During the New Year, there wasn’t much going on. Besides playing, it was all about gatherings. Qin Shiqing’s high school roommates all came back, so they took some time to catch up.

"Shiqing, I heard Su Zelin became a manager at his workplace and even got a company car. Is that true?"

The class gossip queen, Dong Ying, asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I heard about that from my dad too. It seems like it’s called something like Santana and costs over a hundred thousand!"

"Oh my God, over a hundred thousand! How long do we have to work after graduation to earn that much money?"

Qin Shiqing absentmindedly stirred the freshly served hot milk tea with a straw. The pearls inside were slippery, constantly rolling around in the cup.

Hearing this, she looked up and said, "Yeah, that’s true."

Xiaoyanzi added, "Shiqing and I came back in Su Zelin’s car. It’s so fancy, the seats are super soft, and there’s a CD player inside, so you can listen to music anytime! It’s a company car, so Su Zelin doesn’t even have to pay for insurance or gas!"

"I’m so jealous! Su Zelin wasn’t much in high school, but how did he become so impressive in college?"

The gossip queen sipped her milk tea and jokingly said, "Shiqing, are you going for him or not? If you don’t, I might make a move. We can’t let an outsider take the opportunity!"

Tang Yan glanced at her face full of freckles and thought to herself, "Does Su Zelin even see you as a catch?"

Even if Shiqing and Su Zelin don’t work out, there’s still Huang Panpan waiting, and I bet there are quite a few girls lining up from the finance college too!

"Ah, I also want a handsome boyfriend who has a car in college!"

"It’s not that easy. I don’t care about the car; I just want someone as handsome as Su Zelin!"

"..."

The dorm girls could talk about Su Zelin forever.

"Hey, hey, hey, ladies, this is our dorm reunion. Aren’t you done yet?!"

Qin Shiqing felt a bit helpless. Their childhood friend was just another face during high school, how did he suddenly become the talk of the town?

While thinking about this, her phone rang.

The caller ID was marked "Pighead."

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Upon answering, Su Zelin said, "Qin Shiqing, are you done with your gathering? When are you coming back?"

"Not yet, why?"

"What else? My mom wants me to pick you up later. She said it’s not safe at night, so wrap it up soon."

Su Zelin sounded a bit frustrated.

Tonight was Qin Shiqing’s gathering with her dorm mates. His mom asked him to drop off Qin Shiqing at the milk tea shop and pick her up afterward.

Even though I’m a store manager, I still need some respect. How can Ms. Zhao expect me to be someone else’s chauffeur? It’s too much!

"Alright, then. It’s about time anyway. Come over now, and I’ll tell them I’m leaving."

"Alright, alright, hurry up!"

"Got it, see you later!"

After hanging up, Qin Shiqing put her phone back in her bag and stopped poking the pearls: "Alright, girls, let’s call it a night. We can meet up again next time."

"It’s not even ten yet, Shiqing, why are you leaving so early?"

One of the roommates couldn’t help but ask.

"It’s definitely about that phone call earlier. Is your knight in shining armor picking you up?"

The gossip queen, perceptive as ever, sensed the juicy gossip and asked.

"Someone’s coming to pick me up, that impatient guy!"

Qin Shiqing pouted.

"I knew it, Shiqing; you’re just not admitting it. Looks like you two have been up to something sneaky!"

The gossip queen chuckled suggestively.

Hearing those idioms, Xiaoyanzi blushed slightly.

On the opening day of the industrial university’s branch, she went to find Lu Haoran and casually ran into Su Zelin. At that time, she was teased like this too.

"If I knew, I wouldn’t have biked here tonight. I could’ve hitched a ride with Su Zelin!"

"Same here. I regret it so much. Who knows when I’ll have another chance to ride a four-wheeler? Boo hoo hoo..."

"Even if I can’t catch a ride, I’ve got to at least sit in it and indulge myself for a moment!"

"..."

Ten minutes later, Qin Shiqing’s Nokia 3310 rang again.

It was still Su Zelin calling.

She didn’t answer; most likely it’s because her childhood friend had arrived.

No need to waste phone fees; roaming and long-distance calls are expensive.

Standing up and looking out the window, she saw the Santana parked outside the milk tea shop, and then she hung up the call and went downstairs.

The other girls didn’t immediately leave; instead, they followed Qin Shiqing to check out the car they had been talking about.

"Hi, handsome, long time no see!"

"Your car is so cool, when will you take us for a spin?"

"Manager Su, if I can’t find a job after graduation, I might just come work for you. Please take me in!"

"..."

After finally brushing off the girls, the Santana started up.

As Su Zelin shifted gears, he was silently complaining.

This woman, Qin Shiqing, why couldn’t she schedule her gathering during the day? Now I’m dragged into this, even being called by my mom to play chauffeur.

By the way, aren’t these days that time of the month for her? Why is she still running around at night in this cold weather?

I wish her an early menopause!

...