Although Xiao Feng appeared to come from a wealthy family, he was quite down-to-earth and didn't put on airs like a rich young master. He didn't mind Yu Xuan's earlier misunderstanding about him being Korean, and even invited the three of them to a meal.
Yu Xuan was a straightforward guy who hated those who easily took offense. Xiao Feng's magnanimity and easygoing nature won him over, and he was the first to agree. Zhou Wen, who in a way shared similar interests with Xiao Feng, didn't object either.
Chen Fan, being the last one asked, of course, didn't object either, even though he thought that his three roommates were a bit peculiar.
Xiao Feng drove a sexy cinnabar red BMW X6. It was parked in front of the dormitorybuilding and was quite an eye-catcher.
Chen Fan found nothing surprising about Xiao Feng owning an X6, and Zhou Wen was also calm about it. However, Yu Xuan was puzzled: "Why the hell did you buy a red car?"
"Ha-ha, Big Guy, you wouldn't understand. In foreign countries, there's the saying 'white horse with a prince', in ancient times it was 'a red horse with a beauty', in modern times, naturally, it's 'a red BMW with a pretty lady'. Have you not seen it on the dating show, where a woman said, 'I'd rather weep in a BMW than ride a bicycle with a smile'?" Xiao Feng chuckled, skillfully revved up the car, and continued, "According to my years of experience chasing girls, most women have a soft spot for BMW, especially the red ones."
"The saying goes, 'it's hard to raise petty people and women' - it does make sense. No wonder my grandpa warned me not to engage with women prematurely." Yu Xuan shook his head, given that he was a novice in matters concerning women, he really didn't have much to say.
As one of the nation's famous universities, a large industrial cluster was available around Donghai University, filled with bars, restaurants, and hotels. Fuyuan Restaurant was the best restaurant near Donghai University, decorated in an antique style, with various luxury cars parked in the parking lot.
Since it was the first day of school at Donghai University, the restaurant was very crowded. All the private rooms had been reserved early, and even the main hall was packed. However, the four of them were lucky enough. Just as they stepped into the restaurant, a table of customers was getting ready to leave.
"Guys, there are no private rooms left. We'll have to make do with the main hall. It's a bit noisy, but there are a lot of beauties," Xiao Feng smiled as he led the group inside.
"We're just having a casual meal among us. Any spot will do, no need to go overboard," Chen Fan said. After a brief interaction, he noticed that Xiao Feng was a carefree guy.
Xiao Feng chuckled, "Chen Fan, I appreciate your concern, bro, but don't worry about the money. After all, it's not mine."
Seeing Xiao Feng's devil-may-care attitude, Chen Fan didn't say anything more. He knew that for someone like Xiao Feng, a meal at a place like this was no more than pocket change.
Xiao Feng's handsome looks, cool demeanor, and high-rolling chatter pulled the attention of most girls in the hall. Some even had blatant admiration flashing in their eyes.
In comparison, Chen Fan and the other two were overshadowed.
Soon, the four took their seats by a table. The waitress handed them the menus. Xiao Feng took out a pack of Su cigarettes and said, "Feel free to order whatever you guys want."
"Do they have stewed pork noodles?" Yu Xuan, clueless about being modest, was the first to chime in.
"Buns," Zhou Wen deadpanned.
The waitress's professional smile twitched as she heard them. They did serve stewed pork noodles in Fuyuan Restaurant, but the dish had a much more elegant name than what Yu Xuan said. Even more confusing was Zhou Wen, this quiet skinny guy, who wanted to order buns...
This was the most upscale restaurant in the area!
"Miss, no need to space out. Write down what my bros ordered," Xiao Feng didn't seem to find Yu Xuan and Zhou Wen's orders embarrassing. He chuckled, tossed a cigarette to Chen Fan, and said, "Your turn, Chen Fan."
"I'm an easy man to please. Anything's fine." Chen Fan replied as he lit the cigarette and took a leisurely puff.
Hearing that, Xiao Feng didn't push any further. Picking up the menu, he quickly ordered six dishes and two soups.
Thanks to being one of the best restaurants around, not only was the environment of Fuyuan Restaurant first-class, the serving speed was also impressive. In just a moment, the dishes were served.
