When Su Bai was ordering, Chen Yusheng was still shrinking back in social anxiety.
It wasn’t until several plates of seafood that looked exorbitantly expensive were brought to the table that Chen Yusheng realized this hotpot meal was nothing like what she had imagined.
“There’s no need to be so extravagant.”
“Extravagant? Hardly. Besides, I want to eat this. You’re just keeping me company—why are you policing my choices? Know your place, Miss Chen!”
“...”
Looking at Su Bai’s deliberately stern expression, Chen Yusheng understood he was trying to stop her from fixating on the price.
She swallowed her protests and reluctantly joined him.
Soon, the broth arrived—a vibrant orange-red hue under the warm lighting, rich with the tangy aroma of chili and ginger as it heated up.
Now her mouth was truly watering.
Noticing Chen Yusheng’s eager but restrained demeanor, Su Bai slid a plate of appetizers in front of her.
“Have some first.”
“You too.”
“I already had this seafood for lunch. Not really craving it now. Just eat.”
“Oh.”
Chen Yusheng glanced down at the elegant blue-and-white porcelain dish. The plate was large, but the portion was modest—a small pile of golden fried delicacies.
“Is this seafood?”
“Yeah. King crab legs, tempura-style.”
“I thought it was crispy pork.”
She took a bite, her eyes lighting up as she chewed eagerly.
Su Bai watched her with an amused smile, his expression warm even when Chen Yusheng caught herself and flushed with embarrassment.
“No need to play the prim lady around me. Eat up—you’ll need energy to keep me company later.”
“Mmm… thanks.”
As they added meat and vegetables to the pot, Chen Yusheng gradually relaxed, adopting a “what’s done is done” mentality. After all, she’d already polished off Su Bai’s box of snacks—her inner foodie was fully exposed.
No point pretending anymore.
Besides, she and Su Bai shared niche interests they rarely revealed to others. Letting him treat her to hotpot didn’t feel so wrong.
And given how loaded he was, mooching off him alleviated her guilt somewhat.
Girls were creatures of strong moral fiber. They hated carrying emotional debts, often rationalizing favors they couldn’t repay—not out of malice, just human nature.
The meal lasted an hour and a half. Stuffed and satisfied, they launched into a heated debate about a recently released obscure detective manga.
A server passing by overheard phrases like “crime scene,” “body disposal,” and “fleeing the country.” His face stiffened with respect as he quietly retreated.
Damn.
He’d assumed they were just a rich student couple. Turned out they were a golden enforcer and a mafia princess. His bad.
...
“Let me drive you back to campus.”
After dinner, Su Bai led Chen Yusheng to his Mercedes GLE before casually dropping the offer.
He didn’t wait for an answer, sliding into the driver’s seat and gesturing for her to get in.
Chen Yusheng bit her lip and agreed.
The meal had left her blissfully full and drowsy. The thought of squeezing into the subway and trekking back to campus filled her with lethargy.
Now, faced with a spacious, luxurious Mercedes and Su Bai’s reassuring smile, resistance crumbled fast.
“Tomorrow’s Friday. I’ve got morning classes, so gaming’s probably an evening thing,” Su Bai said.
“Got it. I’ll come by at night,” Chen Yusheng nodded.
“Want any late-night snacks? No rush—text me your cravings later. I’ll order ahead.”
“…Okay.”
Silver lining: by Su Bai’s logic, this counted as a work meal.
God, this gig rocks, Chen Yusheng mused silently.
The gaming PCs at the internet café’s couple seats were top-tier—RTX 4070S, way better than her laptop’s 3060.
And then there were those absurdly upscale midnight snacks.
She’d seen the bill: over 8,000 yuan, service charge included.
What the actual hell?!
Then again, the private room’s minimum spend was 3,800 yuan. For Su Bai’s spending tier, scraping the bottom wasn’t an option.
Honestly, his habits were baffling—wearing 100-yuan sneakers one moment, dropping 8k on hotpot the next. Pure chaotic energy, like he gave zero damn.
That carefree vibe rubbed off on Chen Yusheng, making her feel at ease around him.
A rare, treasured respite lately.
Su Bai pulled up to a quiet side gate on Jiangcheng University’s west campus.
Perfect for socially anxious Chen Yusheng—few people around, and the dorm wasn’t far.
As she left, she glanced back, lingering.
The car stayed parked until she disappeared into campus before finally driving off.
A faint smile tugged at her lips.
Nearby, a jogger in athletic wear gaped at the departing Mercedes GLE, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
Had he just seen Chen Yusheng, the unapproachable goddess from the famed dorm, stepping out of that car?
At this hour?
His mind raced with tabloid-worthy scenarios.
But he kept them to himself.
No point spreading rumors. That dorm—aside from the plain-looking Liu… what was her name again?—was a magnet for vicious gossip about its three beauties.
Envy bred tall tales. Most people saw through them anyway.
And even if those goddesses were dating rich guys, so what? That’s life.
A few anguished howls to vent, then move on.
What did unsettle him was his high school buddy—also at Jiangcheng University—who was obsessively infatuated with Chen Yusheng.
He pulled up the guy’s WeChat.
[Dude, just saw Chen Yusheng getting out of a luxury car. Looked pretty happy.]
[?]
[Whoa, instant reply?]
[Lol surprise! I installed a plugin that triggers a special alert for any message about Chen Yusheng.]
[...]
Computer science majors are terrifying.
His jaw dropped.
The reply came instantly:
"You must've seen wrong. There's no way Chen Yusheng would be returning to campus this late. At this hour, she's definitely working in the lab."
"Bro, I swear I’m not mistaken."
"Did you take a picture?"
"...Didn’t get the chance."
"No proof? Then stop talking nonsense! I’m going back to studying—quit slandering my goddess!"
Witnessing this, the guy could only smile helplessly and mutter under his breath:
"Pathetic simp. Absolutely hopeless."
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
Explosive Plot Song Gua crossed over into another world, bringing along a whole crew of his doppelgangers—all of them mischief-makers. This was a world where everyone could choose a class. Song Gua became a "Bondweaver," capable of borrowing power, while his doppelgangers took on a wide variety of classes, covering just about everything. The number of doppelgangers grew day by day, each one a talented individual with a charming way of speaking. Under Song Gua's brilliant leadership, they would "greet" each other daily and engage in friendly "sparring," pulling off one major scheme after another on Earth. Sometimes they were bandits—stealing bosses, plundering mines, snatching resources. Sometimes they were saviors—descending like divine warriors to face world bosses threatening to massacre cities. Sometimes they even went undercover, infiltrating various major factions to stir up trouble from within, keeping their enemies constantly on edge. To prevent their doppelganger abilities from being exposed, Song Gua made them wear masks with mahjong tile patterns and don Taoist robes in various colors. "Remember, in front of outsiders, call me 'The Dice.'" "Got it! Boss!" "Not 'Boss'—it's 'The Dice.' Think about the vibe, pay attention to the vibe." "Yes! Boss!" "For crying out loud..." From then on, whenever they appeared, they would have their own theme song playing: ~Hey~ paying respects at the mountain stronghold at night~ whose arm is draped over whose shoulder~ gather your courage and follow along...
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
