Renting a banquet hall that could accommodate thirty tables for five thousand yuan was a price that sounded like a pipe dream even in 2008.
Yet, Lai Jielun managed it and, in a short span of time, gathered the entire class, finalized the menu, and handed it over to the hotel's kitchen.
"Lai Jielun, you're really something. Brother Ren here toasts you!" Ren Mo said, clinking the rim of his red wine glass filled with Coke against Lai Jielun's equally unique glass of only soy milk.
When Liu Chen arrived at the entrance of the Lily Hall, most of the classmates from Class 3-6 had already arrived. They all fell silent for a moment upon seeing the birthday girl's attire for the day.
Liu Chen was wearing an outfit she had picked out the previous night: a pink Miu Miu down jacket, a pair of Miu Miu blue jeans, Miu Miu snow boots in pink and white, and a black and white Chanel scarf around her neck, making her look exceptionally youthful and delicate.
"Wow! Chenchen, the outfit you're wearing today is so pretty! *Sniffle*, I declare that you must wear pink clothes from now on!" Mi Zhuzhu shrieked as she ran to the entrance, threw her arms around Liu Chen, her eyes sparkling.
The Century Grand Hotel served dishes with remarkable speed. Once everyone was confirmed to be present, the five large tables of food were brought out.
The dishes were the classmates' own favorites, and with a group of seventeen or eighteen-year-olds still growing, their appetites were voracious. Liu Chen glanced at the spread and then asked the hotel to add five more dishes and three fruit platters to each table.
After the meal, Liu Chen asked Lai Jielun where they should go to hang out in the afternoon, as she had to go home for dinner with her mother that evening.
"Let's go to a KTV! Our class has never gone to KTV together!"
Lai Jielun's suggestion was met with enthusiastic agreement from the full and satisfied classmates. Even Yin Rou, the usually most reserved English class representative, enthusiastically raised her hand with a flushed face, "I, I've never been before. My mom doesn't let me go... But with so many of us today, it should be safe, right?"
Yin Rou voiced the thoughts of most of the girls in the class. In 2008, the economy of C City hadn't yet taken off, and the KTVs in the city center were primarily business-oriented, lavishly decorated, and considered places that adults warned minors against.
The boys, having been taken by older siblings, had experienced KTV a few times, but none of them would have been as fun as going with dozens of classmates today.
Liu Chen's gaze fell on Lai Jielun. Lai Jielun took a step back and shook his head, a rare shy smile on his face, "Sister Chen, my Ms. Lai has never taken me."
In 2008, C City did not yet have online apps like Dianping or Meituan. To sing karaoke, one had to call the front desk to make a reservation or go directly to the venue.
However, none of this was a problem. In an era before online reviews, most consumption decisions were made through a small phone's contact list. Liu Chen first asked Lai Jielun to find the hotel's reception staff and then asked them for the phone numbers of nearby KTVs.
The Century Grand Hotel was already considered a high-class establishment in C City, hosting even the richest man in C City for weddings. Xu Tao, who was accustomed to wealthy patrons, immediately recognized that the protagonist of the school's top student's birthday banquet was a wealthy individual.
This outfit alone was almost half his annual salary! He immediately pulled out his phone to search for numbers.
"We do have some, but if you need a private room that can accommodate fifty people at once, there's only the Partyworld Deluxe Room nearby. A newlywed couple booked it before. I have the number and the price here."
As he spoke, he found the number and handed it to Liu Chen, who then took out her phone and dialed.
Even though it was a weekend, because the Partyworld Deluxe Room was quite expensive, it was surprisingly still available. Moreover, Partyworld was not far from the Century Grand Hotel, just across the street.
As soon as Liu Chen mentioned it, the Class 3-6 students didn't hesitate and headed over in groups.
From a distance, Partyworld, a chain KTV that had announced bankruptcy in Liu Chen's past life, was still the leading high-end KTV in C City. In the city center, it occupied a four-story building, with the words "Partyworld" taking up one floor each.
Upon closer inspection, a line of Mercedes-Benz, BMWs, and other sports cars, including a Mercedes-Benz G-wagon, were parked at the entrance.
The boys were excited upon seeing these cars, chattering about the car models and configurations. If not for their young age, passersby might have thought they owned the cars.
Stepping through Partyworld's revolving doors, they were greeted by a lobby with large, patterned floor tiles. The wall in the lobby featured a massive television screen displaying the afternoon room prices and availability.
Walking forward, directly facing the entrance was the reception desk, made of glass. The wall behind it was adorned with white carved patterns, and behind that was a whole wall of golden light.
On either side of the background wall were two pillars clad in stone. Standing behind the reception desk were two sweet-smiling young women.
"Ah~~ Pour me a glass of forgetfulness water~"
The song "Forgetfulness Water" echoed through the lobby, and the students, who had been laughing and chattering moments before, fell silent.
Even the male classmates who had boasted about having been to KTV and promised to introduce it were now a little nervous.
It wasn't that they couldn't afford it, but rather that they instinctively felt KTV was a world for adults.
Liu Chen, on the other hand, was unfazed. She had been to Partyworld a few times for company annual events organized by Wang Dong in her past life.
She gave the reserved phone number, put down a two-thousand-yuan deposit at the front desk, and received a receipt. One of the young women picked up the pager and signaled for someone to come and escort them.
A young man with thick eyebrows and large eyes emerged, wearing a uniform of the same color as the young women. He seemed a little taken aback by the group of dozens of young people. "Which university's students are here to have fun?"
"Good afternoon, guests. Please follow me."
They entered a side path from the reception desk, walking on black and white tiled floors, flanked by illuminated advertisements of major singers and celebrities.
As they reached the end, the young man opened a pair of double soundproof doors.
"This is our most luxurious private room. It has an ultra-thin television with a giant LCD screen, and in the corner is the latest karaoke system. You can also score your songs, and order snacks and drinks from here."
As the young man spoke, he demonstrated all of Partyworld's features under the attentive observation of the dozens of students.
When the young man finished his introduction and was about to leave the room, Liu Chen took out the DSLR camera that Mi Zhuzhu had given her and suggested to her classmates who were exploring the large room,
"Let's take a group photo!"
"Okay!"
The classic group photo of Class 3-6 in the Partyworld private room was born at that moment.