After changing their clothes, the two went out hand in hand. Duan Xu then notified Zhou Zhou and Xiao Xu on his phone to wait for them in the parking lot.
A short while later, the four of them got into the car and headed to a barbecue restaurant. That's right, they were having barbecue tonight.
They went to a self-service barbecue restaurant, which offered a variety of seafood in addition to meat and vegetables.
When they arrived, Xue Jingshu and Han Xi were already there, but Du Shen and Ye Xinyu were not yet there.
"Come in first, I've already made a reservation." Since Zhou Zhou and Xiao Xu were treating, the two of them acted as hosts, inviting them inside.
Zhou Zhou booked two adjacent four-seater tables, which were connected together, and all eight people could sit down comfortably.
They went in one after the other, with Xue Jingshu and Han Xi at the back, while Duan Xu and Shen Yanlang were right in front of them.
Xue Jingshu raised an eyebrow as he watched Shen Yanlang figure. Duan Xu had Duan Xu passed by him, and although he had a barrier patch on, he could still smell a very faint scent of Shen Yanlang's pheromones.
Xue Jingshu silently curled her lips and glanced at Han Xi beside her.
Han Xi noticed and looked at him, his eyes asking what was wrong.
Xue Jingshu slightly, but his smile was meaningful.
Han Xi was puzzled.
Shortly after they sat down, Du Shen and Ye Xinyu arrived.
"Make your own dry and oily dipping sauces! Don't be shy," Zhou Zhou said.
Du Shen stood up and said with a smile, "Of course I can't be polite, I'm going to eat my money's worth tonight!"
"Let's go, let's get the meat first!" Ye Xinyu pulled Du Shen and ran towards the ingredients area.
Duan Xu and Shen Yanlang were also busy; Duan Xu went to adjust the dishes, Shen Yanlang went to get the food, their tasks clearly divided.
Han Xi and Xue Jingshu had the same division of labor, so Duan Xu met Han Xi in the condiment area.
He hadn't actually spoken to Han Xi alone yet, and now that it was just the two of them in the condiment area, he felt a little awkward, so he tried to find a topic to talk about.
"Han Xi, is this yours? You seem to have a rather bland palate," Duan Xu said dryly.
Han Xi looked up at him, hummed in agreement, and then said, "I don't like it."
"Actually, a lighter diet is better; it won't upset your stomach," Duan Xu smiled, his tone much more natural than before.
Han Xi hummed in agreement, then noticed that both of his bowls contained small red chilies and asked, "Does Shen Yanlang allow you to eat this spicy food?"
"Uh..." Duan Xu paused, then looked around suspiciously before finally leaning closer to Han Xi and saying, "Quietly, he won't know. I'll take it over and hide it; it shouldn't be discovered."
Han Xi stared at him with his cold eyes. They were about the same height and could look at each other at eye Duan Xu. Duan Xu's slightly smug eyes came into view.
He couldn't help but smile and said, "You're cute."
"Huh?" Duan Xu blinked, smiled sheepishly, and replied politely, "You're cute too."
Han Xi: "..."
The two finished preparing the dishes and returned to their seats. The table was covered with various ingredients, and Xue Jingshu and Shen Yanlang had already started grilling.
The location was the same as before at the service area; Duan Xu and Han Xi sat side by side inside.
Duan Xu sat down, Shen Yanlang glanced at the plate he had put down, raised an eyebrow slightly, but said nothing.
[She ate such spicy food again. I'll get her something Xuxu later.]
Duan Xu: "..."
Oh dear, we've been discovered.
He hadn't expected Shen Yanlang to return to his seat so quickly, and he was even thinking of using his chopsticks to hide the chili peppers in the condiment pile while Shen Yanlang was away.
Shen Yanlang flipped the meat on the grill, then put down the tongs, got up, and left.
Duan Xu turned his head and looked at it, letting out a small sigh.
Han Xi noticed and asked him, "What's wrong?"
Duan Xu glanced at him, then sighed, "He found out. He went to get me a new dipping sauce."
Han Xi's lips curled into a slight smile as he said, "Eating something light is good; it won't upset your stomach."
Duan Xu: "..."
"Xuxu!" Zhou Zhou sat down opposite Duan Xu, carrying a large plate of shrimp. "Look! Isn't it delicious?"
Duan Xu's eyes lit up instantly, "Great! Put them all in the soup pot!"
The all-you-can-eat barbecue restaurant they were eating at also had a small soup pot, similar to a mini hot pot, so they could enjoy both barbecue and hot pot – the best of both worlds.
Zhou Zhou poured the whole plate into the pot, almost overflowing the soup in the small pot. Duan Xu quickly said, "That's enough, that's enough. We'll get another plate later."
"No problem!" Zhou Zhou replied.
Seeing this, Han Xi turned and tugged at Xue Jingshu, whispering, "I want to eat shrimp too."
Upon hearing Xue Jingshu smiled and narrowed his eyes, "Alright, I'll go get it."
Ye Xinyu and Du Shen returned, carrying a plate of shrimp. Ye Xinyu sat down and said, "Come on, these are freshly served shrimp. Do you want them grilled or in a hot pot?"
"Soup pot." Xue Jingshu stopped getting up, took the shrimp from Ye Xinyu's hand, and put it into the soup pot.
Shen Yanlang returned and placed a new dipping dish in front of Duan Xu. "Eat this."
Duan Xu said "Oh," and looked at the dipping sauce he had prepared, his eyes filled with reluctance. "What should we do with this? We can't let it go to waste, can we?"
Seeing his expectant look, Shen Yanlang curled the corners of his lips and said, "You can use it again, but you can only eat what I put in it, you can't dip it yourself."
[Give Xuxu just a little bit, just enough for her to taste.]
"...Alright then." Duan Xu thought, something is better than nothing.
Once everyone was seated, they grilled and ate while chatting, recounting some interesting stories from the New Year and sharing glimpses of their school days.
Xue Jingshu then explained his plans.
He'll be a senior in the fall and needs to prepare for job hunting, but he doesn't want to go directly into his family's company. Instead, he wants to gain experience outside first.
"We're planning to start a company next year, but we haven't decided what it will be like yet." Xue Jingshu took a sip of her drink. "Are you interested in joining us?"
None of the people at the table spoke immediately; instead, they were deep in thought.
After a moment, Shen Yanlang spoke up, "We need to determine the direction of the target before we can have a basic idea."
"Yes, Jing-ge." Du Shen swallowed a mouthful of meat and said, "If it's decided what to do, then maybe I could be a little interested."
Xue Jingshu frowned slightly, then said calmly, "Actually, I prefer software or games."
While this market isn't saturated, it certainly doesn't lack people or companies, and the potential for substantial profits is considerable.
"Hey, Yan-ge is pretty good!" Duan Xu interjected, "Isn't this what you're studying?"
"Hmm." Shen Yanlang nodded slightly. "I've also been thinking about starting a company, but it's too early now, and I lack the experience."
Actually, he started teaching himself programming after finishing the college entrance examination. He is smart and talented. He is not yet at the expert level, but he knows the basics and can easily make small software programs.
However, his technical skills still need improvement, and he needs more experience in working on entire software projects.
"Is a year enough?" Xue Jingshu bypassed Han Xi and Duan Xu, looking directly at Shen Yanlang through his glasses.