Yinli might get motion sickness and vomit again, Fang Cheng simply held onto a handrail with one hand and grabbed Zhou Yinli’s hand with the other, pressing down on his Neiguan point.

Zhou Yinli had seemingly never been so close to someone. His face wasn’t pale like it had been during the car ride this morning; now, it was tinged with a faint red. His whole body was stiff, as if he wanted to break away but was forcing himself to endure it.

“What are you doing?”

Fang Cheng looked up and found himself facing the other man’s profile and his sharp jawline.

Seeing him turn his face away and refuse to look at him, Fang Cheng gave a dry chuckle and said unhappily, “I’m helping you. Pressing this spot can relieve motion sickness.” After saying that, he immediately let go. Whether you vomit or not, I don’t care.

Zhou Yinli instead looked at him a few more times and even moved his hand closer, as if he wanted Fang Cheng to press it again, but Fang Cheng was no longer in the mood.

When they arrived at the hotpot restaurant, Fang Cheng felt a bit lonely sitting face-to-face with only Zhou Yinli, as he usually ate hotpot with a large, rowdy crowd.

While ordering, Fang Cheng still sat with his legs crossed, shaking the menu until it rustled. Looking utterly disreputable, he looked up and asked Zhou Yinli, “Can you eat spicy food?”

Zhou Yinli looked around at the bright red broth on other people’s tables, his expression turning stiff. “What is spicy? What is this ‘spice’? Why does what those people are eating look like blood?”

Fang Cheng looked impatient. “What blood? Haven’t you seen it on TV? Haven’t you ever eaten hotpot?” Whether it was the mental hospital or his family, they were too cruel to him—not even letting him eat hotpot? He felt a bit more pity for Zhou Yinli.

Zhou Yinli’s expression was tense, his features cold and stern. He clearly sensed Fang Cheng’s attitude and realized he had once again made the mistake of ignorance and asked a stupid question.

Through two days of close contact, Fang Cheng could vaguely discern the subtle changes in his expressions, so he just took his silence as a yes.

“You’re so pitiful.” These words carried a sense of schadenfreude. What joy was there in a life without hotpot?

Zhou Yinli naturally heard it, and his thin lips pressed even tighter.

Once he was done gloating, Fang Cheng still ordered a Mandarin Duck pot.

While waiting for the broth to boil, Fang Cheng couldn’t help but ask, “Why do you think you’re the Emperor?”

Zhou Yinli looked at him in confusion, as if he didn’t understand the question. However, since their relationship over the past two days had been relatively harmonious aside from their initial conflict, he took a moment to think. “Why would I not be? I am the Crown Prince personally invested by the late Emperor, and I have undergone the enthronement ceremony and received the worship of the hundred officials. Naturally, I should be the Son of Heaven.”

Fang Cheng thought to himself, alright. After a whole day, I thought he had become quite normal, but as soon as this is mentioned… it’s over. He’s not better at all.

He figured that if one ignored the “I, the Emperor, send money” quirk, Zhou Yinli actually wasn’t that difficult to deal with.

He had a decent temper, a high tolerance for Fang Cheng, and he was handsome with a good build. He didn’t talk much. If he were out in the world, he’d probably be chased wildly by young girls, yet his looks and years had been wasted in a mental hospital.

If he hadn’t run out and bumped into Fang Cheng, he would never have had the chance to film a movie.

He wouldn’t have had the chance to eat hotpot, either.

It seemed that Fang Cheng was, in a way, his Bole!

Of course, Zhou Yinli had another big problem: a lack of common sense. It was likely a lingering side effect of being a mental patient for so long.

Fang Cheng stopped mentioning the subject and began putting fatty beef into the pot.

“Put whatever you want in the pot yourself. I’m not serving you.”

Zhou Yinli watched his movements and followed suit, putting some items into the clear broth side.

One look at his face and you could tell he really had never eaten hotpot before. Even the simple act of picking up food and putting it into the pot was done with an expression as if he were facing a formidable enemy.

Fang Cheng saw him staring at the bubbling pot for a long time after putting the vegetables in. Fang Cheng had already finished several rounds of food, yet Zhou Yinli hadn’t even moved his chopsticks.

“Hurry up and fish it out to eat. The vegetables are about to boil into mush.”

Zhou Yinli looked up at him and obediently fished the food out and ate it.

Fang Cheng curled his lip. “The clear broth isn’t satisfying. Try this.”

He casually scooped a piece of bright red fatty beef and placed it in Zhou Yinli’s bowl.

