The girls in the class were all gossiping about the love and hate between Jiang Siyao and Jiang Chen, two top stars, much like what Ren He had experienced before. Gossip about celebrities was what these girls were most enthusiastic about.
Even Xu Nuo, the chubby one, quietly asked Yang Xi, "Does your sister know that Jiang Chen has come?"
Yang Xi looked at the chubby guy with a bit of amusement and didn't say a word, which made Xu Nuo shrink back in response.
Ren He chuckled. It was just like the countless little episodes in life, the comings and goings of celebrities were not unusual. It's just that the lives of stars were like being magnified under a microscope for the public to see, with everyone's eyes on them.
It was quite exhausting, so Ren He had never intended to sing himself.
Of course, his terrible singing voice was part of the reason...
These past few days in class, aside from continuing to dodge the teacher to type on his phone, Ren He had been passing notes with Yang Xi. She sat just in front of him to the side, making it especially convenient to pass notes.
"How about we have dinner together tonight? The four of us," Ren He suggested in a note. For some reason, he was now feeling a kind of nervousness akin to chasing girls back in his student days, as if his mentality had also returned to those times, including the way he invited people for dinner, always in a group of four.
"I need to go home for dinner on time," Yang Xi didn't reject Ren He's note for some reason.
What kind of student was Ren He? His looks were average at best. Except for this month's exam, his grades were terribly bad, often infuriating his teachers. He also had no pocket money.
That was the girls in the class's past opinion of Ren He, which is why Duan Xiaolou had initially felt repulsion the moment she received Ren He's love letter.
What were the most famous students in the school known for? Aside from their studies, they had to be rich, handsome, dressed in branded clothing, and have an air of prestige.
Even though he had done a few outlandish things now, the girls in the class did not know that he had started writing books and was making quite a bit of money. The Three Character Classic was being promoted and publicized every day, but no one knew Ren He was the author. Elder Zhou had indeed done a solid job of keeping it secret for Ren He.
So in the eyes of the girls in the class, Ren He was still a poor student, just a somewhat outlandish one...
If it were any other girl, they probably would have ignored his note altogether...
Ren He wrote on his note: "Skipping one meal at home is no big deal, it's a good opportunity for us to discuss the concert."
No sooner had he passed the note than Ren He saw a hesitant expression on Yang Xi's face; he knew he had a chance. For some reason, ever since that glance at the Leap Teaching Building, he had felt an inexplicable fondness for Yang Xi.
And Yang Xi had something that many girls nowadays lacked, such as goals and vision. After talking with her for a few days, he realized that probably because of her diplomat father, she had been to many places, met a lot of people, and had a unique perspective that led to unique thoughts.
She wanted to sing, to sing for many people; she envied her cousin for being able to sing in such a spotlight. Like many people, Yang Xi had a dream of becoming a star too, except she was actually working towards it.
Ren He also wanted to help her sing, but the time just wasn't right yet.
When class ended, Yang Xi called her diplomat father: "Hello, Dad, I'm going to have dinner with my classmates before returning home."
Ren He could hear the man on the other end of the phone laugh heartily, "You're all grown up now, you should make these decisions on your own, just come home early."
Hey, Ren He was a bit interested in this man, interesting.
"Alright, we'll go out for dinner tonight," Yang Xi said with a smile, as the sunlight streamed in through the classroom window glass and hit her face, almost dazzling Ren He!
Xu Nuo looked utterly perplexed, "Eat what?!"
"Let's all have dinner together tonight, my treat," Ren He chuckled, "We need to discuss the concert in two days."
Duan Xiaolou glanced at Ren He. She had recently noticed that Ren He seemed to have grown close to Yang Xi, and for some reason, she felt a sense of loss inside, but she did not show it on her face. She smiled, "Sure, what do you plan to treat us to? Street food is out of the question."
"I'm okay with anything, as long as the place is hygienic," Yang Xi added.
"Sunlight Pavilion then," Ren He thought for a moment. Sunlight Pavilion is probably the best-operating buffet restaurant in Luo City now, isn't it?
"Where is Sunlight Pavilion?" Little Fatty asked, ordinary students haven't heard of it.
"Don't worry about it, just follow me after class," Ren He dismissed the question.
Unnoticed by Ren He, Duan Xiaolou's look was flickering with curiosity as she reassessed him. She clearly knew the place. And she was wondering why Ren He didn't seem to only have five bucks a month for pocket money, as rumors among the students suggested...
Yang Xi asked Duan Xiaolou in a low voice where Sunlight Pavilion was, as she had just returned to Luo City and hadn't heard of it. Duan Xiaolou explained it to her, leading Yang Xi to say, "Let's not go somewhere so expensive. There's a Hunan cuisine restaurant at the entrance to my place. I just went there with my dad yesterday, and it's really good. It's called Hunan Spicy Stir-fry, let's go there instead, it's also budget-friendly."
"Oh? Is it the small restaurant on Xingshu Road?" Ren He inquired.
"You know it too?!" Yang Xi exclaimed in surprise.
"Ha ha, of course, I do! It has a really tiny storefront but it's opened a lot of branches. I love their chive fried duck blood and dry pot chicken innards!" Ren He said, laughing heartily. He didn't expect to find this little restaurant in this parallel universe; in his previous life, he had eaten there quite often.
Compared to those lavish hotels, he actually preferred these affordable little places hidden within the streets and alleys. It made him feel more down to earth!
At this moment, he and Yang Xi seemed to share an understanding smile, a tacit agreement.
Meanwhile Duan Xiaolou and Xu Nuo found themselves struggling to join the conversation.
As soon as class ended, Ren He hurriedly called them to go eat. When they arrived at the little restaurant, its small facade made Duan Xiaolou frown.
As soon as Ren He sat down, he called out, "Boss! Boss! We're ready to order! One chive fried duck blood, one dry pot chicken innards, one braised pork, one sour long beans with minced pork, one flat pot fish, and one hand-torn cabbage!"
The owner laughed, "You look new, kid. How come you ordered all our signature dishes in one go?"
"Just mind your business, haha, I'll be a regular from now on!" Ren He felt a fondness for this place.
Yang Xi whispered, "Isn't this too much? We can't finish it all."
"It's fine, we can take leftovers home if we don't finish, no waste. I have no one to cook for me at home, so I usually just boil some frozen dumplings or something. Taking this home counts as improving my life!" Ren He spoke the truth; he had nearly gotten sick of dumplings recently. And both his parents, each busier than the other, couldn't spare the time for him.
Mrs. Ren even suggested hiring a nanny just for him, but Ren He flatly refused. He actually preferred the freedom he had now.