Xia Zhijin shyly lowered her head. She had never asked Li Yuan for anything. Even the bank card Li Yuan had given her was seldom used. At most, she had used it when shopping with Li Zixia, voluntarily buying groceries or some clothes and shoes for her.

Seeing Xia Zhijin’s shy demeanor, Gao Xin teased with envy, "Li Yuan has already started his own business. In the future, he might become one of those big bosses we see on TV, and Zhijin will be the boss’s wife, set for life... Unlike us. After working hard for four years at university, we might not even find a good job. Buying a house and settling down in Modu seems completely out of reach."

Li Lanrong put her arm around Xia Zhijin and joked with a smile, "We can just ride Zhijin’s coattails! Once she’s the boss’s wife, arranging good jobs for us sisters would be as easy as saying the word, right, Zhijin?"

Xia Zhijin looked at her teasing roommates, her heart suddenly pounding as her cheeks flushed red.

Ge Chenchen laughed. "Stop teasing Zhijin. She’s such a gentle, cute, and kind girl; she definitely wouldn’t forget about us. Anyway, let’s think about what to eat tonight. I’m getting a little excited..."

Li Lanrong licked her lips and added, "That’s right! I wonder what Li Yuan is treating us to tonight. This is the second time he’s treating us, right? The first time was just at the cafeteria. There are four of us, four from Li Yuan’s dorm, plus Wang Jierong, Ren Jun, and the others. That’s more than a dozen people. I wonder if he’ll treat us to stir-fry, hotpot, or barbecue."

Gao Xin, who came from an inland province, had her eyes light up as she looked wistful. "Speaking of which, I kind of want to have seafood. My hometown is inland; I’ve never had seafood in my entire life."

Li Lanrong replied, "Seafood is probably very expensive, right?"

As a Modu native who lived near the sea, Ge Chenchen showed off her knowledge, explaining with a smile, "There are many kinds of seafood. The common ones are fine, but the better stuff isn’t cheap at all, easily costing hundreds or even over a thousand yuan. I remember there’s a new high-end seafood buffet at Longyu Mall that costs five or six hundred yuan per person. My parents came to visit me at school a while back, and we passed by it, but they couldn’t bring themselves to splurge..."

"Four or five hundred per person? That’s way too expensive!" Gao Xin covered her mouth in surprise. That was over half of her monthly living expenses.

Ge Chenchen sighed and added, "High-end seafood buffets are all like that; none of them are cheap. For a family of four, it would be two or three thousand yuan—a whole month’s salary gone in one meal. That’s definitely high-end consumption. Even in Modu, it’s not something the average person can afford. We should just stick to hotpot or barbecue."

Gao Xin teased with a smile, "Li Yuan is so rich—he’s willing to give away houses and sports cars. Surely he can afford a meal like that, right?" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"He can definitely afford it, I’m just not sure if he’s willing to."

Li Lanrong, her arm still around Xia Zhijin, had an eager look on her face. "That depends on the sway our Zhijin has! If she so much as opens her mouth, Li Yuan would happily agree in a heartbeat. Right, sisters?"

"Absolutely! Zhijin, I want to eat seafood..."

...

「D-3223, in the men’s dormitory.」

After freshening up and changing his clothes, Li Yuan asked casually, "Liu Jia, where have Jing and Tianyu been lately? I haven’t seen them around."

Liu Jia answered offhandedly, "Jing is in the library every day. It seems he found a part-time job there, so he doesn’t get back until after ten each night. You stay out all night yourself, so of course you haven’t seen him. As for Tianyu, he’s always mysteriously popping in and out. He doesn’t interact with us much, so who knows what he’s up to. Probably chasing some girl again."

Wu Hao asked curiously, "Yuan, are you going to ask them to dinner? Want me to give them a call?"

"Forget it, I was just asking." Li Yuan shook his head, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

Yi Jing was a different case. His family’s circumstances were average, but he had a strong sense of pride and sometimes deliberately avoided him. He was nothing like Liu Jia, Wu Hao, or Xu Ziqiang, who would always shout "Yuan" and "Adoptive Father" the moment they saw him and loved to hang around him. Compared to Yi Jing, the other three came from slightly better family situations and were more outgoing and cheerful.

It just goes to show that different backgrounds create different personalities.

As for Zhou Tianyu, a chill flickered in Li Yuan’s eyes. He felt a sense of betrayal. Ever since finding out the results of that investigation, he had wanted to have a proper "talk" with him but hadn’t found the right time.

The others have already been sent lawyer’s letters, and Tan Zhonghua has found the evidence. I hope this teaches them a profound lesson. Some things can’t be said recklessly. Spreading rumors comes with a price...

Li Yuan didn’t know much about the laws regarding defamation and slander, but it didn’t matter. He had money. He’d just have the company’s lawyers send a letter to scare them a little. He was not a particularly forgiving person.

"I’m heading down. You guys grab a cab over in a bit!"

...

「At the entrance of the men’s dormitory.」

Li Lanrong, Gao Xin, and the other girls lit up when they saw Li Yuan appear.

Li Yuan was wearing a loose-fitting tracksuit. But because of his tall, powerful build and distinct muscles, combined with his cool expression and the charismatic aura that comes with being a billionaire, he looked incredibly stylish.