Lunch was served directly in the suite.
The suite featured a massive dining room with a round dining table initially set for ten people, but it could be easily expanded.
By the ti Chen Yanfei and her friends had finished their fun, Alin had already directed the waitstaff to set up a double-layered lazy Susan on the dining table. Fifteen chairs were easily arranged in a circle around it, not feeling cramped in the slightest.
When it ca to deciding what to eat, Han Lie didn’t make the decision unilaterally.
"You’re the birthday girl; you decide." God Lie pushed the nu to Chen Yanfei. She glanced through it casually, then turned to her classmates and announced, "Everyone pick a dish. If sothing’s particularly good, we can order more later, how about that?"
"That’s absolutely perfect!"
Everyone was pleased with this suggestion, so the nu was passed around.
Han Lie casually ordered a lightly seared A5 Wagyu beef thin-sliced roll. Then, with nothing else to do, he began observing Chen Yanfei’s classmates.
There was an unpleasant truth—the average caliber and personal character of students from this faculty were indeed higher than those from Humanities.
Excluding Ding Xiang and Luo Zijun, who ca from wealthy families, there were about four or five from well-off backgrounds, and the rest were ordinary students from poorer families.
However, after overcoming their initial reserve, everyone was now quite relaxed and at ease.
Their initial reticence was a natural reaction; the relaxation they now displayed stemd from a confidence rooted deep within.
It might have been a bit naive, perhaps a little shortsighted, but young people should possess that kind of spirit.
With such spirit, they would dare to venture out and try things. Success or failure, it all counted as experience; given ti, they could certainly make a na for themselves.
As for those Humanities students who had been indulgent, lazy like dead fish, and aimless from the very beginning—even if an opportunity was handed to them on a silver platter, they were unlikely to seize it.
This was the influence of environnt on young people.
It might not be apparent daily, but at critical junctures, it could determine the course of a life.
While waiting for the food, the girls began to whisper amongst themselves. After so discussion and conferring with one another, they quickly reached a consensus.
Finally, Huang Li spoke on behalf of everyone: "Yanfei, we’ll all chip in for tonight’s dinner and the money for the KTV outing. Don’t you worry about it. And God Lie, you’re not allowed to interfere either! Give us a chance to show our appreciation and contribute to Yanfei’s birthday."
Chen Yanfei disagreed. "Didn’t you all prepare gifts? That’s more than enough. I’ll pay for the KTV. As for dinner, you should discuss it with Xiang Xiang; she’s already booked a place."
When it ca to spending money, Ding Xiang was very confident, not backing down in the slightest.
"For Yan Yan’s birthday, I’m definitely going all out! I booked Utsusemi Kaiseki Cuisine a month and a half in advance—a set al for 3,888 yuan per person. Are you sure you want to try and outdo ?"
When the price was ntioned, the students gasped.
"Holy cow! Are we eating gold or sothing?"
A price tag in the low thousands was indeed a bit extravagant.
And Han Lie knew very well that these past three years were precisely when Utsusemi Kaiseki Cuisine was at its most popular and its quality at its peak. KUROGI in Magic Capital, which opened in ’18 and was considered the top Japanese restaurant in later years, hadn’t actually surpassed Utsusemi’s zenith; Utsusemi had simply undergone a natural decline.
At present, Utsusemi was not only difficult to book but also genuinely top-tier.
Ding Xiang spending nearly 60,000 yuan on this al spoke volus about her affection for Chen Yanfei, as well as her own affluence.
"So, what should we do then?"
They looked at each other, their resolve beginning to waver.
"I’d love to try Kaiseki cuisine, but I definitely can’t afford it on my own..."
Xiao Qing openly admitted she was envious of the upcoming free al. Then, one of the boys also said bluntly, "We definitely can’t afford to split the bill for Kaiseki cuisine. Even two months of my living expenses wouldn’t be enough."
"Sa for !"
"Never mind, never mind! We’ll go with what Ding Xiang is treating us to!"
"It’s a little embarrassing... but honestly... I’m also really curious what that Utsusemi Japanese place tastes like..."
Once one person spoke up, the others dropped the pretense and didn’t try to insist.
So, Huang Li had to try negotiating with Chen Yanfei: "Well, in that case, how about we cover the cost for karaoke?"
"No need!" Chen Yanfei refused emphatically. "It’s my birthday, and it’s more than enough that you all ca. Xiang Xiang has money to burn, and I can’t really stop her, but none of the rest of you are to spend another cent."
"What about him then?" Huang Li suddenly jerked her chin toward Han Lie.
Everyone’s attention imdiately focused on him. They suddenly realized Chen Yanfei hadn’t ntioned Han Lie at all in what she just said.
Xiang Xiang genuinely had money, so it was understandable that she couldn’t easily be stopped. But Han Lie? She didn’t want to stop *him*?! Were her feelings for him really that deep, to the point of considering him completely one of their own?!
When the others considered this, most just felt a twinge of envy, but it wasn’t a major issue.
However, when Luo Zijun registered this differential treatnt, the anger he had been suppressing until now surged violently.
Before Chen Yanfei could respond, he interjected, "Everyone has made their offers, and I can’t just stand by. God Lie already paid for the suite. I’ll cover the bulk of this lunch. The other guys can each give 100 yuan as a token contribution. We can’t have it look like we n from our faculty only know how to freeload, can we?"
Everyone was montarily taken aback.
His remark was clearly barbed and jarringly out of sync with the overall atmosphere.
The crux of it was the "us versus them," "insider versus outsider" undertone, subtly casting Han Lie as an outsider.
Fang Xing, though direct, wasn’t entirely without tact. He was the first to agree: "Sounds good! I can definitely afford 100 yuan. It’s a contribution, however small."
Luo Zijun’s roommates quickly chid in to support him—at a critical mont like this, there was no reason not to back their own.
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