To add more fun, Xiao Feng initially wanted to order a bottle of Maotai. But Yu Xuan beat him to it, asking for baijiu instead. Xiao Feng laughed it off and nodded at the waitress to bring what Yu Xuan had ordered.
"Today's the day we became bros. We must drink up." Xiao Feng picked up the bottle and poured a glass for the three.
The three didn't refuse, each picking up their glass and downing it in one go.
With the sip of alcohol, Chen Fan didn't react at all. Even though he wasn't a heavy drinker, he had never gotten drunk over the past twenty years.
"Never drink too much alcohol, especially when on a mission." This was a motto that Chen Fan always kept in his heart.
Both Xiao Feng and Yu Xuan seemed to be regular drinkers and showed no reaction after downing their drinks. The skinny Zhou Wen, however, turned red-faced and looked drunk after just one drink.
The old saying goes: the dining table is the best platform for socializing. It held true for the four men as with the food and drinks, their relationship deepened significantly.
"Guys, a stunning beauty just walked in." As they finished the first bottle of baijiu, Xiao Feng suddenly announced enthusiastically.
Following Xiao Feng's gaze, the trio spotted a girl with pigtails walking in. She wore a white t-shirt paired with light blue skinny jeans perfectly outlining her leg shape and perky butt— no less appealing than the short skirt and hot pant-clad girls on campus.
Trailing the girl was a tall woman in a black dress. The elegant dress paired with her aloof and sophisticated aura gave her a queenly vibe.
Comparatively, the remaining two girls were rather ordinary.
Their entrance immediately attracted all the men's attention in the hall, primarily focused on the first two girls. Especially the girl in jeans, she got the looks from almost seventy percent of the men.
A table of patrons, who had finished their meal and were about to check out, decided to stay after seeing the four girls walk in. They ordered four more bottles of beer, clearly not planning to leave.
The girl in the lead conversed with the maitre d' and found there were no available spots left. She furrowed her brows, about to confer with her friends about switching venues when a magnetic voice echoed from the northeast corner, "Ladies, there's room here."
The one who spoke was Xiao Feng, seated beside Chen Fan. As he spoke, a charming smile traced along his lips.
Xiao Feng's interruption immediately drew most of the people's attention in the lobby. The girls glared, jealous that they hadn't caught Xiao Feng's fancy, while the men looked regretful for not beating Xiao Feng to the punch.
Seeing this, Chen Fan cursed Xiao Feng in his mind for stirring up unnecessary trouble, keeping his head down in fear of being recognized by Susan – he had recognized her as soon as she walked in. Afraid of drawing the attention of Susan's fanboy posse in school, he wished to keep his interaction with her at a minimum.
Chen Fan might have hoped to go unnoticed, but Susan had spotted him the moment she walked in. When she saw him keeping his head down pretending not to have seen her, she felt a spark of anger.
While she was peeved, she didn't initiate any conversation with Chen Fan. Instead, she turned, smiled at the lady in the black dress behind her, and asked, "Qianqian, should we go over there?"
"Susan…" Before the lady in the black dress could reply, a well-dressed, elegant young man descended from the upstairs, confidently walking over to Susan, "I've booked the biggest private room here. Shall we dine together?"
"Beautiful, Xiaodong has been waiting for you guys to eat, hasn't even picked up his chopsticks yet," Liu Wei, following him, uncharacteristically spoke politely.
Faced with the two men's invitation, Susan broke into a sly smile, "I'm sorry, but someone has already invited us."
With this, she pointed toward Chen Fan's table.
Susan's proclamation caused the lady in the black dress to raise her eyebrows slightly, a hint of ridicule flashing in her eyes. To her, it seemed Susan had only rejected the two men because Xiao Feng was attractive enough for her – an act she found rather immature.
Susan's words momentarily stumped the elegantly smiling young man in front of her, while Liu Wei shot an unhappy glance toward Chen Fan's table, curious about the cheeky sod who dared to invite Susan before he could.
The next moment, he noticed Yu Xuan, who was busy wolfing down his stewed pork noodles.
This discovery caused him to reck momentarily before a glint of malicious excitement flashed in his eyes.