Meng Qianyu played two or three songs in a row, and everyone then urged Tang Ziyun to join in with some accompaniment. Time passed amid laughter and cheer.
By 8 PM, the banquet officially began.
Two more of Meng Qianyu's friends, a guy and a girl, arrived midway.
The gathering now totaled 17 people.
Those who came were mostly close friends of Meng Wenzhou and Meng Qianyu.
Though Meng Wenzhou had many acquaintances, most were fair-weather friends or business associates—none of whom he had invited tonight.
This evening was simply a lively gathering of close young friends to celebrate Meng Qianyu's return to China, not some high-profile, business-oriented dinner filled with industry elites.
By now, night had fully fallen, and the city lights shimmered.
On the rooftop garden of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, slender strips of hanging lights illuminated the space, blending with the serene ambiance to create an almost dreamlike atmosphere.
After exchanging a few words with Meng Wenzhou, Meng Qianyu took the microphone and stepped onto the stage.
Everyone turned their attention toward her as she cleared her throat and said, "Could I have two minutes of your time, please?"
The room fell silent in anticipation.
Meng Qianyu smiled and continued, "Since everyone here is a close friend of my brother or me, I won’t bother with a formal speech."
"Just a few quick words—I’ve spent most of my life abroad, but now that I’ve graduated, I’m back in my homeland for good. I’d really appreciate your support moving forward. And thank you all for coming to this little welcome party—or as I prefer to call it, a 'party.'"
"Many of you here are new faces to me, but after tonight, we’re all friends! Feel free to reach out anytime—I’m pretty easygoing."
"Alright, that’s all from me. Let the party begin!"
"Bravo! Well said!" Liu Bo stood up, leading the applause.
The others followed with warm smiles and clapping.
Zhang Ziming chimed in, "I like Qianyu’s attitude! We should definitely hang out more often—that’s how friendships last."
Indeed, having grown up mostly overseas, Meng Qianyu carried herself with an effortless confidence, speaking on stage without a hint of shyness.
This stood in contrast to many girls raised domestically, who, while no less wonderful, tended to be more reserved in such settings.
Meng Wenzhou grinned at the group. "Alright, let’s get the food served! After dinner, we’ll drink and dance."
"Can’t wait to see Yasuo and Yone waltzing!" someone teased.
Meng Wenzhou turned to Su Yang. "Damn, I totally forgot about that."
"Please tell me you brought the outfit?"
"Of course I did. After dinner, I’ll change. A bet’s a bet—no backing out."
Su Yang gave a thumbs-up. "Now that’s a real man!"
Soft, melodic music played in the background as staff began serving an array of exquisite dishes on the long dining tables by the pool.
The rooftop garden, bathed in gentle lighting—neither too bright nor too dim—exuded an elegant, romantic charm.
A cool breeze carried the fragrance of the garden’s plants, adding to the relaxed atmosphere.
This would be an ideal spot for a romantic dinner and confession.
[Ding. Host’s mood detected as "joyful." Reward: 600,000.]
Everyone took their seats at three appropriately sized tables.
Su Yang, Meng Wenzhou, Liu Bo, Zhang Ziming, and Ji Bo sat together.
Pan Ning, Lu Yun, Tang Ziyun, Shen Yixue, Han Xiaoyu, and Xia Keke shared another.
Meng Qianyu, Ye Wan, Qiao Xiyue, Xiao Liang, and the two latecomers occupied the third.
Each table received the same courses, regardless of headcount.
As the refined Western dishes were served, the group dug in.
The table with Ye Wan and Meng Qianyu’s friends ate with the most "grace"—particularly the latter.
They held forks in their left hands and knives in their right, meticulously cutting small pieces of steak before daintily lifting them to their mouths.
Meng Qianyu and Ye Wan were more relaxed, eating without such precision.
In stark contrast, Su Yang’s table was full of rough-around-the-edges guys.
Despite Meng Wenzhou’s usual stylish flair, he wasn’t fussy about food, especially among friends.
They ate freely, unconcerned with appearances.
"Come on, let’s have a drink!" Zhang Ziming cheerfully poured wine for the table.
Liu Bo mumbled between bites, "Shouldn’t you decant it first?"
Zhang Ziming waved him off. "Decant my ass. Straight up."
Su Yang smirked. "Honestly, I can’t tell the difference either."
"Liu Bo’s just showing off. Ignore him."
Liu Bo rolled his eyes and kept eating.
They clinked glasses and downed their wine in one go.
"Good stuff!" Ji Bo grinned.
"Top us up, top us up!"
Between bites, Su Yang occasionally glanced at Pan Ning’s table.
This one was interesting—of the six women, he’d already conquered half.
Aside from Shen Yixue and Xia Keke, only Han Xiaoyu remained.
Shen Yixue was Zhang Ziming’s girlfriend, and Su Yang had his principles.
As the saying goes, "Don’t covet your friend’s wife"—some lines shouldn’t be crossed.
Xia Keke was also Meng Wenzhou’s occasional fling, making her off-limits.
That left Han Xiaoyu. Though she didn’t meet his usual "85-point" standard for commitment, her stunning figure and pretty face made her a solid backup option.
Su Yang mused, Let’s play it by ear. If the chance comes, I’ll take it.
The women chatted over their meal. Pan Ning poured wine and asked, "Are you all free soon?"
Shen Yixue looked up. "Why?"
"I’m planning a road trip and camping getaway. Interested?"
Tang Ziyun’s eyes lit up. "I’m in!"
"That’s one. What about the rest?"
Han Xiaoyu hesitated. "I love camping, but work’s tight. How many days are we talking?"
Pan Ning swirled her glass. "At least five."
"Ah... that might be tough."
"Same here," Xia Keke sighed.
"Try to make it happen. If not, we’ll plan another time."
"Guess that’s the way to go."
"What about you?" Pan Ning turned to Shen Yixue.
"You know me—I'm free anytime as long as there's nothing going on at home."
Han Xiaoyu and Xia Keke exchanged envious glances at her words.
"Then you're in too. What about you, Lu Yun?" Pan Ning then looked at Lu Yun.
After a brief pause, Lu Yun replied, "I have work too. I'm currently working at Su Yang's restaurant."
"You're at Su Yang's place? That Moonlight Bistro?" Pan Ning asked.
"Yeah~" Lu Yun nodded.
"Well, that makes it easy. He's the boss—just ask for as much time off as you need. We’ll mention it to him later."
"Alright~"
"Then you're in. That makes four of us so far." Pan Ning picked up her glass of wine and took a sip.
......
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
