304. End-of-Semester Gathering
Most students finished their exams on Thursday.
The school felt a bit deserted, with students outside dragging their luggage and preparing to leave, while the street behind the school was buzzing with activity.
At the entrance of the seafood stall, Zhang Shaoqing had ditched his usual rebellious look. His hair was slicked back with gel, and he wore a long black trench coat and leather shoes. Yan Xinya had worked her magic, making him look surprisingly mature and surprisingly restrained at the same time.
He had reserved a private room and ordered the food but was now just standing at the entrance, staring through the glass at the fish tanks inside.
Nervously pacing back and forth, his eyes darted towards the distance, occasionally glancing at the watch on his wrist.
After a moment, he spotted two figures, one tall and one short, approaching together.
The girl had finally swapped out her usual skirts for long pants, draped in a khaki trench coat, her pretty face half-hidden by a white scarf.
“Ning Chu! Over here!”
“I see you.”
Ning Chu released Wen Yang’s arm and adjusted her tail, which was wrapped around her waist, finding a more comfortable spot.
Usually, regardless of the weather, she wore skirts to hide her tail, but today, she sported a pair of holey jeans that let her tail poke out the back and then sneak back into her top, wrapping around her waist.
This made her waist appear slightly thicker than usual, but in a trench coat, she barely had a figure to speak of.
“Wow~ you’re looking so refined!” Ning Chu teased with a smirk. “What a debonair ‘gentleman’!”
“If you can’t appreciate handsome guys, keep your mouth shut.”
I have to admit, Zhang Shaoqing looked much better than usual, but his overly mature style was a little hard for her to get used to.
“Is Teacher Qian coming?”
“Xinya said she would come.”
“Oh~”
Wen Yang, trailing behind the Little Succubus, chimed in, “Is the room booked? Ning Chu, go ahead and wait in the private room. Don’t stand out here in the cold.”
“It’s booked! Room 5 on the second floor.”
“Then I’m going in to play on my phone!”
Zhang Shaoqing watched as Ning Chu dashed inside, then turned to Wen Yang, asking, “How’s my look?”
“Pretty good.”
“Then why’s your wife over there still nagging?”
Wen Yang paused at the term, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “We’re not married yet…”
“Soon enough! Just remember to invite me when you do,” Zhang Shaoqing said, eagerly glancing towards the school, complaining, “Wang Jie really took off. Once he got a girl, he forgot all about his bros. He’s going to be worn out tonight. Ugh! So envious!”
“Hey! Qian Qian’s here!” He immediately tensed up.
“Wen Yang!” He smoothed his trench coat and patted away imaginary dust. “Is my hairstyle okay? Is my scarf too messy?”
“Did Xinya do your hair?”
“Yeah, that girl seems carefree, but who knew she could do hair?” Zhang Shaoqing muttered, “She even tied my trench coat belt for me. I usually don’t bother with that.”
Xinya was putting in the effort for her ship!
Wen Yang recalled when the Wolf Girl was trying to matchmake him with Ning Chu and couldn’t help but chuckle while shaking his head. “Maybe she should just become a matchmaker.”
“I think so too! Or she could host weddings. Didn’t she host the New Year show?”
Before they could discuss further, Qian Qian, Xinya, and Lily were already approaching.
Zhang Shaoqing cleared his throat, trying to suppress his usual frivolity, and whispered to Wen Yang, “Am I coming off as powerful and charismatic?”
“……”
Wen Yang hardly had the heart to roast him.
Even zombies wouldn’t want to snack on a guy in love—so empty-headed, they wouldn’t be worth choking down.
“The private room is booked; I’ll take you all upstairs.”
Seeing the girls arriving, Zhang Shaoqing eagerly rushed over, his sharp voice softening into a low rumble, raspy and deep.
Qian Qian merely nodded slightly, her tail drooping with a look of exasperation.
If it weren’t for Zhang Shaoqing giving her an expensive Musang King durian before, she wouldn’t even have considered coming to this gathering.
“Let’s go!” Xinya tugged on her arm like she was being taken hostage, yanking her into the seafood stall.
Upon arriving on the second floor, they pushed open the private room door, only to find Ning Chu already there munching on sunflower seeds.
Wen Yang and Lily took seats beside her. Leaning in, she whispered, “Looks like she’s not too eager to talk to Shaoqing~”
“After all, there’s a big age gap.”
Like a strategy guide from Ning Chu herself, before they even settled, Zhang Shaoqing was already trying to strike up a conversation with Qian Qian.
Qian Qian was hardly engaging, her responses pitifully brief.
“Lily, does Qian Qian have any feelings for Shaoqing?” Ning Chu turned to Lily, looking concerned.
Lily shook her head, glued to her phone.
“What are you looking at? You’re not even looking up…”
Ning Chu leaned forward to peek at Lily’s screen, then promptly turned a shade of red and pulled back quickly.
“Want one?”
“No, no!” She shook her head vigorously.
Though she’d accepted small toys like these, the big ones still frightened her.
Before long, the dishes started coming out.
“Waiter! Bring a case of beer!” Zhang Shaoqing called out to the server, ready to drink and build his confidence.
Today was his last chance; he at least needed to make Qian Qian warm up to him.
But his earlier attempts at conversation had flopped, making him question whether Ning Chu’s “strategy” was flawed.
Was it just a wild goose chase?!
His phone suddenly vibrated, and he looked down to find a message from Ning Chu.
“Qian Qian is a huge fan of Stephen Chow. You can talk to her about movies.”
Zhang Shaoqing quickly typed back: “I haven’t seen many of Stephen Chow’s movies.”
“Then talk to her about anime. She probably likes the 2D stuff too.”
“Do you see me watching anime regularly?”
Ning Chu raised her head and gave him a long, unimpressed look.
I’m giving you a chance, and you’re failing miserably! You don’t watch movies or anime! Apart from gaming and partying, is there anything else you can do?!
When the lobsters arrived, she lost interest in Zhang Shaoqing and quickly got up to grab a piece of meat.
Before she could dig in, her gaze fixated on the lobster in Wen Yang’s bowl.
“Here you go.”
“No, you eat it.” She shyly insisted.
“Stop pretending; I know your little thoughts!”
Wen Yang directly placed a piece of lobster meat into Ning Chu’s bowl and then grabbed two more pieces, putting down his chopsticks. “Need me to help you peel the shell?”
Ning Chu happily nodded while munching on the lobster.
“You’re an adult, and you still need help…”
She turned to Lily, who was quietly grumbling at the side, teasing, “You should find a boyfriend who can help you peel shrimp too!”
“I hate men.”
Lily silently scooted her chair away, distancing herself from Ning Chu and Wen Yang.
They hadn’t eaten much yet, but lovebirds were already stuffing her mouth with their sweetness.
Wen Yang was definitely going to end up like Wang Jie—handsome but useless!
Toys were far better.
