Chapter 372: Chapter 371: How Dare He Have an Opinion?

As for the rest of them, each was shrewder than the last. To say they were sharp was an understatement. Even Shen Chen, the playboy who appeared so nonchalant to the world, probably ranked in the top three for his underlying ruthlessness.

And that was to say nothing of Zhou Mochen. A man his family had trusted to begin taking over their business at sixteen could hardly be anything but exceptionally capable.

In this circle, even Liu Mingyu, who was two years older than Zhou Mochen, joined the others in calling him Brother Zhou.

Part of the reason was the Zhou Group’s profound influence, but it was mostly out of genuine admiration for Zhou Mochen himself.

Naturally, Zhou Mochen led Xu Su by the hand to the seat of honor.

Xu Su realized that whenever she went out to eat with Zhou Mochen, regardless of the company, she always ended up in the seat of honor. The prestige was on full display.

The others took their seats, and after just a few words of small talk, the door to the private room opened. A line of waiters entered, carrying trays of food.

A platter of hairy crabs held by one of the waiters caught Xu Su’s eye. She was just about to turn the lazy Susan when Zhou Mochen stopped her.

He ladled a bowl of soup, placed it in front of Xu Su, and instructed in a low voice, "Crab is a ’cold’ food. You can’t eat it right now."

"..." Xu Su fell silent for a moment, then asked in a bargaining tone, "I won’t eat a lot. Can I just have a couple of bites?"

Zhou Mochen refused with an iron will. "No."

"Heh..." Xu Su smiled faintly. "Then can I have a drink?"

"..." Not wanting to upset her over this, Zhou Mochen didn’t hesitate for long. He took the wine bottle from the waiter behind him and personally poured her half a glass, adding, "You can have some red wine, but no ice."

Ever since they had met, Zhou Mochen had grown accustomed to taking care of Xu Su at the table. The practiced ease of his attentive and gentle manner was astonishing.

With the exception of Shen Chen, everyone else at the table was once again collectively stunned.

They had never seen Zhou Mochen’s domesticated side—peeling shrimp, cracking crabs, and serving food for someone—otherwise, they wouldn’t have been so shocked just to see him ladle some soup and pour a glass of wine.

"I was wondering why Brother Zhou dove into Chang City and was so reluctant to come back. Turns out a beauty stole his soul."

Tu Yu swirled the wine in his glass, smiled at Xu Su, and said, "I hear your name is Xu Su, is that right? Miss Xu, you’re as beautiful as your name is lovely. I’m Tu Yu. I guess we’re officially acquainted now. Let’s have a drink."

Xu Su really wasn’t used to being called "Miss Xu."

She raised her glass, clinked it against Tu Yu’s, and said, "Please, just call me Xu Su."

She was about to down it in one go when she heard Zhou Mochen, who was sitting next to her, say, "Just a sip is enough. Don’t drink too much."

"..." Tu Yu, whose glass was already empty, felt the corner of his mouth twitch, but he didn’t dare voice a single objection.

’It’s a miracle Young Master Zhou is finally in a relationship. Who was I to object when he was being this protective?’

Xu Su was also left a bit speechless, but she respected Zhou Mochen’s wishes, drinking only half of what was in her glass before putting it down.

Immediately after, Xie Si, Jiang Baiyi, and Liu Mingyu all proactively raised their glasses to toast her, each with a very friendly attitude.

Xu Su was fair, drinking the same small amount with each of them. After a full round of toasts, they were all properly acquainted.

Jiang Baiyi glanced at Xu Su, then turned to Zhou Mochen. "Are you going back to Chang City?"

"No," Zhou Mochen said, his voice soft. "She’s already graduated from high school. She’ll be starting university here in Beijing this fall."

Huh?

Xie Si, who was in the middle of a drink, choked on hearing this and broke into a coughing fit. Once he recovered, he couldn’t help but exclaim, "She just graduated from high school? Brother Zhou, that means three years ago she was just a freshman!"

They had all assumed that Zhou Mochen and Xu Su had been together for the entire time he’d been in Chang City. It had never occurred to them that there was a time when Young Master Zhou had to wait for someone he couldn’t have.

For a moment, they all had the same thought: ’So Brother Zhou is the biggest predator of all. After all, as degenerate as we are, even we wouldn’t go after a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl at our age.’

Xu Su opened her mouth, but she didn’t know how to explain the situation. She decided to just lower her head and eat in silence, not offering any explanation.

’Anyway, her reputation was already in tatters after her senior year, when Zhou Mochen was constantly picking her up and dropping her off.’

That Xu Su, the school beauty, was living with her boyfriend was a well-known fact among all the students at City No.1 High School.

Zhou Mochen, however, froze for a second before frowning. "What nonsense are you talking about? We only got together after she turned eighteen."

Just as Zhou Mochen had said before, Xu Su was the apple of his eye, and he wouldn’t allow anyone to misunderstand her like this.

"Ah," Xie Si said. He didn’t think Zhou Mochen would lie about something like this. He nodded in surprise. "Oh, so that’s how it was."

’They only got together after she came of age? Didn’t that mean he’d been waiting eagerly for years?’

The men lowered their gazes in contemplation, compelled to re-evaluate just how much Xu Su meant to Zhou Mochen.

No matter how they assessed it, they didn’t dare to make any wild assumptions just yet.

After all, in their view, a woman from a small city—even one as beautiful as a goddess descended to earth—could only expect to be doted on for a while by men of their stature. That was the limit.

Doting was one thing, and spoiling was another, but actually marrying her and giving her a formal position in the family? That was pure fantasy.

However, even if that was the case, Brother Zhou was clearly infatuated right now. Out of respect for him, they naturally had to treat her politely.

’How could they dare be anything but polite? This was the woman Young Master Zhou himself treated with such gentle attentiveness.’

The atmosphere at the table was congenial.

Aside from periodically putting food on Xu Su’s plate, Zhou Mochen also clinked glasses with his friends now and then. All of them had female companions with them.

The young women were very perceptive; they smiled along, helped pour drinks, and rarely interrupted. They would only join in with some light-hearted banter when the men’s conversation grew particularly animated.

A glance around the table showed that only Shen Chen was all by himself.

Xu Su couldn’t help but wonder. ’Even if he... can’t get it up, shouldn’t he at least put on a show? At this rate, isn’t he afraid people will figure out his... situation?’

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before someone noticed. Xie Si, who had a woman on each arm, magnanimously gave the one on his right a little push. "Sweetheart, go and take care of our Brother Chen."

The two women probably weren’t Xie Si’s dates, as they were wearing identical outfits that looked like the club’s uniform: short qipaos with sheer mesh necklines. Their ample cleavage was partially visible through the fabric, a tantalizing sight.

The girl Xie Si pushed forward looked young, in her early twenties at most. She wore only light makeup, her lipstick a muted cinnamon shade. Far from looking seductive, she actually had a rather innocent air about her.

The girl stood and walked toward Shen Chen, her hips swaying with each step. The sight of her pale, ample bosom, which seemed ready to spill out, made even Xu Su stare.

’An angel’s face and a devil’s body, for real...’

’Is this what you’d expect from a girl at a top-tier club? She’s stunning. This girl has even more charm than Fei Qiao.’

Xu Su was staring, completely captivated, when a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist. Zhou Mochen’s sigh tickled her ear. "Susu, it’s a good thing you weren’t born a man."

The lascivious look in his girlfriend’s eyes made Zhou Mochen pinch the bridge of his nose, exasperated. He didn’t want to make a fuss over it, but seeing her look at anyone else that way—anyone but him—was undeniably frustrating.