Chapter 1121
Obik: Heretical! You actually used fried sauce!
The two silently ate a couple of mouthfuls of noodles. Cui Ming was the first to put down his chopsticks, stirring the noodles in his bowl with the tips of his chopsticks. His brows were furrowed, and his disdain was undisguised: "I say, Obik, this place is too shabby. Is there nothing but ramen? You can't even put together a bowl of jajangmyeon. It's tasteless and bland."
Obik was slurping his ramen when he heard this and suddenly stopped. He looked up and glared at him, his tone sharp: "Eat it or don't! This is all the food I have here. If you think it's bad, bring your own next time!" He preferred the fresh taste of traditional ramen and never cared about fancy ways of eating it, and he couldn't tolerate anyone being picky.
To everyone's surprise, Cui Ming chuckled and slowly pulled a tightly sealed box of fried sauce from his pocket, waving it in front of Obik with a smug and arrogant tone: "What a coincidence, you actually brought some." He then deftly unpacked the package, and a rich and mellow aroma of the sauce instantly filled the air, the fragrance of oil filling the nostrils and overpowering the remaining taste of the noodle soup.
Obik's eyes instantly turned cold, his hand gripping the chopsticks tightened abruptly, his knuckles turned slightly white, and a vein throbbed on his forehead. His voice was so deep it sounded like he was about to burst into flames: "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? Ramen is meant to be eaten with soup! What kind of incongruous way is it to eat it with fried sauce!"
"What's so good about this soup? It's as bland as plain water." Cui Ming completely ignored his fiery glare, picked up the ramen bowl, tilted his head back, and gulped down the soup in a few large gulps, leaving not even a single scallion at the bottom. Then he poured the entire box of fried sauce into the empty bowl, picked up his chopsticks, and quickly stirred it. The chewy noodles, coated in the thick sauce, glistened with oil and looked quite tempting.
"What the hell! Cui Ming, are you crazy?!" Obik slammed his fist on the table and stood up, pointing at his bowl and shouting angrily, "You're ruining ramen! The soul of ramen is the broth! And you've used it all up to mix with the noodles, that's evil! Pure evil!"
Cui Ming picked up a mouthful of noodles coated in sauce with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing with relish. He even deliberately squinted his eyes to show a satisfied expression, and said slowly, "What's the rush? As long as it tastes good, that's all that matters. Besides, noodles with soybean paste are essentially just eating noodles, why be so fussy?"
"Being particular? This is respect for ramen!" Obik was so angry that he glared at his opponent, grabbed a pair of chopsticks lying nearby, and pretended to hit them. "I'm going to teach you a lesson today, you ignorant brat! Give me back my ramen!"
Cui Ming dodged back quickly, laughing as he held up his bowl to block, his tone still irritating: "Don't be so stingy, it's just a bowl of noodles. I'll bring you two boxes of fried sauce next time, so you can try this unorthodox way of eating it. I guarantee you'll get addicted after you try it."
"Who wants to try your lousy way of eating!" Obik was furious, but he didn't actually hit him. He just spat at the bowl. "If word of your eating style got back to the Ultra Universe, those Showa-era guys would chase you down and beat you up! You've completely disgraced noodle eaters!"
Cui Ming shrugged nonchalantly, continuing to stir the noodles in his bowl, muttering, "They don't know anything, good taste is the most important thing. Besides, if a fight really breaks out, I might not be afraid of them."
Obik, seeing his stubborn and irritating demeanor, was so angry that his chest heaved violently. Finally, he plopped down heavily, grabbed his bowl of ramen, and shoved mouthfuls into his mouth to vent his anger, muttering under his breath, "Madman, absolutely a madman! I'm never treating you to noodles again, it's just asking for trouble!" Seeing Obik's furious outburst, his constant muttering, even his noodles laced with a vengeful intensity, Cui Ming paused, a barely perceptible smile flashing across his eyes before he couldn't help but chuckle softly, his shoulders swaying slightly. The irritation and anger he had accumulated from being harassed and interrogated by Empera seemed to have been largely dispelled by this lighthearted laugh; even the somber mood between his brows vanished, and his entire aura softened considerably. He hadn't expected Obik to agree with his way of eating; he was just teasing his stubborn but soft-hearted old friend. He hadn't expected the other party to react so strongly, which suddenly made him feel much better after holding back his bad mood all the way.
"What are you laughing at!" Obik's anger flared even more at the sight of him. He stabbed the noodles in his bowl and snapped, "Do you think it's funny to make me angry? Let me tell you, Cui Ming, if you laugh again, I'll smash this bowl of evil noodles in your face!"
Cui Ming suppressed his smile, but a slight curve remained at the corners of his mouth. His tone carried a rare air of ease and contentment: "I'm not laughing anymore." He then picked up another mouthful of noodles and put it in his mouth, saying slowly, "Teasing you a couple of times really makes me feel better."
Obik paused for a moment, then snorted coldly, turning his face away from him. His tone, however, had lost its previous irritability, leaving only a hint of impatient awkwardness: "You're smart enough to know your place. Hurry up and eat yours, then leave. Don't get in my way. Just looking at your bowl of noodles makes me angry."
Cui Ming didn't refute, but simply lowered his head and quietly ate his noodles, though the smile in his eyes was unmistakable. He knew Obik's personality all too well—tough on the outside but soft on the inside; he might yell fiercely, but he didn't really care at all. This late-night snack, filled with "battle," was more effective than anything else, allowing him to find a rare moment of relaxation from the tension of the past few days.
The evening breeze still blew in through the open door, carrying the faint aroma of noodles and the rich scent of soy sauce, swirling through the room. The fire crackled in the stove, its flickering light casting shadows on the two figures. Obik would occasionally glare at him and mutter a few words, but he never mentioned fighting again. The atmosphere between them, on the contrary, was even more familiar and warm than before, like that between old friends.
As the two were bickering, a faint black shadow slipped out from the corner of the wall. The Shadow Mage, shrouded in an impenetrable aura, stared intently at the noodles with soybean paste in Cui Ming's bowl. Its nose twitched slightly, clearly intrigued by the enticing aroma. It had been following Obik closely, previously watching silently from a corner, but now, unable to contain its curiosity, it tentatively moved closer to the table, its steps as light as a breeze.
“Um… Cui Ming,” the Shadow Mage’s voice was light and airy, with a hint of timid hesitation, yet the expectation in his eyes was undeniable, “This Zha Jiang Mian… looks pretty delicious, may I have a bite? Just a small bite.” As he spoke, he extended his slender, shadowy fingertip and pointed slightly at Cui Ming’s bowl, his posture showing a touch of caution.
The room fell silent instantly upon hearing this. Cui Minggang's hand, which had just picked up a bowl of noodles, paused in mid-air. He then raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips, and deliberately waved the bowl towards the Shadow Mage, his tone slightly mocking: "Alright, try it. I guarantee it's much better than Obik's bland ramen." (End of Chapter)