It wasn't the first or second time Qin Fen and Inzaghi had watched Lin Liqiang pull this sort of stunt in a café, but this time, they felt an unusual surge of anticipation for Lin Liqiang's eventual outcome...

Lin Liqiang advanced with steady steps, a polite smile gracing his face. In a few strides, he reached the woman's table, paused momentarily, and leaned forward slightly. "Excuse me..."

"I don't welcome your presence here," the woman said, lifting her head slightly. She glanced at Lin Liqiang, who seemed determined to linger. "Do I need to call the police?"

Qin Fen's glasses flashed with sudden interest. Previously, the woman's long hair had obscured half her face, and the coffee cup in her hand blocked the rest, so her full features hadn't been revealed.

In that instant she tilted her head, her delicate features were completely exposed. Her light, subtle makeup only added a layer of ethereal charm, subtly hinting at an underlying sharpness!

This trace of sharpness was precisely what truly captivated Qin Fen.

It was the kind of edge one found in soldiers, or those in professions akin to the military.

Furthermore, this sharpness wasn't something every ordinary soldier possessed. This half-hidden, half-revealed edge was a hallmark of a higher caliber.

Qin Fen subtly took a more careful measure of the woman. She appeared to be only eighteen or nineteen years old. It seemed this vast Federation was indeed teeming with talent.

"Heh heh..." Lin Liqiang half-raised his arms in a gesture of surrender. "Then of course you don't need to. I just wanted to..."

"The word 'creep' is written on your forehead," the woman returned her attention to the coffee in her hand. "Go back and wipe it off before approaching me again."

"Even a creep can have sincere intentions," Lin Liqiang’s face was thicker than a city wall; not a hint of a blush showed. He smiled, nodded, and slowly backed away. He returned to his own seat.

"Weak," Inzaghi offered a concise appraisal.

Lin Liqiang showed no signs of being discouraged. "I told you, I wasn't very confident. Among us, only I could manage to say that much to her. Anyone else would have probably faced an even worse rejection."

Xue Tian gave a thumbs-up. "Brother, your psychological fortitude is unmatched. Truly the pride of our kind."

Lin Liqiang tilted his head back with considerable pride.

"If I can get her phone number, your treat at McDonald's?"

Qin Fen, who usually abstained from these pursuit activities, suddenly tossed out the wager, startling the other three.

Lin Liqiang scrutinized Qin Fen from all angles. This man, while not exactly dull, had virtually zero knowledge when it came to charming women. Even if he tried to approach the most basic girls, success seemed unlikely; approaching this top-tier woman of their age group had a success rate that could only be negative.

Inzaghi was also puzzled. Qin Fen never spoke without confidence, and his actions were typically meticulous. Why today?

Xue Tian’s eyes were full of suspicion. "You're not that omnipotent, are you?"

"How about it? McDonald's?" Qin Fen looked at Lin Liqiang.

"One McDonald's meal?" Lin Liqiang waved his hands repeatedly. "If you can get her number, forget one meal—ten wouldn't be an issue..."

Before Lin Liqiang could finish speaking, he saw Qin Fen stand up. Without even tidying his clothes, he strode forward with his legs spread wide.

The military training had already kept Qin Fen's posture impeccably straight, but now his back carried an added air of crisp military masculinity.

The woman sized up Qin Fen as well. Someone approaching from the creep’s vicinity must be here to finish the mission the creep failed to complete, right?

"Can I have your phone number?"

As Qin Fen spoke, he pulled his cell phone from his trouser pocket.

The instant the woman saw the phone, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes—such an antique device?

Taking the phone, the woman operated Qin Fen’s device with less than perfect familiarity. In moments, she entered a string of numbers, leaving the contact name as three characters: "Yuwen Qian."

Lin Liqiang and Xue Tian’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. How was this possible? He just asked directly, and she gave him the number? That was absurd!

Inzaghi remained as quiet as ever, though the slight astonishment in his eyes couldn't be concealed. Did the military also teach seduction techniques? Qin Fen, a complete novice, had succeeded where Lin Liqiang, the supposed master, had failed.

Qin Fen was even more perplexed. As he approached the woman, observing closely, he could barely perceive an even sharper aura hidden beneath the already concealed edge.

After writing down the number, "Yuwen Qian," she ignored Qin Fen, just as she had initially, sipping her coffee and looking at the magazine spread on the table.

Standing there any longer would only invite awkwardness. Qin Fen didn't press further, offered a slight nod, and turned back toward his original seat.

Before he could settle in, Lin Liqiang pounced on Qin Fen like a hungry tiger: "Old Qin, tell me! Are we brothers?"

"Yes."

"Then are a brother’s matters also your matters?"

"Yes."

"Then are a brother’s embarrassments also your embarrassments?"

"Yes."

