Did you secretly look up strategies

"Alright, now that we're all acquainted, let's go find a table—either inside or by the entrance."

"Let’s sit outside. The breeze tonight is lovely."

"Sure." The group moved to a large table near the entrance and settled in.

Chu Qiunan scratched his head and stepped forward with a sheepish grin. "Uh... what should I call these two beauties?"

Hearing this, Su Yang realized he hadn’t introduced them yet. He turned to the two women and gestured. "Sorry, I forgot to introduce you. The one in the blue dress is Tang Ziyun, and the lady in black is Su Qingci."

"Oh, nice to meet you both! I'm Chu Qiunan."

"Hello there, handsome~"

Faced with two stunning women—neither less beautiful than Pan Ning or Meng Qianyu—smiling sweetly at him, Chu Qiunan grinned goofily. "Hey, hey, nice to meet you! Sit, sit! I’ll go order drinks. Everyone, come take a seat!"

"Sure~"

Meng Wenzhou and Liu Bo had slipped into the bar earlier to use the restroom. Now, they returned and pulled up chairs to join the group.

Among them, Ji Bo and Zhang Ziming were seeing Su Qingci for the first time. Ji Bo’s eyes widened slightly as he stared at the breathtaking beauty, then chuckled awkwardly. "Uh... what’s your name, miss?"

"I’m Su Qingci~"

"Su Qingci... what a lovely name! Heh, I’m Ji Bo. Everyone calls me Xiao Ji—you can too."

Su Qingci covered her mouth with a laugh. "I’m younger, so you’re all older than me. How about I call you Brother Ji?"

"Uh... sure, that works~"

After their exchange, Zhang Ziming also introduced himself briefly to Su Qingci.

Soon, Chu Qiunan returned from ordering drinks and squeezed into a seat between Liu Bo and Ji Bo.

With Tang Ziyun and Su Qingci joining, their group of eight had now grown to ten.

Su Yang remained seated between Pan Ning and Meng Qianyu. Meng Qianyu’s other side was Tang Ziyun, followed by Su Qingci, Meng Wenzhou, Liu Bo, Chu Qiunan, Ji Bo, and Zhang Ziming. They all gathered around a round table perfectly sized for ten.

Su Yang turned to Su Qingci and asked, "What have you been up to lately, Xiao Su?"

"Oh, just hanging out with friends, no serious plans~"

"Haven’t your classes started yet?"

"Not yet. They begin in September, but this is our last semester—we’ll be preparing for internships, so we might not even need to go back to campus."

"Ah, I see."

"By the way, Brother Su Yang, didn’t you say before that I could intern at your place? Heh, is that offer still open?"

Su Yang smiled faintly and nodded. "Of course. You’re welcome anytime."

"Then I’ll be counting on you!"

"No problem~"

Once their conversation ended, Meng Qianyu’s eyes sparkled mischievously as she turned to Su Qingci. "Xiao Su, are you free these days?"

"I’ve got nothing going on. I’m completely free~"

"Then... want to join us on a road trip?"

"A road trip?" Su Qingci’s eyes lit up.

"Yeah! We’re actually here tonight to plan the route. We’re leaving the day after tomorrow."

Su Qingci thought for two seconds before grinning. "Can I really come along?"

"Of course! That’s why I’m inviting you!"

"Then count me in! I love traveling, and going with you all sounds even better~"

"Just a heads-up, though—we’re going somewhere pretty far. You sure you’ve got the time?"

"Where to?"

"Tibet."

"Tibet?! No problem at all! I’ve always wanted to go. I see so many people posting road trips there on TikTok—I’ve been so jealous~"

"Great! Heh, our girls’ squad just got one more member!"

"Awesome! Welcome aboard, Xiao Su!" The group cheered and clapped in unison.

......

Just then, two bartenders approached, carrying drinks and an assortment of snacks and fruit platters.

One held two pitchers of craft beer and one of osmanthus rice wine. The other balanced a large fruit platter and several plates of bar snacks.

As they set everything down, Chu Qiunan called out, "Miss, we’ll take another round of the same, please."

"Sure thing, sir. Just a moment~"

The servers smiled and retreated.

Once they were gone, Chu Qiunan took charge, picking up the glass pitcher to pour drinks for everyone.

"Try their house brews—I’ve been here loads of times. They’re great!"

He started with the craft beer for the guys, then switched to the milky osmanthus rice wine for the four women.

