Chapter 71

As the sun set and twilight fell, Xu Yan finally led Zhu Youxiang back home. After closing the door, Zhu Youxiang waved her hand, and a myriad of high-end clothes and toys tumbled out from her bracelet, piling up into a small mountain in the middle of the living room. Zhu Youxiang let out a cheer and rushed into the pile of designer clothes and rare items. She held an LV handbag in her left hand, an iPhone in her right, and wore Chanel sunglasses on her head. Seeing Zhu Youxi laughing foolishly amidst the pile of designer items, Xu Yan couldn't bear it anymore and quickly fled back to his bedroom.

Just as Xu Yan returned to his bedroom, his phone rang. He grabbed it and saw that it wasn't a call but a reminder, alerting him to an important task he hadn't completed yet.

"What was it again?" Xu Yan tilted his head, thinking for a moment, then suddenly remembered: "Right, I almost forgot. Today, Gong Xueting invited me to dinner!"

Thinking of the dinner invitation, Xu Yan felt a surge of energy, and the fatigue from shopping vanished. He hurriedly took a shower, changed into decent clothes, combed his hair, and even sprayed on some perfume. Seeing Xu Yan fussing around, Zhu Youxiang was drawn to him and looked over: "Young Master, are you dressing up... to go out?"

Xu Yan originally wanted to say that Gong Xueting had invited him to dinner, but for some reason, the words on the tip of his tongue changed: "Some classmates are having a gathering, I'm going out for dinner. There's food in the fridge; Xunyun, you can take it out and heat it up. No need to wait for me."

Hearing this, Zhu Youxiang didn't suspect anything and smiled: "Ah, it's a gathering of classmates. Young Master, meeting with your classmates in a literary and refined manner is indeed a noble and elegant affair. Go ahead, don't worry. I can take care of myself at home."

However, among the classmates, there are also those who are unrestrained and wild. When you gather for drinks, Young Master, please be moderate. Overdrinking is not only harmful to your health but can also lead to trouble."

Hearing Zhu Youxiang's concerned advice, Xu Yan felt a twinge of guilt for sneaking out to meet a girl. He replied, "Don't worry, I won't drink much. I'll be back soon."

Zhu Youxiang looked at him and smiled brightly, "Young Master, go and come back soon. Please be careful on your way."

Xu Yan left the house, his heart pounding as he hurried down the stairs. The image of Zhu Youxiang's bright and beautiful smile lingered in his mind. He felt nervous, tiptoeing as if he were a thief, and only relaxed when he reached the entrance of the neighborhood.

He checked the time; it was already past six. Just as he was about to call Liu Yang, his phone rang. It was Liu Yang calling. In the phone, the fat guy wailed, "Yan, are you messing with me? It's already past six, where's the dinner with the beautiful girl you mentioned!?"

Xu Yan, feeling relaxed, teased, "Fatso, I'm not interested in you—where have you been? Get to the school's west gate right away!"

"Hehe, Yan, Fatso is on his way!"

The allure of a beautiful girl was truly something special. Less than five minutes after Xu Yan hung up, the fat guy's round, stout figure appeared before him. Seeing Liu Yang's appearance, Xu Yan almost burst out laughing: today, the fat guy was dressed in a dark suit, with a large red tie, his hair neatly combed and shiny, looking like a country tycoon coming to the city for a match-making event.

"Fatso, you... hahaha... hahaha..."

Seeing Xu Yan squatting on the ground, laughing uncontrollably, the fat guy's face turned slightly red, and he looked embarrassed but pretended not to care: "What do you think, Yan? Does Fatso's style impress you?"

Xu Yan was laughing so hard he couldn't catch his breath, nodding repeatedly: "Impressed, impressed! Fatso, you're so creative. I think if you put a label on the back of your clothes saying 'I'm rich,' it would be perfect!"

"Hmph! Yan, I know you're just jealous of Fatso's style! Don't worry, no matter how you try to defame me, it won't shake my firm resolve!"

"Right, right! Fatso, keep it up! Hehehe!"

If Xu Yan had just kept mocking him, Liu Yang wouldn't have minded. But when Xu Yan suddenly stopped, Liu Yang felt a bit uneasy. He looked at his outfit nervously and asked Xu Yan in a low voice, "Hey, Yan, do you think I look weird in this? I think it does look a bit old-fashioned..."

"How can that be old-fashioned? That's called mature—come on, Fatso, don't hesitate. If you dawdle, you'll make the girls wait!"

