131: Chapter 131: Hosting a Banquet 131: Chapter 131: Hosting a Banquet Half an hour later, two roommates finally returned to the dormitory.
“Hey there, are you also staying in this dorm?
Nice to meet you, I’m Jiang Hui from Ganxi, studying law…”
“I’m Ge Datong from Beihu…”
Seeing Chen Hai, the two were slightly taken aback.
But it was only for an instant; they quickly gathered themselves and greeted Chen Hai with warm smiles.
“Jiang Hui, Ge Datong, nice to meet you guys, I’m Chen Hai from Xiangnan, enrolled in the Astronomy Department!”
Chen Hai stood up and responded with a smile.
All freshmen just starting out, it was easy to find common ground and conversation among peers of the same age.
In high school, Chen Hai had had an average relationship with his roommates, mainly because back then, he had been at the bottom of the class, poor, and without much to his name, which made him feel a bit inferior and reluctant to socialize.
However, since he had begun his cultivation of Taoist Skill, the changes in his character were visibly apparent.
Whether genuine or superficial, the initial interaction amongst the roommates was relatively pleasant.
As time went by, by 5 o’clock in the afternoon, five out of the six people assigned to the dormitory had gathered.
Only one bed remained unclaimed.
It appeared that the roommate assigned to that bed had yet to arrive at school to report in.
After the roommates got to know each other, Jiang Hui had the idea to arrange a pecking order based on age.
Chen Hai wasn’t interested in that sort of thing.
He had already decided that the moment he found a place to live off-campus, he would move out at the first opportunity.
Regarding his relationship with his roommates, he planned to keep it superficial, not intending to bond deeply or create brotherly ties!
After all, although he had successfully entered university, his aspirations had always been centered on Tao Cultivation.
Unless his roommates shared his interest in the path, his world was something they couldn’t understand.
There was simply no need for deep connections.
“Guys, I’ve got something else going on, I’ve made plans to dine with two beauties, so I’ll leave you to it and won’t be joining you!”
Standing up, Chen Hai chuckled and bid them goodbye before heading for the door.
“Chen Hai, if you’re looking for an excuse to leave, at least tell us your age first.
If you don’t cooperate, be careful we end up calling you Laoliu among the six of us!”
With everyone’s eyes on him, Ge Datong joked.
“Chen Hai, that’s not cool of you.
You’re meeting two beauties and keeping the feast to yourself—leaving us out of it isn’t fair!” Another guy named Zhou Bing complained with a grimace.
“Guys, I met two upperclassmen on the train; they took good care of me during registration and helped me out a lot!”
“It’s our first time arranging to go out for a meal together; it wouldn’t be appropriate to bring others along!”
“Once I’m more familiar with them, I’ll definitely invite you guys to meet them too!”
Chen Hai promised his roommates with a chuckle.
Indeed, he had only encountered Liu Chang and Ye Qingqing like passing ships in the night on the train.
Had Liu Chang not been attending the same university, it’s likely that he and the two women would have had little to do with each other once off the train.
“Chen Hai, you said it yourself, if you’ve got that connection—getting to know some pretty upperclassmen—you better not keep it to yourself; you’ve got to share with us!”
“That’s right, we’re new to Capital City, and we’d like to get to know some pretty upperclassmen too.
Maybe our happiness will depend on you one of these days!”
“Taking a train ride and meeting pretty upperclassmen?
How come I never have such luck?
When I came to Capital City, I ended up sitting next to uncles and aunties!”
…
Amid the jesting of his roommates, Chen Hai stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked out the dormitory door.
Capital Political and Legal University spanned a vast area of two to three thousand acres.
Strolling through the campus, Chen Hai took his time, spending around twenty minutes until he showed up at the school gate just a few minutes before the agreed-upon 6 o’clock.
“Chen Hai, over here…”
He had only just stood still when a sleek-looking sedan slowly pulled up beside him.
The passenger side window rolled down, and Ye Qingqing poked her head out, waving over to Chen Hai.
“This…” Chen Hai was startled, clearly caught off guard.
“Weren’t you supposed to treat us to a meal?
What are you dazed for, hurry up and get in!”
It was only after Ye Qingqing spoke again did Chen Hai snap out of his daze.
He opened the car door and sat in the back seat.
Seeing luxury cars like this sedan was rare in his hometown, and he had only seen a few in Liuyuan County.
But the cars he had seen were all boxy and square.
The smooth, flowing exterior of the car Ye Qingqing was driving gave off an air of high-class elegance at just a glance.
“These two upperclassmen must come from quite exceptional backgrounds!”
“Students from other places coming to study in Capital City, and they’ve even got a sedan to drive around!” Wondering, Chen Hai muttered to himself.
“Chen Hai, why are you just getting here?
Chang and I have been waiting at the campus gate for ages,” Ye Qingqing complained, her face dissatisfied as she drove the car forward.
“Upperclassmen, we agreed on 6 o’clock, and I got to the gate on time, didn’t I?”
“If I had known you two were coming in a car…”
Chen Hai explained with a smile, but his words were only halfway through when Liu Chang, sitting in the passenger seat, interrupted him: “What?
Knowing me and Qingqing came by car, you would’ve come out an hour or two early?”
“Sister Chang, that’s not fair!”
“If I knew you’d come by car, I definitely would have been too scared to leave the dorm!”
“As a poor student, I couldn’t even afford a wheel from Sister Qing’s car, let alone treat you to a meal.
My heart is racing!”
He chuckled and playfully responded.
Chen Hai, with his limited exposure, couldn’t identify the brand of the car; when he got in, he only noticed what seemed to be a crown logo on it.
The exact value of such a car was beyond his concern; he knew he simply couldn’t afford it.
“Talking about treating us to a meal, you were so quick to agree.
Chang and I are going to eat you out of house and home!” Ye Qingqing, who remained focused on driving, responded without turning her head.
“The car is borrowed by Qingqing from one of her brothers; I told her not to drive, but she wouldn’t listen…” Liu Chang explained with a covered mouth and a giggle.
Near University City, there were many restaurants, big and small.
Despite saying they would eat Chen Hai poor, Ye Qingqing’s car eventually pulled up in front of a small restaurant.