Chapter 188: New Year Gathering |
Mei Fang had planned the annual gathering as early as when he was still in Baizhou City. After all, it wasn’t easy for him to make a trip back to Baimei County.
He wanted to take advantage of this precious opportunity to meet important people, boost everyone’s enthusiasm for games, and also mention the follow-up plans for work.
The gathering was arranged at the most bustling restaurant in Baimei County, Xinneige. It was a special restaurant that combined a KTV and a Chinese-Western restaurant.
It was initially inspired by the famous catering brand in Jiangcheng, Xiuyu Black Tea House. The menu included clay pot rice, fried rice, rice bowls, and other Chinese dishes, as well as baked rice, steak, pasta, cakes, ice cream, and other Western dishes.
Because the restaurant offered a wide variety of dishes, the complimentary meat soup that came with the clay pot rice was a local specialty. Coupled with the pleasant environment, it had always been an excellent place for students, young people, and blind dates.
But apart from that, they had another feature—they could choose to dine in the restaurant’s attached KTV rooms.
As long as the consumption reached a certain amount, they could use the KTV for free for up to four hours.
Of course, the above-mentioned rules were mostly irrelevant during the Lunar New Year when the hometown was bustling with customers. During New Year, these rules didn’t apply, and everyone could only order a specific low-cost alcohol package to reserve the KTV rooms for the gathering.
Due to this reason, the probability of student parties visiting during New Year would decrease, but it would still be packed as usual. If they hadn’t pre-booked the rooms, it would be difficult to find available rooms on short notice.
After all, Boss Mei had moved to Baizhou City, so he didn’t have many chances to meet everyone in Baimei County. When Mei Fang sent the invitation in the group chat, everyone responded enthusiastically.
Mei Fang, Xia Yuan, and Lin Youxi went to the ATM at the bank and withdrew some money. They were a bit rushed, so they arrived a little late. As soon as they opened the door to the private room, they immediately heard Peng Xue’s singing.
Since she often came here to sing, she was quite familiar with the place. The others had an awkward expression as if it was their first time here, and they obediently sat in their seats without saying a word.
When Peng Xue saw Mei Fang, she put down the microphone and greeted him warmly.
“Oh, wow! Boss Mei! Long time no see, and you’ve become even more handsome!”
As she spoke, she even struck a pose as if she wanted to hug Mei Fang. Xia Yuan, of course, would not give her friend a chance to steal her man, quickly pulling Peng Xue away. “You’re being too excited, Xiaoxue!”
“Haha, I know, just kidding.”
“You think you’re so funny, don’t you?” Yue Xinyi was still fond of complaining and criticizing Peng Xue, but she seemed much more refreshed and capable than before. She spoke with a sense of maturity and stability. After Mei Fang nodded to her, he also greeted Liu Xiaoyu.
“Has Zhang Ming and Guo Yun not arrived yet?”
“I’m here!”
Zhang Ming suddenly raised his hand and caught Mei Fang off guard. “Hey, why are you sitting alone in the corner of the bar?”
“I like peace and quiet place.”
Zhang Ming held the can of cola in his hand, his gaze filled with melancholy.
“Oh, come on, you’re just trying to look cool. You still haven’t gotten over being beaten up by those kids from the science experimental class, have you?”
Yue Xinyi bluntly exposed Zhang Ming’s facade and then crossed her arms, looking at Mei Fang. “By the way, I’ve already met Xiaoyu in the group. Also, just now, a girl came and said she’s with us.”
“Why didn’t you inform us in advance when bringing a new person to the gathering? The atmosphere was so awkward. We barely said a few words, and she went to the restroom. She’s also new here.”
“What? That’s not a new person… Isn’t that Guo Yun?”
“I thought you all already knew each other, that’s why you interacted that way, so I didn’t ask more about it,” Liu Xiaoyu remarked.
“Oh, it’s Guo Yun… No wonder.”
“Guo Yun?”
“…”
“…”
Yue Xinyi, Zhang Ming, and Peng Xue were stunned for a moment after hearing that, looking at each other in surprise, and then exclaimed in unison:
“That’s actually Guo Yun?!”
Guo Yun had just returned from the restroom, wiping her hands.
“Uh… Were you calling my name? What’s wrong with me… Oh, Yuan Yuan, Youxi, and Mei Fang are already here?”
Before Guo Yun could greet the three of them, Peng Xue immediately pulled her into the KTV room, with Yue Xinyi and Peng Xue on either side, curious about how Guo Yun had transformed so much.
