Damn it! The girl he likes insists on dragging him to a blind date.

Only after the footsteps faded into the distance did Xia You shyly crawl out from under the table.

Perhaps she was in a hurry, because when she got up she accidentally bumped her head on the edge of the table, cried out "Ouch!" and covered her head, staggering as she did so.

Sheng Zongche subconsciously leaned forward and reached out to support her. To steady herself, Xia You unconsciously stretched out her hands and placed them on the man's legs. From the side, it looked as if she was lying on top of him.

He Yunqi's eyes widened. "Holy crap..."

Gu Chi put down his wine glass and gave him a wink. "How about we leave?"

At this moment, Xia You's face was only a few centimeters away from Sheng Zongche's. Her gaze met his eyes, and their eyes met, their breaths mingling.

Sheng Zongche stared at the girl for a moment, his peach blossom eyes filled with a captivating depth.

He spoke casually, "What are you doing, trying to sleep with me? How can you be so lewd?"

Xia You blushed immediately, quickly straightened up, and took a big step to the side. "I'm sorry, Senior Sheng, I didn't mean to. Thank you for helping me today."

Just as she finished speaking and was about to turn and leave, Sheng Zongche called out to her again, "Wait."

"Hey, is there anything else you need, Senior Sheng?"

"I helped you and you touched me, and you're just going to leave like that?"

Xia You licked her lips, glanced at the table full of delicious food out of the corner of her eye, then took out her phone. "Let me treat you to dinner. How much is this meal?"

Sheng Zongche turned his head to look at Gu Chi, "How much?"

Gu Chi held up five long, slender fingers and waved them in front of Xia You. Xia You, fiddling with her phone, said, "Oh, five hundred? Is it exactly five hundred?"

Gu Chi: "Five thousand."

"..."

Xia You, holding her phone, was so startled she almost fell to the ground.

It's just a casual meal, five thousand dollars... is it really necessary?

That day, the rice noodles she treated Sheng Zongche to only cost twenty yuan a bowl, and he ate them all.

So he's that particular?

Xia You's expression of utter disbelief amused He Yunqi, who burst into laughter. "Hey, Che-ge, why talk about money with a girl? It's so unromantic. Since she touched you, why not let her touch you back?"

Xia You: ? ?

Sheng Zongche glanced sideways at He Yunqi, "Do you need brain surgery? Think again, was it her or me who suggested the money?"

Xia You didn't have much savings to begin with, and she had just given her uncle and aunt six thousand yuan. If she had to pay another five thousand yuan for this meal, she might as well sew her mouth shut and not eat next month.

Seeing that Xia You didn't speak, Sheng Zongche opened his WeChat QR code, pushed his phone over, and said, "Scan."

After he finished speaking, He Yunqi and Gu Chi exchanged a glance. Their faces remained calm, but they both understood each other's thoughts in an instant.

Holy crap, Sheng Zongche actually added a girl on WeChat! What an amazing revelation!

Xia You was confused about Sheng Zongche's actions. She paused for a second, then scanned the QR code without hesitation and quickly added Sheng Zongche on WeChat.

I thought I was having the worst day ever, that I must have stepped in dog poop to run into Qiangzi, that thug. But I ended up accidentally adding Sheng Zongche on WeChat.

Could this be considered a turn for the better after the worst?

Xia You stared down at Sheng Zongche's WeChat profile picture—the Samoyed named Stinky Tofu. Without warning, the corners of her mouth curved upwards, as if she had a piece of candy in her mouth. That sweet smile quietly spread to the bottom of her eyes.

Sheng Zongche tilted his head, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "So excited about adding me on WeChat?"

In her excitement, Xia You spoke without thinking, "Everyone in the college is saying that your WeChat account can be sold for a lot of money, but don't worry, senior, I definitely won't sell your WeChat account for money."

Sheng Zongche repeated what he had just said, "I'm asking you, why were you so excited to add me on WeChat?"

"Because I see a glimmer of hope that will allow you to join the social club."

Sheng Zongche: ?

He Yunqi slapped the table and laughed, "Damn, Che-ge, why don't you just give in to this girl? She's too damn interesting."

Gu Chi secretly took out his phone, wondering if he should tell Sheng Wanyu about Sheng Zongche's recent series of unusual behaviors.

Sheng Zongche's lips twitched. He suppressed his temper, stood up, and walked past Xia You. "Come with me."

"??"

Xia You was a little confused, but she still followed Sheng Zongche to the outside of the private room.

The corridor of the Cantonese restaurant was bathed in gilded light, the pillars were covered in shiny brass, and crystal chandeliers hung from the carved dome.

Xia You stared at Sheng Zongche, the dappled sunlight falling on his face, and her cheeks flushed instantly, as if she had a small flame burning inside. She quickly looked away.

Sheng Zongche, his fingers tucked into his pockets, narrowed his dark, shimmering eyes. "Your uncle owes someone money, so why is that thug coming to you?"

Xia You didn't know why Sheng Zongche would be interested in this.

She raised her eyes, her long, curled eyelashes fluttering gently. "I went to my uncle's house for dinner tonight, and I ran into him by chance while waiting for the bus. He must have been drunk; he wouldn't let go of me."

"Then why did you run? There were so many people on the road, why didn't you call the police?"

"I was afraid that if I called the police, he would find out where I went to school and would harass me frequently, so I ran away whenever I could."

Sheng Zongche's face suddenly darkened. "What's going on with your uncle's family? Are they planning to sell you to pay off their debts?"

Xia You quickly shook her head, "No, no, my uncle paid off the money himself. He's not well-off either. He owed a lot of money to send my cousin abroad to study, and I can't cause them any more trouble."

After they finished speaking, they were silent for a while, their breathing becoming slightly heavy as if pulled by invisible threads.

The occasional swaying light and shadows from the chandelier fell on their tense shoulders, as if silently amplifying the tension in their silence.

Xia You glanced at her watch, realizing it was almost time to go to her part-time job at the coffee shop, so she quickly said, "Senior, I'm in a rush to get to work now. Could I send you a WeChat message when it's convenient for you?"

Suddenly, Sheng Zongche let out a low chuckle, the smile spreading from the corners of his mouth, his eyes brightening, and his previously tense shoulders relaxing. "Why did you send me a WeChat message?"

"You asked me to add you on WeChat just to stay in touch, otherwise why...?"

Sheng Zongche seemed to be selectively deaf, completely ignoring the question, and continued to ask, "So what are you going to send me?"

"I'd like to talk to you about my social club."

"..." This time, Sheng Zongche was truly angry and immediately started cursing, "Can you please not mention the words 'social club' in front of me?!"

The man's face suddenly turned cold, and the smile in his eyes vanished instantly. His brows furrowed into a deep frown, and his jawline tightened.

Xia You was a little startled. "I'm sorry, senior. I'm guilty. I won't mention it again. Please don't be angry. Getting angry is bad for your health and will cause indigestion. It would be a waste to eat such an expensive meal."

After a long silence, Sheng Zongche remained frowning and offered no response. Xia You figured he probably didn't want to see her anymore.

Just as she was about to leave, Sheng Zongche suddenly spoke up, "Xia You, besides the social club, don't you have anything else to say to me?"

Xia You thought for a moment, her lips curving upwards, and the dimples on her soft, white cheeks appeared faintly.

"Yes, I have."

"What?"

"Thank you so much for today, Senior Sheng. I'll treat you to a meal again sometime. Next time, let's not have rice noodles; let's eat something a bit more expensive."

Sheng Zongche: "..."