Chapter 60: All Wealthy Women, Three Extra Third Wheels

Along the way, Rong Xuelin and the others circled around Cheng Yao, discussing topics related to music. He spoke about certain important aspects to pay attention to in music, and the others listened intently. They didn’t find it dull at all; on the contrary, they found it fascinating and quite helpful.

Now they truly understood—Zhang Ya had sharp eyes. This hidden gem at the University of Finance was actually discovered by her. Still, it was a pity for someone like him to remain at such a place.

Their impression of Cheng Yao improved greatly; they suddenly felt that he and Zhang Ya were quite a good match. In fact, at first, they thought Cheng Yao was just another good-looking guy, and that Zhang Ya was simply dazzled by his looks. Who would have guessed he was actually so talented?

Zhang Ya gazed at him with eyes as gentle as water, as if flowers might blossom on his face. She had always considered him a strong and sensible young man, and her opinion hadn't changed.

When they arrived at their stop, the group left the subway station and came to the snack street. This little group of attractive faces walking together drew the attention of passersby—they were truly the “Four Flowers” of the Conservatory of Music, each with remarkable beauty.

Even putting aside Zhang Ya, who was the most beautiful, Rong Xuelin’s looks alone were a solid eight out of ten.

Looking around as she walked, Zhang Ya said, “Could it be Longmen?”

“You know it?”

“Of course I do. Their family’s been running this place for years. I used to eat here when I was in high school.”

Cheng Yao was surprised. “You came all the way from Jinling Bay to eat here?”

Jinling Bay was a high-end luxury residential complex in the XW district. Cheng Yao had been there a few times, and every time he saw countless luxury cars—BMWs, Benzes, Audis were common. With a bit of luck, he’d even catch a Lamborghini or Aston Martin.

Zhang Ya replied with a touch of annoyance, “Good wine needs no bush.”

“True enough.”

“You’ve all made it sound so delicious that now I’m craving it. Is it really that good?”

“Absolutely! But if we go now, we’ll probably have to wait a long time.”

When they got to Longmen, sure enough, the sidewalk outside was packed with people, every table overflowing with mouthwatering aromas. Compared to the bustling crowd there, the other shops looked nearly deserted.

Zhang Ya said, “You go queue up. We’ll go buy some fruit.”

“Alright, there’s a fruit shop right across the street.”

“Mm.”

After waiting ten minutes, Cheng Yao simply reserved a large private room. For him, eating, drinking, and having fun had long since ceased to be about expense. As long as it saved time and trouble, it was worth it—he didn’t mind spending a bit more.

Money, after all, really can solve ninety-nine percent of life’s problems.

There were a lot of messages in the group chat; Cheng Yao replied with, “Got something, went home,” then called Cheng Cheng to ask if she wanted to come.

Unsurprisingly, she agreed immediately.

After that, Cheng Yao put his phone on silent mode.

Soon, Zhang Ya and the others came back carrying two bags of fruit: watermelon and cherries.

Once inside the private room, Zhang Ya asked, “The little one must have finished her homework by now. Why not call her over?”

“I knew you’d say that. I already called her.”

“Well done. Here, have a piece of watermelon as a reward.”

Zhang Ya personally fed him a slice, while the other roommates were already overwhelmed by this display of affection—it was simply too much for them.

Rong Xuelin laughed and asked, “National Day is just around the corner. Have you thought about where you want to go?”

“We’re planning to go to Sanya. Already bought the tickets,” Cheng Yao replied.

“Sanya sounds nice! The sea is beautiful, though it’s a bit hot,” Cheng Linlin said wistfully.

Zhang Ya asked, “Why don’t you all come too?”

“We… wouldn’t it be a bit much to intrude on your plans?”

“It’s fine! Cheng Cheng is coming as well. We originally planned for three people. The more, the merrier.”

Here it came; Cheng Yao could sense trouble. Originally, only Cheng Cheng was going to be the third wheel, and now there were three more.

