The best part of the Dragon Tribe series is in the third book.

Chen Zhi bent down and leaned his face closer, preparing to show some care as her childhood friend.

However, as soon as he got close, a faint, crisp crunching sound drilled into his ears.

Followed by a strong tomato scent.

Chen Zhi: "..."

He unceremoniously reached out and poked Lin Wanwan's arm.

"Ah!"

Lin Wanwan jerked her head up like a startled rabbit, her cheeks bulging as she chewed. A bit of red tomato powder stuck to the corner of her mouth, and she was tightly clutching a bag of Lay's potato chips in her hands.

Their eyes met.

Lin Wanwan's big eyes were full of panic. She swallowed hard, nearly choking herself to death.

"Cough, cough... Are you crazy! Walking around without making a sound!"

She patted her chest, glaring at Chen Zhi with a resentful expression.

Looking at her guilty demeanor, Chen Zhi could not help but laugh. "I say, Lin Wanwan, it has not even been two hours since breakfast and you are already eating high-calorie snacks. Aren't you afraid of getting fat?"

"None of your business!"

Lin Wanwan rolled her eyes and hid the chips closer to her chest. "This lady is still growing, is it a crime to get hungry fast?"

"Alright, alright, growing."

Chen Zhi looked her up and down, his gaze pausing for a second on her slightly bulging belly from eating, and clicked his tongue twice. "With the way you eat, your body is growing, but it is growing sideways. When you turn into a ball, let us see how you become a big star."

"Chen Zhi! Shut up!"

Lin Wanwan was so angry she wanted to bite him. She lifted her foot and stomped on Chen Zhi's foot. "You are just jealous that I have food!"

"Jealous of you?"

Chen Zhi sneered, agilely dodging her attack, and then, with lightning speed, reached his hand into her desk drawer.

"Hey! What are you doing!" Lin Wanwan turned pale with fright.

With practiced movements, Chen Zhi first pulled out a roll of garbage bags, tore one off with a rip, and stuffed it into his pocket.

Immediately after, his devilish claws turned and accurately grabbed the half-eaten bag of chips in Lin Wanwan's arms.

"Give it here."

"That is mine!" Lin Wanwan reached out to snatch it back.

Since the semester started, Chen Zhi had been running every morning and drinking milk at every meal. His height had already surpassed Lin Wanwan's. Relying on his height advantage, he held the chips above his head, casually pinched a piece, and stuffed it into his mouth. "Mhm, tomato flavor, good taste. To prevent you from turning into a ball, your big brother will reluctantly help you share some of the burden."

"Are you a bandit! Coming here every day to rob my things!"

Lin Wanwan stood up from her seat in anger, grabbing Chen Zhi's arm, pinching and hitting him. "Give it back! I have not even finished eating it yet!"

The commotion between the two was not small, drawing the attention of several classmates around them.

Lin Wanwan's deskmate, Chen Xinyu, was holding a romance novel, reading it with great relish. Seeing this, she covered her face with the book, revealing a pair of eyes filled with an auntie-like smile.

"Oh my, Wanwan, you and Chen Zhi have such a good relationship."

Chen Xinyu pushed up her glasses, her tone full of teasing. "As expected of childhood sweethearts, even eating potato chips is so romantic. Is this the legendary 'hitting is a sign of affection, scolding is a sign of love'? I am totally shipping this."

Lin Wanwan's face turned red, and the movements of her hands stopped. She stomped her feet in shame and anger. "Who has a good relationship with him? He bullies me every day, steals my snacks, and mocks me. Is this called a good relationship? This is called bullying!"

"Yes, yes, yes, bullying."

Chen Xinyu smiled even more happily. Her expression clearly said: explanation is covering up, and covering up is the truth.

"I cannot be bothered with you guys!" Lin Wanwan sat back in her seat, puffing out her cheeks, turning her face to the side, and leaving Chen Zhi with only an angry ponytail.

Chen Zhi contentedly pocketed the garbage bag, holding half a bag of loot chips in his hand, and returned fully loaded.

When passing by the third group, he found Li Zihan in front, holding a thick book, shaking like a leaf.

He was muttering something under his breath, which sounded heavily laden with profanities.

Curious, Chen Zhi leaned over to take a look.

Whoa, Dragon Raja.

On the cover, the loser kid Lu Mingfei was looking into the distance with a confused expression.

This book was a masterpiece that swept the whole school back in the day, a must-read bedside publication for every teenager.

"Is that necessary?" Chen Zhi patted Li Zihan's shoulder. "Can reading a book give you Parkinson's?"

Li Zihan suddenly turned his head, his eyes red, a look of grief and indignation on his face.

He pointed at the text in the book, his fingers trembling. "Is this Lu Mingfei an idiot? Ah? Is he a pure, massive idiot!"

"He used a quarter of his life! He saved that woman Nono, and in the end, he did not utter a single word, like a mute."

Li Zihan became more and more agitated as he spoke, his voice rising significantly. "And the result? After saving her, Nono turned around and kissed Caesar. What is this if not a pureblood simp? If I were Lu Mingfei, I would smash my Yanling right into Caesar's face!"

"Who is this idiot author Jiang Nan? What is his address? I am going to send him blades, a whole box of blades."

