Suitable or Not

"Here comes the food!"

Dong dong dong dong~

Four waiters dressed in exaggerated rural-style uniforms carried in a whole roasted lamb rack, one after another, banging drums and gongs as they entered the private room, completely unafraid of social embarrassment as they announced:

"Roasted Mongolian lamb rack! A grand, hearty dish!"

"Wild pheasant stewed with mushrooms, a unique broth, one-of-a-kind!"

"This is shredded meat with garlic sauce, tender and flavorful, a specialty of our restaurant."

"This dish is Northeastern-style 'One Pot Feast,' with steamed buns and ribs for four people. The portions are huge. Wishing all the bosses great fortune and a hearty meal~!"

"Wow."

Watching the staff bring in dish after dish, Li Mingshi couldn't help but lean forward slightly, asking curiously:

"Qing, how much did you spend on this? A dozen dishes for four people? And ten of them are big dishes? Can we even finish all this?"

"Yeah, Lu, why did you order so much? This is enough for eight people, isn't it?"

"..."

Lu Qing looked at the rotating glass table, now stacked with plates, and reflected with some regret: "Maybe... I did overorder."

This bad habit of his stemmed from his fear that Tang Hua might not have enough to eat whenever they dined together. Gradually, he started ordering double portions, ensuring that any leftovers could be packed for later, guaranteeing that Tang Hua could eat to her heart's content. It had become a reflex.

Today, he had ordered over a thousand yuan worth of food and drinks, wanting to treat Li Mingshi and his hardworking roommates to a proper meal without making them feel the slightest bit constrained.

"Anyway, let's eat and enjoy ourselves first."

He smiled, and after the waiters left, he raised his glass first, offering a toast to his three roommates and delivering a host's speech:

"During my time at university, I tried my hand at creating a Vtuber project. Without your support, I wouldn't have been able to achieve what I have so far. Though it might be too early to call it a 'success,' the milestones we've reached now were beyond imagination when we first started.

I know that after graduation, everyone will be busy with their own lives, and our paths might diverge. So today, I'm hosting this 'dormitory gathering' to talk about life and the future with you all, so we don't end up in our junior or senior years with the four of us rarely together, making a full reunion seem like a distant dream."

"Haha, Qing, you're making it sound like a graduation dinner! What, are we never coming back or something?"

Wen Le laughed as he stood up, returning the toast with his own glass.

Li Mingshi and Zhang Yang also stood up, downing their glasses of sweet white wine in one go.

Since the occasion was festive, Lu Qing had bought champagne. Though pairing champagne with Northeastern cuisine was a bit unconventional, he figured that as long as the sentiment was conveyed, the rest didn't matter.

The four brothers sat back down, and Li Mingshi, while picking at a piece of pork knuckle, asked: "So, what are your plans after graduation? Qing, are you going to keep writing, or are you going to get a job?"

"I haven't decided yet," Lu Qing shook his head, indicating uncertainty.

"How about you, Wen Le?"

"Me? I'm planning to become an editor."

"Wait, what???"

Hearing this, the others were stunned and immediately pressed for more details: "Why would you want to do that? Did you decide this a long time ago?"

In the dorm, Wen Le had always been the one glued to his computer, immersed in anime and manga, novels, games, and even Western TV shows. He consumed everything from literature to philosophy, using his vast knowledge to debate with Lu Qing, though he could only manage a 50-50 win rate, which he always found baffling.

"Yeah," he said, picking up some cucumber strips with his chopsticks and muttering:

"Didn't Mr. Lu Xun say something like, 'The pen can't cure the dreamer'? So I want to try solving problems from a different angle. I think I have a good sense for words. I may not enjoy creating like Qing does, but I love reading and absorbing content, so editing feels like the right fit for me. I plan to intern at a company next semester."

"Wait, Wen, you've already found a place?"

"Yeah, I'm aiming for a big novel platform. It's just an internship, so it doesn't matter much where I start. If they don't take me, I'll look elsewhere. Besides, I've read over 8,000 hours' worth of novels—everything from mainstream to niche, so I'm pretty confident."

"...Alright then."

Li Mingshi respected his decision and turned to Zhang Yang. "What about you, Yang?"

"Me?"

Zhang Yang thought for a moment, revealing a set of yellow teeth as he grinned:

"I'm sticking with Lu. If he keeps going, I'll keep going. If he fails, then I'll find another job. I believe in Lu's project, and I enjoy watching videos, you know? Short clips and stuff. So I'll keep learning video editing, and maybe later, if we make some money, I can look into filming too."

"You rascal."

Lu Qing didn't know what to say, but since his friend had such faith in him, he couldn't dampen his enthusiasm, so he simply nodded and said, "I'll do my best."

"Alright. Seems like you all have your plans figured out."

Li Mingshi actually looked a bit envious.

"Wait, Li, what about you?" Zhang Yang asked curiously.

"Me? I'm not planning to get a job."

"?"

"I'll either take over the family business or start my own thing."

He took a sip of his drink, looking troubled. "But you guys know I have zero interest in real estate. I don't like that stuff, and I didn't study civil engineering, so I'm completely clueless about it."

"Ah... really? But if you don't take over, will your dad be okay with that?"

"Of course not. He's even pushing me to get certifications like the First-Class Constructor or Cost Engineer. I'm only a sophomore, for crying out loud! I can barely handle my own stuff—getting my driver's license nearly killed me. And now he wants me to study stuff outside my field? It's like they don't understand my efforts at all."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The three exchanged glances.

It seemed that even the wealthy had their own struggles.

Li Mingshi continued to drink while venting about the pressure from his family. The others wanted to ask if his frequent weekend (and sometimes weekday) trips to the foot massage parlor were part of his "efforts," but they wisely kept their mouths shut to avoid making him feel targeted.

"By the way," Wen Le quickly changed the subject, "Qing, since this is a celebration, why didn't you invite the 'middle person' today? Wouldn't it be great for us to help you vet her?"

"Forget it. Bai Xing is at the hospital with her grandmother. Her grandma's having surgery, so she can't leave."

Lu Qing shook his head, mentally calculating that once this round of chemotherapy was over, they'd have to consider removing the brain tumor.

At that point, the girl would have to spend even more time at the hospital, meaning the livestreams would rely entirely on Tang Hua.

This meant that Tang Hua would soar unimpeded, likely hitting the 3,000-subscriber milestone without Bai Xing's involvement...

"Lu, what about the artist? Isn't she also a core member of the project?"

Zhang Yang, oblivious to the awkwardness, chimed in.

"Come on, you two, are you serious? You're adults now—don't you know what questions to ask and what not to ask? Where's your common sense?" Li Mingshi put down his chopsticks and clicked his tongue, bluntly analyzing:

"Bai Xing is obviously Lu's official girlfriend, and you all know how high Lu's standards are. We've been friends for so long—we even know what color underwear each other wears. So, if you know that, how can you not realize that anyone Lu chooses to work with has to be at least as stunning as Bai Xing, if not more so?"

The other two: "!"

"So, publicly, Lu and Bai Xing are a couple, but behind the scenes, if he and Lubia have something going on, is there a problem with that?"

"???"

"I'm asking you, is there a problem?"

...

...