Soap Opera

The group arrived at a restaurant near the school—the Dining House. It was a mid-to-high-end establishment, decorated with a touch of old-world charm. It was very popular with students in the area: atmospheric, only a little pricey, and most importantly, the food tasted quite good, so business had always been booming.

The girls had clearly put some thought into choosing this place for the meal.

At this hour in the evening, if the girls had not reserved a private room in advance, who knew how long they would have had to wait.

After everyone took their seats in the private room and the server had poured the tea and left, the air fell silent for a moment. Then a girl with a ponytail, who looked sharp and energetic, was the first to speak. "Let's introduce ourselves first, so we can all get acquainted."

"My name is Xu Ying." Her open and straightforward manner was refreshing.

"My name is Luo Xiaoluan." She was a very cute girl, with a small oval face, clear deer-like eyes, and a tiny dimple when she smiled. Obviously, she was also the prettiest girl present.

"My name is Wu Ya." This girl received the most attention from Eldest Brother and the others, after all, she was the girl their brother had his eye on.

"My name is Zhang Jiajia." She was tall, long-legged, and voluptuous.

Once the girls had finished introducing themselves, it was naturally the boys' turn.

After everyone noisily introduced themselves, the dishes began to arrive as well.

Although they had only just exchanged names, they were all young people from the same school, and with several lively troublemakers among them, everyone quickly warmed up to one another.

Just as the atmosphere was growing pleasant, a burst of commotion suddenly came from outside.

Zhao Luzheng, who was seated closest to the door, could not help but grow curious. He opened the door a crack and peered outside.

From the sound of it, the disturbance seemed to be right outside their door.

With a glance, he saw that the door to the private room opposite theirs was wide open, and two groups of people seemed to be confronting each other.

People from the private rooms on both sides of the corridor had opened their doors as well, all coming out to watch the excitement.

Suddenly, Zhao Luzheng cried out, "Ow!" Someone had stumbled into the door he had only opened a crack. Caught off guard, he reacted by jerking backward, but he was still a step too slow and was inevitably struck head-on.

Zhao Luzheng kept sucking in breaths. His nose had turned red, and tears nearly spilled from his eyes. He did not even notice that someone had fallen into the room.

"Youngest Brother, are you okay?"

"Zhao Luzheng, are you all right?"

Everyone hurried over, their faces full of concern.

Zhao Luzheng waved them off. He was not seriously hurt; his nose just stung terribly. He would be fine once it passed.

Fortunately, he had not gotten a nosebleed. Otherwise, it would have been utterly embarrassing.

What a completely undeserved disaster!

Zhao Luzheng carefully touched his nose, feeling rather indignant.

Seeing that he was fine, everyone was about to say something.

But they were interrupted by a voice that suddenly rang out.

Turning around, they realized that the door to their private room had been pushed completely open, with a group of people gathered at the entrance.

The leader was dressed head to toe in designer brands, his face full of arrogance. One look was enough to tell he was the spoiled young master of a wealthy family. He held a girl with her head lowered in his arms. Her face could not be seen, but judging by her slender, graceful figure, she was surely quite beautiful.

At that moment, the young master lifted his chin high and merely glanced from the corner of his eye at the boy who had stumbled inside earlier and fallen to the floor. The contempt and impatience in his voice were undisguised.

"Xiao Rou is my woman. Stop bothering her."

"Take a look at yourself."

"Next time, I won't let you off so easily."

With that, the young master smugly wrapped an arm around the girl in his embrace and turned to leave.

"Xiao Rou, why?" The boy on the floor did not get up, nor did he pay attention to the young master's mocking words. Remaining in that rather miserable position, he stared intensely at the girl in the young master's arms. His voice was hoarse, with a barely perceptible tremble. "Was I not good enough?"

"You're clearly my girlfriend!"

"Hey, what are you talking about? Your girlfriend? Sister-in-law belongs to our Young Master Zhu. Who do you think you are?" Seeing Young Master Zhu's expression darken, his lackeys immediately began shouting with great tact.

"Why? Why don't you look at your own status, then look at Young Master Zhu's?"

"You're not even worthy of carrying Young Master Zhu's shoes."

"A toad dreaming of swan meat!"

Zhang Bo had originally rolled up his sleeves, intending to give the culprit who had caused Youngest Brother to get hit a good scolding. But upon seeing this situation, he could not help casting a sympathetic glance at the boy with his back to them.

Was this not obviously some kind of cliché drama about stealing someone's lover?

Clicking his tongue, Zhang Bo and the others watched with considerable interest.

Besides, this group had occupied the entrance to their private room. Even if they did not want to watch, they had no choice.

Xiao Xiao rubbed his brow and looked once more at the girl who had her head lowered as she nestled in the young master's arms. He felt that something was off.

What was it?

At that moment, a low, gentle, alluring voice drifted out, and the entire private room abruptly fell silent.

"Brother Zhao, I'm sorry. I was in the wrong."

"But the one I like now is Young Master Zhu."

"Please don't come looking for me again."

The faintly sighing female voice stirred pity in people's hearts, making them unable to bear blaming her in the slightest or refusing any of her requests.

Even the boys and girls present could not help but soften, their gazes carrying a trace of reproach as they looked at the boy sitting on the floor.

After a brief daze, Xiao Xiao's mind cleared and he suddenly came back to his senses.

A chill ran down his spine.

What was going on?

There was something strange about that girl's voice.

Xiao Xiao's gaze sharpened, then he lowered his eyes, concealing the wariness and coldness within them, as well as that faint glimmer of pale gold.

When he raised his eyes again, he saw that the girl had actually lifted her head.

It was a stunning face worthy of that voice. Perhaps she had spent too long nestled in the young master's arms, for a rosy flush had spread across her cheeks. She looked soft and delicate, alluring enough to drip with charm.

She truly was a great beauty.

However, because he had already become wary of the girl, Xiao Xiao only froze for a moment at her beauty before recovering.

Xiao Xiao's eyes were clear as he discreetly examined the girl, only feeling that sense of incongruity grow stronger.

What exactly was wrong?

As for Zhang Bo and the others, along with the other onlookers, once that face was fully revealed, they could not help sucking in sharp breaths.

For a moment, gasps rose and fell throughout the room.

"Hmph!" The young master tightened his arm around the girl's waist even more, smugly looking down on everyone.

"Excuse me, please make way." The restaurant's floor manager finally arrived, directing the waiters to disperse the crowd.

"Young Master Zhu?!" The manager was startled upon seeing the young master, then hurried over with a smile plastered across his face.

The crowd gradually dispersed. After casting one last contemptuous glance at the disheveled boy, the young master left with the beauty in his arms, fawned over by the manager and surrounded by his attendants.

The boy on the floor had been deeply struck by the girl's earlier words. Completely shutting out the outside world, he sat there in utter desolation, somewhat stunned.

Zhang Bo could not bear to watch any longer. He stepped forward and patted the boy on the shoulder. "You okay?"

"Get up, man." Zhuge Yun reached out and pulled the boy to his feet.

The boy looked utterly distraught, his eyes vacant. After hastily thanking Zhang Bo and the others, he staggered out of the private room.

Watching the boy's unsteady retreating figure, everyone felt rather wistful.

But they had only been strangers to begin with, so there was not much they could say.

"Ah, there are plenty of fish in the sea. Why pine after just one flower?" Zhuge Yun said, shaking his head.

"Especially a flower that changed its heart," Zhao Luzheng added.

"But that girl was so beautiful!" Wu Ya sighed.

After that unexpected incident, no one disturbed them for the rest of the meal, and they finished dining in high spirits.