Rong Xuelin took out her phone. “What time are your tickets?”

“Eleven in the morning, on China Eastern Airlines.”

“Let me check…”

A few minutes later, the three of them had already bought their tickets.

Cheng Yao’s cheek twitched. Did they really make decisions this casually? So reckless!

“What about the hotel?”

“At Atlantis…”

“Alright.”

Cheng Yao understood now—these three weren’t short on money either.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Cheng Yao went over and opened it; Cheng Cheng was standing there, holding the little white dog, looking nervous.

“That was fast.”

“The driver was quick,” Cheng Cheng replied. She glanced at Zhang Ya, then broke into a wide smile. “Sister-in-law!”

No longer nervous, she handed the dog to Cheng Yao and sat down next to Zhang Ya.

Zhang Ya wrapped her in a hug. “We’ll stay at your place tonight, and I’ll hold you while we sleep.”

“Mm.”

Cheng Cheng glanced at Rong Xuelin and the others, unsure how to greet them.

Zhang Ya said, “Ignore them and eat some fruit.”

“Go ahead,” Li Yingshan pushed the cherries and watermelon over, and Cheng Cheng instantly became everyone’s favorite.

Soon, the spicy crab was served.

“What would you all like to drink?”

“How can you have crayfish without beer? Bring lots of beer, please. No one’s driving anyway.”

Li Yingshan raised an eyebrow with a deadpan look. “When you say ‘driving,’ do you mean actual driving?”

“If your mind’s in the gutter, don’t drag me down with you!”

Cheng Yao simply brought up a whole case of beer and handed Cheng Cheng some milk. “If we don’t finish, we can return it.”

Zhang Ya asked, “Can you handle your liquor?”

“No problem, I can hold my own,” Cheng Yao replied, filling his glass.

As they ate and chatted, even the dog under the table was drooling with envy.

Cheng Yao peeled a bowl of shrimp and pushed it over to Zhang Ya, who smiled radiantly.

Damn it—so envious!

Zhang Ya really lucked out!

Rong Xuelin and the others smacked their lips in frustration. Not only was her boyfriend handsome, he sang well, played guitar, and even peeled shrimp…

Zhang Ya split the shrimp with Cheng Cheng, and the two chatted happily.

“Is there anywhere fun to go in Jinling at night? Not a bar—it’s too noisy.”

“How about the night market?”

“With all we’ve eaten here, we’ll explode if we eat any more.”

Cheng Yao just smiled, not saying a word. He had no doubt about a girl’s appetite—no matter what they said, they’d always find room for more.

In that case, he’d arrange a “straight to the stomach” plan.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Ya said, “Why don’t we go back and play cards after we eat? How about a game of Guandan?”

“Sounds good, nothing else to do tonight anyway.”

Crayfish and beer—everyone got livelier as they drank.

Except for Cheng Linlin, Zhang Ya, Rong Xuelin, and Li Yingshan could all hold their liquor.

Cheng Yao was no slouch either, and before they knew it, it was already eight o’clock.

They settled the bill and left the crayfish restaurant, choosing to walk home—just a ten-minute stroll from the mall.

“Houses here must be expensive, right?”

Half-Hill Cloud Residences—just from the environment, they could tell it wasn’t cheap.

Cheng Yao replied, “It’s not too bad. Overall it was about forty thousand per square meter. Mainly, Xianlin is a bit out of the way. Compared to New Street, it’s relatively affordable.”

They took the elevator up to the eleventh floor. The lights were bright, and the space was spacious.

“I just moved in a few days ago, so you’ll have to make do.”

“No worries, this is so much better than the dorm. And there’s a piano—such a small grand?”

Rong Xuelin paused and asked tentatively, “A German Schimmel!?”

“Want to try it? It feels fantastic,” Zhang Ya glanced at the piano.

Cheng Yao took out a few bottles of milk from the fridge. “Make yourselves at home.”

…