Liu Ergou looked toward the direction the voices had come from and saw two strangers standing at the entrance, looking at him with scorn.

Without a doubt, these had to be Zhang Man's friends.

Just then, the two strangers strode over to Liu Ergou's table and sat down. No sooner had they taken their seats than they began sizing him up from head to toe.

"Zhang Man, we haven't seen you in a while. How has your taste gotten so bad?"

"Seriously. When I saw this bumpkin, it gave me a shock. I thought he was some relic that crawled out of a backwater hole!"

As the two spoke, the girl sitting nearby couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh. Both Zhang Man and Liu Ergou's expressions darkened.

By now, Liu Ergou had lost all interest in the meal. Just a gathering of rich kids. Nothing more.

Zhang Man looked at the two and said irritably, "I asked you to come here to eat, not to find trouble!"

"If you're here to cause problems, the door is right there—you can leave anytime. You're not welcome here!"

"Understood?"

Upon hearing Zhang Man's words, the two snorted disdainfully in response. Then, one of them suddenly turned his attention to Liu Ergou.

"Hey, you relic from the boonies, how do you know Xiao Man?"

"And where are you working now? Spit it out. I want to see just how impressive you are!"

Liu Ergou couldn't be bothered to deal with this man. He just kept his head down, intently studying the menu.

Seeing Liu Ergou's silence infuriated the man. He slammed his hand on the table, pointed at Liu Ergou, and began to curse.

"Damn it, are you deaf or mute? Didn't you hear me talking to you?!"

"If you dare play the silent treatment with me again, believe me when I say you'll regret it!"

These two were rich kids, used to being arrogant and looking down on everyone. No one ever dared to provoke them, but today, they had picked a fight with the wrong person: Liu Ergou.

Hearing the man's tirade, Liu Ergou remained impassive, still focused on the menu. After flipping another page, his eyes lit up—he saw some dishes he had never tried before.

With that thought, Liu Ergou lifted his head.

When the man across from him saw Liu Ergou look up, his spirits lifted.

"Haha, scared now, are you?" he sneered. "Let me tell you, it's a little too late for that—"

Before he could finish, Liu Ergou cut him off.

"Excuse me, waiter. I wanted to ask about your 'Mushroom Stewed with Dragon.' The 'dragon' isn't the kind that would land a person in jail for eating it, is it?"

As Liu Ergou spoke, a waiter hurried over to his table to explain.

"Sir, it's not the 'dragon' you're thinking of. That one is a protected species and illegal to eat. Ours are farm-raised and allowed to roam free in the mountains."

"They're delicious and completely legal. Would you like to try the dish?"

Listening to the waiter's explanation, Liu Ergou stroked his chin.

"Is that so? Then I'll have one!"

The man who had been taunting him turned green as he listened to the exchange between Liu Ergou and the waiter. He had thought Liu Ergou was finally scared of him, only to realize he was being completely ignored. It was more than he could take.

"Damn it! You were given a chance and you spat in my face! I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"

With that, he planted his hands on the table, posturing as if he were about to flip it over. The situation was escalating quickly.

Zhang Man couldn't just stand by and watch. She anxiously tugged at Liu Ergou's sleeve, whispering, "Er Gou, just humor him for my sake!"

"We're all friends here. What's the harm in saying a few words? It won't kill you!"

"Just say something!"

However, after hearing Zhang Man's words, Liu Ergou looked up at her with an ambiguous smile. The look made Zhang Man's heart lurch. She knew that expression meant trouble was coming.

Actually, I was just going to leave if I couldn't fit in, Liu Ergou thought. But after what she just said, I can't. If I leave now, these rich kids will just think I'm a coward. If that happens, they'll always look down on me, no matter who I become later. I might even end up as their running joke.

With that, Liu Ergou stopped looking at Zhang Man and turned to face the rich kid who had been yelling at him.

Seeing Liu Ergou finally look at him, the rich kid snorted with disdain.

"Pfft, and here I thought you were tough," he sneered. "Turns out you're just a coward who doesn't dare say a word. You even need a woman to bail you out! I bet on your wedding night you'll need someone else to help you then, too! Hahaha!"

The rich kid burst into wild laughter. At that moment, Liu Ergou's anger peaked. As he roared with laughter, the other two shot amused glances between him and Liu Ergou.

Watching the still-laughing rich kid, Liu Ergou slowly rose to his feet.

The rich kid, oblivious to the impending disaster, saw Liu Ergou stand and continued to taunt him. "Ooh, look, he's standing up! What, you gonna take a swing at me? Oh, I'm so scared! Come on, if you've got the guts, hit me. Right here. Hit me hard!"

As he spoke, the rich kid insolently stuck his face out, his expression a mask of pure arrogance.

Zhang Man stared, stunned. She might not know about the others, but she knew exactly what Liu Ergou was like. Since the rich kid dared to say that, Liu Ergou would absolutely hit him.

At that thought, she quickly grabbed Liu Ergou's sleeve and whispered, "Er Gou, just ignore him!"

"Let's just order. He's only joking with you! Just ignore him!"

But her words were clearly useless; Liu Ergou wasn't listening.

Besides, from the corner of his eye, Liu Ergou caught a flicker of something else in her expression. This woman, Zhang Man, thrives on chaos, he realized. She's telling me to stop, but she's actually hoping I'll give this guy a beating.

Looking at the arrogant face of the rich kid before him, Liu Ergou had no intention of letting him off.

Sometimes, you can't be too low-key. It just makes people think you're an easy target.

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