“Here’s the soup!” Lu Jue came out of the kitchen with a pot of soup.

By then, Nishizaki Ryu, who had arrived late, was already seated.

“Lu Jue, quickly take off your apron and come eat. Everyone’s waiting for you,” Tojo Hana said.

Lu Jue glanced at the dishes, which were still untouched, and at Rhombus Amazon and the others, who were holding their chopsticks, ready to dig in. “Alright, I’m coming!”

......

“Cheers!”

Glasses clinked together, making joyful sounds.

“This fish is too delicious!”

“Amazon, don’t talk when you’re chewing,” Air Groove said beside her.

Grass Wonder also eagerly picked up her chopsticks, only to find it was so hot. But the meat was already in her mouth, so she could only open her cherry lips and breathe out.

Silence Suzuka was in the same situation, covering her mouth and exhaling.

Lu Jue sat beside her, pouring a drink into her empty glass, then continued to converse with Tojo Hana and Nishizaki Ryu without turning his head.

“Lu Jue, I feel like it’s a bit of a waste for you to be a teacher at Teresen,” Tojo Hana said sincerely.

Nishizaki Ryu took a sip of iced beer. “I agree. I feel like if you opened a restaurant, you’d definitely make a fortune.”

“You two seniors are joking. I didn’t come here for money,” Lu Jue, with all his skills, naturally wasn’t short of money.

Silence Suzuka held her cup with both hands, but her ears perked up.

Speaking of which, she didn’t know much about Lu Jue.

“Is it for your own pursuit?” Nishizaki Ryu thought Lu Jue was like him, coming to Teresen Academy to pursue his dream.

“You could say that.”

“Then why didn’t you return to Longguo to serve after getting your certificate in France?” Tojo Hana asked. “From what I understand, the Uma Musume culture there is in its nascent stage.”

“But it’s only in its nascent stage, so my parents were very against me working in related fields. So I went abroad to develop myself,” Lu Jue didn’t lie, but he also didn’t tell the whole truth.

The reason he didn’t return to Longguo was for another hidden reason.

“You’re a courageous young man. I have high hopes for you,” Nishizaki Ryu gave Lu Jue a thumbs up.

“Let’s not talk about my affairs. I toast to both of you, thanking you for your continuous care,” Lu Jue raised his glass and drank another sip with them.

......

The full moon quietly climbed above the treetops, then silently disappeared into the clouds when people weren't paying attention.

The celebration banquet was also coming to an end.

Everyone’s stomachs were bulging, so much so that even their school uniforms couldn’t hide them, revealing a circle of white belly, as if they were pregnant.

Tojo Hana’s face was slightly flushed, while Nishizaki Ryu was quite drunk, his face all red.

“You’ve had enough, stop drinking,” Tojo Hana said, holding her forehead.

“Lu Jue’s dishes are delicious, and the wine is great too! I want to drink more!”

“Senior Nishizaki, the wine was just something I bought casually outside…”

Lu Jue propped up his head, feeling both amused and helpless.

The moment he lowered his head to pick up his glass, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a pale flesh under the table.

Feeling a bit tipsy, and with drunkenness emboldening him, Lu Jue, on a whim, reached out and pinched it.

Silence Suzuka was drinking her beverage when she suddenly felt her belly pinched, startling her. She looked down and saw Lu Jue playing with that bit of flesh.

Poking was one thing… but pinching!

“Lu Jue, what are you doing…?”

Silence Suzuka’s face flushed. After checking that no one else had noticed, she slapped Lu Jue’s hand away.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I couldn’t help myself for a moment.” With that slap, Lu Jue quickly retracted his hand and apologized profusely.

Drinking really causes trouble!

Silence Suzuka opened her mouth, but the words got stuck in her throat and she swallowed them back.

She didn’t actually mind that much… but how could she possibly say such a thing?

“Suzuka-chan, are you angry?” Lu Jue lowered his head and asked cautiously.

Silence Suzuka still didn’t know how to answer.

“How about I give you another massage as compensation?”

“Okay…” Silence Suzuka almost trembled as she spoke the word.

Lu Jue breathed a sigh of relief, afraid that his actions had been too offensive.

......

After resting for a while, everyone got up, preparing to say goodbye and leave.

Tojo Hana sighed helplessly and helped Nishizaki Ryu up. “Lu Jue, it’s getting late, we should go.”

“Take care. Senior Nishizaki, I’ll leave him to Sister Hua to take home.”

“Mm, don’t worry.” Tojo Hana turned to leave, muttering, “This guy, he can’t drink much but still drank so much…”

Air Groove waved to Lu Jue. “Trainer Lu, we’re leaving too.”

“Trainer Lu, if there’s another celebration banquet next time, please be sure to invite me!” Rhombus Amazon was a straightforward dark-skinned hot girl, and she spoke very casually, but it was clear she loved Lu Jue’s cooking.

“Teacher Lu, thank you for the hospitality,” Grass Wonder thanked him subtly. For the next period of time, she thought she would often savor the taste of these delicious foods.

Oh, right, she could sign up for Lu Jue’s practical class!

Symboli Rudolf, Taiki Shuttle, Narita Brian, and Fuji Kiseki said in unison, “Trainer Lu, thank you very much.”

Symboli Rudolf: “I hope there will be another opportunity to taste your cooking next time.”

Finally, Agnes Digital also thanked him before leaving. “The taste was truly wonderful~ Trainer Lu, thank you for inviting me to dinner~”

“Everyone, take care, and welcome back next time.”

Lu Jue replied to each of them, waving goodbye. Only after everyone had left did he close the door.

He turned around and saw a figure still standing quietly.

“Silence Suzuka, why are you hiding back there?”

“Are you drunk?”

“No, not at all, just a little tipsy.” He pulled the door open again. “Be careful on your way. I’ve been drinking, so I won’t drive you back.”

Lu Jue leaned against the door, tilting his head. The indoor light softly illuminated his chiseled face.

Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, his deep eyes, slightly narrowed from being tipsy, seemed to hold a clear pool, and tenderness slowly flowed out with the curve of his lips.

The noisy sounds were automatically filtered out by Silence Suzuka’s brain, and for a moment, she was somewhat mesmerized.

“I, I’ll help you clean up before I go back!”

After a long pause, she hurriedly turned her head away and began tidying up the remaining items with renewed vigor.

“No need, I can clean these up myself,” Lu Jue immediately followed her.

“It’s fine, it’s what I should do.” Silence Suzuka tidied up the dishes and chopsticks and quickly darted into the kitchen. She was very afraid of meeting Lu Jue’s gaze right now. “I’ll wash them for you.”

“Really, there’s no need…” Lu Jue said helplessly, but Silence Suzuka only left him with her back.

......

Cold water washed over Silence Suzuka’s hands.

Her mind gradually calmed down, returning to tranquility.

“Lu Jue-jun, I’ve finished washing the dishes.” Silence Suzuka walked out of the kitchen. “Lu Jue-jun?”

No one responded.

She walked to the sofa and only then realized that Lu Jue had somehow fallen asleep, curled up on his side.

“He’s not so great himself, yet he was making fun of Nishizaki Ryu Trainer.” Silence Suzuka pulled a blanket over Lu Jue.

She quietly observed Lu Jue’s sleeping face for a while.

“Thank you.”

“This was the happiest celebration banquet I’ve ever had.”

......