Chapter 59: Date

"How much was that bottle of wine you just ordered?"

Li Shurui asked.

"It seemed to be over thirty thousand. Why?"

Jiang Chen replied nonchalantly, as if he weren't talking about thirty thousand, but rather three yuan.

As expected, since it wasn't his money, he certainly didn't feel the sting.

Li Shurui fell silent.

With her current wealth, a bottle of wine costing over thirty thousand wasn't unaffordable, but it was unnecessary.

"Isn't it a bit wasteful for us to drink this kind of wine?"

She didn't pretend to be magnanimous; Li Shurui still voiced her concern.

"I just feel that for our first date, we should drink something good."

Jiang Chen seemed to realize belatedly that his actions were somewhat inappropriate.

He naturally didn't know how to appreciate fine wine. Li Shurui might be slightly better than him, but she probably wasn't much better either.

In reality, for most people, drinking wine worth tens of thousands is almost no different from drinking wine worth a few hundred.

"...Should I call the waiter over and return the wine?"

"Forget it."

Li Shurui shook her head.

Although she felt it was wasteful, she was the one treating, and since she had previously told him to order whatever he wanted, it would be unseemly to go back on her word now.

Moreover, compared to the debt of gratitude Jiang Chen owed her, a bottle of wine worth tens of thousands was nothing; even if Jiang Chen were intentionally fleecing her, she would do so willingly.

Furthermore, being in such a high-end place as Banqiu Pavilion, returning an order would be quite embarrassing.

"I drove, so I can't drink. You'll have to finish it yourself later," Li Shurui said calmly.

Jiang Chen was stunned. "How can I finish it alone?"

"If you can't finish it, take it to go. You ordered it, so you have to deal with it. Such expensive wine shouldn't go to waste even by a drop."

Li Shurui gazed at him, her eyes faintly conveying a sense of threat.

This "threat," however, was naturally very different from before.

Jiang Chen showed no fear, meeting her gaze head-on, and said meaningfully, "Shurui, I didn't expect you to be so frugal."

"It's not your money, so of course you don't feel the sting," Li Shurui said bluntly.

Jiang Chen smiled.

This was a normal way of communicating.

The old Li Shurui was like a piece of eternal black ice—piercing, solid, and flawless, leaving one with no way to approach her. The current her felt like a person of flesh and blood.

That was why they said the first step is the most crucial when pursuing a girl.

Once you take that first step, you've already succeeded halfway.

No matter how high and mighty a goddess is, as long as you pull her down from her pedestal, she is no different from an ordinary girl.

"I said I'm treating. Did you think I was joking?" Jiang Chen said seriously.

Li Shurui didn't respond, clearly not taking his words to heart at all.

A bottle of wine costing thirty thousand would be considered a luxury even for the elite class, let alone for a young man who worked various part-time jobs to get by.

"Shurui, what a coincidence."

Several young men passed by. One of them glanced inadvertently at Li Shurui and then stopped in surprise.

His temperament was somewhat similar to Liang Zhenlun's, but he was more pleasant to look at.

"And this is?"

His gaze shifted toward Jiang Chen.

"Hello, I'm Jiang Chen, Shurui's senior."

Jiang Chen rose politely, maintaining a composed and dignified manner.

The other man sized him up and then nodded with a smile.

"Hello, I'm Xiang Xingren, a friend of Shurui's."

After the greeting, Xiang Xingren didn't linger; he walked away with his friends and sat at a table not far away.

The group continued to look over, chatting and laughing about something.

"Your suitor?"

Jiang Chen asked with composure as he sat back down.

"No, we just met at a bar."

From Li Shurui's expression, it was clear that she didn't have a particularly deep friendship with this Xiang Xingren.

"They must be discussing the relationship between you and me right now. Believe it or not?"

Jiang Chen seemed to have eyes in the back of his head; he didn't need to turn around to know they were watching them.

"What relationship is there?"

Li Shurui said flatly.

This girl was indeed different. Some girls, especially those who loved to party, would try every way to pretend they were single even if they had a boyfriend. But she was different; she didn't seem to care at all about being misunderstood or about what others thought.

"I'm just worried about affecting your reputation out there."

Hearing this, the corners of Li Shurui's mouth curled up slightly in a half-smile.

"Isn't this exactly what you want to see?"

Jiang Chen put on a righteous face and immediately said, "Shurui, you think too narrowly of me. It's true that I want to pursue you, but I would never use such low-class tactics."

Li Shurui remained noncommittal.

"Pertus, and from '07 at that? This guy is a real dark horse," one of Xiang Xingren's friends remarked, quite surprised by the wine on Li Shurui's table.

Only then did Xiang Xingren seem to find it natural; for a girl like Li Shurui, it would be stranger if she were actually with an ordinary student.

Obviously, he wouldn't have guessed who was hosting this meal.

"Pertus, you two have excellent taste. A toast to you."

Not all wealthy young masters were arrogant and looked down on everyone; at least this Xiang Xingren was quite humble and easygoing, taking the initiative to come over for a toast.

"This guy is decent, he has class. That's what a true high-society family looks like," Jiang Chen remarked.

"Do you feel inferior?" Li Shurui asked without looking up.

Jiang Chen laughed helplessly.

"Not really. He is indeed quite elegant, but... I'm not bad either."

The cutlery in Li Shurui's hand paused for a moment.

"Have you ever had dinner alone with him?"

Jiang Chen asked nonchalantly.

Li Shurui remained silent, and her cutlery began to move again.

"There you have it. You haven't had dinner alone with him. In that regard, aren't I better than him?"

Jiang Chen spoke to himself, brimming with confidence.

Li Shurui didn't shoot him down; she simply focused on her meal.

"Such good wine, you really won't have a sip?"

"Enjoy it at your own pace."

Jiang Chen didn't push it. While drinking, he muttered, "This expensive wine doesn't even taste as good as soda."

Li Shurui's expression didn't change, as if she hadn't heard a thing.

Women generally don't have large appetites. Li Shurui was the first to put down her utensils. She elegantly picked up a napkin to wipe the corner of her mouth, then picked up her bag, took out her wallet, and pulled out a credit card.

"What are you doing?"

Looking at the credit card pushed toward him, Jiang Chen was puzzled.

"You'll pay the bill later. Use this card."

Jiang Chen laughed, instantly understanding her thoughtful intention.

Undoubtedly, Li Shurui was considering his pride; she had gone through the extra trouble of giving him the card so that he could be the one to pay.

"No need, I'll do it myself."

To some extent, Jiang Chen was moved, but he had no intention of accepting Li Shurui's kindness.

Although this meal didn't cost "much," even a tiny bit of profit was still profit. He had to find ways to increase his "investment," otherwise, where would the substantial returns come from in the future?

Just then, Li Shurui's phone rang. She took it out and glanced at it.

"I need to take a call."

Jiang Chen nodded.

Li Shurui stood up and left.

Jiang Chen looked at the credit card still left on the table and picked it up.

(End of Chapter)