All I Know Is Xiahou Yuan

"What are you doing here?" Xia Li asked, turning to Su Yang.

Su Yang was momentarily taken aback before smiling. "I'm here to eat. Are you dining here too?"

"Yeah, just in the private room next to yours."

"What a coincidence."

Xia Li gave a faint smile. "Alright, I’ll head over now."

Su Yang nodded. Just then, Pan Ning walked over and asked, "Who’s this?"

"Uh, she’s the owner of that Ferrari 488 that overtook me on the highway earlier."

"And how did you end up meeting her?" Pan Ning asked, puzzled.

"It was when you all went to the restroom."

Pan Ning smirked. "Hah, you’ve got quite the way with women, huh? Beautiful girls just pop up wherever you go."

Su Yang chuckled awkwardly. "Just a passing acquaintance. Anyway, let’s order some food."

"Hey, what’s your name?" Su Yang asked the waiter as he took his seat.

"Just call me Xiao Liu."

"Xiao Liu, right? What are the signature dishes here? Give us some recommendations."

"Sure thing!" Xiao Liu moved closer and began explaining. "Our most popular dishes are this abalone sauce trio and the spicy peppercorn pork kidney. Almost every customer orders them."

Su Yang nodded. "Sounds good. We’ll take one of each."

"Great! Just check them off on the tablet here."

Su Yang scrolled through the menu, selected four or five dishes, and handed the tablet to Pan Ning.

"Here, take a look and see what you all want."

Pan Ning added three more dishes before passing it to Lu Yun and Tang Ziyun.

The two added a couple more items and returned the tablet to Su Yang. "See if that’s enough."

Su Yang glanced at it and laughed. "Definitely not. Liu Bo eats like a beast. I’ll add a few more."

In the end, they ordered 15 dishes, a soup, and two pitchers of fresh juice. Su Yang handed the tablet back to Xiao Liu.

"Xiao Liu, what kind of alcohol do you have here?"

"We’ve got everything!"

"Do you have Moutai?"

"Of course! Hehe."

Su Yang joked, "It’s not fake, is it?"

"No way! A place this big wouldn’t dare sell counterfeit liquor—we’d have been shut down ages ago."

"Just kidding. Bring us two bottles, plus eight bottles of soda water."

"Got it! Be right back." Xiao Liu grinned and left.

Three minutes later, Meng Wenzhou and the others strolled in.

"Ugh, I’m exhausted," Liu Bo groaned, collapsing onto the sofa and starting to brew tea.

"You weren’t even driving. What are you tired for?" Su Yang teased.

"Being a passenger is tiring too! Hey, Yang, did you order yet? I’m starving."

"Just did. Fifteen dishes, a soup, and two bottles of Moutai. Good enough?"

"Perfect! Haha. By the way, I’ve been here before—the food’s pretty good." Liu Bo pulled out a cigarette and offered one to Su Yang.

"Oh, really?" Su Yang took the cigarette and sat down.

"This place might not be the absolute best in Shima Town, but it’s easily top three."

"Nice. Guess we picked right."

Meng Wenzhou joined them, sighing. "Man, I’m hungry. When’s the food coming?"

"Just ordered. It’ll be a bit. Have a smoke to tide you over," Su Yang said with a grin.

Then, an idea struck him, and he turned to Liu Bo. "Hey, by the way, I’ve figured out what you should cosplay."

Liu Bo froze, looking horrified. "Yang, I’m begging you—pick something cool. I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of everyone."

Su Yang shook his head, amused. "Oh, it’ll be cool. Ever played League of Legends?"

"Yeah, why? You want me to cosplay someone from there?"

"Exactly. You’re going as Yone."

"Who?!" Liu Bo’s jaw dropped.

"Yone. You know, the guy with the red mask, shirtless, dual-wielding swords."

Meng Wenzhou, who had been sipping tea, spat it out laughing.

"Bro, have you seen my body? How am I supposed to pull off Yone?!"

Su Yang smirked. "You wanted something cool, right? Isn’t Yone cool?"

"Yeah, but not on me!"

"Not my problem. You asked for it. To me, Yone’s the definition of cool."

