Treating Someone to a Meal

Sun Xiaoya volunteered to treat them to a meal, choosing the Louzhonglou Restaurant as the venue.

This was a famous restaurant in the vicinity, known for its elegant atmosphere, delicious food, and reasonable prices; it was a well-regarded establishment in Qingshui City.

In a private room on the second floor, Sun Xiaoya, Lin Xiuwen, and Zhang Shuai sat together. A waiter brought over a pot of chrysanthemum tea and handed them the menu, which Sun Xiaoya promptly passed to Zhang Shuai.

"Handsome, I'm treating today, so feel free to order whatever you'd like."

Zhang Shuai said politely, "I'm not a picky eater. Anything is fine, you go ahead and order."

Sun Xiaoya insisted, "You should order. Don't be shy with me; I can certainly afford a meal."

Seeing that Sun Xiaoya was insistent, Zhang Shuai stopped declining and picked up the menu to order three dishes. When Sun Xiaoya noticed he had chosen relatively inexpensive items, she took the menu back and ordered three of the restaurant's signature dishes.

Afterward, she asked what he wanted to drink. Zhang Shuai suggested beer, so Sun Xiaoya ordered a crate of Wusu.

While waiting for the food, the three of them began to chat.

"Handsome, we've been at the driving school for so long, but I forgot to ask—what do you do for a living?"

Zhang Shuai answered honestly, "I'm an electrician."

"Is the pay good for an electrician?"

"Not really. If you're good at it, you might make ten thousand or so, but I only make five or six thousand a month. I don't have a degree, so I can't compare to you college students."

Sun Xiaoya remarked, "It's hard for college students to find jobs these days, too. Even if they do, they only make a few thousand a month after graduating."

Zhang Shuai asked casually, "What are your majors?"

"I'm a Chinese literature major, and Xiuwen is in computer science."

Zhang Shuai's heart skipped a beat. He turned his gaze toward Lin Xiuwen, who had been sitting silently on his right, and asked, "You study computer science?"

Lin Xiuwen nodded. "That's right."

"Then how is your level of expertise?"

The question was quite abrupt. Lin Xiuwen hesitated, unsure how to respond, but Sun Xiaoya answered for her: "Lin Xiuwen isn't just our school beauty; she's a top student. Last year, she even represented Hanjiang University at the National College Computer Competition and won first prize. What do you think her level is?"

Zhang Shuai was overjoyed. He remembered the USB drive worth millions. Because it was encrypted, he hadn't been able to open it and had simply locked it in a drawer. Since Lin Xiuwen was a computer science major, perhaps he could ask her for help.

"Lin Xiuwen, I wanted to ask, can you crack and open an encrypted USB drive?"

Lin Xiuwen said slowly, "It's hard to say. Some high-level encryption might have self-destruct programs, so I can't guarantee I can open it. But if it's a standard encryption level, I'm confident I can."

Zhang Shuai was delighted. "I have an encrypted USB drive. Could you help me open it?"

Lin Xiuwen nodded. "Sure, I'll take a look when I have time."

"Xiuwen, your WeChat name in the driving group is 'A-Xiu,' right? I'll add you, please accept it."

Lin Xiuwen glanced secretly at Sun Xiaoya and noticed her expression had darkened. She quickly said, "Handsome, if you need my help, you can just have Xiaoya bring the USB drive to me. Is adding me on WeChat really necessary?"

Zhang Shuai insisted, "You should add me. This drive is very important to me. I need to be there in person while you unlock it; the contents shouldn't be spread around."

"Don't worry, I'm only helping you unlock it. I won't look at the contents."

Zhang Shuai replied, "Lin Xiuwen, this drive is a matter of great importance to me. It's not that I don't trust you, but the contents really aren't suitable for others to see, so I must be there to watch you unlock it."

Lin Xiuwen definitely wasn't going to add Zhang Shuai on WeChat now. She couldn't let her best friend misunderstand, especially since Sun Xiaoya had her eye on him. Even if she were to help him, she had to ensure Sun Xiaoya was present to prove she had no intention of stealing her man.

"How about this: tomorrow after the second driving test, bring the USB drive and come to my place with Sun Xiaoya. I'll unlock it for you—it'll only take a few minutes. You can watch the whole time, is that okay?"

Before long, the food began to arrive.

To be honest, the restaurant's dishes were quite good, but Zhang Shuai had no appetite; eating any more would just be a waste.

Therefore, he didn't eat much, but fearing the two girls would drink too much, he tried to drink more and eat less.

Even though it was just beer, Wusu was known as "the lethal Wusu." Since neither girl had much experience with alcohol, one bottle each left their faces flushed and already three-tenths tipsy.

Emboldened by the alcohol, Sun Xiaoya became more daring. Things she wouldn't have dared to say before now came out easily.

"Handsome, do you have a girlfriend?"

"No. I'm just a poor guy; what woman would look at me?"

"How could you not? You're so handsome, you should be very popular with girls."

"From childhood until now, you're the only one who's ever said I'm handsome. No one else has."

"Then what do you think of me?"

"You're great. You're pretty and have a nice figure."

Sun Xiaoya looked at Zhang Shuai with a flushed face, fueled by the alcohol, and mustered the courage to say, "Handsome, how about I be your girlfriend? I'm very gentle. Why don't we try being together?"

Zhang Shuai froze, not knowing how to respond. It was the first time in his life a girl had told him she liked him and even asked to be his girlfriend. By all accounts, he should have been happy, but for some reason, he felt no surprise—only a sense of panic.

In that moment, Zhang Shuai suddenly turned to look at Lin Xiuwen. Lin Xiuwen noticed his gaze and snapped, "Why are you looking at me? Sun Xiaoya is such a great girl, why are you hesitating instead of saying yes?"

Zhang Shuai said, "I think Sun Xiaoya is drunk and talking nonsense!"

Sun Xiaoya protested, "I'm not drunk! After spending all these days at the driving school, you must know whether I like you or not. If you don't like me, just say it directly. Don't use that as an excuse to reject me."

Zhang Shuai felt troubled, his gaze drifting back to Lin Xiuwen, as if he had made a certain decision.

"Xiaoya, you're a university student from a top-tier institution, and I'm just an electrician from the countryside. Besides, we don't really know each other..."

Sun Xiaoya angrily cut Zhang Shuai off. "That's enough, don't say another word. I understand what you mean, so please, spare me some dignity."

Zhang Shuai felt a wave of awkwardness; he was suddenly reminded of the feeling he had when he confessed his feelings to Ye Manqiu all those years ago and was rejected.

The rest of the meal passed in an atmosphere of stifling tension.

Sun Xiaoya drank glass after glass; even beer can make one drunk if consumed in excess.

Seeing that Sun Xiaoya had had a bit too much, Zhang Shuai snuck off to the front desk to settle the bill, and since she was quite intoxicated, it was Lin Xiuwen who took her home.