An 8,000-yuan working meal

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."