Chapter 32: Eating Chicken Drumsticks Brings Bad Luck

Li Sicheng clearly did not understand the mindset of a true foodie. He said in bewilderment, “It’s just lunch, is it really worth all this fuss? Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were heading onto a battlefield! And what’s with calling me ‘Brother Chen’? I’m pretty sure I’m not older than you.”

Zeng Yi turned back, his face suddenly grave. “You’re wrong. For a foodie, eating lunch in the cafeteria is a war in itself!”

Unfortunately, his seriousness barely lasted three seconds.

In a flash, his stern expression vanished, replaced by a fawning grin. “Your grades are better than mine, and you dare stand up to troublemakers like Zhao Yuan and Cheng Haoyu. Calling you ‘Brother’ is only natural. Even if you’re younger, you deserve the title!”

“Fine, call me whatever you want—I can’t stop you.” Li Sicheng shook his head and accepted the ‘Brother Chen’ title with a wry smile.

Though Zeng Yi was rather stout, when it came to the ‘all-important’ task of getting food, he displayed a sprinting speed that belied his size. Dragging Li Sicheng along, he burst out of the teaching building within minutes and arrived at the school cafeteria by the banks of the Shiting River.

To eat while enjoying the landscape had always been a point of pride for the teachers and students of Nanshan High.

Despite their haste, by the time they reached the cafeteria, a good number of people were already there, queuing for food.

Seeing this, Zeng Yi sighed and muttered to himself, “Still a bit too slow. Next time, we’ll have to be even quicker!”

Li Sicheng didn’t say anything, instead looking around curiously.

The cafeteria at Nanshan High was spacious enough to accommodate the entire school. It was divided into two sections—the main hall and the private kitchen area.

The main hall occupied the larger portion; the food there was cheap and plentiful, ensuring no student went hungry.

The private kitchen, set in the southeast corner behind glass panels, was beautifully decorated, resembling a high-end café—a stark contrast to the rest of the cafeteria. Here, one could find not only Chinese food, but also Western and Japanese dishes. The prices, however, were far higher than those in the main hall. Still, with many wealthy students at Nanshan, the private kitchen was always bustling.

Zeng Yi’s family was comfortably well-off, so he could only occasionally splurge in the private kitchen—not every day. Today, he lined up with Li Sicheng in the main hall.

That suited Li Sicheng just fine. After all, his life had recently changed; he needed to live modestly and couldn’t afford luxuries. If Zeng Yi had dragged him to the private kitchen, he would have had to politely decline.

When it was finally their turn to get food, Lin Siyu and Tan Xiaoxiao entered the cafeteria as well. They, however, made straight for the private kitchen—main hall fare was not for them.

“Auntie, please give me two more slices of the double-cooked pork. You’re just giving me garlic shoots—no meat at all… And a chicken drumstick, I want a drumstick…” Zeng Yi, evidently a carnivore, loaded his tray with meat.

Glancing at Li Sicheng’s tray, which held only white rice, vegetables, and a steamed bun, Zeng Yi was puzzled. “Brother Chen, why all vegetarian? Can you even eat like that? At least get some meat!”

“Vegetarian food is healthy,” Li Sicheng replied with a smile, not explaining the real reason—after all, it was too fantastic for ordinary people to believe.

Zeng Yi, however, didn’t buy his explanation. Noting Li Sicheng’s obviously knock-off outfit, he instinctively assumed Li was short on cash, hence the vegetarian meal. With a hearty slap to his chest, he declared, “At our age, we need protein to grow! How about this—since we just met, lunch is on me! Order whatever meat you want!”

Li Sicheng shook his head. “I appreciate it, but I really prefer rice and vegetables.”

Zeng Yi hesitated but didn’t press further.

Soon, they found seats and sat down with their trays. Li Sicheng picked up his chopsticks, about to start eating, when Zeng Yi suddenly pointed at the chicken drumstick on his own tray and cried out, “Oh no, I just realized I have too much meat—this is going to be overwhelming. Brother Chen, do me a favor and help me out with this drumstick.”

It was obvious Zeng Yi thought Li Sicheng was simply saving face and didn’t want to accept charity directly. So he changed tack, offering the drumstick in a way that let Li Sicheng keep his pride. This small gesture showed Zeng Yi’s kindness.

Li Sicheng was genuinely touched, but had to refuse. “Thank you, but I truly can’t eat this drumstick. If I do, I’ll be in for some bad luck.”

“Bad luck?” Zeng Yi burst out laughing. “Brother Chen, you must be joking. I’ve never heard of anyone getting bad luck from eating a drumstick. And even if it did, I’d be happy to have bad luck every day for a drumstick!”

Li Sicheng could only force a smile.

What had happened to him really was beyond belief for most people.

Zeng Yi, still thinking he’d convinced him, grinned, suddenly stood, and pressed the drumstick into Li Sicheng’s mouth.

“Come on, enough talk—just eat it. Then we’ll see if bad luck really strikes.”

“Mm…!” Li Sicheng hadn’t expected this and couldn’t dodge in time.

“It’s over. Now I’m really doomed,” he muttered, pulling the drumstick from his mouth, half amused, half exasperated.

He knew Zeng Yi meant well, so he didn’t take offense—just shook his head and sighed.

“Brother Chen, if you keep pretending, it’s getting a bit much!” Zeng Yi chuckled, thinking Li Sicheng was just being coy.

Sighing deeply, Li Sicheng took the drumstick and bit into it.

Seeing this, Zeng Yi laughed. “Didn’t you say you’d have bad luck if you ate the drumstick? So why are you eating it now?”

Li Sicheng retorted, “The moment you shoved it in my mouth, my fate was sealed. Since there’s no avoiding it now, why not just eat it? It’d be a waste to get bad luck and not even enjoy the drumstick!”

Zeng Yi couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter, nearly spraying his food everywhere.

Ignoring him, Li Sicheng gnawed on the drumstick while warily scanning the cafeteria, hoping he might find a way to ward off the impending misfortune.