Chapter 19: The Second Cafeteria of the Central Academy of Drama

Life is exhausting, so Zhou Le always rewards himself at various milestones.

When he first scored a perfect 100 in elementary school, Zhou Le immediately asked his grandfather for ten yuan and bought a bunch of spicy sticks, crispy noodles, 239 candies, fruit strips, chewing gum, and the like.

He indulged himself all night.

After passing the primary school entrance exam with excellent results and getting into a key junior high class, Zhou Le chose a weekend to reward himself by spending from Friday to Saturday afternoon playing nonstop at an illegal internet cafe—until the police raided and kicked him out.

From then on, Zhou Le found all sorts of ways to reward himself.

For example, whenever he achieved a good grade, gave up his seat on the bus, got admitted to his dream university, landed a decent job, or witnessed the completion of his first project—he would treat himself.

And after that project was completed, Zhou Le rewarded himself by resigning.

At that time, quitting his job was the greatest joy he could imagine.

Afterward, he toured all the scenic spots in Beijing that he had never visited during his four years of university and half a year of work.

It was after that that Zhou Le acquired a system.

He believed this might be heaven’s reward for his optimistic attitude.

He arrived at the agreed-upon elegant restaurant.

Following a waiter’s guidance, Zhou Le quickly entered a private room.

Outside, photos of many celebrities dining here were displayed; Zhou Le glanced at them—all familiar faces he had often seen on TV.

“All celebrities come here; it shouldn’t be too bad,” Zhou Le thought to himself.

Inside the room, Zhao Lus wore her usual outfit, but Zhou Le felt indifferent—after all, he had met Nazha before, and today he had seen Liu Yifei; in comparison, Zhao Lus seemed less impressive.

At first glance, her face appeared somewhat large.

But upon closer contact, Zhou Le knew her face wasn’t actually big in size.

“Brother Zhou Le, this restaurant was hard for me to find online. They say it’s the second cafeteria of the Central Academy of Drama, and there are many photos of seniors dining here outside,” Zhao Lus said.

Zhou Le nodded. “I saw it; it’s written right outside.”

“Yeah, but this is my first time here too. Why don’t you order?”

Zhou Le waved his hand. “No, you order. You’re the host today, and I’m not picky. Just order whatever you want.”

Zhao Lus nodded and began looking at the menu.

Meanwhile, Zhou Le continued observing her.

Soon he realized that although her eyes were large, the surrounding soft tissue made them appear smaller and somewhat puffy visually.

Her face was round, and while her features were three-dimensional, the overall space on her face made it seem large.

Having figured this out, Zhou Le stopped dwelling on it.

Even back when he was a student and a construction worker, he wouldn’t have liked this kind of actress.

Now, it was the same.

Being friends and chatting was fine, or exchanging resources and attending dinners together posed no problem.

Soon the dishes arrived.

The first dish was sea bass, recommended by the restaurant.

“Le Ge, try this,” Zhao Lus said.

Zhou Le nodded and took a bite, but as soon as the fish touched his tongue, he froze.

“Is this restaurant really so generous?”

“Do they really use this much salt?”

Zhou Le’s only thought was that the food was not tasty.

The ingredients were fresh, the presentation good, and it even smelled appetizing—but it was just too salty.

At that moment, he felt a bit sorry for the students of the Central Academy of Drama.

Their meals must be so awful to call this place their second cafeteria.

Zhou Le didn’t consider himself picky; sometimes the construction site canteen would serve heavy fatty meat, but he could still eat it. At worst, he’d add some vinegar to make it palatable.

But here, he felt that even pouring vinegar over the food would be a waste.

“Is it tasty?” Zhao Lus asked.

After swallowing, Zhou Le put on a satisfied expression. “It’s delicious—the fish is very fresh and tender!”

Zhao Lus took a bite and felt a sudden pounding headache.

But seeing Zhou Le’s pleased look, she could only say it was good as well. Her acting wasn’t very convincing, but no one was paying attention.

Zhou Le was just giving face, and Zhao Lus simply didn’t want to spoil the mood.

But with each bite, her guilt grew, because she couldn’t tell if Zhou Le genuinely liked the food or was faking it.

Usually, Zhou Le’s appetite was quite large.

But from Zhao Lus’s perspective, although he ate a fair amount, it was only about half his usual intake.

He was eating so much only because he was being treated.

“That’s enough. Let’s stop. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have eaten that egg-filled pancake earlier,” Zhou Le said, rubbing his stomach with a sigh.

“Ah, what a pity,” Zhao Lus replied.

When Zhao Lus went to pay, the owner asked if they wanted to pack the leftovers.

The two answered in unison, “No, thanks.”

Then Zhou Le added, “I’m going to meet a friend later; carrying leftovers won’t be convenient.”

Zhao Lus simply said, “I’m on a diet.”

Stepping out of the restaurant, Zhou Le felt like smoke was billowing in his throat.

It was unbearably dry.

“I’ll go buy a drink. What do you want?”

“I don’t drink beverages.”

“Then I’ll get you some mineral water.”

Zhou Le went into a convenience store and bought himself a chilled lemon-flavored C100 water, then bought a bottle of Yibao mineral water for Zhao Lus.

Zhao Lus was stunned upon seeing the Yibao.

She had never drunk it before because, in her impression, this mineral water was quite cheap.

She would rather buy brands like Baishui Mountain or Evergrande Ice Spring, even if they cost a few yuan more.

But Zhou Le smiled and said, “Back then, after finishing work, the happiest thing was to drink a chilled bottle of mineral water and then nurse a headache for a while.”

Zhao Lus nodded.

She had heard that Zhou Le came from humble beginnings, though his demeanor didn’t show it.

“Where’s your home? I’ll take you. My manager will come to pick me up later.”

“Home? I don’t have one anymore. I just moved out today. Though there are many houses in Tiantongyuan, there’s no shortage of residents. I bet someone’s already moved in.”

“Tiantongyuan...” Zhao Lus was now even more convinced that Zhou Le was from a grassroots background.

But she didn’t think any less of him.

After all, everyone starts from different places.

And the fact that Zhou Le had reached his current position spoke to his true strength.

Zhou Le bid farewell to Zhao Lus.

Sighing, after finishing the meal, his system panel showed over 3,600 experience points—up from just over 3,100 before.

Just a few hundred more would level him up and grant a new skill.

Though he had the drink, his mouth still felt uncomfortable.

He then started making phone calls to arrange a meal.

That dinner had been truly unpleasant.

He needed something else to refresh his palate.

Back in college, he had four roommates—two stayed in Beijing, one went to Shenzhen with a construction firm, and the last one joined a design institute and was now a graduate student.

“Dinner? Of course I’m free! Brother Zhou… no, Le Dad, I’m treating you today. But I have one condition: can you invite Nazha? You pick the place; I’ve worked a few years and have some savings, so I can afford it.”

Zhou Le smiled. “Get lost. Nazha’s on set; there’s no way she’ll come out with me.”

“Alright, Le’er. There’s a small restaurant near our office. When you and Xiao Ming arrive, I’ll bring three bottles of Niuer (a local liquor). No one’s allowed to leave until we finish drinking!”