Weekend Gathering

As school let out, Liu Shang met up with Jiang Ruolin and her dorm mates at the side gate.

The moment they met, Jiang Ruolin smiled and stepped forward, intimately taking Liu Shang's hand.

"Have you been waiting long?"

Liu Shang smiled and shook his head.

For some reason, once he truly felt the softness and warmth of Jiang Ruolin's hand, Liu Shang always felt an immense sense of security and happiness.

"Oh, Ruolin, showing off your love in public? Are you feeding us dog food?"

"Exactly! Look at how happy and sweet Ruolin looks. I'm so jealous!"

"Ruolin, aren't you going to introduce your man to us?"

Amid their teasing, Jiang Ruolin linked her arm through Liu Shang's and began introducing everyone.

"All right, all right. This is my boyfriend, Liu Shang."

"Liu Shang, these are the three gorgeous girls from my dorm: Dong Hong, Yang Dandan, and Song Sha."

"Shasha, how about we go to Shuxiangju for hot pot tonight?"

None of the three girls in Jiang Ruolin's dorm were natives of Wind City.

Dong Hong and Yang Dandan were usually easygoing, but Song Sha was different. Her family was extremely well-off, with their own company and businesses, and she had the typical temper of a spoiled heiress.

Song Sha was good at dressing herself up. With her fashionable clothes and pretty face, she was very popular among the freshman class.

In just a few short months since enrollment, plenty of boys had supposedly pursued her, but not one had caught Song Sha's eye.

Unfortunately, she had been assigned to the same dorm as Jiang Ruolin, and in comparison, she was still overshadowed by Jiang Ruolin.

As a result, Song Sha, who had always held the upper hand growing up, always felt the urge to compete with Jiang Ruolin.

This time, when she heard that Jiang Ruolin had gotten a boyfriend so quickly—and that he was Liu Shang, whose family background and overall circumstances were so ordinary—Song Sha was secretly rather pleased.

At the very least, she felt that when it came to choosing a boyfriend, she was destined to outdo Jiang Ruolin.

Sure enough, upon hearing Jiang Ruolin's suggestion, Dong Hong and Yang Dandan smiled and nodded. "Sure, sure! Hot pot sounds pretty good!"

But Song Sha frowned slightly. "Huh? But I just had hot pot with some friends a few days ago."

"And I've been to Shuxiangju once. The flavor was honestly a little average..."

"I heard a Western-style barbecue place called Annie just opened near the school. Why don't we go there and try it?"

After hearing Song Sha's words, Dong Hong and Yang Dandan smiled along somewhat awkwardly.

They had nearly grown used to the subtle tension between Song Sha and Jiang Ruolin.

As for Jiang Ruolin, though no change could be seen on her face, she could not help frowning inwardly.

Liu Shang came from an ordinary family. If they went to Annie's Western-style barbecue restaurant, it would cost at least four hundred yuan.

That was still far too expensive for a freshman.

Whenever she spent time with Liu Shang, Jiang Ruolin controlled their spending and carefully protected his self-esteem.

Besides, Jiang Ruolin had always believed that spending money given by one's parents, no matter how one spent it, was nothing to be proud of and certainly nothing worth showing off.

Before the gathering, Jiang Ruolin had worried Song Sha might do something like this. That was why she had followed Liu Shang's suggestion and changed their original plan for a small hot pot meal to the more cost-effective Shuxiangju.

While Jiang Ruolin's mind raced, Liu Shang smiled.

"Annie's barbecue restaurant? I happened to see it when I passed by a while ago."

"Let's go there. It should be relatively quiet too, so you girls won't have to deal with a noisy environment."

Seeing that Liu Shang showed not the slightest trace of discomfort, Jiang Ruolin let out a breath of relief.

Dong Hong, Yang Dandan, and the other girls naturally headed over with smiles.

Still, Song Sha subjectively stamped Liu Shang with the label of someone putting on a brave face to hide his embarrassment.

After meeting Liu Shang today, Song Sha became even more confused by Jiang Ruolin's choice.

With Jiang Ruolin's family background and such outstanding qualities, what kind of boyfriend couldn't she find?

At the very least, shouldn't he drive a luxury car, be handsome and wealthy, gentle and considerate?

Yet Jiang Ruolin had chosen a poor boy like Liu Shang, whose family background and all-around conditions were so ordinary!

It was truly unbelievable and utterly incomprehensible!

After entering the Western-style barbecue restaurant, they had to admit that its decor was luxurious. The atmosphere and surroundings were elegant, yet it still retained a youthful vitality suited to young people.

At the entrance stood a pure white cockatoo, while a pet lizard rested on a small artificial rockery beside it.

Then, after the waiter brought over the menu, the girls ordered several large cuts of grilled beef, chicken wings, and grilled vegetables.

Clearly, after seeing the listed prices, Dong Hong and Yang Dandan found them somewhat expensive as well.

Song Sha, meanwhile, considered Jiang Ruolin's feelings and did not make too much of a show of things, nor did she order anything substantial.

At that moment, Liu Shang smiled, took the menu, and added grilled prawns, black pepper sausage, honey-glazed pork, and a fruit salad.

That immediately raised both the price and quality of the meal.

When he was done, Liu Shang did not forget to ask, "It's Friday today, so let's have a good meal, relax, and welcome the wonderful weekend ahead."

"By the way, what would you all like to drink?"

Dong Hong smiled. "I'll have an iced black tea!"

Yang Dandan said, "A cola is fine for me. Liu Shang, you're really spending a lot on this meal!"

Song Sha gave Liu Shang a somewhat surprised glance. "Liu Shang, I have to say, the dishes you chose are a pretty good combination."

"Since we're in this sort of Western atmosphere, should we have some red wine?"

At this point, Song Sha deliberately paused. Then, while watching Jiang Ruolin and Liu Shang's expressions, she smiled and said:

"Just kidding. One bottle of Snow Beer will be enough for me."

Still, she was slightly disappointed. Neither Jiang Ruolin nor Liu Shang displayed the change in expression she had expected.

Though Jiang Ruolin felt a little displeased, handling such a minor situation was far too easy for her.

As for Liu Shang? There was even less need to mention him.

The next moment, Liu Shang smiled, waved the waiter over in a very worldly manner, then looked toward Song Sha, Dong Hong, and the others.

"Although this place has a Western style, the food is mainly Chinese barbecue, so it doesn't really pair well with red wine."

"And I doubt we could get any truly authentic red wine here."

"Let's have beer instead. Budweiser or Heineken—what flavor do you all prefer?"

"Dong Hong, Yang Dandan, it's the weekend tomorrow and the day after, and you don't have classes. Why don't you have a little beer too?"