Long Live the McNugget

Lin Mo, however, knew that this thing could be quite expensive to play.

The racing game called "Initial C" required players to purchase a card and top it up with money. This card served as their account, allowing them to spend the credits on car modifications, purchasing vehicles, or entering races. Buying cars cost money, and so did upgrades.

But Jiang Yunlu only glanced at it briefly before moving on—games involving guns, cars, or sports were more suited for boys. Instead, she found a Taiko no Tatsujin machine and happily started drumming away.

The others also enjoyed themselves, each finding their own amusement.

After some time, when the group reconvened, they realized someone was missing.

"Where’s Geng Xiao?" Fang Jun asked casually.

Chu Miaomiao replied in a soft voice, "She said she was going home for dinner and didn’t want to disturb us."

But Lin Mo knew the truth—Geng Xiao had used up her last three game tokens, stomped her foot in frustration, and left on her own.

This "green tea" classmate was still a novice, barely even a beginner.

Still, she hadn’t wanted to make a scene, so she sent Chu Miaomiao a message saying she was leaving early.

Meanwhile, An Yuexin and Mai Chuwen finally said their goodbyes, mentioning they were heading home.

That left only five of them.

Fang Jun waved his hand.

"Alright, let’s go. What do we want to eat? McDonald's or KFC?"

Lin Mo raised his hand. "I’m a devoted follower of McDo. I vote for the Golden Arches."

"But McDo doesn’t have a family bucket," Fang Jun objected.

"Then I’ll buy you a Happy Meal."

"No, I prefer the McSpicy chicken burger."

"I’d rather head to the pier and grab some fries."

At this point, Jiang Yunlu raised her hand and said, "I actually wanted to treat everyone to a proper meal."

But Lin Mo just shook his head.

"What’s the point of a fancy meal? Isn’t fast food more fun?"

It was true—McDonald's and KFC had always catered to the same generation.

People loved them as kids, kept eating them as adults, and would probably still crave them in old age.

Lin Mo remembered his past life, where he often ate at McDonald's, especially after the budget-friendly "poor man’s meal" was introduced.

But when that meal got more expensive, he switched to Hua X Shi.

At first, his stomach didn’t agree—let’s just say there were some urgent consequences. But eventually, his digestive system toughened up, and he could eat anything without issue.

Still, if he had the money, Lin Mo would always choose McDonald's.

After all, heading to the pier for fries was the ultimate dream.

In the end, Jiang Yunlu couldn’t sway the group, so they settled on McDonald's.

Just then, Fang Jun suddenly asked, "Hey, where’s Xie Yuling?"

"She went to the front to exchange her tickets for prizes. She won a lot of coupons from the dance machine and said she could get a bunch of stuff."

By the entrance of the arcade, Xie Yuling had already collected her rewards, stuffed into a large black plastic bag. No one asked what she got—after all, Xie Yuling rarely spoke to anyone besides Lin Mo.

Soon, the group arrived at McDonald's.

The place was packed, so they had to squeeze around a big table.

Back then, orders were still taken verbally.

Lin Mo went all out, ordering a mountain of food—three hundred yuan’s worth, with just over ten in change.

"Can you even finish all that?" Fang Jun stared at the ridiculously long receipt.

Keep in mind, the most expensive combo at the time was barely over twenty yuan.

And Lin Mo had upsized the fries for every single meal—nine large fries in total.

The girls already knew Lin Mo had a bottomless stomach, so they didn’t question it.

Fang Jun, however, had never seen him eat like this—he could barely finish one and a half combos himself.

Because the order was so massive, the staff handed Lin Mo a number and promised to bring the food to their table.

A towering pile of fries, a platter of burgers, and an army of drinks arrived, along with nuggets, spicy wings, and other snacks.

Jiang Yunlu loved this kind of food the most.

But her dad always lectured her about how unhealthy and nutritionally empty it was, so he never let her eat it.

Still, young people inevitably reach an age where they want to try forbidden pleasures—like fried chicken and burgers.

If anyone enjoyed this McDonald's feast the most, it was definitely Jiang Yunlu.

Thankfully, Lin Mo wasn’t some delinquent with dyed hair, or else a single fast-food meal might’ve been enough to lure her away.

Imagine him rolling up on an electric scooter, parking next to her family’s Bentley, and asking the old man if anyone ever stole batteries from luxury penthouses.

The mental image alone was hilarious.

But the real spectacle was Lin Mo’s eating performance.

He grabbed three burgers—a McSpicy, a Grilled Chicken, and a Big Mac.

Unlike normal people who took bites from the whole burger, Lin Mo dismantled them.

He stacked the top and bottom buns together and ate them separately, leaving the meat patties untouched.

Only after finishing all the bread did he pile the four patties into a tower and take a massive bite.

Even Chu Miaomiao couldn’t help but stare.

Fang Jun scratched his head.

"Lin Mo, has anyone ever told you your burger-eating method is... unique?"

"Yep. But I like saving the best for last."

Lin Mo took a sip of Coke and then attacked the mountain of fries—nine large portions dumped onto a single plate, like a crispy golden hill.

Ketchup mixed with sweet-and-sour sauce.

With Lin Mo devouring food like a black hole, the others found themselves eating more too.

But the five of them didn’t talk much.

One was too shy to socialize.

Another deliberately avoided conversation.

The only relatively normal ones were Jiang Yunlu and Fang Jun.

What about Lin Mo?

When was he ever normal?

Still, the fast-food feast left everyone satisfied.

By the end, all the food was gone—only a few sodas remained.

Lin Mo alone had downed four cups.

Once they were stuffed, Jiang Yunlu checked her phone.

"Should I ask Uncle Zhao to drive you all home?"

Fang Jun declined politely. He’d long known Jiang Yunlu was a rich girl, but he wasn’t the type to impose.

Lin Mo also shook his head.

"No need. I’ll walk Chu Miaomiao home first, then head back with Xie Yuling."

Fang Jun chimed in, "We’re going the same way. We can leave together."

Ten minutes later, Fang Jun deeply regretted those words.

Before that, Jiang Yunlu could only gaze at Lin Mo with reluctant fondness before saying goodbye to the group.

She hugged her black cat tightly, then waved its paw.

"Bye! Next time you hang out, remember to call me."

Lin Mo nodded. "Next time, for sure."

Chu Miaomiao waved back with her Tony Tony Chopper plush.

Xie Yuling didn’t speak, but she wiggled her little fox’s paw.

Strictly speaking, everyone had enjoyed the day.

Except Geng Xiao.

Ten minutes later, Fang Jun sat in the passenger seat, grinding his teeth.

Through the rearview mirror, he saw Lin Mo sandwiched between two beauties.

He was already regretting why he’d agreed to go home with them.

"Lin Mo… you’re really the worst."