fanqie novel
Chapter 201
Chapter 201
Floyd's voice carried a hint of nostalgia as he spoke, "You know, we used to be quite the team, the perfect marksman and support duo. Back in the days, we were unstoppable in the gaming world, unbeaten."
At that, Merry Jordan blinked in surprise. "Wait, you're the 'big bro' from the Nexus gaming platform?"
Big bro?
A smile began to spread across Floyd's face as he was about to confirm, when Yates Griffin, clearly annoyed, barked at Merry, "Merry, got an itch for chatter today, huh?"
Startled by his outburst, Merry stuck out her tongue and scurried behind Cordelia Delaney, seeking a semblance of safety.
Yates, running a hand through his fiery red hair, shot Floyd a glare but said nothing, striding past them.
After he left, Floyd's eyes dropped, momentarily revealing a flicker of complex emotions that he quickly masked, before turning to Cordelia. "Let's go." Yates walked ahead, his mood foul, feeling an indescribable restlessness coursing through him.
Over the years, news about Floyd always seemed to find its way to him.
His championships wins, his rise to the top as a solo player, their team's disbandment, the betrayal by a teammate...
Truth be told, despite his animosity, Yates felt a twisted satisfaction when Floyd faced betrayal. Yet, the irritation persisted.
He was doing well, and despite his irritation, Yates found himself drawn to news about Floyd.
Unknown to everyone, earlier in the year, on a whim, Yates had traveled to Ontoky City. In a moment of madness, he had found himself outside Floyd's club, staring at it like some jilted lover for what felt like hours...
Yates pushed open the door to the private dining room.
He took a seat at the edge, while Cordelia and Everard Watkins settled in the inner seats. Merry, cautious of Yates' volatile mood, quietly sat next to Cordelia, leaving just one spot open between Yates and Merry.
Floyd glanced over and moved to take the seat, but Yates abruptly shifted his chair to the side.
The move was so sudden and aggressive, it caught everyone's attention.
Having moved his chair, Yates, though feeling petty, sat down with a scowl.
He focused on the table, yet his peripheral vision kept drifting towards Floyd.
The man hadn't changed much over the years, still exuding an air of confidence. From this angle, Floyd's glasses seemed unchanged, hinting at a stable prescription.
Floyd appeared to have no intention of speaking directly to Yates, turning instead to Cordelia, "Lia, how long are you staying this time?"
"At Autumn Gold Academic Bootcamp for about twenty days. After the Mathematics Olympiad, I'll head back," Cordelia replied.
Floyd nodded, calculating. "So, around early November."
After adjusting his glasses, he handed the menu to Cordelia. "Take a look, see what you'd like. I've ordered a few dishes, add whatever you fancy." Without hesitance, Cordelia added a couple of meat dishes before passing the menu to Merry, who shrugged, "I'm easy!"
When Cordelia offered the menu to Everard, he declined, asking, "Did you get the roast duck?"
"Yes, it's ordered," Floyd confirmed.
Everard nodded at Cordelia, satisfied.
Floyd laughed, explaining, "The roast duck here is exceptional. Though not the most famous in Ontoky City, it's unparalleled because they don't franchise; it's one of a kind."
Cordelia nodded in understanding, glancing at Everard, who seemed quite familiar with the place's specialties.
As the group chatted, Yates remained silent. Soon, the food arrived.
The first dish was beer-battered fish.
Merry looked puzzled. "Isn't the fish supposed to be scaled?"
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In this dish, the scales were intentionally left on, fried to a crisp, making them edible and flavorful, especially since these lake fish were specifically bred for cleanliness.
Yates stared at the fish. He and Floyd had once enjoyed this dish in Guilford, finding it delicious. But how could Ontoky City have Guilford's beer- battered fish?
As he pondered, the server explained to Merry, "This dish was a special request by Mr. Floyd. We sourced the fish and perfected the recipe to his liking."
Yates paused at that, his grip tightening on his chopsticks.
He glanced at Floyd, quickly averting his gaze as Floyd turned to him, then slammed his chopsticks down, grumbling, "Eating scales is disgusting!" Silence fell over the room, the server's discomfort palpable.
Then came the sizzling lamb.
Yates squinted at the dish. He was picky with food, especially lamb, but this preparation was the only way he'd ever enjoyed lamb, a memory from his time with Floyd.
Cordelia tried a piece, exclaiming, "Delicious!"
Seeing Yates uninterested, Floyd started, "Yatesy, you..."
"I don't like lamb."
Floyd closed his mouth, silenced.
After that, Floyd and Cordelia kept chatting, diving deep into the
attributes of characters in their favorite video game. Floyd spoke with such ease and passion, and Cordelia listened with utmost attention. Content belongs t
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As the waiter brought over the next course, a steaming plate of spaghetti carbonara, Floyd didn't try to engage Yates, who seemed a bit miffed by the oversight.
Yates sat there, his fork
watching as Floyd ignored him. Finally, he grabbed the wine glass beside him and called out to the waiter, "Can I get a beer over here?"
"...Sure thing."
As soon as he said that, Floyd paused his conversation with Cordelia and glanced over at Yates, his mouth opening as if to say something. But in the end, Floyd remained silent.
Yates felt a surge of frustration building inside him.
He couldn't pinpoint the reason for his irritation. When the waiter brought his beer, he suddenly stood up. “I'm gonna hit the restroom."
He left the booth and started walking away, but then he heard Floyd's resigned voice behind him, "Yatesy..."
Yates stopped in his tracks and turned around.RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only
Floyd slowly approached him, standing slightly taller, and began, "Back in the day..."