You've been ruined by games all your life!

Chapter 29 Walter's Dinner (Seeking votes and continued reading)
After agreeing to a dinner with Luo Lina at 8 p.m., Chen Lai found himself in a new predicament.

Chen Lai was a truly poor young man. He had to spend 45 francs a month to rent a small, old two-story apartment on Labor Street, while the cost of food, clothing, and lodging in Paris would easily take up 30 francs of his income.

With a salary of only 90 francs, which was deducted by Freck every month, he was now struggling to make ends meet... and when visiting a wealthy family like Lorena's, he always needed to wear a proper outfit.

However, he already has a plan for this matter.

Back in the locker room, Iverson, who had been beaten unconscious, was still lying on the floor, with several bloody teeth spilling from his mouth, looking extremely miserable.

Many coaches hesitated to call a doctor when they saw Iverson's miserable state, but Chen Lai approached and dispelled their thoughts.

Without a shred of pity, Chen Lai grabbed Iverson's short hair, dragged him to the sink, turned on the tap, and once the water level was high enough, buried Iverson's face completely in it.

“Mmmmm!”

The sensation of water entering the nasal cavity can certainly wake someone up instantly. Iverson tried to struggle, but the large hand gripping his neck was so strong and steady that he couldn't even lift his head.

He once suspected that Chen Lai really wanted to kill him.

However, Chen Lai had no intention of killing him right now. He simply woke Iverson up, stopped him from struggling, and then put him down.

"Have mercy, sir." Iverson said with his eyes closed, a lisp escaping from the corner of his mouth, water droplets sliding down his collar, making him look like a clumsy, drowned dog.

"Give me all the money you have on you." Chen Lai didn't intend to argue with him for long; he immediately asked for money.

Iverson dared not refuse; he had just returned from Mrs. Anna's and did indeed have a few gold Louis on him... Alas! He had worked hard and toiled to earn them!
One gold Louis was equivalent to twenty francs; Madame Anne was indeed generous.

Chen Lai took the gold coins, leaving none behind, and then waved to the fencing coaches who were hiding and watching not far away, signaling them to come over.

With Iverson's example as a precedent, these coaches naturally dared not disobey his orders. In a male-dominated society, violence is the universal rule, and whoever has the bigger fist gets to listen to them!

“Take this gold Louis and take Iverson to the hospital for a checkup. You can divide the rest among yourselves… I don’t want to get into trouble. If I get into trouble, then we’ll all be in trouble.”

As he spoke, he revealed the flintlock pistol at his waist, and the crowd naturally nodded in fear.

With the matter settled, Chen Lai took the money and left, eager to rent a decent set of clothes.

……

As night fell, Mr. Walter sat at the dining table, coldly scrutinizing the guest his daughter had invited.

This... swordsmanship instructor, although his job is not low-class and is more respectable than that of a riding instructor, his income is really meager, otherwise his clothes would not be so cheap.

As a Jew and the owner of a newspaper, Walter did not recommend that his daughter make such low-class friends. He knew that even though there was no emperor now, nobles and wealthy people still existed, and befriending them was the proper way to enter high society.

However, no matter how harsh he was, Walter still had to admit that the "handsome friend" his daughter brought was indeed exceptionally handsome, bearing a resemblance to Walter himself in his youth.

"Let us raise our glasses to our new friend," Mr. Walter called out. His wife immediately raised her glass, and Lorena then looked at Chen Lai, raising her glass with affection in her eyes. This displeased Duroy, who had come to the banquet with him.

Duroy was an old friend of Walter's from his time serving in Africa. Now that they had been separated for a long time, Walter naturally invited him to his home... but unfortunately, Lorena had also brought a friend today.

To be honest, Duroy was also a handsome man, but compared to Chen Lai, he lacked youthful charm and his air of mystery was not as strong as that of this foreign visitor.

Therefore, the Walter family focused almost all their attention on Chen Lai, and Duroy was neglected.

After raising their glasses together, Mr. Walter, as the host, naturally wanted to bring up a topic to liven up the atmosphere.

As the owner of La Vie de France and the editor-in-chief of its political commentary section, the topics he raises are all related to French politics.

At the same time, this was also a little trick he used to elicit information about the guests' cultural level. If they lacked knowledge, they would not be able to participate in such discussions and would only feel awkward at the dinner table, thus highlighting the Walter family's superiority and rich knowledge.

“There is a growing wave in the House of Representatives lately, with everyone talking about policy directions for colonizing Algeria. It is a really big problem. Some people say that we should establish a military society and distribute land to soldiers who have served for more than 30 years.”

"This view is very popular in the House of Representatives, but no one is an expert on Algeria, so there is always endless debate. As a newspaper editor, I am often troubled by not being able to write an editorial that truly solves the problem. Therefore, I ask the people around me for their opinions on this issue."

Wiping his mouth with the handkerchief beside him, Walter threw out his question, a question that clearly benefited his old friend, Duroy, since he and Duroy were serving in Algeria.

"If you ask me, that view is unsophisticated. Soldiers know everything, but they don't know anything about farming. They can handle knives and swords, but they're clueless when it comes to hoes, let alone sowing and fertilizing. They're complete novices in those areas!"

Duroy answered first, his knife flashing as he spoke excitedly.

"Instead of giving land to soldiers, it is better to open up the colonies to everyone. The shrewd and capable will find a place there, while those who make no contribution will be eliminated. This is the true nature of society!"

As he listened, Walter nodded repeatedly, clearly thinking the same thing.

After Duroy finished speaking, Walter clinked glasses with him and drank a toast to his brilliant remarks. Afterward, the two of them glanced at Chen Lai, seemingly trying to get him to say something.

As for Chen Lai, he was currently examining the furniture in Walter's house. It must be said that Walter was indeed very wealthy. The plates and candle holders in his house were all made of silver. The dining room was located on the second floor and required a spiral staircase to reach. There was an oil painting of the Sun King hanging in the house, and velvet armchairs were standard for the dining table. Rare and exotic plants were placed on the windowsills and in the corridor.

Seeing that Chen Lai did not react for a long time, Duroy was somewhat contemptuous. He was convinced that this kid had nothing to offer and could not possibly have any profound insights.

"Mr. York, what are your thoughts? We are all waiting for your insightful comments," Duroy pressed impatiently.

"I think it's better to talk about what else is worth handing over to the colonies than to whom they should be handed over."

"Oh? That's a view I've never heard before." Mr. Walter became somewhat interested and looked intently at Chen Lai.

"Algeria lacks abundant arable land. The land that is truly worth colonizing has already been bought up by major investors in Paris. The remaining barren land is barely enough to feed the Algerians themselves, so how can we expect colonizers to settle there?"

Chen Lai lowered his eyelids and carefully cut the beef on his plate—his mind was focused on reading aloud from the popular post on the Deep Sea Forum: "[Beautiful Friend: Analysis of the Algerian Region]".

(End of this chapter)