Xu Yan realized that to get the fat guy to do anything, just mentioning "beautiful girls" was the magic word. Sure enough, upon hearing this, the fat guy immediately stopped fussing over his clothes and started walking. After a few steps, he realized something was wrong and turned back to shout at Xu Yan, "Yan, wait! Where are we going to eat? Give me a specific place!"

The Zhenlong Restaurant was located outside the west gate of Shudu University. From this location, it was clear that the restaurant's main customers were the university students. The food was decent, clean, and affordable, making it a popular choice for many Shudu University students when dining out.

Gong Xueting had reserved a private room, and Xu Yan and the fat guy hurried over. Upon entering, Xu Yan breathed a sigh of relief: the room was empty, with no one there yet.

Xu Yan gestured for the fat guy to sit down, "Hehe, I was worried we'd be late, but it turns out we're the first to arrive. It seems that if a girl invites you to dinner, being too punctual can be a bit troublesome."

Just as Xu Yan finished speaking, the door to the private room opened, and several pretty girls entered. Xu Yan immediately saw Gong Xueting, Chen Yaoyu, and Chu Yan, along with a few other girls he didn't recognize, all of whom were very beautiful.

Gong Xueting smiled at Xu Yan and said, "Yan, I heard what you just said. It's not nice to speak ill of girls behind their backs!"

Xu Yan's face turned awkward, and he forced a smile, "Hehe, you must have misunderstood—uh, Gong Xueting, I haven't met these other girls yet. Could you introduce them to me?"

Gong Xueting gave Xu Yan a sideways glance, her eyes twinkling as if she had already seen through his attempt to change the subject. She introduced the girls to Xu Yan politely, "This is Chen Yaoyu and Chu Yan, whom you've met before. This short-haired beauty is Yu Lan, and this long-haired beauty is Zhang Ningbo—uh, beautiful ladies, this is Xu Yan from the Economics and Management Department. Everyone, please get to know each other."

The girls all stared at Xu Yan, their expressions varied. Yu Lan and Zhang Ningbo, whom Xu Yan didn't recognize, leaned close and whispered to each other, and Xu Yan could hear a faint voice, "So this is that guy..."

"He looks pretty handsome... no wonder..."

Being scrutinized from head to toe by several beautiful girls, Xu Yan felt very uncomfortable. He greeted them, "Beautiful ladies, I'm Xu Yan from the Economics and Management Department. It's a great honor to meet the ladies from the International Trade Department for the first time!" Then, he quickly pushed the fat guy forward to share the attention, "This is also a handsome guy from the Economics and Management Department, Liu Yang!"

Seeing so many beautiful girls enter, Liu Yang was already excited, his eyes shining. Hearing Xu Yan's call, he quickly stood up, puffing out his chest and introducing himself, "Beautiful ladies, good evening! My name is Liu Yang, I'm twenty years old, from the second class of the Economics and Management Department. I'm 170 cm tall, weigh 170 kg, have a wealthy background, a clean history, and am currently unmarried and without a girlfriend. I welcome all beautiful ladies to sign up!"

Hearing Liu Yang's introduction, the girls were initially stunned, then burst into laughter. It was too funny! The fat guy's serious tycoon look, combined with his declaration of being single, created a strong contrast.

Chu Yan, laughing so hard she was out of breath, said to Xu Yan with a smile, "Xu Yan, your friend is really interesting. He must think he's here for a matchmaking show, right?"

The girls all laughed, their eyes full of amusement. Even Xu Yan felt a bit embarrassed, but Liu Yang showed no sign of shyness. He looked around proudly, like a rooster surveying his hens.

Surprisingly, Liu Yang's unconventional approach had some effect. In such a gathering of newly acquainted men and women, both sides would usually be reserved, making the atmosphere somewhat stiff. But after Liu Yang's antics, everyone laughed and the atmosphere became much more relaxed. Liu Yang deliberately acted silly, cracking jokes and making the girls laugh uncontrollably.

As the host of the evening, after introducing everyone, Gong Xueting excused herself to order the food. Xu Yan wanted to help, but Chen Yaoyu gave him a meaningful look and walked out of the room before he could react.

Xu Yan was taken aback for a moment, then realized that Chen Yaoyu must have something to say to him. He glanced around discreetly and then excused himself to go to the restroom, also leaving the room.

As soon as he came out, Xu Yan saw Chen Yaoyu. She was standing at the end of the corridor, waving at him to follow her into a neighboring private room. Xu Yan walked over and smiled, "Chen, do you have something to tell me?"

Chen Yaoyu looked at Xu Yan with a complex expression. She then calmly took an envelope from her pocket and handed it to Xu Yan, "Xu Yan, this is for you."

