Su Qing looked at the unfamiliar text message. The number was from Wuzhen.
Who was it?
She was puzzled. It didn't seem like a genuine congratulation. If it was, why mention the prize?
Over the weekend, taking advantage of the time she had planned to treat people to a meal after winning the prize, Su Qing went to a public phone booth and called the number.
Surprisingly, the call didn't connect as she'd expected, but instead received a busy signal.
She didn't take it seriously.
When she reached the restaurant they'd agreed to meet, Jiang Sui, Hu Yifan, Liu Ranran, and Zhang Yihan were already there.
Liu Ranran was so excited about the hot pot that she waved at Su Qing. When Su Qing reached the door, she put her arm around her wrist.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting for me."
She should have arrived earlier, but because she'd called, Jiang Sui wanted to pick her up, but she refused. When she explained she was with someone else, the young man, uncharacteristically, not only didn't come to pick her up, but actually gave her an address, saying it was a good hot pot place and she could go there.
Su Qing didn't think much of it.
When she arrived at the appointed time, they were all already there.
Liu Ranran grabbed Su Qing's arm.
"No, no, we're not late. Jiang Sui just told us to go in first and that he'd wait for you outside. But we insisted on waiting for you too."
Since they weren't at school, everyone was dressed casually, mostly in casual wear. It was just the beginning of autumn, so everyone was wearing jackets. However, even in the bustling hot pot restaurant, it was still a bit warm.
Jiang Sui stood to Su Qing's side.
"Take off your jacket? I'll put it away for you."
The young man had already draped his jacket around his wrist and was looking at her as if no one else was there.
Su Qing felt a little embarrassed, but perhaps it was too hot, so she took off her jacket and handed it to Jiang Sui.
"Brother Sui, put my coat down too!"
Hu Yifan yelled, only to receive a glare from Jiang Sui. Su Qing sat down, a bit sheepishly taking a sip of the tea in front of her to cool it down.
Zhang Yihan, seeing this, took off his coat and, watching Jiang Sui put his coat down, tried to sit next to Su Qing.
But before he could move, Liu Ranran returned from the restroom and sat directly between them, leaving Zhang Yihan completely unaware. Jiang Sui's eyes were as cold as ice because of his actions.
"Qing Qing, the hot pot smells so good! I'm going to eat my fill today!"
Liu Ranran's carefree, slightly chubby face flushed red from the heat. She took off her coat and casually set it aside.
Before Su Qing could reply, she frowned in dissatisfaction.
"Class leader, could you sit over there? It's a bit crowded, isn't it? We're both so fat, and we're sitting together..."
Liu Ranran was afraid of the heat and didn't like being close to others. Now, she realized that Zhang Yihan was practically pressing against her, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
She wasn't very familiar with Zhang Yihan, but she thought he was a good person. But ever since he'd said something bad about someone, the simple-minded Liu Ranran had started to think...
Not very good, not very good.
Hu Yifan, standing to the side, burst out laughing.
His red hair was striking and eye-catching.
"Zhang, then please move aside. I thin.. Ranran might want to sit with me."
The young man continued to glance at Liu Ranran as he spoke.
Liu Ranran looked at Hu Yifan, who was sitting next to her, and said, "I don't..."
After a brief pinch on her waist, Liu Ranran fell silent. With a blush on her face, she began to drink the water in front of her.
Jiang Sui narrowed his eyes, glanced around, and sat down next to Su Qing.
Then he handed the menu to Zhang Yihan.
"Thank you for coming to help our Qing Qing celebrate."
Zhang Yihan stared intently at Jiang Sui from beneath his glasses, sweat beads forming on his palms and forehead.
The meaning behind Jiang Sui's words was crystal clear.
He suppressed his discontent and put on a gentle expression.
"You're welcome. Qing Qing and I have been sitting at the same table for so long. Who cares who ah?"
"Qing Qing treating this time. We agreed to that I treat next week."
Next week?
Agreed?
Jiang Sui's nonchalant eyes held a hint of coldness.
"Oh, the class monitor is talking about treating us because of the recommendation. Since you've been recommended, you don't have to worry about studying anymore. But Qing Qing can't. She has to review with us next week."
Su Qing raised her eyes and looked at Jiang Sui. They were reviewing together next week?
How could she not know?
Meeting Su Qing's confused gaze, a large hand covered Su Qing's hair.
"What's wrong? Is the tea not tasty? I'll ask them to change it."
Su Qing shook her head and slowly looked at Zhang Yihan.
"Class leader, let's eat first."
Looking at the delicious dishes and the boiling hot pot base.
Su Qing loved spicy food and could handle it. She barely touched the clear soup base beside her, mostly eating the spicy hot pot.
Her once pink lips turned a fiery red from the chili peppers, and a tiny bead of sweat adorned the tip of her delicate nose.
How long had it been?
Su Qing had even gotten used to Jiang Sui handing her tissues, refilling her tea, and even picking up her favorite dishes.
Zhang Yihan saw all of this.
The meal was a joyful yet silent one.
When it came time to pay, Su Qing, keeping a precise time, quietly said she needed to use the restroom and went to the front desk.
But she was told the bill had already been paid.
Her wallet was tightly clenched in her hand, and the girl's face remained expressionless until the young man standing behind her spoke.
"Qing Qing, are you unhappy?"
She'd been worried about this ever since Jiang Sui mentioned the arrangements, but she hadn't expected it to turn out this way.
She wasn't unhappy, but she wasn't happy either.
Logically, she should be happy about saving money, but she couldn't be.
Shaking her head, Su Qing looked listless.
"No."
Her voice was flat, emotionless.
But the lack of emotion made him even more uneasy, and Jiang Sui's brows furrowed.
"Don't want to spend my money, huh?"
The inexplicable boy's tone was chilling, his piercing eyes piercing with coldness.
His slender fingertips grasped the girl's fair wrist, staring at her back.
Su Qing didn't want to cause a scene outside, so she suppressed the discomfort in her heart.
"No, they're still waiting for us. Let's go inside first."
As her wrist was released, Jiang Sui saw Su Qing leave without even turning back.
The boy finally sat down when everyone had almost finished eating.
His face was expressionless.
But Su Qing could smell the faint scent of cigarette smoke on the boy.
She couldn't help but frown.