Red Wine, Barbecue

Hearing this, Li Shuang perked up immediately.

Rich guy's starting to flex again.

Not just good food, but alcohol couldn't be left out either.

Seems like he's really the spontaneous type. If someone planned to treat girls to fine wine, they'd usually bring their own bottles.

After all, buying through personal connections at home can get you alcohol much cheaper than hotels or restaurants.

Wealthy people are often surprisingly frugal about these things.

But Su Bai had already been conditioned by his indulgence system to act on whims.

Even from a rational perspective, the premium from impulsive spending would generate more cashback - a win-win.

Li Shuang frantically scrolled through her phone before pulling up the wine list for Su Bai.

Su Bai quickly made selections matching his personal taste.

Two bottles of red wine, two bottles of white, plus one bottle of whiskey.

The whiskey was just an everyday variety - the famous Johnnie Walker.

The real price came from the wines, which Su Bai deliberately chose at the highest end.

[Ding! Detected host's indulgent spending on alcohol totaling 52,988 yuan. Triggered 10x cashback - 529,880 yuan received!]

A casual wave of the hand, and half a million lands in the account!

After finalizing the order, Su Bai announced: "Tonight we're drinking the good stuff - go wild. We can sleep in tomorrow morning and think about hiking in the afternoon."

"Hell yeah!" Wan Xinyan led the cheers.

Though she enjoyed outdoor activities, fine wine definitely took priority over mountain climbing.

Last time when she and her sister dined with Su Bai, they'd been shocked when he casually opened a collector's red worth over 100k.

As for the taste? They weren't wine connoisseurs, but even they could tell it was exceptional.

Li Shuang bustled about organizing an elaborate wine-opening ceremony.

Having seen it before, Su Bai wasn't particularly impressed, but the other girls found it fascinating.

Jiang Qiuran even filmed a clip for her social media.

The notification chimes for comments immediately started pinging nonstop.

It outperformed Chen Yusheng's relationship announcement post in engagement.

As the campus belle, Jiang naturally dominated social media - no contest against homebody Chen Yusheng.

After waves of admiring comments, someone finally posted what Jiang had been waiting for:

"Holy shit, isn't that the lakeside villa at Tianrong Resort? Off-season rates are nearly 20k per night - with Mid-Autumn holiday pricing, that's gotta be 30-40k?"

"Is our Jiang celebrating someone's birthday?"

This came from a wealthy student council senior Jiang knew.

The comment redirected everyone's attention from the elegant setting to calculating its monetary value.

Soon a wine expert pointed out the photographed reds and whites were all premium selections - clear signs of a truly wealthy host.

But immediately someone countered:

"Rich my ass. Proper high-profile parties book entire floors in prime locations. This resort's still the suburbs..."

Admittedly,

while somewhat bitter, the criticism held merit.

The lakeside villa was undoubtedly upscale, but not top-tier - premium wedding venues also cost tens of thousands to book.

But this situation was completely different - Su Bai had simply brought friends for casual fun. Despite the small group, he'd spared no expense, easily spending over 100k tonight.

Jiang Qiuran's eyes sparkled.

This was exactly what she wanted!

She immediately commented:

"Hehe, not a birthday~ Just hanging out with the guy I've been secretly crushing on ❤️"

After about a minute,

Jiang promptly deleted the comment.

Gotta keep them guessing~

Leaving it up would cause excessive speculation and people digging for details.

If this led to exposing Su Bai, she knew he'd find it troublesome.

Paradoxically, deleting it would fuel more imagination.

As for letting her admirers see it...

That was precisely Jiang's intention!

Let them know Jiang Qiuran's heart already belonged to someone.

Stop trying to approach her.

Reconciling with Su Bai required first informing her pursuers that she was already taken.

Who needs being the campus belle when you can be Su Bai's plaything?

This dramatic shift made Su Bai click his tongue in amusement: "Damn, you're gonna ruin these guys' Mid-Autumn Festival, aren't you?"

"So what? I didn't actually..." Jiang suddenly realized something and whirled around to find Su Bai standing right behind her with a mischievous grin.

Flustered, she stammered: "Y-you saw everything?!"

"I see, well, I suppose you’ve handled it with some tact. Keep it up."

"I’ll keep working hard~"

Jiang Qiuran rose on her tiptoes and planted a light kiss by Su Bai’s ear, whispering softly, "Master~" in a playful tone.

She really knows how to charm him.

Su Bai gave her little rear a teasing pinch before heading off to grill the skewers.

Jiang Qiuran watched his retreating figure, clenching her small fists with quiet determination.

Though this was still far from enough to win back Su Bai’s affection…

Jiang Qiuran would keep trying!

...

Grilling is an art that tests both technique and timing.

But as the saying goes?

With top-tier ingredients, you can brute-force your way to success.

Take beef, for example—premium cuts taste even better when cooked rare.

Charred on the outside, tender and juicy inside—it’s a flavor all its own.

The same goes for lamb and fish, which also have their own delicious half-cooked preparations.

This was why Su Bai had insisted Li Shuang source high-quality ingredients—since none of them were professional grillers, the materials had to make up for it.

Su Bai knew his way around a kitchen, which gave him an edge over the girls when it came to controlling the heat.

The least skilled was clearly Jiang Qiuran, who barely ever stepped into a kitchen. Even sprinkling salt or cumin was a struggle, so Su Bai sent Wan Xinyan to coach her.

Chen Yusheng wasn’t much better, so Su Bai guided her hands personally—and took the chance to get cozy.

This alone made it obvious that among the four women present, Su Bai’s favor was unevenly distributed.

In his mind, he had a clear hierarchy, adjusting his approach based on each girl’s qualities and how they treated him.

Li Shuang observed this and, with impeccable timing, was the first to pour glasses of the now-aerated red wine, handing two to Su Bai and Chen Yusheng.

"Mr. Su, Miss Chen, please try this ‘Screaming Eagle’ from Napa Valley. It’s a cult favorite—intensely fruity, richly concentrated, with silky tannins, perfect for pairing with bold, smoky grilled meats..."