School Rumors

Seeing the two of them looking a little uneasy, Xiao Bei took the menu and began ordering.

A bottle of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, plus several desserts.

Ji Qinglan did not react much. She simply watched Xiao Bei show off.

Yes, in Ji Qinglan's eyes, Xiao Bei was showing off again just now. But she did not find it annoying.

During the month or so she had spent with Xiao Bei, Ji Qinglan had realized that he was sometimes far too mature, nothing like a young person.

Seeing Xiao Bei show off now actually made Ji Qinglan a little happy. So you had childish moments too.

After ordering, the four of them began chatting.

As they chatted, Li Yan and Qian Li gradually relaxed and began joking with Xiao Bei as well.

Mainly because they realized that being around Xiao Bei was not actually awkward.

Setting aside his status, Xiao Bei was like plenty of ordinary people—he liked telling dirty jokes.

As they talked, the dishes began arriving one after another.

Australian purebred Wagyu sirloin steak, truffle mashed potatoes, eight Australian black abalones, French foie gras, Hokkaido scallops, king crab, and some accompanying vegetables.

Then came the sauces, as well as desserts and French baguette.

Once the food arrived, Xiao Bei did not make much of a show of his pre-meal etiquette.

After all, this was a gathering among friends. Being comfortable mattered most, not showing off for the sake of showing off!

They all knew Xiao Bei came from an extraordinary background and certainly knew etiquette, but not everyone belonged to the same social class.

Sometimes, saying things like that did not earn respect. Instead, it only embarrassed others!

Showing off was fine in moderation. Overdoing it just made you an idiot!

Not only did it lack class, it would make people think you were flaunting your superiority!

That was why Xiao Bei's low-key, non-flashy behavior made them feel especially comfortable.

Li Yan in particular. Her family's circumstances were probably the most ordinary in their dorm, so she had been the most nervous. Yet Xiao Bei's high emotional intelligence kept her from feeling awkward. More than anything, she found being around him comfortable, and she relaxed inwardly.

At first, Ji Qinglan had worried Xiao Bei might show off too much and thought she would remind him when the time came. But now, that was all unnecessary.

Although Xiao Bei was younger than her, he was even more worldly and seasoned than she was when it came to dealing with people.

He had high emotional intelligence, did not make people uncomfortable, was not ostentatious, and never went too far or fell short. He was just right.

Everyone ate and chatted at the same time.

Xiao Bei occasionally chimed in, but he did not steal the spotlight.

He mainly let the three girls take the lead. Besides, Xiao Bei was a foodie too, and he had little resistance when it came to good food.

Yes, a grown man was actually a foodie.

While Ji Qinglan and the other two were chatting, Xiao Bei had already finished his steak.

He started eating the other dishes.

Ji Qinglan casually glanced at Xiao Bei and was immediately surprised.

"Xiao Bei, you can really eat!"

"Hahaha, being able to eat is a blessing. You girls keep talking, I'll keep eating!"

Xiao Bei grinned. Ji Qinglan looked at his figure, then at her own, and cried out, "Wow, this is so unfair!"

"What is it, Lanlan? How is it unfair?" Xiao Bei asked as he popped a cherry tomato into his mouth.

Qian Li burst out laughing. As Ji Qinglan's close friend, she naturally knew what Ji Qinglan meant.

"Lanlan means, why can you eat so much without getting fat, while we gain weight after eating just a little?"

Hearing that, Xiao Bei looked at Ji Qinglan. Her lips were pursed, making her look utterly adorable.

Xiao Bei laughed. "Well, I used to be poor and never got to eat this stuff. Now that I can, shouldn't I eat properly?"

Pfft!

"Junior, stop joking. If you were poor, then no one in this world would be poor!" Li Yan said with a faint smile.

Ji Qinglan rolled her eyes at Xiao Bei too. Then she seemed to think of something, and her pretty face reddened slightly.

Seeing Ji Qinglan suddenly blush, Xiao Bei was at a loss. No way, was his wife about to cry over this?

Who knew Ji Qinglan would say, as boldly as Tiger Girl, "It seems like eating more is fine now. We can exercise tonight!"

Xiao Bei, who was drinking soup, nearly sprayed it out of his mouth.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Was his wife really this fierce?

Li Yan and Qian Li were still innocent babies and did not get the point at all.

Ji Qinglan grinned and shot Xiao Bei a provocative look!

Xiao Bei froze slightly. Well, well, was she challenging him now?

Looks like I'll have to work hard tonight! Otherwise, won't she look down on me?

The meal, with all the eating and chatting, lasted nearly two hours, and everyone was extremely satisfied.

Li Yan and Qian Li were both quite restrained. After finishing their main courses, they did not eat much dessert.

Ji Qinglan had an unexpectedly large appetite, almost on par with Xiao Bei!

After they finished eating, they sat together and chatted—things in and outside their class, school gossip, social news, which girl had done what, which boy had failed another confession. When women got together, it was gossip, gossip, and more gossip!

They even talked about students being kept by rich men.

Of course, at an art school there were many places to spend money, and girls at that age were at the peak of their desire to compare themselves with others.

In a dorm room, if you had something and I did not, the better students might go find part-time jobs and buy it themselves. But some scheming girls who did not want the trouble would juggle several men and fleece their various boyfriends for everything they could.

For example, whenever a holiday came around, they would receive so many cash gifts their hands went sore.

Then there was the last kind: those willing to degrade themselves and ultimately become someone else's mistress.

There were also quite a few who willingly became someone's kept woman, then used that money to support their own boyfriends.

Hearing this, Xiao Bei's eyes lit up as he asked, "How much per month?"

He instantly received three eye rolls, along with an attack on his waist from Ji Qinglan.

But it was just casual conversation. Say whatever came to mind.

Qian Li was the first to spill some gossip. "Li Yan once ran into a greasy middle-aged man who directly offered her fifty thousand a month!"

"Damn it, I really wanted to slap him across the face back then!" Li Yan said angrily.

Ji Qinglan smiled slightly and added, "The problem was that our Yanyan was still two months away from turning eighteen!"

After saying that, Ji Qinglan looked at Xiao Bei again. "Baby, have you ever thought about it?"

Xiao Bei coughed three times.

Looking at Ji Qinglan, he quickly said, "I've thought about it, but never put it into practice. How could keeping someone compare to having my own wife? Besides, with my conditions, if I really did that, wouldn't it be beneath me?"

Xiao Bei replied with a cheeky grin!

Hearing that, Ji Qinglan nodded in satisfaction.

Soon, their chat came to an end.

"Where are we going next?" Ji Qinglan asked Xiao Bei.

"Come shopping with me for a few things!" Xiao Bei replied.

"Then Lili and I should head back first!" Li Yan said with a smile.

Xiao Bei smiled and shook his head. "It's still quite a distance from here to the school. Since we all came out together, I'll definitely take you all back together. Let's go together. Besides, having three beauties with me makes me look good, doesn't it?"