Dinner Together

Liu Hao left the training room and walked to the nearest gym from the Excellent Era club. Despite taking the physique gene potion, which had greatly improved his physical condition, he still didn't have much muscle. In fact, due to over consumption of alcohol, he actually had a belly sticking out.

Although the Excellent era club had a gym for players, there were no professional trainers available. Liu Hao didn't want to waste time and effort, so he sought out a professional coach to supervise his workouts, making it less likely for him to give up halfway.

Fitness is a habit that requires perseverance.

Before crossing over, he had disciplined himself to exercise every day. Now, as Liu Hao, he naturally continued this habit. He didn't aim to become a musclebound brute, but at least wanted to keep his body slender and proportionate, with a minimum requirement of having six-pack abs.

Entering the gym, he went to the front desk and got a membership card. At the same time, he also purchased a dozen private training sessions from a beautiful female coach. This sudden expense depleted over thirty thousand from his bank account, leaving him with just over a hundred and sixty thousand.

But it was all worth it. He planned to come here every afternoon for a month to work out. Coupled with the effects of the physique gene potion, he believed he would definitely become the esports version of Wu Yanzu.

---

Due to not wearing specialised sportswear, Liu Hao didn't attempt the private training sessions with the beautiful coach. Instead, he bought a pancake fruit as dinner from a roadside stall and headed straight back to the Excellent era club.

Arriving at the entrance of the Excellent Era club, Liu Hao noticed an orange-haired girl wearing a mask, sunglasses, and a baseball cap.

She was carrying seven or eight takeout boxes filled with steaming hot meals. Without a doubt, she was Su Mucheng, and the food she carried was likely intended for dinner with Ye Xiu.

As it was a day off and the cooking staff had gone home, there was no one to prepare meals. The players had to prepare their own food.

Liu Hao couldn't help but envy Su Mucheng's appearance. She was the chief Gunner of Glory, the number one female player in Glory, with millions of fans. Walking outside was sure to cause a fan frenzy, hence she needed to wear a hat and mask.

Comparing himself, despite playing professionally for three years, he was still relatively unknown. Even if he walked around without any disguise, no one would recognize him. Even the girls who actively asked for his WeChat only considered him an ordinary handsome guy on the street.

No comparison, no hard feelings, Liu Hao looked at Su Mucheng with envy and a hint of bitterness in his eyes.

Yes, in the Excellent era, the limelight was always on Ye Xiu and Su Mucheng. How could the audience notice him, a mere flee? This was also the reason why the original owner of this body hated Ye Xiu and Su Mucheng.

Su Mucheng naturally noticed Liu Hao too. Seeing that Liu Hao had changed his hairstyle and attire to a trendy brand, he looked much more handsome. And the way Liu Hao looked at her was like a puppy abandoned by its owner, pitiful and plaintive.

Su Mucheng glanced at the pancake in Liu Hao's hand, then at the sumptuous dinner she bought. Realising something, she lifted the takeout in her hand and asked, "I bought too much. Ye Xiu and I won't be able to finish it. Do you want to join us for dinner?"

Su Mucheng was just being polite. After all, they were teammates, and Liu Hao's behaviour today wasn't as annoying as before, so she took the initiative to talk to him.

Su Mucheng originally thought Liu Hao would, as usual, give a cold snort and arrogantly refuse. But to her surprise, Liu Hao asked in a puzzled tone, "Can I?"

"Can I?" Su Mucheng was suddenly at a loss for words. She thought, Buddy, I was just being polite. Did you really want to have dinner with us?

Su Mucheng's eye twitched slightly, but Liu Hao didn't notice because of his sunglasses.

Feeling a bit awkward, Su Mucheng reluctantly agreed, "It's okay. I bought too much dinner, and Ye Xiu and I won't be able to finish it all."

"Well, thank you. I haven't had dinner yet, so I'll accept your offer graciously," Liu Hao said shamelessly.

Liu Hao chuckled inwardly. He wasn't lacking in social skills. How could he not understand that Su Mucheng was just being polite?

Usually when someone asks you, "Do you want to stay for dinner?" it's not really an invitation; it's a polite way of telling you to leave because they're about to eat and it's inconvenient for them to keep you.

Liu Hao and Su Mucheng's relationship was still at the stage of being enemies. The reason he pretended not to understand and readily agreed was also to improve his relationship with Ye Xiu and Su Mucheng.

Having dinner together was something friends did. This was a great opportunity to improve their relationship!

Su Mucheng sighed helplessly and said, "Let's go upstairs." Then she walked ahead without waiting for Liu Hao, unconsciously quickening her pace as if she wanted to shake Liu Hao off. This way, she and Ye Xiu wouldn't have to face the awkward situation of having dinner with Liu Hao.

But Liu Hao wouldn't do as Su Mucheng wished. When Su Mucheng sped up, he also quickened his pace. They took the same elevator upstairs and walked into the training room together.

Seeing that she couldn't shake Liu Hao off, Su Mucheng sighed again and reluctantly accepted the reality that she would have to have dinner with Liu Hao.

At that moment, Ye Xiu was engrossed in playing Glory, and when he noticed Su Mucheng coming in, he greeted without looking away, "Hey."

"Ye Xiu, it's dinner time. I bought a lot of dishes, all my favourites," Su Mucheng said with a cheerful smile.

"Alright," Ye Xiu replied. He increased his speed, quickly defeating his opponent. Then he stood up, but when he noticed Liu Hao, who was eagerly eyeing the pancake, he froze in place.

He glanced at Su Mucheng, attempting to get a reasonable explanation from her as to why she had brought Liu Hao back with her.

Seeing Ye Xiu's expression, Su Mucheng smiled wryly. She understood what Ye Xiu meant and explained, "When I came back with dinner, I ran into Liu Hao at the door. Since I bought too much, and Liu Hao hadn't eaten yet, I invited him to join us for dinner."

Ye Xiu hesitated for a moment and asked, "Did he agree?"

Su Mucheng sneaked a glance at Liu Hao and nodded helplessly.

Unexpectedly, Ye Xiu blurted out, "He has quite the thick skin."

Liu Hao's face darkened. He thought, I'm right here, Ye Xiu. Even if you think that way, you shouldn't say it so bluntly. Now should I eat or not?

Whether intentional or not, after glancing at Liu Hao, Ye Xiu smiled meaningfully.

"But since Mucheng invited you, let's eat together. It's shameful to waste food."

Wasting food is shameful. This sentence smoothed over the awkward atmosphere.

The three of them left the training room and went to the players' canteen. Su Mucheng arranged the food while Liu Hao went back to his room to get a few bottles of orange juice. He didn't want to be a freeloader.

Only Ye Xiu sat properly in his chair, watching Su Mucheng and Liu Hao bustling around, while he held chopsticks ready to eat.

After finishing their tasks, Su Mucheng took the initiative to sit next to Ye Xiu. Due to the square table, Liu Hao chose to sit opposite Ye Xiu.

With everyone present, Ye Xiu eagerly began eating as if there was no one else around.

Liu Hao's mouth twitched. He finally understood why the original owner of this body disliked Ye Xiu so much. I'm sitting right in front of you, and you have nothing to say? All you do is eat?

Is the food really that good?

Liu Hao picked up a piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth. It tasted pretty good. Seeing Ye Xiu wolfing down his food, Liu Hao felt he couldn't fall too far behind and immediately began eating as well.

The table was filled with the silent battle of eating. Ye Xiu and Liu Hao seemed to be competing to see who could eat faster and who could eat more.

(End of Chapter)