Xia Linfei's Home

"Ye Hao, Su Yuan said someone's treating us to dinner. Can you believe our luck?" Gao Jun said to Ji Yehao after getting Su Yuan's call.

Ji Yehao nodded. "An upperclasswoman's treating us. Come on, let's not keep her waiting."

When they arrived at the east gate, they spotted Su Yuan and Xia Linfei waiting there.

Gao Jun nudged Ji Yehao and whispered, "Look at the girl next to Su Yuan. She's got a great figure and a pretty face, and she's so tall. Especially that chest—she's exactly my type. I've decided to pursue her!"

"Love at first sight?" Ji Yehao frowned at Gao Jun's lovestruck expression. Xia Linfei was gentle yet wild, which did make her easy to fantasize about conquering, but Gao Jun was being ridiculously over the top. Standing beside him made Ji Yehao feel like his own IQ was taking a hit.

Ji Yehao and Gao Jun were both nearly six feet tall, and their clean, neat clothes made them stand out.

Su Yuan and Xia Linfei spotted them, too, and Su Yuan raised a hand to wave.

But when she saw Gao Jun's leering expression, she grew annoyed. He was making such a poor showing that he was dragging down the reputation of the whole Dormitory 330! She went over and, while Xia Linfei wasn't looking, jabbed Gao Jun in the side with her elbow. "Can you try to have a little self-respect? It's not like you've never seen a pretty girl before. Do you have to act so pathetic?"

As if realizing he might be losing points in front of the beauty, Gao Jun composed himself and put on a serious expression.

Xia Linfei giggled and stepped forward, offering Gao Jun her fair hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Xia Linfei. You can call me Lin Fei or Xiaofei."

"I'll call you Lin Fei. Xiaofei doesn't feel right—I'm younger than you. Ouch, Su Yuan! What did you hit me for?"

Su Yuan glared at him with her big eyes. You deserved it!

Ji Yehao couldn't help chuckling. "You've put your foot in it. Even if Sister Xia is our upperclasswoman, there's no need to emphasize that she's older than us."

Only then did Gao Jun realize he'd made a bit of a blunder. He grinned awkwardly, inwardly wondering where all his wit had gone.

Xia Linfei didn't seem to mind. Smiling, she said, "Just call me Lin Fei. I didn't expect you to be so different from what I'd imagined."

Gao Jun seized the opening. "What did you imagine I'd be like?"

Xia Linfei thought for a moment. "Su Yuan told me you're really into technology. I imagined you as a serious, meticulous man, with a hint of world-weariness in your eyes now and then."

Gao Jun was delighted. He nudged Ji Yehao. "Did you hear that? She seems to have a pretty good impression of me."

"I said that was what she imagined before she met you!" Ji Yehao was at a loss for words over Gao Jun's unearned sense of superiority.

"So what do you think of me now?" Gao Jun asked bluntly.

"Hey, Gao Jun, aren't you going a little too far?" Su Yuan cut in, unable to hold back.

"It's fine." Xia Linfei stopped Su Yuan and smiled at Gao Jun. "Now I think you're not very steady, and you can be a bit glib, but you seem genuine. I prefer this more easygoing side of you to someone serious and meticulous."

Gao Jun was a little disheartened. "Not very steady" and "glib" were both insults. Luckily, she'd also said he seemed genuine, or he'd have gotten a failing score. But who knew if she was just trying to comfort him?

"All right, let's not stand around at the gate. We should find somewhere to eat."

At Su Yuan's urging, the four of them headed to a street not far from campus and found a restaurant. Su Yuan didn't like spicy food, so they ruled out Hunan and Sichuan cuisine. Cantonese food, on the other hand, was said to draw on the best of the styles of the capital, Suzhou, and Yangzhou, while blending East and West and enjoying fame at home and abroad. She wanted to try it.

So the four of them went into a Cantonese restaurant.

"Su Yuan, sit beside me." In the private room, Xia Linfei patted the chair next to her.

