Chapter 304: The Final Gathering
Most students finished their exams on Thursday.
The school felt a bit deserted, while outside, students packed with luggage prepared to leave, but the street behind the school was bustling.
At the seafood stall’s entrance, Zhang Shaoqing had ditched his usual slacker look. His hair was slicked back with gel, he wore a knee-length black coat, and leather shoes. He looked particularly mature, thanks to Yan Xinya’s styling, and his demeanor was notably more reserved.
He had reserved a private room and ordered food, now standing idly at the seafood stall’s entrance, peering through the glass at the aquarium inside.
He paced back and forth anxiously, occasionally glancing into the distance or checking his mechanical watch.
After a moment of waiting, he spotted two figures, one tall and one short, coming towards him.
The girl rarely wore long pants, wrapped in a khaki trench coat, her white scarf covering much of her beautiful face.
“Ning Chu! Over here!”
“Got it.”
Ning Chu released Wen Yang’s arm and adjusted her tail, which was wrapped around her waist, to a more comfortable position.
Usually, she wore skirts to hide her tail, but today she sported a pair of ripped jeans, with her tail poking out from behind and tangled into her top.
It gave her waist a slightly bulkier appearance, but in that coat, her figure was hardly noticeable.
“Wow~ You really cleaned up!” Ning Chu teased with a grin, “What a refined gentleman!”
“If you can’t appreciate handsome guys, then shut it.”
To be fair, Zhang Shaoqing did look more pleasing than usual in this outfit, but the mature look threw her off a bit.
“Is Qian Qian coming?”
“Xinya said she would.”
“Oh~”
Wen Yang followed behind the little succubus, “Did you reserve the private room? Ning Chu, you should go inside and wait, so you’re not out here in the cold.”
“Yep, Room 5 on the second floor.”
“Well, I’m gonna hop on my phone for a bit!”
Zhang Shaoqing watched Ning Chu dart inside, then turned to Wen Yang and asked, “How do I look?”
“Looks good.”
“Then why is your girlfriend still nagging?” Wen Yang hesitated, feeling a bit awkward, scratching the back of his head, “We’re not married yet…”
“Sooner or later! Remember to invite me when it happens.” Zhang Shaoqing eagerly kept his eyes on the school, complaining, “Wang Jie really bailed on us! Once he gets a girlfriend, he forgets his brothers. Tonight, he’ll be worn out. Dammit! I envy him!”
“Hey! Qian Qian’s here!” He suddenly got nervous.
“Wen Yang!” He looked down, smoothing out his coat and patting off imaginary dust, “Is my hair alright? Does my scarf look messy?”
“Did Xinya help with your hair?”
“Yeah, that girl seems all carefree, but who knew she could do hairstyles?” Zhang Shaoqing mumbled, “She tied my coat belt too; I usually don’t bother with that.”
Yan Xinya was really going all out for the ship.
Wen Yang thought back to how Wolf Girl had played matchmaker for him and Ning Chu, shaking his head and chuckling, “That girl should just become a matchmaker.”
“I think she could—maybe as a wedding host; wasn’t she the one hosting the New Year’s gala?”
Before they could chat further, Qian Qian, Yan Xinya, and Lily had approached.
Zhang Shaoqing cleared his throat, trying to shed his frivolous demeanor, and whispered, “Wen Yang, do I seem domineering and strong?”
“……”
Wen Yang couldn’t bring himself to comment.
Even zombies wouldn’t want to eat a love-struck man whose mind was empty.
“The room’s booked, let’s go up,” he said eagerly as the girls arrived, his voice transforming into a low, raspy tone.
Qian Qian only nodded slightly, her tail drooping, and her face filled with helplessness.
If it weren’t for the expensive Musang King durian he’d given her, she wouldn’t have bothered coming to this gathering.
“Let’s go, let’s go~” Yan Xinya dragged her arm, practically dragging her into the seafood stall.
The group reached the second floor of the stall and pushed open the private room door, where Ning Chu had already been munching on sunflower seeds for a while.
Wen Yang and Lily sat on either side of her. She leaned over and whispered, “Looks like she’s not too keen on Zhang Shaoqing~”
“Well, there’s quite an age gap.”
Just as Ning Chu had outlined in her “攻略,” as soon as they sat down, before the food even arrived, Zhang Shaoqing attempted to strike up a conversation with Qian Qian.
She responded half-heartedly, barely speaking.
“Lily, does Qian Qian like Zhang Shaoqing at all?” Ning Chu turned to Lily, her concern palpable.
Lily shook her head, her gaze firmly on her phone.
“What are you looking at, not even lifting your head…”
Ning Chu leaned forward, trying to sneak a peek at Lily’s phone screen, only to blush and quickly pull back.
“Wanna see?”
“No, no!” She shook her head vigorously.
Though she had gotten used to smaller toys like pills, she was still quite scared of the bigger ones.
It wasn’t long before the food started arriving.
“Waiter, bring a case of beer!” Zhang Shaoqing called out to the waiter, gearing up for some liquid courage.
Today was his last chance; he at least wanted to make a good impression on Qian Qian.
But his earlier attempt at conversation had flopped, making him doubt Ning Chu’s “攻略” strategy.
Could it be she was just leading him on?!
His phone suddenly vibrated, and he glanced down to see Ning Chu’s message.
“Qian Qian is a huge fan of Stephen Chow; you can chat with her about movies.”
Zhang Shaoqing quickly typed back: “I haven’t seen many Stephen Chow movies.”
“Then talk to her about anime; she probably loves the two-dimensional stuff.”
“Do you ever see me watching anime?”
Ning Chu raised her head and shot him a disappointed look.
You had your chance, and you blew it! You don’t watch movies or anime! What do you do all day besides gaming and partying at bars?!
Seeing the lobster served, she didn’t want to deal with Zhang Shaoqing anymore and quickly grabbed a piece of meat.
Before she could eat, her gaze landed on the lobster in Wen Yang’s bowl.
“Here, take it.”
“I don’t want it; you eat.” She modestly protested.
“Stop pretending; I know your little thoughts!”
Wen Yang directly picked up a piece of lobster meat and dropped it into Ning Chu’s bowl; then, he picked up two more lobsters and put down his chopsticks, “Need help peeling?”
Ning Chu happily nodded, indulging in the lobster meat.
“You’re grown up now, still needing help….”
She turned to Lily, who was quietly mumbling, and teased, “You should find a boyfriend who can help peel lobsters too!”
“I hate men.”
Lily quietly moved her chair, distancing herself from Ning Chu and Wen Yang.
They hadn’t even eaten much when it felt like love was already being shoved into their mouths.
Wen Yang would probably end up like Wang Jie, useless but good-looking!
Might as well play with toys.
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