Chapter 143: This Is Not the Way to the Kindergarten

Hearing Meng Ran's words, Zhang Shen did not wish to pursue the matter any further with him. After all, getting some sleep was far more important at the moment.

Simply uttering a brief "Yeah," Zhang Shen began to breathe heavily as he drifted off.

Hearing that Zhang Shen had already entered dreamland, and feeling thoroughly satisfied with the delicious late-night snack he had just devoured, Meng Ran decided against disturbing him further. Instead, he returned to his own bed, filled with bright anticipation for the future, and went off to dream as well.

...

The next morning, Zhang Shen was woken up by his alarm clock as usual. When he opened his eyes, he noticed that Meng Ran appeared to be muttering to himself.

Zhang Shen could not help but listen closely to the words coming from the fat man's mouth.

"Crawfish... so delicious!"

Hearing this, Zhang Shen sincerely felt that this fellow should not have majored in medicine; he ought to have changed careers to become a chef as early as possible.

With that thought in mind, Zhang Shen checked the time, got out of bed, and walked over to Meng Ran's bedside. He patted his elastic cheeks a couple of times and said, "Fatty, stop daydreaming and get up for class!"

However, Meng Ran's consciousness did not seem to awaken from Zhang Shen's slaps. Seeing him sleep so soundly, Zhang Shen hatched a plan.

Spotting the leftover crawfish shells from Meng Ran's midnight feast still sitting on the desk, Zhang Shen picked up one that was stained with sauce and brought it close to Meng Ran's lips.

"Fatty, here's your favorite crawfish! Hurry up and eat!"

Zhang Shen had originally only meant to tease Meng Ran, but he never expected the fat man to actually fall for it.

In his slumber, Meng Ran sensed a smooth, greasy flavor near his lips. He instinctively stuck out his tongue, licked upward, and mumbled, "That's the flavor!"

As soon as the foodie finished speaking, his hands felt around his lips and, following an "invisible trail," he snatched the shell right out of Zhang Shen's hand and shoved it into his mouth.

Had he not witnessed it with his own eyes, Zhang Shen would never have believed that Meng Ran's obsession with food could go far beyond mere "addiction."

Finding Meng Ran's comical appearance amusing, Zhang Shen realized he could not let him carry on with this nonsense. He quickly delivered several heavy slaps to his face and shouted, "Wang Ying is here! Aren't you getting up?"

Perhaps Meng Ran had been yearning for her day and night, pining away to the point of obsession. The moment he heard Wang Ying's name, Meng Ran snapped his eyes wide open. To his utter confusion, however, the person appearing before him was still just a man.

"Could I have been dreaming?"

"Have you ever seen anyone eating crawfish in their dreams?"

With that, Zhang Shen pointed at the crawfish shell in Meng Ran's hand. Following the direction of Zhang Shen's finger, Meng Ran saw the shell and tossed it aside in disgust.

Noticing Meng Ran's sudden change in attitude, Zhang Shen asked curiously, "Fatty, what are you playing at?"

"Brother Zhang, you can't do this to me! Either you buy me another basin of crawfish, or you let me fully experience that spicy sensation properly in my dream. What's the meaning of shoving yesterday's leftovers at me?"

Meng Ran's words effectively cornered Zhang Shen, leaving him in a rather indefensible position despite having the moral high ground initially. After all, being a glutton and a sleepyhead wasn't a crime, and his teasing did seem a bit lacking in "benevolence."

"Damn it, I went out of my way to buy those for you last night, and you didn't even say thank you before eating every last one of them without leaving a single one for me. You tell me, is that how a human being behaves?"

In truth, Zhang Shen was simply clutching at straws to find a passable excuse, as he certainly couldn't let the fat man get the better of him in an argument.

Though he had just woken up, the stimulating spicy aroma of the crawfish had cleared Meng Ran's mind completely. Seizing the opportunity to steer back to last night's topic, Meng Ran eagerly pressed on, "Brother Zhang, you looked so exhausted last night. Did you and Miss Jiang go off to some secluded spot together?"

Zhang Shen never expected the fat man to come out with such a remark entirely out of the blue.

"Stop talking nonsense! I really went to treat a patient. If you don't believe me, I'll take you to see the headmaster right now!"

No matter how many questions Meng Ran had, dragging the headmaster into such a trivial matter purely over this would be looking for trouble for no reason, especially since he was about to graduate anyway. Why bother?

Seeing Meng Ran instantly back down, Zhang Shen correctly guessed that the fellow wouldn't dare face the headmaster. Seizing the initiative, Zhang Shen retorted, "I'm telling you, fatty, you really shouldn't be studying medicine; you ought to be studying culinary arts instead. Wouldn't that suit you much better?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Ran completely disregarded his grease-stained hands, grabbed Zhang Shen's hands in return, and said excitedly, "Brother Zhang, you're the only one who truly understands me! Actually, my lifelong dream has been to become a world-class chef, so that—"

Before Meng Ran could finish waxing poetic about his dream, Zhang Shen interrupted, "So that, firstly, you can smell the mouth-watering aromas all day, and secondly, you can sneak a bite or two every now and then."

Hearing this, Meng Ran grinned even more broadly. Clearly, Zhang Shen's guess was spot on.

"Everything you said is right, Brother Zhang!"

"Enough with the agreement, hurry up and get ready for class. Exams are in two days."

Hearing those words, Meng Ran hurriedly chimed in, "That's right! In two days, we'll be saying goodbye to school."

"Oh? So you're eager to leave school now, are you?"

Zhang Shen's counter-question struck straight at the depths of the fatty's soul.

This time, Meng Ran turned surprisingly serious.

"Brother Zhang, don't talk nonsense. I still have you guys, a bunch of good brothers I can't bear to leave."

Knowing the fatty was struggling to express his true thoughts, Zhang Shen bluntly pierced through his little scheme.

"Not good brothers—it must be just Wang Ying alone, right?"

At that, Meng Ran instantly flushed like a shy bride, his already less-than-fair complexion turning ruddy.

"All right, I won't tease you anymore. Get up quickly!"

With that, Zhang Shen gave Meng Ran's protruding belly a hard smack and said, "Stop eating in your dreams. If you keep eating like this, you're going to crush Wang Ying flat."

Actually, Zhang Shen hadn't intended to steer the conversation off track; he was merely speaking facts. But Meng Ran's thoughts took a somewhat impure turn as he declared, "Brother Zhang, this isn't the bus to kindergarten, I want to get off!"

Just as Zhang Shen was about to apply more pressure to Meng Ran's stomach, his phone suddenly rang.

As far as Zhang Shen could recall, he had never formed the habit of carrying breakfast for female students. Could this be a prank by some mischievous girl?