Besides her, the other veteran club members—less pretty and less into dressing up—looked utterly uninterested, as if they couldn’t care less about this event.

Chen Yuzhe could understand that. After all, Jiang Xiaoyao only organized these gatherings to snag rich guys. These ordinary girls despised her gold-digger antics and refused to join in, but skipping out would be rude. So they just came to eat, drink, and kill time.

The party split cleanly down the middle: one side boisterous with laughter and chatter, the other dead silent and dull.

Of course, none of this mattered to Chen Yuzhe. His attention stayed fixed on Jiang Xiaoyao and Gu Chengjin nearby.

Jiang Xiaoyao and Gu Chengjin stood by the bar table, each holding a drink, chatting and laughing.

Looks like Jiang Xiaoyao had already found her chance to approach Gu Chengjin.

On the surface, everything seemed fine. Gu Chengjin talked while Jiang Xiaoyao smiled modestly, the mood perfectly harmonious.

Huh. Jiang Xiaoyao’s making smooth progress. Chen Yuzhe took another sip of his drink, shifting focus to his second target for tonight.

Speaking of which, Han Cheng should’ve...

Huh?

Where’s Xinyu?

Chen Yuzhe scanned the room. No Han Cheng. No Xinyu. A flicker of confusion crossed his mind.

What’s going on? Where did they go?

Just as Chen Yuzhe’s eyes darted around searching, a timid voice piped up behind him.

“Senior?”

Pfft. Chen Yuzhe nearly spat out his wine.

“...Oh, it’s you, Xinyu. What are you doing here?”

Xinyu tilted her head slightly, puzzled. “Why couldn’t I be here?”

“No, no—I didn’t mean that.” Chen Yuzhe averted his gaze guiltily.

Xinyu still wore that maid outfit from earlier. Even Chen Yuzhe couldn’t resist its charm.

Especially now, alone together. Xinyu stood close. His eyes kept drifting—unintentionally—to the fair skin at her neckline, the soft pink tracing her neck up to her ears, and the tempting white thigh-highs beneath her skirt.

Nope. Nope. This is way too effective.

“I just thought you’d be busy playing games with the freshmen if you had free time.”

“I... don’t like crowded places. Too noisy.”

Xinyu, too shy to meet his eyes, looked away and murmured softly.

“Oh. Right. Still, skipping chats with the new members seems a waste.”

“It’s fine. I... don’t really like them anyway...” Xinyu mumbled under her breath.

“Why?”

“Ever since they arrived, they’ve stared at me weirdly. Some even tried taking photos—I refused.”

Xinyu fiddled with her fingers. “I’m bad at talking to guys. Didn’t know how to say no. After I ran off a bit harshly last time, I don’t know how to face them now. Hiding alone is easier.”

“Well, I’ve got you for company, right?” Xinyu suddenly smiled. “You’re not playing with them either. Must find them annoying too?”

“Yeah. Human joys and sorrows don’t sync—I just find them noisy.” Chen Yuzhe took a slow sip of wine.

True. Xinyu wouldn’t even let me take photos. Forget those creepy, drooling otaku.

But where the hell did Han Cheng vanish to? Why hasn’t he come back? Is he even trying to win her over?

Silence fell between them. The air turned stiff.

Chen Yuzhe had no reason to grind Xinyu’s affection meter anymore. He didn’t want to force small talk. Besides, stalling bought time for that idiot Han Cheng to make his move.

Still, Chen Yuzhe couldn’t fathom it. At this critical moment, where could Han Cheng possibly run off to?

Fed up, Chen Yuzhe finally pulled out his phone and typed a message.

“Where are you? Still betting or not?”

“Or are you just giving me Death Stranding for free?”

A minute later, his phone buzzed with Han Cheng’s reply.

“Dude’s in the bathroom. Stomach’s acting up. Cover for me...”

Damn it. Chen Yuzhe almost cursed out loud.