"Minhui, is he trying to talk to you under the guise of asking about the courses?"
"I heard that his senior girlfriend dumped him yesterday afternoon. He must have been caught cheating. You should really stay away from people like him."
Li Zhanpeng sat down next to Fang Minhui and grumbled.
Fang Minhui's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, showing her displeasure.
Li Zhanpeng didn't notice Fang Minhui's expression. He looked in Shen Yuan's direction and said nonchalantly, "And I also heard that he refused to apply for a scholarship. His family is already in such a state, yet he's still putting on airs."
"People like him don't know how to share the burden with their families at all."
After Li Zhanpeng finished speaking, he realized no one had responded to him. He then turned around, noticed Fang Minhui's expression was a bit off, gave an awkward chuckle, and changed the subject, "Hey, you've already started eating? Didn't I tell you I'd buy breakfast?"
Chen Ling couldn't help but roll her eyes. They had agreed to meet at the cafeteria at 8 AM, but he insisted on dragging his feet until 8:10 AM to come downstairs.
Seriously, how much does breakfast cost anyway?
She heard from Minhui yesterday that they had movie tickets for 7:30 PM last night and could have eaten dinner outside beforehand.
But Li Zhanpeng said he needed to go back to his dorm to change clothes, dragging it out until 6:30 PM to come downstairs. Then, he sanctimoniously said they'd make do with the cafeteria today and eat out next time.
No wonder Minhui came back right after the movie last night.
This kind of person, clearly wealthy, yet so stingy.
Look at Shen Yuan, he splurges on a top-tier Japanese restaurant. One meal there is worth twenty of your movie tickets, you jerk.
He's too stingy to even treat someone to a meal, yet he tries to pick up girls!
Fang Minhui also felt a bit annoyed. She had thought that since Li Zhanpeng came from a good family, he would be very generous.
But on their first date yesterday, Li Zhanpeng actually took her to eat at the cafeteria.
The key is, if you're stingy, just be stingy, but don't pretend to be generous.
On the other side, Shen Yuan returned to his table, intending to finish the remaining half-bowl of noodles. Huang Haibao couldn't help but lean over and whisper, "Third bro, how did it go?"
Shen Yuan shook his head, "She hasn't agreed yet."
"I knew it."
Cao Shunjin said with a matter-of-fact expression, "Third bro isn't the same Third bro he used to be, and Fang Minhui isn't the same Fang Minhui she used to be."
"Third bro, seeing that even you can't handle it, I actually feel a lot more balanced."
Huang Haibao patted Shen Yuan's shoulder.
"Damn it, you dog, you were just supporting me a moment ago!"
Although Shen Yuan cursed, he still had a certain degree of confidence.
Xing Qi, a restaurant, is very well-known due to frequent online promotions, and many celebrities have visited it.
Most girls would find it hard to refuse such a high-class Japanese restaurant.
By junior year, the course load isn't as heavy as freshman and sophomore years. Today is Thursday, with one class in the morning and one in the afternoon.
Classes are always boring. After Shen Yuan took attendance, he slept on his desk until it was almost time for lunch, then he sent a WeChat message to Fang Minhui.
"6:30 tonight, waiting for you."
He also attached Xing Qi's location.
Fang Minhui was concentrating on her class when she felt her phone vibrate. She opened it and saw it was a WeChat message from Shen Yuan.
She turned her head and glanced at Shen Yuan, who was sitting in the back row, thinking that she hadn't even agreed yet, and he had already taken it for granted.
She was a bit hesitant. Would it seem too frivolous to be asked out so easily by a boy on the first try?
After all, Li Zhanpeng had asked her out several times before she reluctantly agreed.
But on the other hand, the opportunity to check in at such a top-tier Japanese restaurant was truly rare.
Fang Minhui immediately felt conflicted. Chen Ling, sitting next to her, also saw the WeChat message. She nudged her soft waist with her elbow and whispered, "Xing Qi, ah, it's a shame not to go. Anyway, it's just a meal."
Fang Minhui smoothed the hair from her forehead and thought carefully. Her best friend's words made sense; it was just a meal, and Shen Yuan didn't seem to be showing any signs of pursuing her.
She picked up her phone and replied with an "OK" emoji, adding a sentence: "Then take me with you. I'll wait for you at the school gate at 6."
