Chapter 176: Celebration Dinner
“You’re not bad, huh!”
“Is the girl pretty? Have you seen her photo?”
“Show us the chat! We’ll give you some advice!”
Everyone immediately surrounded Wang Sheng, hooking their arms around his shoulders and neck to stop him from escaping. Each face was full of surprise and excitement.
Wang Sheng was usually shy, quiet, and introverted. The kind who only talked confidently when playing games. They all thought that unless his personality changed, he’d never get into a relationship. But who could have guessed he was actually good at flirting online!
An Han leaned forward excitedly to join in, her face full of playful mischief.
“Oh~ you’re blushing! What’s there to be embarrassed about!”
“No, really, we were just chatting casually… Junjie! Give me back my phone!”
Wang Sheng tried to defend himself and reach for his phone, but Long Xing used his strong, muscular arm to pin him in place. An Han also grabbed one of his arms tightly so he couldn’t move.
“Let me see!” Chen Junjie snatched the phone and ran to the other side of the table. His finger quickly scrolled up the screen. After a while, under everyone’s eager gaze, he laughed.
“‘Just chatting casually’? You only added her a few hours ago, and the chat history is already overflowing!”
“Ohhh~” Long Xing and An Han grew even more excited.
“This girl’s got selfies in her Moments, she’s pretty cute!”
“Wow!”
“She plays CS:GO too! You’ve got a real chance here! You even agreed to meet up tomorrow after only two hours of chatting!”
“Nice one!”
An Han slapped Wang Sheng on the shoulder.
“Don’t chicken out when you meet in person! Need Long Ge to go with you as backup? Maybe help you score some points?”
“No! We just agreed to go to the internet café together!” Wang Sheng’s face turned beet red. “Give me back my phone!”
“Wang Sheng, shouldn’t you go buy a couple of new outfits? You’ve been wearing the same ones for years,” Long Xing said, looking him up and down. “And that hairstyle, you should at least get a wash and style before you go tomorrow.”
Chen Junjie grinned and set the phone back on the table.
“I’ll go with you to pick out clothes later. Your taste needs work.”
“What clothes? We’re just going to play games together.”
“Exactly! Play a few rounds first, then go out afterward for a proper date. No conflict at all.”
While they continued teasing Wang Sheng, An Han had already moved quickly to grab the freshly served lamb ribs.
Watching her dormmates laugh and joke, she gnawed on a rib and turned to Su Peng on the other side.
“Why do you look like you don’t fit in with the group?”
Su Peng smiled gently.
“I just came for the free food.” (And to make sure you don’t drink alcohol.)
An Han glanced at her dormmates again and muttered softly, “It’s nice, though.”
“Don’t want to move out?” Su Peng asked.
“A little bit…”
She tilted her head back, finishing her cola, then grabbed another rib.
“It’s fun living in the dorm. Even if we argue sometimes or annoy each other, it’s still lively.”
When she thought about living alone, going to and from class by herself, she suddenly felt sad watching the noisy, cheerful scene in front of her.
“How about I move out with you?” Su Peng asked tentatively.
“Heh, didn’t you just show me that video? It said to be careful of crimes by people you know.”
Even if she hadn’t seen that video, An Han would still be wary of Su Peng.
But now, she also found herself a little cautious of her dormmates too. Before, she hadn’t wanted to live in the dorm mainly because she feared people would find out her secret and she’d be socially ruined. But now, she also worried they might develop inappropriate thoughts.
Even after living together for two years, who could really know what was going on in their minds…
That growing mistrust made An Han feel a bit guilty, but after being a man for twenty years, she knew all too well about the darker sides of men’s thoughts.
It’s still better to live outside and keep some distance.
“An Han! You damn thief, you ate two lamb ribs!”
Chen Junjie finally reacted, angrily pointing at the cleanly gnawed bone on An Han’s plate.
“There were only five in total! Do you know how expensive those are?!”
“How did I steal them! I ate them fair and square!” An Han replied loudly, though she sounded a bit guilty. “I just didn’t want them to get cold and taste bad!”
“Even if they get cold, that doesn’t mean you can eat more!”
After teasing Wang Sheng enough, Chen Junjie and Long Xing went back to their seats and quickly reached out to grab the last three ribs.
Su Peng didn’t move, he just assumed his portion had been eaten by his wife.
“Hey, Xiao Han, do you have enough money to move out now?” Long Xing took a big gulp of beer and asked, “If you don’t, I can help you borrow some.”
After finding out that An Han was a girl, he also started to hope she would move out of the dorm as soon as possible. That would be better for everyone.
“If you really move out, your bed’s gonna be mine!” Chen Junjie cursed. “Damn it, you fought me for that top bunk, and now you’re moving out? Are you brain-dead?”
An Han could only sigh helplessly. “I don’t have enough money…”
“Still not enough?” Su Peng was surprised.
While they were talking, An Han tried to reach for some beer, but Long Xing reacted fast and stuffed a bottle of cola into her hand instead.
“Ugh!” She drank the cola unhappily, thinking to herself.
After spending money to buy new underwear, the few hundred yuan she had left still wasn’t enough to rent a place.
She had checked out some nearby rentals. Most were over 400 yuan per month, with a deposit equal to one month’s rent. That meant she needed at least 800 yuan for the first month.
And that didn’t even include the cost of basic household items, which would be another 100 or 200 yuan at least.
“If I eat less this month, I should be able to afford the rent.”
An Han sighed. She really didn’t want to cut down on her food budget.
Is my system really this stingy?
Judging from the previous task’s reward, this time’s cash prize didn’t make much sense.
The reward was too small, and the task seemed too easy.
Just being hugged by Su Peng? If that’s all it takes, maybe she should let him hug her a few more times!
An Han quickly shook her head to stop that thought.
Wanting a man’s hug? That’s way too gay!
“Should we go see the house after the barbecue?”
“Let’s go tomorrow morning. The landlord might not be free at night.” An Han yawned, mainly because she was getting sleepy.
She glanced at everyone at the table, memorizing each of their reactions.
Chen Junjie, who usually argued with her the most, was the one most unhappy about her moving out, muttering curses under his breath. Long Xing and Wang Sheng didn’t seem to care much, the latter was still chatting on his phone.
“I’m full. Brother Long, give me the key, I’ll head back first.”
“You’re really being unsociable now, huh?” Chen Junjie immediately shot back. “It’s Wang Sheng’s celebration dinner! And you’re leaving halfway?”
Long Xing could already guess why she wanted to go back. He took out the key and handed it to her.
Clearly, she was going back to deal with the underwear still soaking in the bucket.
“Then I’ll get going!”
Taking the key, An Han reminded them, “Don’t let Brother Long drink too much.”
“Yeah yeah, just go already!” Chen Junjie waved impatiently.