I Really Didn’t Want to Increase My Favorability!

Chapter 244

After walking around Qinglong Lake, Xu Lin felt surprisingly energized.

He opened his system interface and saw that his physical stats had increased to 6.7.

To put this in perspective, an average adult male’s physique would be around 6.0, with 7.0 indicating a more robust and fit individual.

Last time he checked, he was at 6.4, which was just half a month ago.

“Could this strange feeling be spiritual energy?” Xu Lin wondered. “But that seems too far-fetched. This isn’t a world where spiritual energy revival is a thing, right?”

However, considering the things given by the system and his past and future life memories with Chu Qingchan and Chu Fengyi, he was left confused.

He shared past life memories with Chu Fengyi, but why did he have them with Ji Yun as well?

It wasn’t from the same era, but another past life memory. Why was this so coincidental?

Two of the girls he met just happened to be his past life wives? Was this a fateful coincidence or an inevitable destiny?

“You’re zoning out again, Mr. Xu,” Ji Yun’s voice snapped him back to reality.

“Class Monitor Ji, don’t mimic how your Sister Chu speaks,” Xu Lin chuckled.

“Haha, by the way, why does Sister Chu call you Mr. Xu?” Ji Yun had been curious about this for a while. Was it some secret endearing nickname?

“It’s nothing special. When we first met, I found out she was a celebrity, so I called her Superstar Chu instead of her full name. Generally, in formal settings, people like to use Mr. or Ms. as a sign of respect for the first meeting. So, she naturally called me Mr. Xu in return.”

“Is that so? I thought it was a term of endearment. Isn’t it common for wives to refer to their husbands as ‘my husband’?” Ji Yun teased.

“Class Monitor Ji, you’re overthinking it,” Xu Lin waved his hand, though he secretly suspected Chu Qingchan might have meant it that way. Since she never admitted it, he just played dumb.

“I’m starving, let’s go eat,” the girls said, realizing their hunger after the walk.

“Okay,” Xu Lin replied as they headed toward the dining area. Nearby, a little boy tugged on his dad’s arm.

“What is it?”

“Mom’s back.”

“Oh,” the man quickly put on sunglasses and looked away from Ji Yun and her friends.

A tall woman approached, pinching her son’s cheek. “Let’s go get some fried chicken.”

“Okay.”

“Did Dad do anything wrong?”

“Don’t be silly, what would I do wrong~?”

“Don’t talk!”

“Ask the little one if I’m lying.”

“Dad saw that brother taking pictures and said he wanted to learn from him.”

“Is that so?” The woman breathed a sigh of relief and the man also smiled.

“Dad said he was learning how to take photos, but he didn’t look at that brother’s camera at all. Instead, he kept looking at the girls being photographed.”

“!?”

“Ah, no, I wasn’t… don’t hit me! Everyone’s watching! How could I not look at least once? I swear I was learning photography!”

Meanwhile, the girls were starving, especially the petite but voracious Liu Qinnuan. Xu Lin, however, took his time, snapping pictures along the way.

The scenery along the main road was even more beautiful, with wild birds constantly taking flight and landing. He captured several shots, even though he didn’t know the names of these creatures.

After about ten minutes, they saw more buildings and realized they had entered the rest area or the commercial zone.

“What do you want to eat? My treat today,” Xu Lin offered.

“Steak?”

Qin Yunhe pointed to a nearby steakhouse.

Xu Lin rolled his eyes at her. You know I only have 700 bucks on me, are you trying to trick me?

“What’s this ‘Qinglong Meat Pie’?”

Liu Qinnuan, who usually ate a lot of Western food, wanted to try some local snacks she hadn’t had before. Earlier at the pagoda, she’d had some qiegao and sweet tofu. She was very interested in this Qinglong Meat Pie.

“It’s a local specialty from Shuicheng called Guada, just with a different name. Not sure if it’s authentic though.”

“What’s ‘Guada’?” Liu Qinnuan asked again, and Xu Lin didn’t know how to explain it to her.

“You’ll see when you try it. Let’s have Guada then. What do you all think?”

“Sister Liu is our guest; we’ll go with her choice,” Ji Yun glanced at Su Qingwan and the others before speaking.

“We’re fine with anything.”

“Then let’s go.” At the same time, Xu Lin breathed a sigh of relief. Guada was reasonably priced, no matter how much you ate, it wouldn’t be too expensive.

They walked into the Qinglong Meat Pie shop. There weren’t many people, but not many tables either, and most of them were already occupied. It was an open kitchen with a 3-meter-long iron griddle covered with sizzling meat pies, emitting a mouth-watering aroma. Three chefs were busy, one kneading dough, another stuffing it with meat, and the last one cooking the pies on the griddle. The moment the dough hit the hot, oiled griddle, the fragrant smell of baking dough filled the air. The chef cooking the pies moved quickly, flipping and checking them with practiced ease.

“There’s a spot here.”

A young waiter guided them to a large table. He handed the menu to Xu Lin, knowing the guy would probably be the one paying with a group of girls.

Xu Lin glanced through it and saw that Guada was the main dish, with pork being the traditional filling, but there were also beef and vegetarian options with egg and vegetables. They also had porridge, soups, and drinks, along with a variety of skewers.

“You all take a look.” Xu Lin handed the menu to the girls, letting them decide.

But Su Qingwan and Qin Yunhe, being older, didn’t choose, leaving it to the guest and the child, Liu Qinnuan.

“Waiter, would one be enough for a person?” Liu Qinnuan asked.

“For girls, yes. For guys, maybe not.”

“Then three pork, four beef, and a bowl of digestive porridge each. Is that okay?”

“Sounds good, let’s get some skewers too, a mix of everything with meat,” Xu Lin nodded.

“Got it, please wait a few minutes.”

The waiter smiled, noted their order, and quickly headed to the kitchen.

“That waiter didn’t even look at us just now,” Su Qingwan whispered once he was gone.

“What do you mean? Did someone bother you?” Xu Lin, who had been taking pictures, thought he had missed something.

“No, it’s just that usually, people stare at us because we’re pretty.”

“Stop flattering yourself,” Qin Yunhe playfully smacked her friend’s arm.

“But it’s true! People always take a second look when they see us.”

“Everyone loves to look at beautiful women,” Xu Lin remarked, placing his camera on the table and selecting shots.

“But it seems someone prefers looking at his camera. Have you had enough of looking at pretty women?”

“I could never get enough of looking at you all,” Xu Lin replied.

“Oh, here we go again with Xu the poet,” Qin Yunhe teased her husband without holding back.

“But that waiter didn’t even glance at us. Maybe he likes guys,” Liu Qinnuan suddenly speculated.

“Just because he didn’t look at us doesn’t mean…” Qin Yunhe found the idea that the waiter was gay a bit far-fetched and thought he was just being polite.

“His phone was hanging around his neck, and the case said, ‘I’m gay, girls don’t bother,'” Su Qingwan added, making everyone pause for a moment.

“He’s… a brave person.”

“And hardworking…” Xu Lin noted, watching the waiter bustle between tables. He was reminded of a diligent waitress from a bowl restaurant they had been to before. He needed someone with a good attitude and strong work ethic.

“Xu Lin, don’t be lead astray!” Su Qingwan noticed Xu Lin staring at the waiter and raised her voice.

“Teacher Su, what are you thinking? I was just realizing that as a new boss, I need to be aware.”

“Of how to poach good employees!”

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