They'd chosen a small round table. Once Su Yuan sat beside Xia Linfei, Gao Jun had no qualms about plopping down on Xia Linfei's other side. Ji Yehao shook his head and sat between Su Yuan and Gao Jun.

"Let's order. Honestly, I've never had Cantonese food before."

Xia Linfei's eyes sparkled when she blinked, their light fanning out like a peacock's tail. She was clearly in a very good mood.

The four of them ordered six dishes: Guangzhou Wenchang chicken, winter melon with assorted fillings, steamed Taiji shrimp, fish maw stuffed with shrimp, Buddha's-hand spareribs, and Chaoshan beef balls. They were all famous dishes, and they looked good—but how would they taste?

The food was soon served. Ji Yehao opened a bottle of wine and filled his and Gao Jun's glasses. Just as he was about to pour one for Su Yuan, Xia Linfei said, "Su Yuan and I will have drinks. You two enjoy your wine."

Su Yuan wanted wine, too, but after Xia Linfei spoke, she didn't know what to say. She watched wistfully as her glass was filled with juice.

"Come on, let's celebrate the four of us meeting today!" Xia Linfei raised her glass and downed her drink in one bold, carefree gulp.

Su Yuan, Ji Yehao, and Gao Jun followed suit.

"Come on, dig in!"

As the one footing the bill, Xia Linfei naturally had plenty of say. As the saying went, people were less likely to criticize the one feeding them, and the dinner table was Xia Linfei's home turf. She served Su Yuan several times, and Gao Jun watched with such envy that his eyes nearly turned red. Xia Linfei gave him a coy smile. "Here, I'll serve you some, too."

Gao Jun immediately dug in with gusto.

They'd started out saying Xia Linfei and Su Yuan wouldn't drink, but later on, both of them had some wine. As the mood grew livelier, Su Yuan and Xia Linfei both became tipsy. "All right, Sister Xia, don't drink any more..." Su Yuan reached for the glass Xia Linfei was lifting to her lips.

"I'm... I'm fine. Seeing you all... I'm so happy... hic..."

They looked at one another. Xia Linfei was the oldest of them, but she could hardly hold her liquor.

"You're drunk!"

"Drunk?" Xia Linfei's eyes were red. "So this is being drunk? This is my... first time drinking... this much..." Her head tilted to the side, and she passed out.

Well, the person who was supposed to pay had been the first to get drunk.

Su Yuan was a little drunk, too, but she could still think clearly enough. She looked at Gao Jun and Ji Yehao, asking what they should do next.

"Did any of you bring money?"

The three exchanged glances. Su Yuan shrank back. "Don't look at me. I'm broke right now. I don't have much on me." Ji Yehao and Gao Jun both knew that.

Gao Jun gave an awkward grin. "I do have some, but I didn't bring it with me."

Ji Yehao looked at them both and shook his head. "Never mind. I'll treat you today."

Su Yuan and Gao Jun immediately felt a little embarrassed. Still, from Ji Yehao's everyday habits, Su Yuan could tell he wasn't short on money. In her eyes, Ji Yehao was the very picture of a rich guy.

Overthrow the landlords and divide the land—buying them dinner was no big deal.

Afterward, the three of them prepared to take Xia Linfei, who was dead drunk, back to where she lived. She lived in a residential area next to Binhe Institute of Technology. Gao Jun carried her, and they pieced together where she lived from her fragmented words.

"This should be the place."

After checking the number on the door, Su Yuan reached into Xia Linfei's pocket and took out her keys.

It was a suite, roughly 140 square meters by their estimate, with four bedrooms, two living rooms, one kitchen, and three bathrooms. It was fully furnished and beautifully renovated.

"She lives somewhere this nice?" Su Yuan muttered, puzzled. She'd assumed Xia Linfei was working away from home and came from a modest family. Seeing how nice her home was made her suspicious.

Could Xia Linfei be some rich young lady who'd run away from home? It wasn't impossible.

The four bedrooms were all about the same size, with no master bedroom. With help, Su Yuan settled Xia Linfei onto a large bed and tucked her in. Just as she was about to leave the room, she glanced at the laptop on the desk and her eyes widened. "Damn!"