The Versatile Uses of a Universal Membership Card

The Mid-Autumn Festival holiday lasted three days, and today was the main celebration.

So, Su Bai decided to arrange a more elaborate dinner.

After browsing Meituan for a while without finding anything satisfying, he simply turned to Xia Lin for recommendations.

【CrispyWhiteGoose: Xia Lin, any good restaurants around Tianrong? Preferably Chinese-style with a quiet atmosphere.】

【SummerLin: Oh, Su Bai, are you treating me like the Jiangcheng City encyclopedia now?】

【CrispyWhiteGoose: [WhiteGoose_ScratchingHead]】

【CrispyWhiteGoose: It just means I trust you. Didn’t you say during orientation that advisors are here to help students with academic and daily life issues?】

【SummerLin: Well, I’d argue that a "good" restaurant doesn’t exactly fall under "daily life issues" for the average student. Most students don’t get to hang out with four campus-beauty-level girls either.】

【CrispyWhiteGoose: [WhiteGoose_PlayingDumb]】

Su Bai caught the drift—Xia Lin was teasing him about his social circle.

She had even commented on his recent post.

Admittedly, coming from a wealthy family, Xia Lin had a refined way of expressing even playful jealousy, carrying herself with the poise of a well-bred lady.

At one point, she even flirted with him:

【SummerLin: When it comes to advisor assistance, you’re supposed to ask for study materials or, you know… other aspects of life.】

【CrispyWhiteGoose: Please, Xia Lin, spare me the teasing. Let’s just focus on restaurants.】

【SummerLin: [Smirking]】

【SummerLin: Hold on, I’ll compile a few options for you.】

Soon, Xia Lin sent over a neatly organized list.

It included details like location, ambiance, signature dishes, and even the temperament of the head chef—meticulously arranged, as if she were drafting an official report.

By her own admission, she’d be a mediocre or even terrible engineer or professor.

But administrative and managerial tasks? She excelled at those.

After reviewing the options, Su Bai quickly made up his mind.

【CrispyWhiteGoose: That last private kitchen looks perfect.】

【SummerLin: Heh, you’ve got taste.】

【SummerLin: But it’s members-only. No walk-ins—you need an existing member to vouch for you. Too bad.】

Xia Lin assumed Su Bai wouldn’t have access.

She had been there once with friends, going through an asset verification process to become a member.

At its core, the place was an exclusive social hub for the affluent.

Technically, she could take Su Bai and his friends.

She was free, too—waiting to see if he’d ask. If he did, great. If not, no big deal.

A freshman’s gathering wasn’t something a grad student like her needed to crash anyway.

But Su Bai replied immediately:

【CrispyWhiteGoose: Membership isn’t an issue. I can sort it out. Thanks, Xia Lin.】

【SummerLin: No problem~】

Well, well.

Confident in his connections, huh?

Then again, with his resources, securing a last-minute membership wouldn’t be hard.

These so-called exclusive restaurants loved flaunting their rules and prestige.

But when someone influential enough showed up, all those "unbreakable" rules suddenly became flexible.

"Damn, Lin, this student of yours is something else—managing to take out so many pretty girls at once. Guess this is where your ‘priority monitoring’ targets are," teased Xia Lin’s roommate, who’d seen Su Bai’s group photos through a mutual friend.

Xia Lin laughed. "What ‘monitoring’? They’re all good girls—law-abiding, not troublemakers."

"Oh~ Someone’s being awfully magnanimous. Don’t come crying to me when he ends up dating one of them and you regret not making a move sooner."

"Regret? Hardly. For someone like Su Bai… a little playboy, why limit himself to one? Mutual benefit among the girls leads to broader horizons."

"…Lin, I swear, ever since you became an advisor, you’ve started talking like a bureaucrat."

Xia Lin sighed. "I don’t want to, but bureaucratic talk is safe. In any professional setting, countless eyes are watching, ready to pick you apart."

"Ugh, so true!"

Her roommate knew exactly what she meant.

Though only a first-year grad student, she was already scrambling for internship opportunities.

Ridiculous, right?

But in some fields, the competition for internships was cutthroat—because without a good one, landing a full-time offer became nearly impossible.

High-paying jobs in big cities? Fiercely competitive.

Sigh. Meanwhile, Su Bai was out here living the carefree life—traveling, gaming, having fun.

Not that she envied him too much, though.

As Xia Lin had mentioned, Su Bai traded in overseas markets—a high-stakes game requiring nerves of steel. Not something your average straight-A student could handle.

…

Evening.

The secluded garden courtyard, which had originally expected no guests today, suddenly shifted into hospitality mode.

Fortunately, this place also happened to be the chef’s residence.

Su Bai had made the reservation just over three hours in advance. After providing his name and phone number, the reception manager informed him that the chef would immediately begin preparing dinner.

This private kitchen operated entirely at the chef’s whim—whatever he felt like making, the guests would eat.

Having been a hotspot in Jiangcheng’s affluent circles for years, the place showed no signs of losing its appeal.

Clearly, the food was both exquisite and upscale.

You might not trust the morals of the wealthy, but you could always trust their taste!

So, whether preparing a day in advance or just three hours ahead—each approach had its merits.

A Chinese-style Omakase, if you will.

Wan Xinyue took the wheel.

Despite the morning’s kitchen music discussion and the afternoon’s mountain hike, she was still full of energy.

A natural-born driver, Su Bai marveled silently.

For drivers, stamina was the first rule of the road.

Legally mandated rest intervals might ensure safety in theory, but in reality, the sharper the focus, the better.

As the setting sun cast a lazy golden glow over the broad roads of Tianrong Resort, the car approached the garden courtyard nestled against the mountains.

Wan Xinyan suddenly grew a little self-conscious. “Uh, Brother Su Bai… do you think showing up in our hiking outfits might be a bit too casual for a place like this?”

“Overthinking it,” Su Bai ruffled her hair. “Plenty of people come here straight from outdoor activities. Relax—since you’re with me, you’ll need to toughen up. Scenes like this? They’ll be routine in the future. Small-time stuff, no need to stress.”

“This is small-time??”

Wan Xinyan nearly fainted. Brother Su Bai was just too much!