In his previous life, ever since the trouble with his family’s orchard, everything had been enough to leave Fan Xiwen overwhelmed. Naturally, he had no heart for his studies, and his grades plummeted.
Later, because his mother insisted so firmly, Fan Xiwen had no choice but to attend Xiangcheng Vocational and Technical College—in other words, a junior college.
His roommates there were all quite decent. Later, when his mother died after suffering from depression, they even tried everything they could to help Fan Xiwen emerge from the shadows.
However, just as Fan Xiwen was preparing to start living again, he underwent transmigration.
It could be said that during his final two years on Unnamed Star, apart from his mother, it was his roommates who accompanied Fan Xiwen.
The chubby Zhou Pengcheng, the skinny-monkey-like Tong Te, Chang Hanbang, who could chat about anything under the sun, Zhang Jin, who had little mind of his own but an exceptionally good temper, and the muscular hunk Yan Weihao, a sports-specialized student.
Even after enduring three thousand years of trials and tribulations, Fan Xiwen still remembered these five people deeply.
“In this lifetime, if possible, I still want you to be my roommates.”
After draining the wine in his cup, Fan Xiwen looked at the fat man entering the Wine Tavern with a large group of people and murmured to himself.
In this lifetime, Fan Xiwen had returned through Rebirth, and the matter concerning the orchard had already come to an end. It was no exaggeration to say that, let alone the universities of the Dragon Nation—even universities in every country on Unnamed Star—Fan Xiwen could attend any of them at will. However, if he still wanted to attend the same school as these brothers in this lifetime, the only possibility was for him to secretly lend them a hand. Otherwise, it would still be very difficult.
After all, Fan Xiwen was the only one whose life trajectory had changed.
Moreover, judging from his parents’ expectations for him, if Fan Xiwen entered a junior college as the top scorer in the college entrance examination, they would probably be angered to death.
He poured himself another glass and slowly reminisced about the past. The past was like smoke; it had to be savored carefully.
In his previous life, how fortunate he had been to have these roommates!
..
The chubby Zhou Pengcheng led a group of people into the Wine Tavern. After entering, he loudly asked the server, “Do you have enough tables here? We’ll have more classmates coming later.”
“At least five tables.”
The server immediately replied with a smile, “Enough, definitely enough.”
“Good. Make the preparations, and serve according to the 888 standard. Also, prepare two cartons of premium cigarettes. We’ll come over after we finish singing karaoke.”
After Zhou Pengcheng finished speaking, several young men beside him immediately laughed and said, “Old Zhou, you’re really going all out for Su Ya’s birthday this time.”
Five tables at the 888 standard, plus two cartons of premium cigarettes and the liquor and other drinks would cost nearly five thousand.
For a high school student, this was no small sum. Besides, Zhou Pengcheng’s family was not wealthy. They ran a supermarket, and their annual income was indeed quite good, but Zhou Pengcheng received only a little over a thousand yuan in living expenses each month. For him, this counted as a major splurge.
“There’s nothing I can do. Who told me I like her?”
Zhou Pengcheng had a carefree personality. Once he decided to do something, even eight horses would have trouble dragging him back.
“To be honest, I started planning this half a year ago, but money disappears too quickly. This time, I even borrowed quite a lot from my brother-in-law.”
Zhou Pengcheng spoke very seriously to his group of buddies. “Whether this works tonight depends entirely on you guys.”
“No problem. Leave it to us.”
“Damn it, you’ve spent nearly five thousand. If Su Ya still refuses, how are you going to hold your head up in class afterward?”
These half-grown boys were very skilled at talking. City kids matured relatively early, and some of them matured to an almost absurd degree.
“All right, let’s go sing karaoke first.”
After leaving a thousand yuan deposit, Zhou Pengcheng led everyone away. They had arrived quickly and left just as quickly. Before leaving, he bought another carton of premium cigarettes at the counter. He was going to confess his feelings tonight, and these buddies around him would be very useful, so naturally he had to keep them well supplied. He had already spent five thousand yuan, so he no longer cared about another two or three hundred.
After this group of youths had left, Fan Xiwen suddenly beckoned to the server, took out a bank card, and handed it over. He then whispered a few words into the server’s ear before continuing to drink as though nothing had happened.
There was nothing particularly strange about someone sitting alone and drinking by himself if that person were older. But seeing it in a young man who looked like a student inevitably made people marvel.
Fan Xiwen drank very slowly, seemingly burdened with worries, and a melancholic air clung to him. If this had been a bar, who knew how many women would have come over to share a drink with him and hear his story? As luck would have it, people had developed a peculiar taste over the past two years: they liked melancholic men, and Fan Xiwen possessed both qualities.
An hour later, Zhou Pengcheng returned. Although he wore a smile, a trace of gloom lingered between his brows.
Quite a few people had come with Zhou Pengcheng, a noisy, bustling crowd. Counting them, there seemed to be forty or fifty people—he had probably brought the entire class.