“It’s only been half a year, how did you lose so much weight?!”
“Your skin is well maintained, you look so youthful!”
Except for Peng Xue and Mei Fang (from the previous timeline), everyone else here was visiting KTV for the first time. In their impression, KTV was a very “unhealthy” place, so they were still a bit cautious.
“Have you ordered food?”
“We’ve already ordered the alcohol package, so we won’t order anything extra to eat. It’s too expensive here during New Year, it’s like robbing us of our money.”
“Of course. They’re just running a business. It’s to be expected.”
Mei Fang opened the Xinneige’s special New Year menu and was about to find something to eat. Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi skillfully leaned over from both sides to look at the menu. Everyone who saw it had a tacit understanding—the relationship between the three of them seemed to have gone a step further.
But if their relationship with Mei Fang had become warmer, wouldn’t it be the same as if no progress at all?
“What’s delicious here?”
Xia Yuan tugged at Mei Fang’s arm. “Ah Fang, do you have any recommendations?”
“I heard their clay pot rice is pretty good…”
“I just had lunch. I don’t want to eat rice right now,” Xia Yuan pouted.
“Then how about a banana boat? This ice cream dessert is famous here.”
“Ah Fang, you’re really good at recommending. Then I’ll have this one.”
Xia Yuan was now almost completely leaning against Mei Fang, grabbing at dishes, which made Yue Xinyi feel a tightness in her chest, while Peng Xue cheered in excitement.
After Mei Fang and Xia Yuan finished ordering, they handed the menu to the others. “What do you want to eat? Let’s order together.”
“Uh… This is a package room with a set menu. Ordering more will make it even more expensive,” Zhang Ming said. “Let’s just go with this… Splitting the bill equally seems a bit costly.”
Mei Fang shook his head. “It’s fine. It’s on me today.”
“The whole bill? Mei Fang, you’re paying for everything?”
Zhang Ming was quite surprised. “Are you being so generous with your money now?”
“Hmph, little Zhang Ming, who do you think Boss Mei is?” Peng Xue teased with a playful smile, while Yue Xinyi shook her head as she facepalmed. “This is what happens when you don’t keep up with the game development team.”
After they finished ordering, Peng Xue continued singing, and Xia Yuan went to choose songs with Mei Fang. The others continued to enjoy the New Year gathering atmosphere.
Since all of them were still students, they were drinking fruit juice or tea. Mei Fang sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. When he noticed that Guo Yun and Liu Xiaoyu had empty glasses in front of them, he graciously poured a cup for each of them.
“Thank you, Mei Fang.”
“Tha… Thank you…”
Mei Fang noticed that they seemed a bit nervous and under pressure, so after pouring the tea, he didn’t join the girls in sitting together. Instead, he went to sit next to Zhang Ming at the bar, on a tall stool.
“Are classes in the science experimental class tiring?”
“The things we learn are the same as in the regular class, but the competition in the class is quite intense.”
Zhang Ming smiled bitterly at Mei Fang. “I haven’t made it into the top 30 in any exams this whole year.”
“I see… It’s understandable since it’s a science experimental class after all.”
“The science experimental class at Baimei No. 1 High School is already very intense. So, the academic pressure at Jiangcheng No. 1 High School must be even greater, right?”
“Ah? Pressure? It’s okay, not much…”
Mei Fang pursed his lips. “By the way, I’ve made some progress in my guitar playing and even performed on stage.”
Zhang Ming’s expression became extremely surprised. “You have so much free time! Wait, no, you actually went on stage?!”
“Zhang Ming, you really don’t know anything…”
While Yue Xinyi sighed, Peng Xue handed the microphone to Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi, then sat down with a bottle of cola.
“How dare he not care about our Boss Mei at all? This friend of his is probably going to lose his job… From now on, Boss Mei will be surrounded by cute girls. Only those with a level of attractiveness above Yue Xinyi will be allowed in.”
Yue Xinyi suddenly became furious upon hearing this. She pinched Peng Xue’s thigh in anger. “What standard are you treating me as, hey! By the way, why are you here at the Ximilu Studio gathering? You haven’t done any work on our side for the whole year, have you?”
“How could you say that?! Can’t you figure out the reason? Actually…”
Peng Xue leaned close to Yue Xinyi’s ear and whispered in a devilish tone:
“Now… I actually have a sugar daddy relationship with Boss Mei.”