Chapter 204: Chapter 204

Kenneth Osborne felt that this was one of the best days in his 22-year existence.

He took Lawrence Winters to their frequent spot, the East Gate Cantonese restaurant, and got a small private room.

However, after they entered the room, he remembered Francis Johnson’s unpredictable ways. He didn’t mention a word about any dealings between him and Francis and simply said, "Today I got my first angel investment, I’m treating you to abalone."

Lawrence Winters: "..."

"...Kenneth, just how rich did you get? Treating me to abalone? You’re flying high..." Lawrence joked with a smile and added, "I want stewed Ji Pin abalone with ribs, I heard it’s particularly delicious."

"What a coincidence? I just called and had them start stewing it." Kenneth laughed while pouring Lawrence a cup of jasmine tea. "This dish takes half an hour in a pressure cooker, at least a day if cooked slowly on low heat."

"Such a pity, next time treat me to the slow-cooked stewed Ji Pin abalone with ribs." Lawrence propped his chin with both hands, tilting his head with a smile at Kenneth, his dark eyes like an endless starry sky, clear and radiant.

"It’s a deal." Kenneth thought, not afraid of you ordering, only afraid you wouldn’t.

Soon, a waiter came in and handed them the menu.

Kenneth directly ordered steamed lobster, salt and pepper tiger prawns, a fruit and shellfish platter, and sea cucumber porridge.

After the waiter left, Lawrence laughed and said, "Kenneth, are you trying to give me gout?"

Kenneth glanced at her, "...What do you mean?"

"My uncle says that seafood contains high purine, uric acid is a metabolite of purine, and when uric acid metabolism has issues, it leads to gout." Lawrence slapped the table, narrating like a storyteller.

Kenneth raised an eyebrow, "One meal can give you gout, do you have kidney issues?"

Lawrence: "...What do you mean kidney issues?! Kenneth, even if you had kidney issues, I never would!"

Kenneth smiled meaningfully, "...You’ll find out if I have kidney issues in the future."

Kenneth, you’re making suggestive jokes again, and I have evidence! ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡~𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢~𝙣𝙚𝙩

She glared at Kenneth, "Kenneth, don’t act like a nouveau riche, ordering so much seafood. Am I really that desperate for a bite of steamed lobster?!"

Kenneth calmly replied, "...You are."

"Alright, you know me best, Kenneth! I really am just here for that bite of steamed lobster!" Lawrence laughed, her eyes curving like starlit nights, "That whole steamed lobster is mine later!"

Kenneth nodded, "It was originally just for you anyway."

Soon, the waiter started bringing the dishes one after another. That jar of Ji Pin abalone with ribs was placed at the center of the table. As the lid was lifted, the room was filled with a rich fragrance, extremely delightful.

Lawrence couldn’t help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.

Before the steamed lobster arrived, he ate two bowls of Ji Pin abalone with ribs, and it was truly sublime!

The meat of the ribs was naturally tender and had absorbed the juice of the Ji Pin abalone, tasting like the essence of spring in every bite.

The Ji Pin abalone was golden, small like an ancient golden ingot, and was relatively tough, needing a prolonged stewing.

The pressure from the pressure cooker completely broke down the resistance of the Ji Pin abalone, making the meat tender and soft, not instantly melting in the mouth but chewy without being hard or tooth-breaking, the more you chewed, the tastier it became.

Lawrence almost hugged the bowl, eating while saying to Kenneth, "Unexpectedly, this restaurant conceals such talent, the Ji Pin abalone here is authentic. I once had Ji Pin abalone with ribs on a small fishing boat in the Southern Region’s Z City with my uncle, and this is just as good."

The seafood on the fishing boat was just freshly caught, and nothing can beat that in terms of freshness.

The Ji Pin abalone in this restaurant was rehydrated from dried abalone, yet tasted just as good as the fresh catch, showing the chef’s true skills.

Kenneth pushed the newly served steamed lobster over and said lightly, "Can you still eat a whole lobster?"

"No problem, I’ll show you how I can eat a whole lobster raw!" Lawrence giggled, pulling out his phone, "I’m streaming this for my uncle and mom."

He said she was exaggerating, and she played along.

He casually took her phone away, "Focus on eating, look at you, how can you be like a little fairy?"

"There’s no way to be a fairy while eating." Lawrence wiped her hands with a napkin, laughing, "But Kenneth, you look great when eating, like a fairy prince."

"Can you stop giving me those weird nicknames?" He flicked his fingers and knocked on Lawrence’s forehead, "You used to call me a fox spirit, now it’s ridiculous. What is a fairy prince? Such a nice name should be for your Blake!"

