Oh no! I've only been a freshman and I've already been targeted by a mean upperclassman.

It was 7 p.m. at a hot pot restaurant outside the school.

The largest private room on the second floor was brightly lit and bustling with noise.

A huge round table that could seat twenty people was completely occupied by the basketball team members and the diners of dormitory 302.

In the center of the table, four huge Mercedes-Benz pots were steaming, with red oil bubbling and mushroom soup sizzling.

"Come on! Let's toast to our greatest hero of the day, Linjiang University's newly crowned basketball god and martial arts god—Li Shen!"

Captain Lin Feng stood up, raised his beer glass high, and his face was flushed.

"Cheers!"

Everyone, including Wang Qiang, Zhao Zixuan, and Chen Mo, stood up excitedly, their beer glasses clinking together.

The atmosphere was extremely lively.

However, Li Chen, who was the focus of everyone's attention, didn't have time to pay any attention to them.

He sat upright, with a small bowl in front of him and a bright red prawn that had just been scooped out of the spicy pot.

He lowered his head, focused intently, and carefully, with an almost reverent attitude, peeled the shrimp shells.

Beside him, Yan Xi leaned back elegantly in her chair, one hand supporting her chin as she watched him "work" with great interest, while the other hand slowly scrolled through her phone, occasionally taking a sip of the coconut jelly that the waiter had just brought.

His leisurely and carefree demeanor contrasted sharply with the bustling atmosphere around him.

She was like a queen overseeing her work, and Li Chen was her exclusive, willing slave.

"Old Li, what are you doing? Everyone's toasting you!"

Wang Qiang took a sip of beer and shouted in a carefree manner.

Li Chen didn't even look up.

"I'm busy."

He placed the peeled, whole shrimp meat, coated in red oil broth, into the small bowl in front of him.

Then, he picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of the translucent shrimp meat, and rolled it in the secret dipping sauce that Yan Xi had prepared for him in advance, which included millet peppers and cilantro.

Finally, he brought the perfect piece of shrimp to Yan Xi's lips.

Open your mouth.

Yan Xi put down her phone without even lifting her eyelids, slightly parted her rosy lips, and ate the shrimp meat.

She chewed slowly, then gave her evaluation.

"The spiciness is just right; next time, you can add a little less vinegar."

"Okay."

Li Chen responded, then picked up a new shrimp and began a new round of repetitive work.

The entire private room fell silent instantly.

Everyone froze in their tracks.

They stared in disbelief at the scene, their wine glasses and chopsticks frozen in mid-air.

The air was filled with the cloying, sweet smell of romance.

"What the hell?"

Wang Qiang nearly spat out his beer. "Old Li, is your position as the younger brother in the family already that secure?"

Zhao Zixuan held his forehead, his face showing unbearable pain.

"I can't bear to look, I really can't bear to look."

"I always thought I came here to eat hot pot, but I didn't expect to come here to eat dog food."

Chen Mo pushed up his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses gleaming with intelligence.

"According to the 'public commitment effect' in social psychology, showing affection in public is an effective way to strengthen a couple's relationship."

"It can satisfy one party's possessiveness and the other party's sense of being needed, thus forming a positive emotional feedback loop."

Simply put,

He concluded, "One is willing to hit, and the other is willing to be hit."

Captain Lin Feng and his teammates were so engrossed in watching that their eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

The "fierce god" in their eyes, the fierce man who dominated the basketball court and knocked people flying with one punch in a conflict, was now peeling shrimp for his girlfriend like a little wife.

The contrast was even more shocking than when he dunked over Sun Hao.

"Um... Senior Yan Xi."

Lin Feng mustered his courage, raised his wine glass, and cautiously said to Yan Xi, "We were able to win the game today thanks to Li Chen."

"On behalf of the team, I'd like to raise a glass to you to thank you for lending us such a wonderful 'family member'."

He spoke very skillfully, thanking Li Chen while also praising Yan Xi.

However, Yan Xi only glanced at him casually and showed no intention of drinking.

"I don't drink alcohol."

Raymond Lam: "..."