Liu Bo frowned slightly and patted Chu Qiunan’s shoulder as he leaned over to pour. "Hey, Lao Chu, my sis—er, Sister Pan—needs the real stuff. This rice wine is child’s play for her."

"Huh? Really? Sister Pan’s got that much tolerance?" Chu Qiunan instinctively mimicked the honorific.

Liu Bo was sharp—around other women, he adjusted his phrasing accordingly.

Pan Ning didn’t care about titles and ignored the exchange entirely. Glancing at the rice wine, she said flatly, "It’s fine. I’ll start with this."

"Got it, got it~"

Once everyone’s glasses were filled, they all raised them and clinked them together over the table.

Su Yang spoke up. "To our road trip—may it be fun and smooth!"

"Cheers!!"

Outside, a street musician by the riverbank began strumming his guitar and singing softly: "In a northern village lives a southern girl..."

The music, perfectly timed, lifted the group’s spirits. They all tipped back their drinks in unison.

After downing theirs, Liu Bo pulled out his phone, opened a memo, and addressed the group. "Alright, let’s start planning the route. And if anyone thinks of essentials we might need, speak up—we don’t want to forget anything. Everyone’s input matters."

"Got it~"

When no one spoke immediately, Su Yang took the lead. "I’ll share my thoughts first. We’ll depart from Haicheng the day after tomorrow. First stop: Lincheng. We’ll rest there overnight, then take Highway 328 into Tibet. The first leg will follow the usual route. After reaching Lhasa, we’ll regroup before heading to Qiangtang No Man’s Land. How does that sound?"

The others nodded in agreement.

Liu Bo chimed in, "Sounds solid. The first part can be more relaxed since the no-man’s-land stretch will be tough."

Pan Ning nodded. "How far is Haicheng from Lincheng?"

Su Yang checked his phone. "1,120 kilometers."

"That’s about two days of driving. Or, if no one minds pushing through, we could reach Lincheng in a single day."

Meng Wenzhou shook his head. "No need to rush. Why not enjoy the journey? Two or three days is fine—we should experience the scenery along the way, right?"

Zhang Ziming raised a hand. "I second Lao Meng’s idea. Covering over a thousand kilometers in one day is exhausting. Since none of us are in a hurry, let’s take it easy~"

Pan Ning nodded and said, "Sure, go with your plan. I was just throwing it out there."

Liu Bo listened while jotting down the route in his phone's notes. "Alright, so our first route starts from Haicheng. I just checked—we’ll pass through Mountain City along the way. On the first day, we can stop there and try the local specialty, Mountain City hotpot. Then on the second day, we’ll head straight to Bloom City~"

The others nodded in agreement, except for Chu Qiunan.

He rolled his eyes, picked up the bottle of liquor on the table, and poured everyone another round before adding, "I’ve got an alternative route. Not sure if I should bring it up, though?"

Hearing this, Liu Bo shot him a sidelong glance.

"Come on, man. Isn’t that what we’re here to discuss tonight? Just spit it out~"

"Heh, alright then. Here’s what I’m thinking." He raised his glass in a toast, downed his drink, and then slowly continued, "For the first half of the trip, we could head south into Hunan. On the first day, we’d push through to Qian Province and stop in Lincheng, the provincial capital, to try some local specialties and rest for the night."

"On the second day, we’d drive from Lincheng to Spring City and stay another night. Then on the third day, we’d head straight to the City of Encounters for some drinks and maybe a little romantic adventure~ Heh. After that, on the fourth or fifth day, we’d take Highway 328 north all the way to Sacred City. What do you think?"

Chu Qiunan finished with a grin, waiting for their reactions.

The others sipped their drinks expressionlessly.

Thinking they weren’t impressed, Chu Qiunan was about to suggest sticking to the first route when Su Yang suddenly laughed after finishing his drink. "Not bad, man~ This route sounds way better!"

"Oh? You guys like it?"

"Definitely! I think it’s more fun than my idea~"

Meng Wenzhou nodded too. "Yeah, I agree. The first route was a bit too basic. Yours has way more potential for adventure!"

Liu Bo and the others chimed in with praise. "Nice one, Old Chu. Did you secretly plan this earlier?"

"Heh, nah. I actually researched this route a while back when I wanted to go to Sacred City. Never got the chance, so I figured I’d bring it up now."

"Great! I’m totally on board. Anyone else have thoughts?" Liu Bo glanced at Pan Ning, Tang Ziyun, and the others.

They all nodded.

Liu Bo grinned. "Then it’s settled for the first half of the trip!"

......