Xu Yan opened the envelope and saw a black traffic bank card inside. He looked at the card, puzzled, "What... is this?"

"This is a bank savings card from the Traffic Bank, with two million RMB in it. The card is registered under my name, and the password is six zeros. With this card and password, you can withdraw cash or transfer the money to your own account at any Traffic Bank branch or ATM."

Hearing "two million," Xu Yan's hand trembled, and the bank card felt like it was burning. He almost couldn't hold it. His first reaction was to hurriedly return the card, "Chen, what are you doing? This is too much money. I can't take it, I don't want it!"

Chen Yaoyu took a step back, not taking the card back, but looked at Xu Yan in surprise, "Xu Yan, why don't you want it? This money isn't stolen or taken by force. It's just a token of gratitude for saving my grandfather. It's a legitimate and legal income. Why don't you want it?"

Hearing that it was a token of gratitude for saving the old man, Xu Yan felt a bit more at ease— if that was the case, he could accept the money with a clear conscience. But he still shook his head, "Even as a token of gratitude, two million is too much... I just saved a person, and this amount is too high. I can't accept it."

Hearing that Xu Yan thought the amount was too high, Chen Yaoyu smiled and shook her head—her grandfather's life was invaluable. To save him, even if it were twenty million, the Wen and Chen families wouldn't blink an eye.

To be honest, even Chen Yaoyu, who had invited Xu Yan, didn't expect the effect of his treatment to be so good. The nearly dead old man had immediately gotten out of bed and started running, and for days, he had been energetic and vigorous, his white hair turning black, looking decades younger. This miraculous recovery not only stunned her uncle, Secretary Li, and her aunt, Aunt Wen, but also shocked her fourth uncle, who had rushed back from the United States, and her parents, who had come from another province to see her grandfather for the last time. As her father put it, "Even if he had taken real elixirs, it wouldn't have been better than this!"

She glanced at Xu Yan, thinking he didn't know that the two million reward had gone through some twists and turns.

After Xu Yan saved her grandfather, Li Zhe, the eldest son of the Li family, had given her a check for two million RMB, asking her to pass it to Xu Yan. He said it was to thank Master Wang for his great kindness and to make friends with him.

At the time, she really thought the Li family was sincerely grateful. She told her father the whole story, but to her surprise, her father looked at the check for a while and shook his head, "There's something wrong with this check."

Chen Yaoyu was shocked at the time. With the Li family's status as municipal leaders, would they really issue a fake or bounced check?

Her father shook his head, "It's not likely to be fake, and the Li family wouldn't issue a bounced check... but the Li family has played a small trick. They require the person withdrawing the money to sign the check and leave their ID number. Once the real name and ID number are left, with the Li family's influence in Jincheng, finding your classmate would be too easy— the Li family still wants to find your classmate. Li Shangyuan... as a municipal leader, he's still using such low-level tricks, which is not above board."

"Ah, Dad, what should we do?"

"The two million, we'll pay it!" Her father waved his hand confidently, looking at Chen Yaoyu's surprised face, "Xiao Yu, your classmate saved your grandfather. We should express our gratitude. Compared to your grandfather's life, two million is nothing. Compared to your classmate's miraculous skills, two million is even less."

"But Dad, isn't that too much... Uncle Li and the others only promised one million. I think one million is enough..."

"Xiao Yu, your stingy uncle is willing to spend two million to make friends with your classmate. Do you think your dad is worse than him? Don't worry about the money, Xiao Yu. You need to understand that the most valuable thing in the world is relationships and connections. Xiao Yu, remember to get along well with your classmate. Such a unique person can save lives in critical moments. If you get along well with him now and build a relationship, he might help us a few times when it matters, and our money won't be wasted!"

Her father patted Chen Yaoyu's shoulder reassuringly, praising her, "Xiao Yu, you made a quick decision and saved your grandfather's life. You did a great job! Our Xiao Yu has grown up, and I'm proud of you!"

Thinking of her father's encouragement, Chen Yaoyu felt warm and motivated. Seeing Xu Yan still pushing the bank card away, she stepped forward confidently and forced it into his pocket, "Xu Yan, take it! You saved my grandfather's life, which is a great kindness. This small amount of money is just a token of gratitude. If you don't accept it, I won't know how to face you in the future—do you want me to owe you a favor and not be able to sleep well?"

Xu Yan was already convinced in his heart, but for the sake of appearances, he had to pretend a bit. He smiled awkwardly, "Yaoyu, you make it sound... with such a large sum of money, how can I accept it?"