Summer lifted her chin in satisfaction and said proudly to Ethan, "You heard that, right? The people have spoken! Your judgment is way off, and that's a huge problem!"
Ethan chuckled and didn't argue, picking up his glass directly: "Why say so much? I'll go first to show respect! You do as you see fit!"
Before he finished speaking, he tilted his head back and downed three glasses of iced beer with a "gulp gulp" sound, his movements crisp and decisive, his expression unchanged.
Summer looked at the full glass of beer in front of her, her face showing hesitation, hesitating and not daring to drink.
At that moment, Jake, who had been watching her, stepped forward and shouted like a hero saving a damsel in distress, "Summer, don't worry! I'll drink for you! Ethan doesn't know how to treat a lady, but I, Jake, do!"
Ethan chuckled inwardly: Wow, NYU's first "white knight" makes a dazzling appearance!
Seeing Jake steal the spotlight, Ryan and Connor couldn't sit still either. They patted their chests and stood up: "Summer, I can drink for you too!"
"Me too!"
Alright, two more 'white knights' added!
The scene instantly turned into Ethan single-handedly "taking on three white knight" guardians.
Ethan's tolerance for alcohol was so high that aside from Robert, he really wasn't intimidated by anyone.
He responded calmly, exchanging drinks back and forth.
In the end, Ryan and Connor were so drunk they collapsed onto the table, losing consciousness.
Seeing things were going south, Jake decisively chose to "play dead," lying by the table pretending to be asleep.
As for Ethan, aside from his slightly flushed face, his eyes remained clear and his speech was coherent.
This "drinking showdown" scene left all the students dumbfounded.
The perfect SAT scorer was not only good at studying and strong in organization, but even drank with such strength and composure?
It was like giving others no way out!
Advisor Mr. Hayes saw this and quickly spoke up to intervene: "Ethan, that's enough. Don't drink too much—it's bad for your health."
To everyone's surprise, Ethan nodded decisively: "Alright, I'll listen to Mr. Hayes. That's it for tonight. Everyone, eat more!"
After saying that, he casually tossed the empty glass into the nearby trash can, his movements casual yet carrying a firm and decisive attitude.
Mr. Hayes was slightly taken aback, his eyes filled with even more admiration.
He had seen too many people who couldn't be persuaded and pestered relentlessly after drinking. Young men like Ethan, who could stop at the drop of a hat, so decisively—knowing their limits—were truly rare!
This self-control beyond his years and his ability to handle social situations made him feel even more that Ethan's future was limitless.
Looking at other students: some got drunk and started talking nonstop, gesturing as if they were future business tycoons; some squatted by the trash bin, vomiting so badly their image was completely lost; some people, fueled by alcohol, showed excessive affection to the girl they liked, words flying everywhere.
Especially Ryan and Jake—although one was lying face down and the other pretending to sleep, their previous attitude toward Summer was pure white knight behavior.
Compared to these somewhat immature or even out-of-control behaviors, Ethan, who had drunk just as much or even more, appeared even calmer and more mature in Mr. Hayes's eyes.
His words and actions showed no trace of typical college student behavior; instead, he exuded a clarity that seemed to come from deep life experience.
He could still clearly care for everyone's feelings, especially Nora sitting silently beside him.
In Mr. Hayes's view, Nora was introverted and quiet because of her "appearance," and spoke little.
But Ethan always remembered her, occasionally whispering to her, picking up some grilled fish and chicken wings that she couldn't reach, and even carefully removing chili peppers from the skewers.
This subtle consideration and care made Mr. Hayes feel that this perfect scorer was not only intelligent but also emotionally aware—a truly warm-hearted guy.
Ethan looked at Nora beside him, quietly eating with her head down.
She ate with refinement, chewing in small bites, creating a strange contrast with her deliberately rough appearance.
But she hardly participated in the chat, just kept eating continuously, focused like a little squirrel trying hard to stockpile food.
Ethan found it amusing, leaned in and whispered, "Nora, did you... not eat dinner tonight?"
Nora paused, quickly looked up at Ethan, her cheeks slightly flushed, softly muttered "Mm," then quickly lowered her head and continued to "battle" the food in her bowl.
Ethan couldn't help but laugh.
This girl, aside from saying "Mm," just kept her head down eating—she was the epitome of a little foodie.
But being a foodie was also endearing.
"Eat slowly, don't choke," Ethan said with a smile, casually pushing the two freshly grilled golden, fragrant oysters toward her. "Eat this while it's hot."
Nora looked at the tempting oysters before her, her eyes lighting up for a moment, and continued to eat with great enjoyment, accepting every offering.
About half an hour later, the tables and cups were in disarray, and the atmosphere gradually shifted from lively to a slightly tipsy laziness.
Seeing that it was about time, Mr. Hayes got up, pretending to go to the restroom, but actually walked toward the register to pay—after all, he was the advisor, and it wasn't appropriate to let students treat him.
"Ma'am, the check please. Our big table."
The owner smiled and waved her hand, "No need, sir. The bill's already been settled."
Mr. Hayes was taken aback: "Settled? Who paid it?"
The owner nodded toward Ethan, her eyes smiling: "That tall, handsome, super generous guy who ordered the food already paid when he came out to use the restroom."
Mr. Hayes looked in the direction and saw Ethan quietly talking to Nora. A wry smile that was both helpless and deeply admiring appeared on his face, and he sighed inwardly:
This Ethan... he was meticulous and thoughtful, even thinking of small matters like settling the bill in advance.
This maturity and thoroughness far surpassing those of his peers was truly incredible!
Mr. Hayes had just returned to his seat and sat down, not even having time to process Ethan's thoughtfulness when he heard Ethan raise his voice to the owner who was tidying up the next table, "Ma'am! Today, there are more than twenty of us, and we've brought such great business to your shop. Shouldn't you give us something extra on the house?"
Upon hearing this, the owner immediately turned around with a cheerful smile and replied enthusiastically, "No problem, young man! What do you want? Go ahead!"
Ethan grinned and said, "Then let's... let's have some smashed cucumber!"
"Pfft—!"
"Cough, cough, cough..."
"What the hell?!"
Ethan's words were like dropping a depth charge into the midst of the tipsy chatter!
The entire long table fell silent for a few seconds, then erupted in various sounds of disbelief—some people spat out beer they'd just drunk, some coughed uncontrollably from choking, and most looked completely bewildered, their eyes wide as saucers.
Smashed cucumber?
What kind of weird dish was this? Or some kind of new urban legend? Can cucumbers even be smashed? How do you smash them? What do you use to smash them? Is it a cooking technique or something else?
Not just the classmates—even the well-traveled, experienced owner was completely baffled!
There are 120 advance chapters ahead in my Patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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