On Saturday night, Gu Xu drove Xia Zichen to the restaurant that Bai Caozhe had reserved. Although this was Xia Zichen’s first time meeting them in person, Bai Caozhe didn’t put on any grand display. He didn’t choose a Western restaurant either—he picked a fairly affordable seafood barbecue buffet instead.
By his logic, first meetings shouldn’t be too formal. Fancy venues like clubs had no atmosphere for eating anyway; it was better to go somewhere lively, good to eat, and reasonably priced so everyone could eat well and be satisfied.
As a foodie, Bai Caozhe naturally knew exactly where the good food was, so there was no need for Xia Zichen to worry about it. Among the four of them, only Gu Xu was a standard “young master,” so by majority rule, he could only follow them to a buffet.
In Bai Caozhe’s words, this was an experience of “commoner life.” In reality, he simply wanted to eat that barbecue place and also use it as a good setting to chat. Besides, Gu Xu actually lived quite “normally” in daily life—especially after being with Xia Zichen, everything followed Xia Zichen’s habits and preferences.
When they arrived, Jian Lang and Bai Caozhe were already waiting in the private room. After confirming the table number, a server led them inside. It was peak dinner time and the restaurant was almost full. After walking through several corridors, they reached the private room area. The rooms were few and small, only separated by glass partitions, not fully enclosed.
At the last room at the end of the corridor, two men were seated side by side. The man on the outside smiled when he saw them.
“You’re here?”
“You came quite early,” Gu Xu said, glancing at the table already filled with various dishes. It was obvious they had come as soon as the restaurant opened.
The man stood up and smiled politely at Xia Zichen behind Gu Xu. “Hello, I’m Jian Lang. My real name is Mo Xiang.”
“Hello, I’m Xia Zichen,” he replied simply.
From the moment he walked in, he had already instinctively distinguished the two of them. Mo Xiang was the calm, scholarly type—steady on the surface, but with a hint of sharpness in his eyes. He wasn’t as gentle as he looked; people like him were often the hardest to deal with, because you might not even realize when you offended them. His voice matched what Xia Zichen had heard on voice chat—deep, with a persuasive tone.
“This is Luo Ji, Bai Caozhe in-game,” Mo Xiang introduced.
“Hello,” Xia Zichen nodded.
Facing Luo Ji’s slightly teasing, almost “trying to spot gossip” expression, he greeted him calmly.
“Hello. Finally, Xu-shao brought you out,” Luo Ji smiled. “Sit down, don’t be shy.”
Luo Ji belonged to the “beautiful” category among men—someone you couldn’t help but look at twice. But his beauty carried a mischievous edge, matching his tone. It wasn’t feminine; instead it highlighted his personality. Xia Zichen briefly thought of three words: “a bit demonic.”
Still, Luo Ji’s appearance wasn’t cheap or exaggerated; he actually felt quite approachable. In comparison, Xia Zichen was also considered good-looking, but his was cleaner, more youthful, with a lingering trace of immaturity.
Gu Xu pulled out the inner seat for Xia Zichen, letting him sit inside facing Luo Ji, while he sat beside him.
“I already picked the fresh items. For meat, just tell Xu-shao what you want and he’ll get it,” Luo Ji said, sliding a plate of shrimp over.
Xia Zichen thanked him and began placing meat on the grill.
The grill was large, embedded in the center of the table.
“I’ll do it,” Gu Xu said, taking the tongs from him so he didn’t have to move.
“It’s fine,” Xia Zichen replied.
Since this was a meal with Gu Xu’s friends, he didn’t want to just sit and eat.
“Let Xu-shao handle it. Rare for him to do anything,” Luo Ji said, exchanging a meaningful glance with Mo Xiang.
“If Luo Ji hadn’t invited you, Gu Xu probably would’ve kept hiding you,” Mo Xiang added while cooking.
“I should’ve met you last time I went to his dorm, but you weren’t there,” Xia Zichen said with a small smile.
“It’s been two years since Xu-shao brought anyone back to the dorm. We only found out because you mentioned it in-game,” Mo Xiang said. “His secrecy is impressive.”
Xia Zichen glanced at Gu Xu, who only smiled without explaining.
After a while, Luo Ji stood up. “I’ll go get some vegetables and fruit. Xia Zichen, come with me—pick what you want.”
“Okay.”
Outside, Luo Ji immediately said, “You talk even less in person than in-game.”
“We knew something was different after you met Xu-shao in real life,” he continued. “We wanted to invite you earlier, but Xu-shao didn’t agree.”
“We haven’t been together long,” Xia Zichen replied.
“If you count your time in-game, it’s actually quite long,” Luo Ji said, picking out food. “Honestly, I’ve known Xu-shao for almost six years, and aside from his second brother, I’ve never seen him care this much about anyone.”
He then leaned closer. “So tell me—how far have you two progressed?”
Xia Zichen paused. He had expected this kind of questioning. This was Luo Ji being Luo Ji.
“Don’t tell me you don’t know anything?” Luo Ji raised an eyebrow. “Xu-shao has such a good body.”
Xia Zichen coughed lightly. “I don’t know.”
He really didn’t.
Even though they had been living together for days, they still slept in separate rooms.
Luo Ji blinked, then smiled awkwardly, slightly red-faced. “Tch… he’s surprisingly pure.”
Xia Zichen replied calmly, “From what Senior said, you seem more experienced.”
Luo Ji froze.
He had tried to tease Xia Zichen—but ended up getting himself instead.
When they returned, the conversation shifted.
After dinner, the four of them went to a café and chatted until around nine. Mo Xiang and Luo Ji went to the supermarket, so they parted ways.
Xia Zichen stood outside the café waiting for Gu Xu to drive over. A light rain had started falling, and Gu Xu had told him to stay put while he went to get the car.
Watching traffic pass and people hurrying through the rain, Xia Zichen felt a quiet sense of warmth. Even standing alone didn’t feel lonely—because someone was waiting for him, and he was waiting for someone.
Then two flashy sports cars sped past and stopped across the street at a nightclub.
A group of six men and two women got out. Among them, Xia Zichen recognized one person—
Lin Fei’er.
She was smiling, but the expression felt forced, like she was deliberately pleasing the girl she was holding onto. They entered the nightclub and disappeared from view.
At that moment, Gu Xu’s car arrived.
Xia Zichen looked away, got into the car, and left with him back to the school.