The atmosphere became quite awkward.

Seeing this, Li Chen quickly tried to smooth things over.

He put down the shrimp in his hand and picked up his wine glass.

"Team Leader Lin, I'll drink it for her."

"Everyone played very well today; it's a testament to the team's performance."

After saying that, he tilted his head back and downed a glass of beer in one gulp.

Yan Xi glanced at him, said nothing, but the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

She picked up the serving chopsticks, took a slice of freshly cooked, tender tripe from the bubbling clear broth pot, and placed it into the dipping sauce bowl in front of Li Chen.

"Eat something to fill your stomach, don't just drink alcohol."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

Everyone: "..."

Another devastating blow.

Can't we even enjoy this meal in peace?

The next hour completely turned into a "love show" for Li Chen and Yan Xi.

Li Chen barely touched his chopsticks.

He was either peeling shrimp, scalding tripe, or pouring a drink into Yan Xi's empty cup.

Yan Xi, on the other hand, was like a cripple with degenerated limbs, expecting to be fed and dressed without lifting a finger.

She would complain that the beef Li Chen cooked was too tough.

They would also praise him for cooking the shrimp balls perfectly.

She would put the mushrooms she didn't like into Li Chen's bowl with a perfectly justifiable reason.

She would also calmly hand Li Chen a glass of plum juice when he gasped for breath from the spiciness.

The unspoken intimacy and tacit understanding between the two formed an impenetrable barrier.

Meanwhile, the other people in the private room were like viewers who had paid to watch a "man vs. wild" show, only able to gnaw on their meat and watch them longingly, occasionally letting out cries of "envy, jealousy, and hatred."

"I can't take it anymore, I'm full."

Wang Qiang put down his chopsticks, rubbed his stomach, and looked utterly dejected. "I'm full of dog food."

"I feel my blood sugar spike."

Zhao Zixuan said, "It's too sweet, sickeningly sweet."

"From an energy conversion perspective, the calories we consume are far less than the mental harm we suffer."

Chen Mo gave a serious summary.

Finally, amidst widespread lamentation, this "Feast at Hongmen" came to an end.

Lin Feng paid the bill, fulfilling his promise.

The group walked out of the hot pot restaurant arm in arm.

"Old Li, you're really something else, you've forgotten your mother... no, you've forgotten your son!"

Wang Qiang, with his arm around Li Chen's neck, complained, reeking of alcohol.

"That's right, you were the one serving your sister-in-law the whole time. You barely responded when we talked to you."

Zhao Zixuan echoed.

Li Chen smiled and did not refute.

What could he say?

Is this a "punishment" from the Queen?

He would never admit that he actually... quite enjoyed it.

Yan Xi walked on the other side of Li Chen, her hands in her trench coat pockets, quietly listening to their banter.

She waited until they had finished arguing before speaking slowly.

"Li Chen".

"Um?"

"There were quite a few girls screaming for you at the stadium today."

Her tone was flat, revealing no emotion.

But Li Chen's alarm went off instantly.

Here it comes, the real reckoning is just beginning.

"They're all classmates, just making a fuss."

He quickly explained.

"Yeah?"

Yan Xi stopped and turned to look at him. "I heard that the most beautiful girl in the Department of Economics and Management is asking everyone for your contact information."

"And the captain of the foreign language department's cheerleading team said she's coming to bring you a loving breakfast tomorrow."

"besides……"

Li Chen felt a chill run down his spine.

Isn't her intelligence system a little too advanced?

"I swear, I don't know a single one of them!"

He held up three fingers.

"You don't need to know them."

Yan Xi's gaze swept across his face. "It's enough that they know you."

She took a step forward, leaned close to Li Chen's ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"From today onwards, you are famous."

"The trouble has only just begun."

Her breath was warm, carrying a hint of the spiciness of hot pot and her unique cool fragrance, which brushed against Li Chen's ear, making him feel a surge of desire.

"so……"

She drew out her words, a familiar smile, the kind that belongs to a "predator," playing at the corners of her lips.

"Take care of yourself, my... little boyfriend."

……