Chapter 243: Kiss Him! Kiss Him!
A Striking Encounter
That one sentence immediately calmed the two excited girls. They finally noticed that although the young man in front of them was young, the aura he exuded was distinctly different.
He was wearing a gray coat and casual trousers below. The fabric was high quality, without a brand name; it was likely custom-made. When he stretched his arms, it revealed his well-defined pectoral muscles and clear body lines.
Although his angular face was still youthful, his sharp eyes and carefree, unrestrained demeanor added a unique charm to that youthfulness. Especially his light green eyes—deep and cold, like two whirlpools ready to swallow a person's soul.
With just one look, Eve's heart began to beat uncontrollably. So cool, cooler than Neo in the movie. So handsome, practically an ice-cold prince.
Vanessa's face was also flushed. She quickly looked away, then couldn't help but look back again.
Luke snapped his fingers, pointed at Eve, and said to the bartender, "A Flaming Rose for this beautiful lady. And for this one next to her..."
He looked Vanessa up and down, who was visibly flustered.
"A glass of pure water!"
Vanessa's face froze. She suddenly realized something and said urgently, "I don't want pure water! I want... I want... I want brandy! Yes, just brandy."
Luke gave a strange shake of his head and said to the equally strange-looking bartender,
"Give her a glass of iced lemonade. Put it on my tab."
"Right away."
The bartender smiled and nodded. He could tell that this refined girl rarely visited a place like this.
Luke patted the chair next to him and smiled.
"Since we've met, we're friends. Don't mind sitting down and having a drink."
"You already paid, how can we refuse?"
Eve sat down next to Luke and winked at Vanessa, who was fuming. She had initially liked Luke, but she couldn't believe he would buy her pure water. Jerk! Why does Eve get a Flaming Rose, and I get pure water, which has no flavor? That's so unfair.
Luke and Eve were veterans of the bar scene. They engaged in endless, meaningless small talk, their ambiguous gestures flying back and forth. At this rate, drunken indiscretion seemed inevitable.
The two were hitting it off so well that they completely forgot about Vanessa, who sat on her chair, clutching her iced lemonade, her face clearly labeled "Third Wheel."
Eventually, Luke realized the presence of the third person. During a break to order another round, he asked with a smile,
"By the way, what's the name of this beautiful lady next to you? Why isn't she saying anything?"
Vanessa was speechless. You bastard, you're the one who hasn't been talking to me!
Eve also realized her oversight and introduced her.
"Vanessa, my best friend. A high-achieving student at Harvard University."
"Oh!"
Luke raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. "Harvard University? Which department?"
"The Division of Science and Arts, Biology Department. As for the specialization, you wouldn't understand it if I told you."
Vanessa shot him an annoyed look, then called the bartender over and, in a nearly commanding tone, ordered a brandy.
"Biochemistry, right?"
Vanessa was astonished. "How do you know?"
"You smell of chemical reagents. Although it's faint, I can smell it. It's strange, though. It's the weekend. Instead of going out to have fun, you run to the lab to do boring experiments..."
Luke let out a long sigh and raised his glass.
"Cheers to the future Doctor of Science."
Vanessa's face flushed. She growled,
"I am not going to be a Doctor of Science!"
"What's wrong with that? Being a Doctor of Science is great. I'm a doctor."
"You?"
Vanessa looked Luke up and down and sneered. "Judging by your age, you haven't even attended college. You're a doctor?"
Luke set down his glass. "Miss Vanessa, care to make a bet?"
Vanessa tilted her head haughtily.
"What are we betting?"
Luke asked a waiter for a pen and paper, pointing to the clean white sheet.
"Write down the most difficult academic problem you know. If I can't solve it, I'll pay for everything in the Red Flame Bar tonight. If I can solve it," he touched his right cheek,
"You have to kiss me here, three times."
"And make it a firm kiss!"
Eve's eyes widened, and she was completely energized. What a cool guy, what a dominating challenge! In her excitement, she ignored her friend's opinion, ran to the DJ, grabbed the microphone, and shouted,
"Everyone! Everyone! Quiet! Quiet! I have big news to announce!"
"Tonight, my friend and this handsome, cool boy are making a bet! If the boy wins, my friend has to kiss him three times! If the boy loses, Mr. Shaw pays for everything in the bar tonight!"
She suddenly raised her voice on the last sentence.
In an instant, the entire bar erupted. The excited young men and women all turned their attention to Luke Shaw on the second-floor railing and Vanessa beside him.
Luke was composed, long accustomed to such a scene. Vanessa's face was bright red, filled with excitement, nervousness, and a tiny bit of secret delight.
Luke swirled his glass and said calmly,
"Miss Vanessa, do you dare to take the bet? Give our friends here a surprise with your intellect."
"What's there to be afraid of?"
The girl's pride was piqued. As a top student at Harvard, what did she have to fear?
"We have an agreement: if you lose, you buy a drink for everyone here."
"No problem."
Luke took out a black card and threw it to the waiter. "There is five million dollars deposited on this card. It's enough for everyone here to drink until dawn tomorrow."
Boom!
The crowd exploded again. The girls stared intently at Luke, wishing they could grab this handsome, dominating, and remarkable boy and rub themselves against him.
Damn rich heir, I love you!
Luke presented the paper. "Please, begin."
Vanessa took a deep breath. After carefully contemplating in her mind, she based her problem on a high-order linear differential equation, which she considered the most difficult, time-consuming, and challenging academic question she knew.
After finishing, she placed the pen in front of Luke and said proudly,
"This is the question."
Luke glanced at it and shook his head dismissively. "I thought it would be a Fourier transform equation, but it's just a high-order linear differential."
With that, he picked up the pen and, without needing to calculate in his head, wrote the answer directly.
Seeing the familiar string of numbers and symbols, Vanessa was instantly stunned. Her mind went blank, and her face was filled with disbelief. This boy had solved a difficult problem that would take her over half an hour to solve, and he did it in just ten seconds.
Who exactly is he?
He's amazing!
Luke raised his glass and announced to the crowd,
"Everyone, I apologize, but your surprise is gone. However..." He shifted his tone and laughed loudly. "If this beautiful lady is willing to kiss me in public, I will still buy drinks for everyone here until dawn tomorrow!"
Boom!
The momentarily cooled crowd boiled over again. They shouted at the top of their lungs,
"Kiss him!"
"Kiss him!"
"Kiss him!"
"Kiss him!"
The unified shouting was loud enough to almost tear the roof off the building.
🗒️NOTE:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 20 chapters in advance!