Chapter 18: Mixer Scene

The eight of them from Cao Sheng’s dormitory walked toward the school gate in a grand procession; eight big guys walking together drew side-glances, and those who didn’t know better might have thought they were going to start a brawl.

Along the way, everyone they met subconsciously made way for them.

Little did they know, seven of these eight were single, and for six of them, the strategic goal for the night was merely to win the favor of some girl.

It was practically a "Simp Operation."

Only Guan Zhi and Cao Sheng were relaxed.

Among them, Guan Zhi had a girlfriend.

Cao Sheng, who in the eyes of his roommates had a girlfriend, was actually still single, but he had no interest in any of the girls present tonight.

To be more precise, with his living expenses becoming increasingly tight and his career yet to succeed, he had absolutely no desire to date.

He only wanted to make money now.

……

Amidst the chatter and laughter, the group arrived at the small restaurant where Guan Zhi had already booked a private room.

This restaurant was called Huizhou Family.

On the way here, Guan Zhi had explained that although the restaurant wasn't large, the food was quite good, the portions were generous, and it was affordable.

Upon arriving, Guan Zhi led everyone to Room 1 on the second floor, and after having the waiter serve tea, he went downstairs to wait for the girls.

A moment later, the fourth-eldest, Wei Dongming, used the excuse of going to the restroom to head downstairs as well, smiling broadly as he came to Guan Zhi’s side to chat and wait for the girls' arrival together.

Upstairs in the private room.

Cao Sheng sipped the free tea, listening to his roommates chat.

What he was thinking about, however, was how many days it would take to get a reply for "I Wish to Become an Immortal," which he had already submitted.

What kind of reaction would the publishing house’s editorial reader have upon seeing this book?

Would their eyes light up? Would they find the subject matter novel?

Or would they frown repeatedly? Would they be completely unable to appreciate this kind of Xianxia cultivation literature?

He, Cao Sheng, had never been a lucky person; before his rebirth, he hadn't encountered any good things, so he couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive now.

He was a little worried that there would be setbacks in the publication of his book.

He was confident in the subject matter and quality of this book.

He just worried that the publishing house’s editor was too conservative and wouldn't dare to make the call to approve his book for publication.

What he worried about most was that before his living expenses ran out, he wouldn't have found a publisher willing to print his book.

If that situation really came to pass, he might have to find a small restaurant to wash dishes to earn living expenses.

Presumably, he would be incredibly depressed if that happened.

"Hey! What are you thinking about?"

Suddenly, Song Chao, who was sitting next to Cao Sheng, leaned over and asked curiously.

Cao Sheng looked over, smiled, and shook his head, "Nothing, just zoning out."

Song Chao blinked; he had slept on the bunk below Cao Sheng since entering university and had a good relationship with him—perhaps he felt his relationship with Cao Sheng was special! He lowered his voice and asked, "Everyone says you have a girlfriend, and you admitted it yourself last time, but we still haven't seen what she looks like. When are you going to bring her out for us to see? By the way, what's her name? Is she a freshman? Or a sophomore? A junior? What's her major? You two have been getting hotel rooms quite often lately! Can your kidneys handle it? Hehe."

Cao Sheng: "……"

He was speechless.

In this space-time, he was still a virgin and hadn't even properly touched a woman's hand, yet his roommate was asking if his kidneys could handle it.

I'll handle your lungs!

Cao Sheng retorted in his heart, but aloud he said with a smile, "Why do you care if my kidneys can handle it? Do you want me to handle you?"

Song Chao rolled his eyes, "Forget it! I'm not gay!"

Just as Cao Sheng was about to banter with him a bit more, a flurry of footsteps suddenly came from the doorway of the private room, along with the sound of a group of girls laughing and talking.

Among them was the sound of Wei Dongming joking.

Instantly, all the boys in the room looked over, including Cao Sheng.

A few impatient ones had already subconsciously stood up.

Cao Sheng, however, remained seated.

