Young people must act decisively and vigorously.

The interior of the second-floor banquet hall was elegantly and luxuriously decorated, comparable to the banquet halls of many top-tier luxury hotels.

Spanning approximately 600 square meters, the hall could comfortably accommodate around 200 guests.

Each table in the banquet hall seated fifteen people, and at the moment, ten large round tables had already been set up in the inner half of the space.

On each table were two bottles of Moutai, two bottles of cherry juice, a bottle of red wine, and fifteen exquisite gift bags.

The area closer to the entrance was arranged in a cocktail party style, where many guests were chatting cheerfully, holding glasses of champagne or red wine.

When Meng Jianyun and his wife entered, the crowd quickly approached to offer their congratulations.

Meng Jianyun, Yao Huiqin, Pan Chonghai, and a few other middle-aged individuals greeted everyone warmly and engaged in conversation.

Meanwhile, the younger crowd, including Su Yang, made their way toward the round tables at the front.

Meng Wenzhou led the group to the main table near the reception area and gestured for them to sit.

"Let’s take this table."

Ji Bo glanced at the table’s prominent position and remarked, "Isn’t it a bit inappropriate for us youngsters to sit here?"

"This is my house. I can sit wherever I want," Meng Wenzhou retorted.

"Oh, right. Forgot about that—heh."

"Sit."

With light laughter, everyone pulled out their chairs and settled in.

Su Yang moved to Pan Ning’s side, pulling out a chair for her before seating himself next to her.

At that moment, Meng Qianyu cheerfully dashed over and took the seat on Su Yang’s other side.

The others were already accustomed to this dynamic, and thanks to Meng Wenzhou, they also knew Meng Qianyu was a lesbian, so they didn’t think much of it. However, Chu Qiunan, who was completely unaware, stared in bewilderment.

Earlier, when he had seen Meng Qianyu clinging to Su Yang downstairs, he’d been utterly confused.

Now, watching her sit so close to him again, his mind swarmed with questions.

Wasn’t Su Yang with Pan Ning? Why was Meng Qianyu also so affectionate with him?

Both of Meng Wenzhou’s sisters were stunning beauties, and Chu Qiunan had even considered pursuing Meng Qianyu if things didn’t work out with Pan Ning.

But judging by the current situation, that seemed impossible too...

‘What kind of magic does Su Yang have? How are two gorgeous women both drawn to him—and without any jealousy between them? What the hell!’

Lost in thought, he stared at Su Yang with a puzzled expression.

Su Yang, noticing Chu Qiunan’s intense gaze, turned to him with a smile. "Hey, Chu, why are you staring at me like that?"

"Uh... no reason."

Liu Bo, sitting nearby, teased, "What, did you get so heartbroken that you’ve suddenly developed a thing for men?"

"Huh? What nonsense! I’m straight as an arrow!"

"Then why were you eyeing my man Su Yang like that?"

"I—I was just thinking about something."

"Really?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"Better not turn gay, man. I’m not really into that."

Chu Qiunan rolled his eyes. "Not happening!"

"Good."

Once everyone was seated, Su Yang had Pan Ning on his left and Meng Qianyu on his right, followed by Meng Wenzhou, Liu Bo, Zhang Ziming, Chu Qiunan, and Ji Bo.

The fifteen-person table only had eight occupants.

The banquet hall had quite a few other young attendees, but they were mostly children of Meng Wenzhou’s parents’ friends.

Most were mere acquaintances—some even complete strangers—to Meng Wenzhou and Meng Qianyu.

Still, upon spotting them, these guests quickly approached.

"Brother Meng!"

"Long time no see, Meng!"

"Qianyu! Wow, it’s been three or four years, hasn’t it?"

Hearing the greetings, Meng Wenzhou and Meng Qianyu politely stood to acknowledge them before returning to their seats.

Liu Bo grinned. "Meng, why didn’t you invite them to join us? We’ve got plenty of empty seats."

