Guo Yunbing sneered inwardly, confident that his guess was almost spot-on—Xu Xiaofan had definitely been taken away by a woman.
But since they were all just working here, and Xu Xiaofan didn't want to talk about it, Guo Yunbing didn't press further.
He lay back on his bed, picked up his phone, and continued playing his game.
Xu Xiaofan went to the sink, washed his face, then took off his shoes and climbed up to his bunk.
Lying on the bed, he replayed the events of the past day and night in his mind, feeling a bit muddled.
Before long, a deep sense of fatigue washed over him, and he closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep.
He didn't know how long he had slept when he was awakened by the urgent ringing of his phone.
Groggily, he reached for his phone and answered the call.
"Hello, is this Xu Xiaofan?" A gentle female voice came from the other end.
Xu Xiaofan was taken aback, sitting up in bed: "Yes, who is this?"
"It's Zhao Yutong. You saved me this morning. Are you free now?"
Xu Xiaofan hadn't expected that the call was really from Zhao Yutong.
To thank Xu Xiaofan for his bravery that morning, Zhao Yutong sincerely said over the phone that she wanted to treat him to dinner.
In the past, when he still had Li Huimei as his girlfriend, Xu Xiaofan might have found an excuse to decline an invitation from another woman to avoid suspicion.
But now the situation was different. He had completely broken up with Li Huimei and was a free single man.
Now, with such an outstanding beauty actively inviting him to dinner, he couldn't find a reason to refuse, so he agreed without hesitation.
After hanging up the phone, Xu Xiaofan immediately got out of bed.
He went to the bathroom, washed up carefully, and even styled his hair with cold water.
He found the cleanest white shirt from his suitcase, put it on, and stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his appearance for quite a while.
This scene was fully observed by Guo Yunbing, who was sitting on the lower bunk.
Guo Yunbing put down his phone, his eyes filled with gossip.
He stared at Xu Xiaofan and asked, "Brother Fan, why are you dressing up so handsomely? Be honest, did that rich lady who often hits the waitstaff in the VIP room take a liking to you and invite you out?"
The person Guo Yunbing was referring to was naturally Su Li.
In the eyes of all the staff at Gilded KTV, Su Li was practically a legendary figure.
She was more beautiful than those glamorous stars on TV, with an air of nobility, clearly a daughter of a wealthy family. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
To them, mere servers, Su Li was like a swan in the sky, unattainable.
But last night, Guo Yunbing had seen through the glass on the door that Xu Xiaofan had confidently held Su Li's hands, and the two had sat face-to-face for half an hour without any incident.
This was unprecedented in the KTV.
So, in Guo Yunbing's view, if Su Li had taken a liking to Xu Xiaofan and invited him out for dinner, it wasn't an impossible scenario.
Xu Xiaofan buttoned his shirt, turned to Guo Yunbing, and said, "It's not her. What are you daydreaming about all day?
I'm just meeting an ordinary friend."
With that, he didn't give Guo Yunbing a chance to continue gossiping, opened the dormitory door, and walked out.
Following the address Zhao Yutong sent on WeChat, Xu Xiaofan hailed a taxi by the roadside and arrived at a place called "Guanlan Pavilion."
As soon as he reached the entrance of Guanlan Pavilion, the sight before him made his eyes light up.
This Chinese restaurant was located in the most bustling area of the city.
The entrance was made of heavy black walnut wood, with two hostesses in cheongsams standing by the door.
Inside, there was no noisy chatter, only the melodious sound of a guzheng.
Whether it was the calligraphy and paintings on the walls or the carpeted corridors, one glance was enough to tell that dining here was definitely not cheap.
Xu Xiaofan took a deep breath, walked to the front desk, and gave the name Zhao Yutong to the uniformed server.
The server smiled professionally, bowed slightly, and led Xu Xiaofan inside.
After rounding a screen, Xu Xiaofan was brought to a quiet booth by the window, where he saw Zhao Yutong already seated.
This was the second time Xu Xiaofan had seen Zhao Yutong.
Whether it was the restaurant's soft lighting, the fact that Zhao Yutong had touched up her makeup, or because she had looked so disheveled while being chased that morning, sitting quietly in the booth now, Zhao Yutong looked exceptionally beautiful.
She had changed into a black silk dress, with a thin platinum necklace around her neck.
Her posture was very proper, exuding a unique charm that only a mature woman with life experience could have, gentle yet dignified.
Xu Xiaofan sat down across from her.
Feeling the upscale atmosphere around him and looking at the exquisite Zhao Yutong opposite, Xu Xiaofan instinctively tugged at his less than hundred-yuan cheap white shirt, feeling like a country bumpkin who had just entered the city, unsure of where to place his hands and feet. Visit novelping.com for the full chapter.
Noticing Xu Xiaofan's awkwardness, Zhao Yutong smiled warmly.
She picked up the thick, gold-embossed menu from the table, handed it to Xu Xiaofan, and softly said, "Order whatever you like. Don't be shy; I'm treating today as a formal thank you for saving my life."
Xu Xiaofan took the menu and opened the first page.
Looking at the dazzling array of dishes, his eyes involuntarily drifted to the price column next to them.
His heart skipped a beat.
The prices here were outrageously high.
Even a small portion of ordinary pumpkin porridge was priced at 58 yuan.
The meat dishes were all several hundred yuan per serving.
Xu Xiaofan's monthly salary was only a few thousand yuan, so he really couldn't bring himself to order.
He flipped through two pages and picked the two most inconspicuous and cheapest vegetarian dishes on the menu.
Then he quickly closed the menu and handed it back to Zhao Yutong.
"I'll just have these two; you can order the rest," Xu Xiaofan said.
Zhao Yutong saw that he was trying to save her money but didn't call him out on it.
She took the menu, added a few of the restaurant's signature dishes and a soup, then handed the menu to the server to place the order.
After the server left, Zhao Yutong poured a cup of tea and handed it to Xu Xiaofan.
She placed her hands on the table, looking at him sincerely, and once again thanked him for saving her that morning.
"Really, if you hadn't shown up in time, I can't imagine what would have happened. Those people looked fierce and menacing," Zhao Yutong's voice still carried a hint of relief.
Xu Xiaofan took a sip of tea to mask his nervousness and replied, "There's no need to be so polite. In that situation, anyone passing by would have helped. It was just a small effort."
As they chatted, Xu Xiaofan's gaze inadvertently drifted over Zhao Yutong's shoulder to the other side of the restaurant.
His eyes suddenly froze.
He saw two familiar figures being led by a server to a booth not far from them.
Of these two, the man, fat and balding on top, was none other than Zhao Gaoyou.