What is meant by "having no desires makes one strong"? That was him right now.

The first to enter the room were Guan Zhi and his girlfriend, Xu Ling; the other girls stopped outside the door, looking at the boys inside with varying expressions.

The fourth-eldest, Wei Dongming, stood next to the girls, smiling broadly as he struck up a conversation with a petite, delicate-looking girl.

"Beauties, come in! Why are you standing at the door? Brothers, why aren't we applauding to welcome them?"

Guan Zhi greeted them with a laugh and turned back to call for his roommates to applaud.

The roommates were very cooperative and immediately burst into applause; although there weren't many of them, the applause was enthusiastic, and each of them had a smile on their face, eyes shining as they sized up the girls outside, seemingly scouting which one was suitable for them.

Only Cao Sheng’s applause was perfunctory, and his gaze was indifferent; he only hoped the food would be served soon so he could eat a bit more.

However, since everyone appreciates beauty, his gaze still subconsciously lingered for a moment on the prettiest one among the girls.

This girl had a long, oval face, was slender and graceful, and her skin tone was clearly more than a shade fairer than the other girls.

Her looks and figure were at the level of a class beauty.

It was just that her demeanor was cold, with no smile on her face, making her feel like a cold, aloof goddess.

In the original timeline of this gathering, she was the one recognized by their dormitory as the prettiest.

Cao Sheng still remembered her name.

——He Xinglan.

Under the enthusiastic welcome of Guan Zhi and the others, the girls walked into the room one after another; some had cold expressions, while others had smiles in their eyes.

There were those who were slender and graceful, and those who were petite.

There were those who were frail, and those with a bold temperament.

For a moment, Cao Sheng’s roommates were dazzled, looking at this one and then that one, as if they had all developed decision-making paralysis.

But except for Guan Zhi’s girlfriend, Xu Ling, the other seven girls’ gazes all frequently turned toward Cao Sheng.

It was simply because Cao Sheng’s handsomeness was plain for all to see.

It was the best in the entire dormitory.

And today’s dormitory mixer was originally intended to create opportunities for members of both dorms to find partners; in such an occasion, both sides would naturally pay attention to the best-looking person from the other dorm.

At this time, two waiters entered from outside, handed over the menu, and asked everyone to order.

The men were very polite and asked the girls to order.

Some of the girls were modest, while others unceremoniously marked a few dishes on the menu; finally, the menu was passed to Guan Zhi, who added a few more dishes and also ordered a case of beer and two large bottles of soda.

After the two waiters left with the menu, Wei Dongming suggested that Guan Zhi introduce everyone.

Guan Zhi did not refuse; he stood up with a smile and began to introduce the boys.

When he introduced Cao Sheng, Wei Dongming suddenly interjected: "Guan Zhi! No need to introduce Cao Sheng, right? He already has a girlfriend!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the girls’ expressions were a bit stunned.

They all looked at Cao Sheng.

The boys, on the other hand, chimed in one after another, all saying that Cao Sheng had a girlfriend.

Cao Sheng smiled and did not refute it.

As for the girls, it was visible to the naked eye that several of them had lost their smiles.

After Guan Zhi finished introducing his roommates, he signaled for his girlfriend, Xu Ling, to introduce the girls.

Then, a funny scene occurred.

As Xu Ling introduced her roommates one by one, three girls in succession raised their hands when it was their turn to declare that they already had boyfriends.

Now it was the boys’ turn to have increasingly stunned expressions.

This was completely different from what Guan Zhi had said in the dorm earlier; Guan Zhi had previously said that none of them had boyfriends except for Xu Ling.

What was going on now?

Xu Ling’s expression became a bit awkward; she gave a light cough, glared at the three girls, and gave a look to the others. Afterward, when introducing the remaining four girls, no one said they already had a boyfriend.

The atmosphere in the room finally improved a little, but Wei Dongming no longer had any smile, because the petite girl he had been trying hard to impress was among those who had just declared they already had a boyfriend.