"I barely know them. Just a quick hello is enough—no need to force familiarity. If we brought them over, we wouldn’t know what to talk about, and it’d just be awkward for everyone. Not worth it."

"Fair point."

"By the way, after this wraps up, let’s grab drinks somewhere."

"Sure, your treat," Liu Bo said with a smirk.

"No problem. Wait—"

"What?"

Liu Bo’s eyes gleamed mischievously. "Actually, I think Chu here should foot the bill. As the new guy joining our group, he ought to contribute a little."

Chu Qiunan shrugged. "Fine by me. No big deal."

"Perfect."

"While we’re at it, let’s finalize our road trip plans over drinks."

"Wait, everyone already knows about this?" Meng Wenzhou asked, glancing around.

"Yep. While you were busy greeting guests earlier, we were discussing it. We’re thinking of nailing down the route tonight, prepping tomorrow, and hitting the road the day after!"

Meng Wenzhou frowned. "What’s the rush? Trying to reincarnate early?"

"Tch. Come on, Meng. Spontaneity is key! Gotta act fast when you’re young."

With a resigned sigh, Meng Wenzhou turned to the others. "What do you all think?"

Su Yang and the rest nodded. "We’re good with it."

"Fine. But can we really plan the whole route in one night?"

"That’s why we’re doing it together. By the way, do you know our final destination?" Liu Bo asked.

Meng Wenzhou thought for a moment. "Lhasa?"

"Nope."

"Then where?"

"Saimu Lake."

"Saimu Lake? So we’re skipping Tibet?"

"We’ll still go. My rough plan is: first to Lhasa, then through the Qiangtang No Man’s Land into Xinjiang, and finally to Saimu Lake for some soul-cleansing."

"No Man’s Land?! Who said anything about No Man’s Land?!" Meng Wenzhou demanded, zeroing in on the key detail.

Pan Ning looked up calmly. "I did."

"You—"

Meng Wenzhou’s expression shifted instantly. "Brilliant idea! I actually wanted to go there from the start but figured you guys might chicken out, so I didn’t bring it up. Hah!"

Pan Ning rolled her eyes and went back to her phone.

As she looked away, Meng Wenzhou sighed and mouthed silently to Su Yang: I don’t wanna go anymore!

Su Yang scratched his head and mouthed back: Too bad—you’re going.

After some casual conversation, the banquet officially began at 5 p.m.

The remaining guests moved to the round table area to find their seats.

Once everyone was settled, Meng Jianyun stepped onto the reception platform and delivered a "brief" speech that lasted over ten minutes.

Dishes started arriving at 5:15 p.m.

...

The feast continued until 7 p.m.

Once they’d eaten their fill, Su Yang and his friends didn’t linger. After saying goodbye to Meng Jianyun, Pan Chonghai, and the others, they headed out.

By the time they reached the lobby on the first floor, night had fallen, and the estate’s lamplights illuminated the grounds.

Since they had to drive later, everyone stuck to juice for dinner that night.

Liu Bo walked beside Su Yang and said, "By the way, Yang, where are we going for drinks? We haven’t even decided on a place yet."

Su Yang thought for a moment. "We need somewhere we can drink but isn’t too noisy."

As he spoke, he waved at Chu Qiunan in the distance and called out, "Chu, any recommendations?"

Chu Qiunan turned around, pondered briefly, and replied, "Actually, yes. You’ve come to the right person. Hold on, I’ll send you the address."

"Oh, and I don’t have your WeChat yet. Let’s add each other."

They exchanged WeChat contacts, and Chu Qiunan sent the location to those who were driving.

Su Yang opened the location and checked—the place was called "Riverside Jack Bar."

The bar was located in Tianxinghe Street, Nanlin District, right on the plaza by the Tianxing River. The ambiance was great, with plenty of street performers singing in the evenings.

After getting the address, everyone headed to their cars. Pan Ning and Meng Qianyu naturally rode with Su Yang.

The rest drove their own cars, one after another, toward the estate’s exit.

......