"No… I'm sorry!"
Xie Xie stumbled backward, voice trembling.
Fang Yang crossed his arms, eyes narrowed to slits.
"Do you even realize how much trouble you caused me?"
His gaze pierced like daggers.
"I… uh…"
Xie Xie sweated, eyes darting, stammering excuses that crumbled mid-air.
Fang Yang said nothing—just stared, silence heavier than stone.
Oppression choked the air.
"I won't dare again!" Xie Xie whined, spinning to flee.
"Wulin!" Fang Yang commanded softly.
Tang Wulin understood instantly—"Sorry, Xie Xie… self-preservation first!"
His palm flashed—Blue Silver Grass snaked out—
SNAP!
Xie Xie became a blue cocoon.
"Still running?" Fang Yang stepped closer, voice glacial.
"Big Bro Fang Yang—I messed up!" Xie Xie begged, pathetic.
"But look—I'm taking you out to play now!"
"Oh? Who threatened to snitch earlier?" Fang Yang arched a brow.
Xie Xie gaped, whirling to Tang Wulin: "Wulin—untie me!"
Tang Wulin feigned deafness, turning to Xu Lizhi:
"Hungry, little guy?"
"I'm Xu Lizhi!" the boy corrected earnestly, eyes shining. "Food? Really?!"
"HEY! You—!" Xie Xie struggled, but Fang Yang's death glare silenced him.
Fang Yang leaned in, whispering:
"This time—I'll let it slide. But if there's a next…"
He left the threat hanging—deadly clear.
"NO NEXT TIME! I'LL NEVER SNITCH AGAIN!" Xie Xie vowed frantically.
Fang Yang straightened, nodding to Tang Wulin.
The vines vanished.
Xie Xie rubbed his raw wrists, muttering: "You guys bully me…"
"Hm?" Fang Yang glanced sideways.
"NOTHING! Let's EAT!" Xie Xie beamed, fake cheer plastered on.
"I'll treat you!" Xu Lizhi declared, sincere.
As a Shrek Academy student, a meal was pocket change.
"That's… too much!" Tang Wulin scratched his head, embarrassed.
"Nonsense!" Xu Lizhi waved it off. "A meal's nothing!"
Fang Yang's face darkened—he knew Tianhai's seafood prices.
He tugged Xie Xie's sleeve, hissing: "Split the bill for us three later."
Xie Xie blinked. "But Xu Lizhi's treating?"
"Since when did you turn as dense as Tang Wulin?"
Fang Yang facepalmed. "Why would a stranger cover our tab?"
Xie Xie gasped in revelation. "He's setting us up for a dine-and-dash?!"
"Brilliant deduction, Young Master Xie," Fang Yang deadpanned.
Xie Xie nodded grimly. "Got it—I'll handle the bill."
Meanwhile, Tang Wulin drooled over the menu:
"Uni! Bluefin tuna! Salmon! Eel! Golden-haired crab! King crab! Lobster…!"
Each dish made his eyes gleam brighter.
"Want more?" he asked eagerly.
Xie Xie's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Thirty oysters!"
"Xie Xie…?" Tang Wulin stared, baffed.
"For you and Fang Yang," Xie Xie winked.
"Oh?" Fang Yang smirked. "Xie Xie—can't perform, huh?"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Xie Xie roared, mortally offended.
Xu Lizhi slammed the table, heroic:
"Waiter! One of EVERY signature seafood dish!"
Tang Wulin gaped. "That's… too much!"
Fang Yang facepalmed harder—he already foresaw the disaster.
---
Soon, steaming platters arrived:
- Uni glistening on ice
- Bluefin tuna belly marbled like silk
- Salmon roe glowing amber
- Crisp-skinned eel
- Golden-haired crab, claws raised defiantly
- King crab legs lined like soldiers
- Garlic-butter lobster, shells gleaming red
- Plump oysters dripping brine
The table groaned under the feast.
Mouths watered.
"I'M STARVING!"
Xu Lizhi grabbed a crab leg, gnawing like a beast.
Tang Wulin dipped tuna in soy, ecstasy on his face.
Fang Yang and Xie Xie joined the carnage.
Crunch. Slurp. Chomp.
Glee filled the air, shells piling high.
"XU LIZHI!"
A crystal-clear voice shattered the feast.
WHOOSH!
A golden-haired girl stormed in, scent of sea salt trailing.
High ponytail swaying, blue eyes blazing like stormy seas, skin porcelain-pale.
Her Shrek Academy greens hugged slender waist, long legs, curves swaying with each furious step.
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