"God, I’m doomed. I’m gonna be a laughingstock," Liu Bo groaned, slumping back on the sofa in despair.

Meng Wenzhou patted his shoulder. "Relax. Just hit the gym for the next five days. You’ll manage."

"Ugh, I don’t even want to talk to you guys."

"Don’t forget to buy the costume," Su Yang added cheerfully.

"What about me?" Meng Wenzhou asked.

Su Yang thought for a moment. "Haven’t decided yet. I’ll let you know."

"Fine by me. Just no cross-dressing."

"Don’t worry, I’ll get you something even cooler than Liu Bo’s. Hehe." Su Yang winked.

Meng Wenzhou shrugged, lighting a cigarette from the pack on the table.

The three sat quietly, sipping tea.

After a while, Meng Wenzhou spoke up. "You really run into people you know everywhere, huh?"

"How so?"

"Just saw someone familiar next door. Well, not exactly familiar—more like an acquaintance."

"Who?" Su Yang turned to him.

"A short-film producer. Met her a few times before."

Liu Bo, now seemingly over his cosplay crisis, scoffed. "Some small-time producer isn’t worth your attention, is she?"

Meng Wenzhou exhaled smoke. "She’s not the point. It’s her background. Do you know who her father is?"

"Who?"

"Xia Yuan."

"Xia... who’s that?" Liu Bo looked blank.

Meng Wenzhou rolled his eyes. "You don’t know Xia Yuan?"

"Only Xiahou Dun..."

Su Yang burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Xiahou Dun?! Oh my god."

Meng Wenzhou sighed. "Get some culture, man. Xia Yuan is a heavyweight investor in Shanghai, with connections in both legal and underground circles. Even my dad has to show him respect."

"No way!" Liu Bo’s eyes widened.

"You think I’d bring him up if he wasn’t a big deal?"

Su Yang thought for a second. "So, what’s the producer’s name?"

"Xia Li."

"No way."

Meng Wenzhou frowned at Su Yang. "You know her?"

"Ran into her on the highway earlier, then saw her again at the scenic spot. Just met her, really."

"Damn, your luck with women is unreal. Xia Li’s a total goddess. And you just happened to meet her on a drive?"

Su Yang thought to himself, 'If only you knew I met your sister the same way...'

"Well, guess I’ve got some luck in that department. But I figured she was just some high-powered CEO. Had no idea she had such a big-shot dad."

"Yeah, there are way bigger players out there than me. I’m really nothing special."

"Stop humblebragging."

"I’m serious. My family’s got money, but in terms of real influence? Can’t compare to the true heavyweights. Stick around, and you’ll see."

Su Yang grinned. "Guess I’ll have to hang out with you more then."

"Don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities."

After chatting for about twenty minutes, the waiter began bringing out various dishes one after another, covering the table.

Braised abalone with three treasures, sliced kidney in Sichuan peppercorn sauce, pickled pepper bullfrog in a clay pot, stir-fried shrimp with lily bulbs, French-style duck breast, sautéed beef with camellia flowers, asparagus with morel mushrooms, XO sauce stir-fried grouper, charcoal-grilled lamb chops, white-cut chicken, a lavish sashimi platter, pan-fried scallion buns, braised turtle in brown sauce, Cantonese-style roasted goose, peach gum with egg white for beauty, and truffle-infused pigeon soup.

Liu Bo stood by the table, swallowing hard at the sight.

"Damn, this smells amazing! Su Yang, you really know how to order—all my favorites!"

Su Yang chuckled. "Eat as much as you like. Come on, everyone, let’s dig in!"

They took their seats around the table—Pan Ning sat to Su Yang’s left, Lu Yun to his right, followed by Tang Ziyun, Han Xiaoyu, Liu Bo, Meng Wenzhou, and Xia Keke.

Meng Wenzhou glanced at Su Yang. "Today’s all about celebrating your new home. You’re the host—we’ll start eating when you give the word."

Su Yang smiled. "No need for formalities. Just relax. Hey, Liu Bo, pour the drinks. Let’s toast first."

"Got it!"