Victory Meal - Taste of Success

Note: Teng's POV (This is a continuation of the previous chapter 'A Satisfying Victory')

"Hey, hey, hey!" Luoyang bellowed after exiting the bathroom and moving toward them, "Are we bothering my best friend's roommate? If Zhou finds out, he'll murder you."

The students groaned.

"Don't be silly."

"We're not!"

"We were just making conversation!"

Luoyang raised his eyebrow.

"So why does he appear to be getting ready to pass out?"

Everyone turned to look at Teng, who, in all honesty, actually appeared to be about to faint. But instead from tension and anxiety, not so much from fear. As an introvert, he sometimes struggled with social anxiety, especially around strangers.

One of the students instantly chimed in, defensively flailing his hands, "We didn't do anything to him."

Another person sighed but said, "I guess he's overwhelmed by our presence. Sorry, captain Zhou's roommate."

Another nodded, saying, "Yeah, we don't mean any harm."

Teng lifted his gaze from the floor.

"I am simply rather shy, so this kind of attention is too much for me to handle," he said with a smile and a nod.

'That's kinda cute,' one of the students thought, feeling his heart skip a beat.

Another guy turned aside and muttered, "Argh, he reminds me of my younger brother," as a smirk crept across his face.

Luoyang smirked at Teng, "I figured. Are you waiting for Zhou?"

Teng nodded while observing Luoyang sit on the ground and extend his long legs. Luoyang, Zhou's best friend, was a very attractive guy.

The guy looked as though he belonged on the cover of Playboy with his emerald eyes and white mullet haircut. In contrast to his teammates, Teng felt more at ease with him.

'As anticipated of Zhou's best friend,' Teng reasoned as he admired the man's physical attributes and charismatic personality.

Luoyang exclaimed, "Man, I can't wait to eat some meat," adding, "Where is Mr. Rong anyway?"

One of the students responded, "Probably in his car or the dorm manager's office."

Another chuckled, "Probably bragging to the Dorm manager. Poor Mr. Chi-Chi."

Another person chimed in, "Those two are like Tom and Jerry, so I can see that happening ."

Zhou and the other ballers emerged from the shower room.

"You guys are done, right?" they nodded in response to Luoyang's question.

"Yeah," Zhou replied, eyes scouring the area for someone.

Luoyang said, knowing exactly who his closest buddy was looking for, "If you're wondering about the coach, he isn't here."

One of the students who exited the shower room with Zhou commented with a chuckle, "He's probably bragging to the Dorm manager about our win."

"That's what we said," Luoyang chuckled.

Zhou scratched his head and retrieved his phone from his gym bag.

"Let me call him and let him know we're finished and ready to go," he said, " You two go outside for the time being. The janitor has just sent me a message requesting that we all leave as he is ready to clean up the court."

Luoyang sighed as he got up and took his bag, "Jeez, you're even friends with the janitor."

A student laughed and explained, "That's expected since brother Zhou uses the basketball court the most. And the janitor has the keys, so he texts him when he wants to use it."

Zhou teased his best friend, "Don't be jealous, Luoyang," to which he received the response, "Hmph."

"Huh! Who's jealous of you? Let's go, fellas," pouted Luoyang.

Zhou chuckled as they left the basketball court, leaving him and Teng alone. Teng stood up, and he turned his focus on him. He raised his hand and caressed Teng's cheek with it.

"Did I make you wait long?" Zhou questioned.

Teng muttered, "Not really," as he felt the area Zhou had touched heat up.

Zhou moved his hand away while smiling. He found the coach's contact as he was scrolling through his phone. Mr. Rong was informed that everyone was prepared and waiting for him.

He was conversing with the coach when the janitor showed up. The coach was then asked whether he may invite his roommate.

"Yes, of course! The more, the merrier!" chirped Mr. Rong.

Zhou cut the call, handed the key to the janitor, and bowed. He held Teng's hand. They left the basketball court. Luoyang looked at them and smiled.

"Oh? Is the cute roommate coming along?" Luoyang questioned his closest pal.

"Yes. And please refrain from calling him cute," Zhou urged, releasing Teng's hand.

Only his best friend could hear the last part because he had whispered it.

"Geez. Jealous much?" Luoyang brushed him off, "Anyway, the more people, the merrier!"

Teng grinned as the coach arrived.

"I'm sorry, everyone, but I have an urgent meeting with the chairman of the Sports Association, so I won't be able to join you," Mr. Rong moaned in disappointment, "However..."

Mr. Rong paused and took his wallet out of his bag. He put a bank card in Zhou's palm. It was the card used to pay for the basketball team at Waterfalls University's expenses, given by the university to the coach. He also gave Zhou the van's keys.

"You guys can order whatever you want," Mr. Rong instructed them, adding, "Drink responsibly. The minivan can be driven by Zhou or Luoyang. On your way to and from the restaurant, take caution. Keep the receipts as well. Tomorrow you can give them to me along with the van keys."

The coach waved goodbye and walked away.

"Get in the minivan, everyone," Zhou said as he turned to face his comrades, " The front passenger seat remains empty. My roommate will occupy it. Now, let's go."

Everyone entered the van after nodding. Teng thanked him and took a seat after Zhou had opened the passenger door for him. Zhou then entered the driver's seat and gently closed the door.

He followed Teng's example and fastened his seatbelt. He raised his voice as he turned to look in the rearview mirror at his teammates.

"Has everyone fastened their seatbelts?"

"Yes, father!" Luoyang responded teasingly.

Everyone in the van laughed, even Teng, who chuckled lightly. Zhou sighed and started to drive the van. They were heading for The Prism, a popular pub and grill restaurant.

When they arrived, everyone was thrilled as they got out of the automobile. Alongside Teng, Zhou locked the car and walked toward the restaurant.

The sound of customers conversing and the aroma of grilled meat welcomed them. The waitress directed them to a sizable dining area. Zhou asked for sizable portions of beef and pork. They also ordered side dishes, alcohol, and soda.

They divided the food among themselves when it was delivered. The pork and beef were put on the grill by Zhou and Luoyang.

"Fuck! I can feel the beef melting on my tongue," one guy declared, absolutely thrilled.

"More pork, please!" another boomed, eyes glued to Zhou, who was grilling the pork.

They shared the food and side dishes, chatting happily as they ate. Zhou placed pieces of pork and beef on Teng's plate.

"Eat up," he told him with a smile.

"You're only nice to Teng," Luoyang pouted, narrowing his eyes at Zhou, "But you're so mean to me."

Teng looked up from his plate, raising his eyebrows.

"Shut up," Zhou rolled his eyes at his best friend, "That's 'cause you're annoying."

The teammates burst out laughing.

"So mean!"

"Poor vice-captain."

"He's not wrong, though!"

"As expected of our captain. He's as cool as ever!"

"Super cool!"

"Cooler than me?" Luoyang pointed to himself with raised eyebrows.

"Way cooler!" the guys immediately responded, earning an, "Argh! You guys are mean to me too. Not fair," from Luoyang.

"They're drunk and too excited, so don't worry about them," Zhou sighed and stared at Teng, "Eat the meat before it gets cold."

Teng nodded. He performed a brief dance after each bite of meat. The meat was tasty, and their victory in the basketball game made it much more delicious - the sweet taste of victory. The beer paired well with the perfectly seasoned and grilled meat.