She gripped a rag in her hand, mouth slightly open, her expression frozen on her face, her eyes filled with confusion like "Who am I? Where am I? What did I hear?"—This request was way too bizarre!
Ethan looked at the table full of faces filled with shock, confusion, and question marks, then suddenly slapped his forehead, producing a crisp "smack": "Oops! Look at my memory!"
He quickly stifled his laughter and raised his hand in surrender, explaining, "Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue! It's chopped cucumbers! The refreshing kind that cuts through the grease!"
"Oh~~~!!"
"Jeez—!"
"You scared me!"
"Damn! Ethan, you're too much!"
"Hahaha!"
As the truth came out, a huge burst of laughter instantly swept through the entire barbecue restaurant!
The tense atmosphere suddenly relaxed, replaced by laughter and teasing.
The owner was the first to react. Seeing Ethan's 'prank succeeded' and quickly trying to smooth things over, she couldn't help but slap her thigh and burst out laughing, tears streaming down her face: "Oh my! You little rascal! You're really good at pulling our leg! Hand-smashed cucumbers... Hahahaha! Alright, alright, no problem! Coming right up! You'll have plenty!"
She smiled as she turned toward the kitchen, muttering to herself: This handsome young man really knows how to keep things interesting—really fun!
Around the long table, the students who understood had mixed reactions:
Most of the girls blushed; some covered their mouths and laughed so hard they trembled, while others shyly lowered their heads. Nora had no idea what was being said, only feeling a bit nervous from everyone's reactions, while others gave Ethan a playful glare.
The guys seemed to have discovered a new continent, each winking and giving Ethan a thumbs-up, their faces wearing knowing yet admiring smiles that said, "Bro, you really get it," "That joke is perfect," and "It really speaks to me." Especially Ryan, who laughed especially loudly and with a sense of "understanding."
Advisor Mr. Hayes was first stunned, then shook his head with a mix of amusement and helplessness, his gaze toward Ethan growing even more complicated: This kid is ridiculously mature and steady when he's serious, and when he jokes around, his creativity and sense of humor are unmatched!
What a... character!
The owner readily brought out several plates of hand-smashed cucumbers full of "meme flavor."
The students laughed and started eating, bringing a lighthearted and humorous end to this lively gathering.
Ethan got up and went to the bathroom to wash his hands. When he came back, he found that almost everyone had already finished eating.
He looked at his advisor Mr. Hayes: "Mr. Hayes, how do you think today's event went?"
Mr. Hayes nodded in satisfaction: "Very good! Very successful! Thank you for your hard work, Ethan."
Tonight's spontaneous "mixer" had far exceeded his expectations, and the class atmosphere was noticeably livelier.
Ethan immediately stood up, raised his voice, and announced with a hint of a smile: "Classmates! The very first guys-and-girls social mixer in our class's history is now officially concluded! Everyone eat and drink well, go home early to rest and recharge! Don't forget, tomorrow is the last day of freedom."
He deliberately grinned mischievously and said, "The day after tomorrow is the start of the two-week orientation training saga!"
"Ah—!"
"No!"
"My happiness is over!"
The classmates, who had been basking in the afterglow of the dinner gathering, were instantly brought back to reality by the keyword "orientation training." Their wails rose one after another, and one by one, they wilted like flowers hit by frost.
Mr. Hayes witnessed all of this, and his opinion of Ethan grew even higher.
This young man's charisma and organizational skills were truly astonishing. When he spoke, everyone—guys and girls alike—focused their attention on him. That natural sense of authority was impossible to fake.
By comparison, the equally outstanding Summer's influence among girls seemed more "conventional."
It wasn't that Summer wasn't good enough; it was just that Ethan's presence was like playing at a different level entirely.
Ethan glanced at the three guys from his dorm: Marcus was grinning foolishly on the table, Kevin was muttering to himself with an empty beer bottle, and Derek stared dreamily at the ceiling... Everyone was drunk.
The only one still relatively clear-headed in the room was Tyler, who was sitting in the corner, always a bit reserved.
Ethan walked over and patted Tyler on the shoulder: "Tyler, I think you're pretty sober. I have some things to take care of and can't go back right away. Could you please help me safely escort these three 'idiots' from my dorm back to Room 208?"
Tyler was worried that Ethan had treated him earlier and he hadn't helped much. Hearing this, he immediately straightened up: "No problem, bro! Leave it to me!"
He paused, leaned close to Ethan's ear, lowered his voice, and asked cautiously, "Um... bro, what about that ugly... what about that girl?"
His gaze drifted to Nora still leisurely eating cucumbers, and his voice lowered even further: "Well... she's still eating... are you okay with her?"
Ethan followed his gaze.
Nora was sitting quietly there, nibbling on the last few cucumber slices, as if determined to completely finish this plate of "hand-smashed cucumbers" before stopping, completely disconnected from the surrounding dispersing noise.
Ethan withdrew his gaze, gave Tyler a nonchalant smile, and patted his shoulder firmly: "It's nothing, don't worry. What is there to be afraid of? I'll take her back in a bit."
Tyler looked at Ethan's calm expression, opened his mouth, but in the end swallowed his words. However, his eyes showed a hint of surprise and confusion. He nodded and called over the other guys who could still walk, and together they hastily propped up the drunks from 208, making a noisy exit.
The noise faded away, and the barbecue restaurant instantly fell quiet, leaving only messy tables and the lingering warmth of the evening.
Nora finally put down her chopsticks.
She didn't look at Ethan, kept her head down, her voice soft but clearly audible: "Just now... he called me an 'ugly freak'... I heard everything."
Ethan's heart skipped a beat, feeling a bit awkward and unsure how to respond: "Uh... well... Tyler, he..."
He tried to change the subject: "Nora, I think you're really the 'eating champion' tonight. You ate from start to finish without saying much. Aren't you afraid you'll overeat and hurt your stomach?"
Nora's small face flushed slightly, as if bathed in the sunset glow. She still kept her head down, quietly but sincerely replying, "It's not something I get to eat often. I don't usually eat much. Tonight it's free... so I just wanted to eat more..."
Her voice carried a subtle embarrassment and a deep appreciation for food.
"...Oh."
Ethan was momentarily at a loss for words; the answer was so simple it made him feel a bit sorry for her.
He recalled her financial situation from his previous life and understood everything clearly.
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