Looking at Li Zihan's exasperated appearance, Chen Zhi almost laughed out loud.

So young.

Too young.

This was nothing. This was just the beginning, just a slight bit of angst.

Wait until he reads the third volume and sees Erii drained into a mummy at the Red Well; that is true despair, that is when you want to send the old thief Jiang Nan an atomic bomb.

Chen Zhi cleared his throat, an unfathomable expression appearing on his face.

"Zihan, you are being superficial."

Chen Zhi said earnestly, "This is just a build-up. Although Lu Mingfei is a loser right now, he is an S-rank. Moreover, Nono was never the female lead; she is just a passerby."

"Really?" Li Zihan sniffled, half-believing and half-doubting.

"Would I lie to you?"

Chen Zhi patted his chest, beginning his great undertaking of bluffing. "The real female lead only appears in the third volume."

"The third volume?" Li Zihan's eyes lit up.

"Yes, she is the young miss of a Japanese yakuza family, named Uesugi Erii."

Chen Zhi narrowed his eyes, guiding him patiently. "That girl is not only breathtakingly beautiful, but also extremely pure and obedient. Most importantly, her eyes are full of Lu Mingfei, and she would become enemies with the whole world for him. She is completely on a different level from a scumbag woman like Nono!"

"Think about it: a yakuza princess, a soft and cute girl, who only loves the male lead. Is this plot satisfying or what?"

Li Zihan was dumbfounded listening to this. A ten-thousand-word novel plot instantly surfaced in his mind, and his originally angry expression gradually turned into one of longing.

"Holy shit, really? There is such a top-tier girl?"

"Absolutely real." Chen Zhi held back his laughter. "Ten thousand times better than Nono. If you drop the book now, it would be a huge loss. Really, what comes later is the victory of the pure love warrior, so sweet it will rot your teeth."

"Damn it, I knew it! How could there be such an idiot author who just keeps torturing the main character!"

Li Zihan instantly revived with full health, slapping his thigh. "Alright! I will go to the bookstore after school today and buy the third volume. I am going to read it all in one breath tonight!"

"Go ahead, go ahead."

Chen Zhi kindly patted Li Zihan's head, silently lighting a candle for this child in his heart.

Sorry, bro.

Your current happiness is bought with an overdraft of your future tears.

When you read the chapter The Sound of Falling Cherry Blossoms and see the line Sakura is the best, I hope you can still find the strength to live on.

Chen Zhi walked away, completely satisfied.

The thrill of dropping that spoiler made his steps feel a bit lighter.

The more people in this world who wanted to murder that old thief Jiang Nan, the better.

Returning to his seat, Chen Zhi lined his trash can with the garbage bag he had just snatched, leaned back comfortably in his chair, picked up a bag of tomato-flavored potato chips, and took a crunchy bite.

After just two chews, he felt a gaze land on his face.

He turned to look.

Pei Ningxue had been watching him goofing off with Lin Wanwan in the aisle and excitedly sharing the plot with Li Zihan. In her usually cold eyes, there was actually a hint of envy right now.

Watching the vibrant Chen Zhi, who could effortlessly mingle with his classmates and even brazenly snatch snacks from girls, a look of longing revealed itself in her eyes.

Growing up, she was like a bird locked in a crystal cage.

Her mother died early, her father was busy with business, and after her stepmother moved in, she was subjected to even stricter discipline.

Sit properly, stand properly.

You are the eldest daughter of the Pei family; you cannot mix with those wild children.

Snacks are junk food. You are not allowed to eat them.

Her life consisted only of endless homework, endless piano practice, and that cold, empty six-hundred-square-meter house.

Seeing Chen Zhi laughing loudly in the classroom and freely squandering his youth was like a scene from another world to her.

Chen Zhi looked at her dazed expression, and his hand paused.

Remembering how pale she looked when she came in, he assumed she had not eaten breakfast.

So he offered the half-full bag of chips to Pei Ningxue.

The open bag revealed golden potato chips inside, emitting a tempting tomato aroma.

Chen Zhi raised an eyebrow. You want some too?

Pei Ningxue froze.

She looked at the chips thrust right under her nose, then at Chen Zhi's punchable yet not entirely detestable smiling face.

According to the rules she had learned since childhood, she ought to politely decline, say thank you, and reject this junk food.

But...

It really did look delicious.

In the end, appetite triumphed over reason. Besides, her wicked stepmother was not here anyway.

As if possessed, Pei Ningxue reached out her hand.

Her fair, slender fingers hesitated for a moment in the air before gently reaching into the bag and pinching a thin chip.

The rough seasoning powder touching her fingertips brought a sense of reality she had never felt before.

She placed the chip in her mouth.

Crunch.

The crisp sound echoed between them.

The sweet and sour taste spread across her tongue.

Pei Ningxue's eyes widened slightly.

How is it? Chen Zhi asked with a smile. Is it good?

Pei Ningxue did not speak; she just chewed silently.

After a few seconds, she finally swallowed, turned her head, and looked at Chen Zhi.

Is there more?

Chen Zhi was speechless.

He looked at the half-empty bag in his hand, his mouth twitching slightly.

Was this rich miss actually a hidden foodie?