"Hmph! Speaking of Blake, I’m about to work with him!" Lawrence’s excitement grew, "Kenneth, you like that actress? I’ll get her autograph for you!"

Kenneth pursed his lips, regretting talking so much, feeling floaty after just a few dishes without even drinking.

So he stopped talking, no matter how Lawrence teased him, he didn’t respond, and quietly finished the meal.

When they left the restaurant, it was once again dark outside.

Walking back to school from the restaurant, Lawrence Winters suddenly sighed, "I never thought university life would be this wonderful. If I had known, I would’ve moved to campus three and a half years ago."

Kenneth Osborne nodded and said naturally, "...Because you’re with me."

Lawrence rolled his eyes, "Kenneth, can we stop patting ourselves on the back all the time?"

"Of course not. Back home, we were always together too, and I never felt as good as I do now. So it’s probably not because of the person, but because the place is different."

Kenneth thought he’d eaten way too much today, the food pressing on his veins, giving him the urge to choke.

Lawrence looked up at the night sky, feeling the cool night breeze, and was in a very good mood.

Moreover, teasing Kenneth once in a while and watching him pout was especially amusing, even giving Lawrence a secret thrill deep down.

After walking for a while, a gust of night breeze blew away the gloom in Kenneth’s mind.

No matter what, his new life was about to begin.

After seeing Lawrence back to the girls’ dormitory, Kenneth rode his bike back to his own dormitory.

When he reached the bottom of the building, he saw Blake Leaf standing on the steps of the dormitory with his hands in his pockets, staring ahead blankly.

Kenneth locked his bike in the bike shed and glanced at him.

Seeing Kenneth return, Blake rushed over as if seeing a savior, "Kenneth Osborne! Can I stick with you?!"

He chuckled, "No, those who follow me can’t slack off."

Blake was about to cry, his eyes quickly reddening, his nose turning red too as he hung his head and said softly, "I had already found a job, but...the company canceled my offer. I searched again, one by one...they all rejected me...they don’t want me...they’d rather have students from those mediocre schools than me!"

"Is there really such a thing?" Kenneth was a bit surprised, "Weren’t you under contract?"

"Yes, but contracts can be broken by either party at any time." Naturally, he could too, just like Kenneth.

Blake wasn’t as powerful as Kenneth; he relied on this job to support himself and contribute to his foster parents in the Y City.

Covering his head, he squatted at the entrance and finally cried out, "I have no job anymore...I’ve got nothing...nothing at all..."

Kenneth looked around; fortunately, this was the master’s dormitory, and there weren’t many people coming and going at this hour.

Otherwise, they would be surrounded.

He awkwardly shrugged and said, "Let’s talk in my dorm."

Blake wiped his tears twice and followed Kenneth upstairs.

"Sit." Kenneth placed a bottle of mineral water on the table in front of Blake and said, "If you lose one job, find another. What’s the big deal? Worth crying over?"

Blake held the bottle, looked at Kenneth, and murmured, "Kenneth Osborne, you’re lucky, never having experienced that desolate feeling of having nothing and relying on yourself entirely..."

"You don’t know how many times I’ve sat on the rooftop, looking at the empty ground below, thinking if I jumped, it’d all be over, and I wouldn’t have to worry about these things anymore."

Kenneth sat down, responding calmly, "...Then why didn’t you jump?"

He hung his head even lower, "I’m not willing...I don’t understand why it turned out this way...I clearly should have a better life..."

"Whether there’s a better life depends on yourself." Kenneth patted his shoulder, "Actually, your starting point is already higher than many. Think about the Y University Computer Science Department, how many people nationally can get in?"

"What’s the use of getting in? Many people are born at a finish line that I can never reach in my lifetime, even if I fight for it...Do you think that’s fair?!" Blake lifted his head and shouted.

"Yes, exactly like that, keep thinking that way." Kenneth pulled out a pack of cigarettes, handing one over, his exceptionally handsome face showing an unprecedented seriousness and gravity, "Fairness is won by oneself, not by others’ charity. —Gifts from parents are also a form of charity, you also need to see if you have the ability to keep what they leave you."

Blake chewed over Kenneth’s words, gradually calming down.

He unscrewed the bottle cap, took a sip of water, and with a smoke ring lingering around, said, "Kenneth, although you’re younger than me by a month, can I call you ’big bro’?"

"No." Kenneth firmly rejected, "You can’t call me that."

Blake was puzzled, "...Doesn’t Lawrence call you that?"

"She can, so you can’t." Kenneth lit the cigarette, took a puff, exhaled a smoke ring, and calmly changed the subject, "...Do you really want to work for me? My small company can’t solve the household registration issue."

This is the third update.

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