"Sir, there are seven of you, correct?" The receptionist glanced over the group.
As a buffet restaurant beside a university district, they received plenty of college students. She was one herself, only working here part-time.
She felt she had seen quite a lot, but even so, she found this group of seven rather strange.
If they were on some kind of mixer, the numbers did not match up. What was even stranger was this:
The three women among the seven all had exceptional poise. As a woman herself, she could tell that the bracelets they wore and the bags they carried were genuine, while their clothing was clearly anything but ordinary.
Among the men, there was one handsome guy who looked wealthy. He wore an expensive-looking watch, and his casual clothes bore Armani labels. Judging by his demeanor, he did not seem like the type to wear knockoffs.
Compared to him, the other two men looked far more ordinary, without anything particularly valuable on them.
Still, the clothes they wore were at least decent, from fairly popular domestic and international sports brands.
Yet Su Qi, whose clothes were the most worn-out among the group, was the one responsible for paying.
Looking at Su Qi in clothes bought from a night market stall, the receptionist could not help but wonder whether he had been threatened by the others.
After all, he was so short and looked delicate and weak, like the sort with a soft, easily bullied personality. Moreover, a lingering fragrance surrounded him, making the receptionist instinctively feel fond of Su Qi.
She cautiously looked at Su Qi and asked in a very quiet voice,
"You haven't been threatened, have you?!"
Su Qi: ??
Meanwhile, An Ning felt a little jealous when she saw the two chatting so happily. How had he already hooked another woman in the blink of an eye??
It looked like she would have to properly train him.
"What is it? Don't you have enough money? How about I pay!" An Ning said as she pulled out her phone.
She had investigated Su Qi and knew he relied on drawing commissions to support himself through college. She had heard that each drawing only sold for three or five hundred yuan.
For someone whose monthly allowance was three or four hundred thousand yuan, she truly could not grasp the meaning of three or five hundred.
Honestly, if she had not wanted an opportunity to spend time with Su Qi, she definitely would not have come to such a low-end buffet.
Seeing An Ning take out her phone to scan the code, Su Qi hurriedly pressed down the hand holding her phone.
Feeling the soft warmth and smoothness beneath her hand, An Ning froze. Why did his hand seem even softer and smoother than hers? What would it feel like to hold it??
At that moment, An Ning felt that she had made a huge profit. The trip had already been worthwhile.
"Classmate An, I said I'd treat you all. Besides, I've earned a little money too. I can afford this much!"
Although Su Qi said that, seven people eating at a buffet costing 210 yuan each, plus a 50-yuan deposit per person, came to a total of 1,820 yuan.
When the receptionist punched that number into the calculator, Su Qi's face darkened. He hesitated for a long while before finally paying.
Su Qi painfully entered 1820 on his phone, then reluctantly typed in his payment password.
"Sir, the fifty-yuan deposit can be refunded after your meal with the receipt. Keep it safe and don't lose it. Enjoy your meal."
The receptionist handed him the receipt. Only after taking it did Su Qi feel a little better. He could still get 350 yuan back.
Watching the scene, An Ning could not help entertaining the thought of throwing some money at him and winning the beauty's heart.
But when she remembered how a senior student had done something similar after military training and ended up blacklisted, she decided against it. Slow and steady. Take it slow. Do not scare him away.
"Brother Qi, that expression is pretty funny. You've already made over a hundred thousand, you're a huge tycoon now. Why does spending a little over a thousand look like it's killing you??" Wu Wei said familiarly, draping an arm around Su Qi's shoulders.
However, the moment he did, he froze. The feel of him was unbelievably smooth and soft. So this was what soft, fragrant jade felt like. And with Su Qi in his arms, that lingering fragrance became even stronger, making both his body and mind feel pleasant. He unconsciously sniffed.
When Su Qi heard the sniffing sound, his face turned green. Is this guy some kind of pervert? I'm still a man!
"Get lost, get lost, get lost!" He shoved Wu Wei away and headed in the direction indicated by the waiter.
In truth, just as Wu Wei had said, Su Qi had earned more than a hundred thousand yuan. He was no longer as strapped for cash as he had been when he first entered college.
But Su Qi had truly been terrified by poverty. Fifteen hundred yuan was nearly the payment for four illustrations.
Each illustration took at least four or five hours of intense work. Spending that much just to satisfy his appetite was simply too extravagant.
One had to know that during his entire first year, he had not even bought a single decent piece of clothing. His current feelings were like those of a family suddenly reaching a comfortable standard of living, left confused about how to live from then on.
Wang Zijin looked at Wu Wei, who had been pushed aside, blinked, and moved closer.
She was rather curious about what exactly Su Qi did to earn over a hundred thousand yuan.
An Ning's parents were businesspeople, while Wang Zijin's parents were doctors. Their families were neighbors, which was why the two had become close friends.
Yet due to their family backgrounds, their values regarding money were somewhat different.
Businesspeople pursued profit; doctors valued ethics. Did An Ning know Su Qi had made money? Of course she did.
But because of her parents, with a monthly allowance of three or four hundred thousand yuan, she only thought earning over a hundred thousand was not something one could do easily.
Wang Zijin was different. Though she came from a wealthy family, she knew very well that money did not come easily. For a college student without capital, earning money was even harder.
At that moment, she really wanted to figure out how Su Qi had managed to earn that money. Perhaps she could use that angle to get closer to him.
The facts proved that Wu Wei's resistance to beautiful women was extremely low. In two or three minutes, he spilled everything. Though he did hide some details, such as the game's content.
Watching from the side, Wang Dongxu clicked his tongue inwardly. Bro, you'll sell out your brother just like that for a woman!
But very soon, he found that this move really was worth it.
Compared with Wu Wei revealing that Su Qi made games, after just a few words from Wang Zijin, Wang Dongxu gave her Su Qi's QQ game group. From then on, Wang Zijin had successfully infiltrated the group.
It was just that Su Qi's group verification was rather complicated.
Who was your favorite artist??
What was your favorite game??
Who was your favorite anime character??
Who was the Group Master??
Four questions in a row made Wang Zijin feel for a moment as if she were not joining a group, but attending an interview.
Fortunately, there was an experienced driver nearby—Wang Dongxu—to guide her, allowing Miss Wang Zijin to successfully make her way inside.
The moment Wang Zijin entered the group and wanted to say hello, she froze.
Group member: Oh-ho, it's a girl. Post a selfie so we can have a look. I like sexy girls best!
Three minutes later, Wang Zijin understood why the group verification was so difficult.
Because this group could get reported if one was not careful!!
Before you continue