Chapter 56: Stung

However, before heading to KTV, there was a rather serious matter to discuss.

That was—what to eat tonight.

After all, a celebration dinner was still necessary.

They needed some sense of ritual.

When Song Qiuyu brought up this question in the filming group chat, she clearly saw that Jiang Xiao and the others sitting beside her fell into deep thought.

Finally, after discussion with Sang Tian, they reached a decision.

Grilled fish.

The spicy kind.

Song Qiuyu was quite satisfied with this result.

First, Jiang Xiao liked it, and Sang Tian also liked it—almost as if they had a telepathic connection.

Second, she herself really enjoyed it.

There were so many ways to cook fish; aside from West Lake Vinegar fish, it seemed hard to go wrong.

But grilled fish was her favorite.

Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.

With one bite, the flavors of oil and seasoning, mingling with the texture of the fish, would instantly fill her mouth.

It could truly be called happiness.

Of course.

There were probably even more delicious ways to eat fish.

For example, sashimi, which was very popular among nobles in ancient times.

Nowadays, it’s called sushi.

This was actually brought to Japan from the Tang Dynasty.

It’s said to taste quite good.

However, she had never eaten it…

When she thought of sashimi, her mind went blank and she could only think of bluefin tuna.

Wait, which “qi” was it again?

No wonder they say poor people shouldn’t write “god-tier” rich novels.

It was just like those web novel authors who write about gatherings of top families, but the luxury cars parked at the hotel entrance are all BYDQin, Wuling Hongguang MINI, CheryQQ, Geely, and similar cars, and they can even charge for free.

It was a bit lacking in experience.

Just as Song Qiuyu was lost in thoughts of grilled fish, her elbow was suddenly poked twice.

Hmm?

Song Qiuyu was startled, and before she could react, Jiang Xiao poked her again.

Song Qiuyu turned to look at Jiang Xiao, but Jiang Xiao reached out to poke her once more, this time at the edge of her left chest.

The spot, already a little swollen, felt even more uncomfortable from Jiang Xiao’s touch.

Even though it was just on the edge…

“Ah?”

Song Qiuyu was bewildered, her pretty face full of surprise.

“The teacher called you to answer a question, he’s called you several times.”

Jiang Xiao didn’t seem to notice, but quietly whispered the answer.

So, under the somewhat sharp gaze of the professor on stage, she stood up with a flushed face and answered the question.

Fortunately, everyone thought she was blushing out of embarrassment at being called on in public, and no one connected her red face to being poked in the chest just now.

Damn it.

That Haki Xiao guy…

She sat back down, her cheeks still burning, her mind echoing with the sensation of Jiang Xiao poking her chest…

Just like that, time slowly passed.

The afternoon classes finally ended, and Song Qiuyu met up with her three roommates and Sang Tian at the school gate.

They went together to a nearby grilled fish restaurant for dinner.

On the way, they rechecked the backend data; it had already doubled, and the traffic and discussion were both surging.

The growth was pleasing.

What surprised them even more was that a major blogger who made similar content had commented under their video just a few minutes ago.

With this traffic boost, the surge became even more intense.

They discussed new shortvideo ideas while walking to the grilledfishrestaurant.

When you’re happy, you naturally want to drink.

Plus, today’s weather was exceptionally muggy; wouldn’t a cold beer be wonderful?

This grilled fish restaurant truly lived up to its reputation as a survivor among the many grilled fish restaurants outside the school, with very affordable prices.

Two grilled fish for just one hundred yuan, a bottle of beer for five yuan, and as soon as dinner time arrived, it was already nearly full.

So, Xie Zhuran immediately asked the boss for an entire case.

Any unopened bottles could be returned if not finished.

Although Xie Zhuran boasted that there would be no need to return any, as he could drink a lot.

Soon, the grilled fish was served.

Everyone poured themselves a glass of beer, even Sang Tian poured half a glass.

“Cheers to our initial success!”

Xie Zhuran raised his glass.

After clinking glasses, Song Qiuyu boldly downed her drink, then began to devour the grilled fish.

She ate as if she had been reincarnated from a starving ghost.

While eating, Sang Tian kept glancing at Song Qiuyu and Jiang Xiao, her expression a bit odd.

Her mind was filled with images from the behind-the-scenes short video.

In their behind-the-scenes video, there were even scenes of them handcuffed together, sleeping face to face!

And their clothes in the video were exactly what they were wearing the morning she ran into them.

Which meant, the reason they were so close that day was because…

“Sang Tian, is there something on my face?”

Song Qiuyu caught Sang Tian’s furtive gaze, swallowed her fish, and asked softly.

Sang Tian’s face reddened slightly as she shook her head.

“Then, is there something on Jiang Xiao’s face?”

Song Qiuyu raised an eyebrow, turning to look at Jiang Xiao.

Jiang Xiao silently picked up a piece of potato and ate it.

“Nothing, I just thought of a behind-the-scenes clip from the shortvideo, where you two were handcuffed together…”

Sang Tian hadn’t finished speaking.

Cough cough!

Xie Zhuran coughed twice, forcibly cutting off the conversation.

At the same time, she gave a look to her partner in crime, Lin An.

“Alright, hurry up and eat the fish, we still need to go to KTV after this.”

Lin An adjusted his glasses, smoothly changing the subject.

“Right, right, right, I can’t wait to show off my singing.”

Xie Zhuran also chimed in, “Come on, come on, let’s have a drink first.”

Song Qiuyu looked at them suspiciously, recalling Sang Tian’s unfinished words, and fell silent.

Hiss…

Could it be that Sang Tian really thought there was something going on between her and Jiang Xiao, and was a little jealous?

No.

She had to find a way to explain!

Although a little jealousy from Sang Tian was a good thing, this misunderstanding couldn’t continue.

Later at KTV, she had to find a way to get them together.

Song Qiuyu made up her mind.

They didn’t finish eating until seven o’clock, feeling full and satisfied.

However, they didn’t actually drink that much.

Aside from Song Qiuyu and Sang

Tian, the other three each had about two bottles, Song Qiuyu drank one, and Sang Tian only had a small cup from Song Qiuyu.

The rest were all returned to the boss.

When returning the alcohol, Xie Zhuran’s old face flushed slightly under the boss’s gaze.

The meal cost a total of one hundred and eighty yuan.

For five people, it averaged out to about thirty yuan each, which was quite a good deal.

However, her roommates didn’t let her split the cost, including the money for KTV later; in the end, it was just the four of them and Sang Tian who split it.

To be honest, those thirty yuan were still a bit painful for Song Qiuyu.

After all, her living expenses were really low… she only had a little over a hundred yuan left, and there were still ten days left in the month…

However, glancing at the still sky rocketing data, her mood immediately improved.

All this data could be converted into money, and there were quite a few tips.

Later, she could also take on commercial orders.

Just thinking about it felt wonderful.

The KTV they chose was a bit far away, but was said to be very affordable, with nice decor and decent equipment.

To save money, they naturally wanted good quality for a low price.

They arrived at the KTV.

People coming and going carried faint traces of alcohol and cigarette smoke.

Since it was Friday night, there were more people, and the air felt even thinner.

This was Song Qiuyu’s first time at KTV.

She almost just followed her roommates and Sang Tian straight into the private room.

Jiang Xiao was probably experiencing it for the first time too; his expression upon entering wasn’t much better than hers, and she even suspected he was already thinking about leaving.

But fortunately, Jiang Xiao was in a very good mood today and decided to bear with it.

Song Qiuyu had secretly checked the messages he sent to his alt account today—every word radiated happiness!

However, they soon stopped smiling.