After receiving affirmative answers to Lin Liqiang's rapid-fire questions, he finally said with satisfaction, "Tell me, how did you get her number? What secret technique did you use?"

"Oh," Qin Fen replied, showing no surprise. "I walked over and asked her, 'Can I have your phone number?' and she gave it to me."

"That simple?" Lin Liqiang couldn't quite believe it. "You didn't say anything else?"

"No," Qin Fen shook his head.

"Then how did you know she would give it to you just by saying that?" Lin Liqiang, like Xue Tian, was utterly confused.

"I didn't know if she would give it to me."

"Then you..."

Qin Fen looked quite honest. "I just thought, if she gave it, I'd get McDonald's. If not, it wouldn't matter. You didn't get it, so me failing wouldn't be embarrassing either."

"Just that simple?"

"That simple."

This time, the three of them, including Inzaghi, were left completely speechless.

None of them had imagined Qin Fen was relying entirely on luck just now. Even more unbelievable was that his luck had run so well that he actually succeeded.

Lin Liqiang sighed. "Ten McDonald's meals aren't the issue; what hurts is that I, the Federation's number one Casanova, lost to Old Qin, who doesn't even qualify as an amateur."

Inzaghi nodded thoughtfully. Seeing this, Lin Liqiang pouted again. "Old Yin, you have no right to nod. Bro also just lost to you recently. What is going on? Is Hanju simply incompatible with my destiny? Our great Federation Casanova is being defeated by these two dullards."

Amidst their laughter and banter, time quickly approached dinner hour.

"Old Qin, I'll let you off the hook today," Lin Liqiang stretched languidly. "Song Jia must be waiting anxiously."

"See you tomorrow."

Qin Fen stood up, bid farewell to the other three, and walked out of the café.

The Seoul night was even livelier than the day. Drunken individuals were already stumbling down the streets as dusk settled.

Song Jia stood beneath a streetlamp, dressed in white casual wear paired with matching white sneakers. Her long, black hair, like a waterfall, was tied back in a ponytail.

At a quick glance, it seemed she hadn't made any effort, but a closer look revealed this was, in fact, the most meticulous effort.

Qin Fen jogged over to the lamppost and nodded slightly. "Sorry, I'm late."

"Knowing it's our first date, I'm very dissatisfied..." Song Jia pouted, adopting a sweetly adorable expression that made one want to reach out and pinch her cheek. "But, you haven't seen your close friends in a while, and your apology sounds sincere enough. I'm somewhat satisfied. I accept your apology."

Qin Fen could only smile. Having the date waiting for the man was certainly ungentlemanly, but Song Jia’s catchphrase—sharp words concealing a soft heart—had become rather amusing after hearing it so often.

"Where should we eat?" Song Jia naturally looped her arm through Qin Fen’s. Although this man looked a bit dull, that very demeanor was more likely to inspire a sense of security.

Qin Fen felt a little troubled. While Hanju's entertainment and cosmetic surgery industries were decent, when it came to food, they weren't particularly impressive. The most famous thing seemed to be kimchi.

Treat Song Jia, a girl like this, to kimchi? Qin Fen shook his head. Even if Song Jia agreed, he’d be too embarrassed to suggest it. If that were the case, he might as well suggest McDonald's or KFC.

"Hm?" Song Jia looked at Qin Fen with hopeful expectation. "How about McDonald's, plus two bottles of beer?" Qin Fen suggested decisively. "We can take it to the cinema and eat while watching the newest release."

"Deal!" Song Jia eyed Qin Fen suspiciously. "Do you have some ulterior motive?"

"Ulterior motive?" Qin Fen looked genuinely bewildered. "If you don't want McDonald's, we can eat something else."

"McDonald's is fine," Song Jia smiled sweetly, clinging to Qin Fen’s arm as they walked. "Actually, the most important part of eating isn't where you eat, but who you eat with."

Qin Fen chewed over her words. "That sounds a lot like something Liqiang would say."

"It is his," Song Jia leaned her head against Qin Fen's shoulder. "I’ve read some of them. By the way, don't change the subject. Do you have an ulterior motive or not?"

"Ulterior motive?" Qin Fen was close to laughing helplessly. "I honestly don't know what bad idea—"

"Is that so?" Song Jia tilted her head up to look at Qin Fen's expression, finally nodding seriously. "You're right. You're not like Lin Liqiang, who would use the latest horror movie to scare a girl into his arms."

The latest horror movie? Only then did Qin Fen realize that a new horror film had recently been released, which explained the talk of "ulterior motives."

Lin Liqiang’s foolproof tactic was always inviting a girl to watch either a romance film—which easily led to emotional embraces—or a horror film, which would frighten her into seeking refuge in his arms, thus enhancing his sense of security.

During his time in the army, Qin Fen's appetite had grown significantly larger. He ordered over twenty Big Macs in one go. When the sales clerk realized this massive order was meant for two people, she nearly fainted on the spot.