Shen Yuan had fallen back asleep right after sending the message. He didn't see Fang Minhui's WeChat until he was queuing for food in the cafeteria at noon.
"The fish really took the bait, huh."
Shen Yuan chuckled to himself. Huang Haibao, standing behind him, wondered, "What bait?"
"Nothing."
Shen Yuan smiled faintly. He didn't want to tell Old Huang about this yet; that guy was too fragile and couldn't handle such a blow.
At 5:50 PM, Shen Yuan appeared at the Overseas Affairs school gate. He had already booked a Didi, and the app showed it was expected to arrive at the passenger's pick-up point at 6 PM.
Exactly at 6 PM, Fang Minhui gracefully arrived. For the evening date, she had specially changed into a ladylike outfit: a beige slim-fit long skirt and a close-fitting light-colored sweater.
Compared to her open and fiery look in the morning, she now appeared more demure, but this outfit still showcased her graceful figure.
Especially that waist-to-hip ratio, it was incredible!
Shen Yuan's mind wandered a bit. As expected, she had studied dance; her figure was truly impeccable!
Just then, the Didi arrived. Shen Yuan waved to her, "Get in."
"Mm."
Fang Minhui's pretty face flushed slightly, and she followed him into the back seat.
She was actually subtly anticipating and a little nervous, partly because it was her first date with Shen Yuan, and partly because it was her first time eating at such a high-end restaurant.
Xing Qi wasn't large, nor was its decor lavish. At first glance, the storefront looked like a regular sushi restaurant.
Shen Yuan led Fang Minhui out of the Didi, and they walked through streets and alleys for ten minutes before reaching the restaurant.
As they arrived at the entrance, a female server dressed in a kimono warmly greeted them, "Hello, do you have a reservation?"
"Yes, the last four digits are 4115."
"Hello, Mr. Shen, please follow me."
The female server gestured, indicating for them to follow her.
Shen Yuan was actually a regular here. He used to often bring Zhou Wanting to eat here, and occasionally Huang Haibao and Cao Shunjin to improve their meals.
For this reason, he had even gotten a membership here.
It's a reservation-only restaurant, serving a limited number of guests each night, usually requiring a 3-5 day advance reservation. However, for members like Shen Yuan, special arrangements could be made if needed.
"Mr. Shen, please have a seat."
Upon entering the warmly decorated private room, the female server thoughtfully laid out cushions for them, then picked up the iPad on the table and handed it to Shen Yuan.
"Would you like to see what dishes you'd like to order, or shall I recommend some?"
"You recommend. It's been a while since I've been here, so I don't know if your recent dishes have changed."
"Certainly. Besides our signature sashimi, we recently added Kuki-ban live eel and foie gras, and Wagyu fried rice. Would you like to try them?"
"Yes, serve portions for two people, and one more order of Matsutake seafood soup for each of us."
"Very well."
The female server crossed her hands, respectfully exited the room, and thoughtfully slid the door shut for them.
"The service here is really excellent."
Fang Minhui exclaimed. As expected of a Japanese restaurant with an average per-person cost of over a thousand, it gave a feeling of being at home.
It was her first time eating at such a restaurant, and today was truly an eye-opener.
"The service is good, but mainly the taste is great. I used to come here often."
Shen Yuan said this, but he was actually unconcerned. Since this restaurant was Japanese, there were no chairs in the private rooms; one could only sit cross-legged or kneel to eat.
He wondered why the Japanese liked to eat this way.
Shen Yuan usually preferred to sit at the counter here, eating while watching the chef prepare the food.
If he hadn't wanted to create a more intimate atmosphere, he wouldn't have booked a private room.
Shen Yuan sat cross-legged and pointed to another cushion nearby, "Sit down."
Because Fang Minhui was wearing a long skirt, she couldn't sit cross-legged. She gently held up her skirt and slowly knelt down.
From Shen Yuan's angle, he could just see Fang Minhui's full buttocks, and the key was that this posture really made one's imagination run wild.
Shen Yuan's throat couldn't help but bob. To be honest, the last time he played 'cards' was two months ago.
That was when he was still with Zhou Wanting.
Every man has physiological needs, especially a hot-blooded man like him.
However, the time was not yet right. He needed to be calm, calm.