"You're the rising star of the fishing world, aren't you? Those prize winnings from your competitions have made us all envious. We've finally caught you, so you're treating us to dinner at the Nest tonight."
"No problem, eat as much as you want, ha ha ha!"
Huang Pinliang and Li Yiting were among his closest classmates from high school. Coming from modest families, they had more pocket money than average and often found ways to treat Li Haochen to meals. He remembered all of it.
Although they attended schools far apart, their contact never ceased, and their relationships remained as strong as ever.
He had originally planned to invite everyone out for a gathering around the second year of junior high. He hadn't expected to run into them today, and Li Haochen was now overjoyed.
"You heard him, Auntie! We're going to fleece the rich guy today, aren't we? Heh heh!"
"Why don't we invite Zilin and Junhao tonight? It's been a while since we all got together."
"It has been a long time. Let's do that. You guys contact them, and I'll book a room at the Nest in a bit."
"Any place will do. The Nest is probably fully booked at this time."
"Let's check first. If there's a room, I'll book it. If not, I'll find another place. I'll WeChat you later."
When Li Haochen came out of Xi Tea, the dragon and lion dance performance on the street outside had already ended. However, he didn't feel disappointed. Meeting good friends made him happier than any performance.
Although there were many people on the street now, it didn't feel crowded anymore. Walking back along the pedestrian street, it took less than five minutes to get back to the commercial city.
When he went to get his bike, he searched his pockets but couldn't find the number tag. Recalling, he suspected that "that female hooligan" might have lost it. He was quite annoyed and had to pay twenty yuan to get his electric bike back.
Upon receiving the money, the old man in charge of the parking was very happy. It was just a piece of bamboo with a small hole, tied with a red string, and a number written on it with an oily pen. The money was earned so quickly. He even suspected that "that female hooligan" was his accomplice.
After dinner on the first day of the Lunar New Year, most people would go out shopping. Wanda City was the most prosperous mall in Xinning City, making it the best place for a stroll.
The Nest was located on the top floor of Wanda City. It was named after its resemblance to the Bird's Nest in Yanjing and was considered the most upscale club in Xinning City. Therefore, the patrons who frequented this place were generally young people from business families or those in stable employment.
He paused briefly on the second floor, intending to greet Zhang Zilin, but decided against it since they were meeting tonight.
The food establishments in Wanda City were the busiest. As Li Haochen arrived on the top floor, even though it was well past the dinner rush, the restaurants were still crowded.
Upon entering the Nest, he found the environment and atmosphere quite pleasant. The seats by the window offered a view of Xinning's unique night scenery.
"Miss, I'd like to book a private room."
"One moment!"
The beautiful attendant at the front desk looked up at Li Haochen, then pulled out a thick ledger to search. When she reached the page for the first day of the Lunar New Year, she glanced at Li Haochen again and quickly closed the book. "I'm sorry, sir, all our rooms are booked for today."
"Is that so? Then never mind."
Li Haochen was slightly disappointed. As he turned to leave, he bumped squarely into someone. "Ouch!"
"I'm sorry, are you alright!"
Li Haochen was fine, but he had caused the young lady to fall onto her backside. Fortunately, she was wearing pants.
Before Li Haochen could help her up, the young lady, with a hint of complaint, stood up, rubbing her pert buttocks with her hands. "How can you be so... Li... Haochen?"
"Jiaqi?"
Indeed, this young lady was Mai Jiaqi, Mu Rongyanran's roommate, who also had some minor conflicts with Li Haochen and his friends.
Both were taken aback, not expecting to meet in such a minor city.
"Boss lady, are you alright?"
At this moment, the attendant from the counter also rushed out, asking with concern.
"Boss lady?"
Li Haochen looked at Mai Jiaqi, a bit confused, and asked.
Mai Jiaqi smiled and said, "It's been a while since we last saw each other. Shall we sit down and chat?"
"Okay."
In reality, there was no deep animosity between them. They had been competitors in the coconut jelly business before. In business, wasn't this normal? Li Haochen thought for a moment and followed Mai Jiaqi into her office.
"Is Yanran doing well?"
"She's doing very well!"
Mai Jiaqi poured Li Haochen a cup of tea and sighed, "Alas, thinking back now, I was a bit jealous of Yanran, which led to our unpleasant falling out. I'm quite sorry to her."
"Actually, there wasn't that big of a conflict. You guys just need to find time to sit down and talk, and everything will be fine. She often talks about you and always wanted to find you, but she couldn't contact you."
They chatted for quite a while, and Mai Jiaqi's mood seemed to improve. They exchanged WeChat information. When Li Haochen left, he was, of course, given the most luxurious private room.