Zhou Yinli stared at the meat for a long time, not daring to move.

Fang Cheng rolled his eyes. “Eat it. Don’t worry, it’s not poisoned.”

Zhou Yinli’s eyes flickered. “I didn’t think it was poisoned.”

If it were poisoned, Fang Cheng would have been the first to die.

He smelled the pungent scent of the chili oil and slowly picked up the meat, putting it into his mouth.

As soon as the meat entered his mouth, Zhou Yinli began to cough frantically. His face instantly turned red, and his features scrunched together. Stimulated by the spiciness, the corners of his eyes grew moist.

He coughed for a good while before he managed to suppress the spicy sensation.

Fang Cheng was delighted by the show. For some reason, he felt like he was raising a son during these two days with Zhou Yinli.

“Haha, tastes good, right?”

Zhou Yinli’s eyes were red now, and he shot a sharp look at Fang Cheng, though he looked completely harmless in his current state.

When Fang Cheng saw this look, he felt that this expression was much more vivid than his usual cold and indifferent appearance.

Fang Cheng liked seeing people make fools of themselves and enjoyed joining in the mockery; he had a bit of a mischievous streak. Now, he really wanted to see him lose his composure a bit longer. “Do you still dare to eat it? It’s too embarrassing to be afraid of spice. Look around, who else is eating from the clear pot?”

Actually, there were many Mandarin Duck pots around them. Zhou Yinli’s previous composure seemed to have vanished in front of Fang Cheng. His competitive spirit was truly piqued now. “What would I not dare?”

Fang Cheng chuckled. “Then eat a bit more.”

By the end of the meal, Zhou Yinli finally started attacking the red broth. Hotpot was the kind of thing where the spicier it got, the more satisfying it became, and the more satisfying it became, the more addictive it was.

Zhou Yinli’s entire face was flushed red from the spice.

At the next table, several women whispered among themselves for a long time before finally gathering the courage to come over.

One girl with bright makeup, a row of earrings, other piercings on her face, a bold hairstyle, and a short skirt that reached her upper thighs—revealing a section of her slender white waist—smiled at Zhou Yinli. “Hello, handsome. You’re really handsome. I’d like to be friends with you. Can I have your contact info?”

Zhou Yinli was stunned for a moment, whether by the girl’s appearance or her words.

Seeing that Zhou Yinli didn’t respond, the girl spoke again. “It’s just contact info, no need to be so stingy.”

Zhou Yinli still didn’t say a word. He looked up at Fang Cheng.

The girl remained standing there, staring at Zhou Yinli with a grin.

Fang Cheng was already unhappy about being interrupted while eating. Plus, the girl was interested in Zhou Yinli and was treating Fang Cheng as if he were invisible. He immediately became annoyed. He tapped the table unruly, his tone fierce. “Hey, what’s wrong with you? He’s ignoring you and you still won’t leave. Are you looking to humiliate yourself?”

Seeing Fang Cheng’s prickly appearance, his short hair that looked like he’d just been released from prison, and his aggressive tone, the girl’s expression changed. “I just wanted contact info, how is that humiliating myself? Whether he gives it or not is my business. Why are you butting in?”

Fang Cheng continued to arch his brows. “Can’t you see my brother doesn’t want to talk to you? Still asking for contact info, where do you get such confidence?”

The girl’s chest heaved with anger. She turned around, grabbed her friends, and left.

Fang Cheng was used to being a hoodlum; he was only polite to the elderly. He’d even bully kids and steal their toys to play with. This girl was dressed like a delinquent; he had seen plenty of girls like her bullying others in the past, so he wouldn’t be soft-hearted.

Zhou Yinli saw the girl get driven away by Fang Cheng’s sharp words, and a very faint smile flickered in his eyes. Unfortunately, Fang Cheng didn’t notice, so he didn’t see that Zhou Yinli was actually in a good mood. Zhou Yinli picked up a slice of beef, put it in his bowl, and waited for the steam to dissipate. “The behavior of the women here is truly bold. Their clothing is also quite loose.”

It was rare for Zhou Yinli to open up and share his thoughts with Fang Cheng, a sign of trust. Unfortunately, Fang Cheng didn’t understand his meaning at all. Instead, he looked at him as if he were an idiot.

“What do you mean by loose and bold? That girl just wanted your contact info; she was giving you face. People can wear what they want and hit on whoever they want. If you don’t like it, ignore them, or if you’re annoyed, curse them out. Why do you have to say she’s dressed loosely?”