Among the students, a girl was surrounded in the center like the moon among stars. Her appearance and figure were both quite good, and she stood out among the crowd. This girl was today’s guest of honor, Su Ya.
“Pengcheng, thank you so much today. I never expected you to prepare so much for me.”
Su Ya walked over to Zhou Pengcheng and said with a smile. A strained smile appeared on Zhou Pengcheng’s face. “It’s your birthday today. It’s livelier with more people.”
However, before Zhou Pengcheng could finish, a boy who had been accompanying Su Ya sneered disdainfully. “The food at Xiaoxiang Flavor Restaurant is pretty good, but it’s nothing special in Shao City. Xiao Ya, tell the classmates not to rush. I’ll call someone right now and have them arrange a Private dining room at Tingyun Pavilion.”
Tingyun Pavilion was extremely famous in Shao City. Ordinary people would have their lips tremble just looking at the menu there. Naturally, it was far more upscale than Xiaoxiang Flavor Restaurant. Tingyun Pavilion’s slogan was even more impressive: there was no most expensive, only more expensive.
That place was a money-burning pit. Ordinary people would never go anywhere near it.
When Zhou Pengcheng heard the boy mention Tingyun Pavilion, his expression immediately changed.
“Li Jiaming, if you think this place is too low-class and beneath the status of Young Master Li, you can leave. No one’s stopping you.”
“You kept whining during karaoke, complaining about this and that. Today is Su Ya’s birthday, not a time for Young Master Li to show off. Do you know how to conduct yourself?”
Zhou Pengcheng could endure no longer and shouted angrily.
However, the boy named Li Jiaming merely curled his lips into a mocking smile and completely ignored Zhou Pengcheng’s words.
“All right, Pengcheng, Jiaming, both of you should say less. It’s my birthday today. Let’s all get along.”
Su Ya smiled, then said, “Let’s go upstairs quickly. Don’t keep the classmates waiting.”
Since the birthday girl had spoken, Zhou Pengcheng naturally had nothing more to say. He could only lead the way, though before going upstairs, he did not forget to glare angrily at Li Jiaming.
On the second floor, Zhou Pengcheng’s classmates had already taken their seats. Strangely, however, there was not even a single set of bowls and chopsticks on their tables, and the server had merely asked them to sit there and wait.
“What’s going on?”
Li Jiaming, the last to come upstairs, burst out laughing when he saw the situation. “Zhou Pengcheng, is this the reservation you said you made?”
“Could it be that you want everyone to eat air?”
“What happened?”
Zhou Pengcheng shouted at a server who happened to be coming down from the third floor. Their lack of interest in singing at the karaoke venue had already been caused by Li Jiaming, leaving Zhou Pengcheng thoroughly humiliated. Now that Li Jiaming was mocking him again at the Wine Tavern, Zhou Pengcheng naturally had no patience left.
“Sir, it’s like this: you reserved the table for an hour later, so the Private dining room on the third floor is still being prepared. Please wait a moment with your friends. It will be ready shortly.”
The Private dining room on the third floor?
Zhou Pengcheng was completely stunned. He had not reserved a Private dining room. The Private dining rooms at Xiaoxiang Flavor Restaurant cost extra, and not a small amount, either.
However, before Zhou Pengcheng could ask anything, the server continued, “We’re sorry. This was our oversight. Please forgive us.”
Before he could finish speaking, another server came upstairs carrying a fruit platter. He apologized profusely and said a few words to Zhou Pengcheng’s classmates.
Moreover, servers kept bringing down dishes from upstairs, many of which had only just been served.
One by one, expensively dressed guests came down from upstairs, clearly dissatisfied, and what they said shocked Zhou Pengcheng even more.
There had been many guests eating in the Private dining rooms upstairs, yet they had been directly asked to leave?
The 888 banquet had not only been upgraded to a Private dining room on the third floor; even the guests who had been eating there had been sent away.
What was going on?
For a moment, Zhou Pengcheng’s head buzzed. Something was not right.
After glancing at Li Jiaming, who was likewise somewhat surprised, Zhou Pengcheng pulled the server aside and lowered his voice. “Didn’t I order the 888 standard? You’ve arranged a Private dining room and driven people out. With such a huge commotion, I won’t have extra money to pay later.”
Zhou Pengcheng was somewhat anxious. The little money he had brought with him seemed not to be enough.
“Please rest assured, sir. Someone has already settled the bill for you. From now on, you can ask for anything you need directly. Even if our restaurant doesn’t have it, we’ll certainly purchase it for you from another hotel.”
Zhou Pengcheng’s mouth fell wide open. “What do you mean? The bill has already been paid?”
“Yes. Someone has covered all the expenses.”
The server spoke with complete certainty.
“Who?”
Zhou Pengcheng was utterly baffled, but the server only replied with a smile, “The guest who paid the bill said it was confidential.”