Chapter 28: Nutritious Delicacies in the Cafeteria? (Part One)

Is this little bit of food really enough for me?
But looking at Zhou Nan across the table, I couldn’t bear to take advantage of such an enthusiastic classmate.
So…
Shi Tiexin’s gaze swept through the cafeteria, searching for another breakthrough. Suddenly, his eyes lit up—he had an idea!

“Let’s go.” Shi Tiexin picked up his tray and stood abruptly. Zhou Nan, though confused, obediently followed behind. Seeing Shi Tiexin stride with such clear purpose, Zhou Nan couldn’t help but sneak a glance, and immediately understood his target.

It was none other than the four henchmen of Teng Chaogu!

The four henchmen, each with bruised faces and dejected expressions, sat together at a table. Their usual territory would have been spotless within two meters—no one dared to share a table. But now, squeezed among the crowd, the aura of "Street Tiger" had completely dissipated.

Teng Chaogu hadn’t shown up.
That was certain; with his infamous nickname, there was no way he’d appear in public. In fact, Teng Chaogu wasn’t seeing even his own henchmen, who had no idea where he’d gone or what he was planning. They simply sat in the cafeteria, eating quietly, some clutching sore cheeks, their faces full of gloom.

Just then, someone approached and slammed a tray down in the middle of their table.
Anger flared in the four henchmen’s hearts—they were about to curse out of habit. But when they looked up, they saw a nightmare standing before them.

It was Shi Tiexin.
With Zhou Nan following behind.

“You, you, you—you—!” The four nearly jumped out of their seats, stunned and baffled, unsure what Shi Tiexin intended to do in the cafeteria.

Boss, we’ve offended you, and badly so. But surely throwing Teng Chaogu into the soup bucket was enough, you’re not planning to dunk us in there too, are you? This is in the cafeteria—please, mind your image, boss!

Their thoughts mirrored Zhou Nan’s, but Shi Tiexin ignored them. After putting down his tray and seeing the four had stood up, he sat down with imposing confidence on an empty chair. Without a word, he looked them over, then suddenly reached out and pulled their trays to himself.

These four punks had extorted me before… Thinking back, they once blocked me specifically for the English Class’s lavish meals… and did it three times a day!

These petty thugs—beating them once is hardly enough. How many times have they beaten me? How much delicious food did they rob from me?

So, today, nothing else needs to be said. I’ll collect the interest for my other self!

Other self, just watch—eat from us, make them vomit it all back out!

Without hesitation, Shi Tiexin picked up a piece of meat, his white teeth snapping down to bite off the lean portion. Without chewing or swallowing, he spat the fatty part back onto each tray with a smack.

The four henchmen and Zhou Nan were all dumbfounded, gathered around Shi Tiexin like little underlings serving a boss. The four were at a loss, hearts aching, watching as Shi Tiexin devoured all the lean meat, tossing back the fat.

In the blink of an eye, the table was a mess.

But the four dared not move, not even speak.
Shi Tiexin had terrified them—not so much in physical harm, but with his overwhelming presence and dominance, intimidating them through and through. How could they dare misbehave?

Now, they felt a sense of fate, like the cycle of karma—a bully met a greater bully, a villain met a worse villain. Never had they felt so aggrieved, so powerless as today.

The four were pitiful, but Shi Tiexin showed no mercy.

Meat alone won’t do; nutrition must be balanced. Shi Tiexin picked up some vegetables, eyed the greasy oil on them, then dunked them into the four’s soup bowls as if rinsing them in hotpot, before eating them with a crunch.

It’s not that I’m picky, but this must be done carefully—excess grease isn’t good for nourishing the essence.

The saying goes, “Food must be refined, dishes must be delicate.” One of the main principles of nourishing the essence is precision, exquisite precision. To nourish quickly, one must eat this way.

And the quantity must keep up.

So Shi Tiexin grabbed another heap of vegetables, soaking them in the soup bowl. The four watched the oil swirl in their soup, their faces twitching, utterly speechless.

Bite after bite, Shi Tiexin ate quickly. In no time, he set down his chopsticks and let out a long breath.

Hmm, not bad—good enough.

But eating one meal without a next won’t do; it must be sustainable, steady. So… Shi Tiexin stood up, looked at the four, and declared with undeniable force, “Every meal, right here.” He tapped the table hard, glaring like a beast, and repeated, “Every meal.”

The four widened their eyes in shock.
I—I—I—what is this…

Ignoring their reactions, Shi Tiexin turned and strode away, leaving the cleanup to the four. The four, plus Zhou Nan, just stared blankly as Shi Tiexin walked out of the cafeteria. Only when his tall figure disappeared did they snap out of it.

Had they just been… extorted?!

Zhou Nan’s gaze was the most complicated. Tough—this guy really is tough. From the first moment, tough, and now even tougher.

But two tigers cannot share one mountain. Class 28 of Senior One can only have one boss. Relying on being someone’s underling, you’ll never become one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Zhou Nan thought it over and decided Shi Tiexin couldn’t possibly discover his scheming, or else his fate wouldn’t be as it was—his own tray hadn’t even been touched.

So, backstabbing could still be done.

“You guys, looks like you’re going to be meal tickets from now on.” Zhou Nan glanced sideways at the four, keenly feeling the reversal of fortunes. Not long ago, these guys strutted before him as if nobody could touch them. Now, who cares about them?

Four stray dogs gathered together are still just stray dogs.

“You—!” The four slapped the table, about to roar in anger.

But Zhou Nan immediately spat disdainfully, “What, isn’t it true? Didn’t you hear what he said? Every meal, you have to offer tribute right here. Dare you not show up?”