Chapter 24: Dinner Gathering

At 7:30, the group arrived at Gourmet Street, where people were coming and going in an endless stream.

Looking out, almost everyone who caught the eye was a vibrant college student. They were in groups of three or five, either gorging themselves at snack stalls or carrying snacks in their hands, eating happily as they walked.

The air was filled with the aroma of various delicacies: the rich, fragrant scent of milk tea, the enticing smell of fried chicken, and the mouth-watering aroma of barbecue.

These scents intertwined, forming a unique and intoxicating atmosphere.

"How about this Manyuefu? We can just eat something casual," Wu Yue'er said, pointing to a restaurant with elegant decor not far away.

The group had no objections, so they entered the restaurant and opened a private room on the second floor.

Although Lin Yang was the one treating, everyone was quite considerate and left the ordering entirely to him. After all, they were all top students, and they possessed at least that much decorum.

Lin Yang suggested that the boys all have a bottle of beer. Wu Yue'er glared and said, "What's that supposed to mean! Can't girls drink? Get me one too."

Instantly, everyone's eyes focused on her.

Everyone gained a further understanding of Wu Yue'er's bold personality.

"I'll pass, I'll just have a drink." For Shen Yan, he preferred to avoid such meaningless drinking sessions if he could.

"Damn! You're a grown man and you don't drink? How boring," Wu Yue'er said, giving Shen Yan the middle finger.

"You think everyone is like you."

"Who are you 'you two'-ing? What's wrong with me?"

Unconsciously, Wu Yue'er's Northeastern accent popped out again.

Shen Yan chuckled, and everyone looked at him, confused.

Had they missed something? Why was he suddenly laughing?

Shen Yan laughed for a good while before explaining, "Do you know, when you talk to people from the Northeast, you always feel like there's someone else standing next to them. They're always saying things like, 'Don't put on an act with us two,' or 'Who are you "you two"-ing?'"

"I was just wondering, where is this other person?"

"Pfft!"

"Hahaha!"

"You're killing me!"

The people present burst into laughter instantly.

Even the usually aloof Chen Shanni couldn't hold it in, laughing until she was trembling.

She looked at Shen Yan again, thinking that college life seemed quite interesting after all.

Yu Youwei was clutching her stomach, exclaiming that she couldn't stop laughing, saying, "Youwei, why are you so funny now?"

Wu Yue'er and Zhu Baoping were completely bewildered; could these phrases really be interpreted that way?

People around them had been saying it like that since they were kids; there was nothing wrong with it.

Before long, the dishes were served one by one. Lin Yang really didn't hold back on the spending, with several hearty dishes: dry-pot chicken feet, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, stir-fried pork with carrots, beef with pickled cabbage, spicy bean curd...

Including drinks, it must have cost at least four or five hundred yuan at a rough estimate.

"Come, come, it's rare for us to gather like this. Let's clink glasses together. May we have a successful academic career and be happy forever in college."

As the host, Lin Yang raised his glass first to start things off.

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Having waited until this hour, everyone was starving. After downing the drinks in their glasses, they all picked up their chopsticks and began to gorge themselves.

The atmosphere was quite good. By a stroke of chance, Tang Song and Yuan Mingqing were sitting next to each other. Tang Song might have truly been feeling romantic, as he took the initiative to talk to Yuan Mingqing.

Yuan Mingqing was a very ordinary girl with a small ponytail, a girl-next-door type. She was a bit shy and spoke in a soft, gentle voice, which was exactly what Tang Song liked.

Zhu Baoping continued to try to talk to Xiao Chuchu, but Xiao Chuchu was clearly not interested in responding; instead, she was interested in the wealthy Lin Yang who was paying for the meal, asking him about the glitz and glamour of Shanghai.

Lin Yang naturally wouldn't miss such a good opportunity to show off, and he began to talk eloquently.

"Let me tell you, the glass corridor at the Oriental Pearl Tower is over two hundred meters above the ground. Everything around you and under your feet is transparent glass. Imagine what it feels like to step on it and look down."

"And the Disney Resort..."

"The Bund..."

This Lin Yang, he was full of tall tales.

Some of it was clearly exaggerated. If Shen Yan hadn't gone to school in Shanghai, he might have actually been fooled by Lin Yang.

"Wow! That sounds so beautiful. I really want to go see Shanghai," Yu Youwei said, her eyes sparkling.

"That's easy. Shanghai is so close to Hangzhou. During winter or summer breaks or holidays, we can form a group and go play," Wu Yue'er said enthusiastically.

Lin Yang immediately patted his chest, promising to arrange everything perfectly for everyone when the time came.

The group showered him with praise. Wu Yue'er even said, "Lin Yang, you're a stand-up guy. I've made a friend in you," which made Lin Yang as happy as a fool.

As the topic ended, Zhu Baoping saw that Xiao Chuchu kept talking to Lin Yang, so he helplessly shifted his target to Luo Qiqi and asked, "Classmate Luo, how is the commission for that campus card agency calculated? You must make quite a bit, right?"

Luo Qiqi raised an eyebrow and said mysteriously, "That's a trade secret, not convenient to disclose."

"Then can you at least disclose how to become an agent?"

"Nope!"

Zhu Baoping looked devastated.

While they were chatting, Shen Yan was eating heartily, finishing three bowls of rice. He already had a big appetite, and combined with his fitness routine, his need for food was far greater than that of a normal person.

This behavior soon caught Wu Yue'er's attention.

When Shen Yan snatched the piece of sweet and sour pork tenderloin she had her eye on, she puffed up her cheeks and said, "Hey! I saw that piece of meat first. How could you?"

"If you saw it, why didn't you pick it up?" Shen Yan said, chewing his rice, his words muffled.

"I was just about to."

"Then that just means you're slow. Don't blame me!"

"You... look at that annoying look on your face. You'll never find a girlfriend."

Wu Yue'er glared at Shen Yan, then picked up a piece of fatty beef and put it into her mouth.

However, it seemed as if the heavens were working against her in the dark.

The room door was suddenly knocked, and after receiving permission, a girl radiating spiritual energy walked in from outside; she was 1.68 meters tall, with a standard oval face, a small upturned nose, and most eye-catching of all, a pair of fox eyes that were bewitching, hazy, and lively.

With a side-parted fringe and a small ponytail hanging from the back of her neck to her chest, she wore a gray T-shirt on her upper body and slim-fit khaki trousers on her lower body, which set off her exquisite curves to perfection.

Large breasts, a slim waist, and long legs...

This was a beauty who did not lose to Wu Yue'er.

Yet to everyone present, she was incredibly unfamiliar.

As the host, Lin Yang was the first to speak up and ask, "Classmate, may I ask what you need?"

The girl's gaze swept across the private room, and upon discovering Shen Yan, her fox eyes instantly lit up, and she strode quickly toward him.