After rounds of drinks and various dishes.

When the meal was almost over, Yang Chao and He Jingting had downed several bottles of beer and were slightly tipsy.

"Knock knock."

At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

"It must be Little Guo coming."

Cai Zhengyan, who looked a bit helpless watching Yang Chao and others trying to outdrink Mu Jinyu, heard the knock and her eyes brightened. She quickly got up to open the door.

"Why are you only here now? We're almost done eating. If you don't hurry, we'll be ready to settle the bill and leave."

Cai Zhengyan opened the door and saw a man standing outside about 1.75 meters tall, with a decent appearance and slightly tan skin, speaking in a tone with some complaint.

The man was none other than Little Guo, Guo Songlin.

Guo Songlin's brow carried a hint of pride and fatigue, but upon hearing Cai Zhengyan's complaint, he collected that pride and fatigue, and explained with a bitter smile: "Sister, it's not that I want to procrastinate. I haven't even had breakfast yet and I'm still hungry now. There's really too much going on in the department lately, can't help it..."

"You haven't even had breakfast yet? Come on in, quickly order some food first."

When Cai Zhengyan heard Guo Songlin's words, she couldn't help but show some pity in her eyes, and then stepped aside to let Guo Songlin quickly enter.

Guo Songlin stepped into the private room, glanced at the three people sitting inside, nodded slightly towards Yang Chao and He Jingting, and said softly: "Everyone's here..."

Compared to Cai Zhengyan, his tone was a bit colder.

Yang Chao and He Jingting stood up and greeted with a smile: "Brother Guo is here? Quickly sit down, let's order some more dishes..."

They were also self-aware, knowing they dropped out of middle school to become migrant workers, while Guo Songlin graduated from a prestigious university and became a civil servant. The gap between the two sides was huge, and there wasn't much to talk about. They naturally didn't try to forcibly connect with Guo Songlin, nor did they call out annoyingly about latecomers being fined three drinks as soon as he arrived...

"Hmm..." Guo Songlin nodded, but didn't hurry to sit down and order food. Instead, he looked at Mu Jinyu.

Upon seeing Mu Jinyu's clean and neat appearance and handsome demeanor, which was worlds apart from the sloppy Yang Chao and He Jingting beside him, his brow slightly furrowed inadvertently.

"Are you Mu Jinyu?"

Guo Songlin asked, his tone carrying a hint of arrogance and skepticism.

He still had a vague impression of the little boy they used to bully as children, but couldn't reconcile the current Mu Jinyu in front of him with that frail boy from the past.

Because Mu Jinyu now seemed to be in better condition than him, which made him somewhat uncomfortable.

"Hmm." Mu Jinyu heard the arrogance and coldness in Guo Songlin's tone, gently nodded, replied briefly, and didn't say much.

He came to Rong City's Welfare Institute simply to see how his former companions were doing now.

No matter their attitude towards him, he didn't care much.

If their attitude was very cold, he planned to chat a bit and leave. But since Cai Zhengyan and Yang Chao had expressed great kindness and enthusiasm, he stayed.

Thus, he wouldn't leave directly due to Guo Songlin's coldness, just ignore him.

"Sister, you don't think he's deceiving you, right? It doesn't seem right to me, I have no impression at all..."

Guo Songlin saw Mu Jinyu's indifferent attitude, furrowed his brow again, and then turned to Cai Zhengyan with questioning doubt.

"It's really him, Little Mu from the past. I talked to him a lot this morning. If he was a liar, how would he know about those things from our past?"

Cai Zhengyan rolled her eyes at him upon hearing his doubt, then patiently explained.

"Exactly, he's truly the boy from back then. We were just discussing quite a bit about the past, and he answered effortlessly." Yang Chao chimed in.

He Jingting then self-deprecatingly chuckled, shaking his head: "What would he gain by deceiving us? Fraud or seduction? We are all broke, in debt up to our necks, where would he find money to trick us?"

"As for seduction, Sister, although you look decent, he's even younger and more handsome, if he really intends on seducing Sister, wouldn't he suffer a loss!"

Upon hearing He Jingting's words, Cai Zhengyan glared at him, dissatisfied: "What do you mean by I look decent? I've got plenty of suitors…"

In her mind, she thought if Mu Jinyu was indeed trying to deceive her, it might not be a loss for her.

But she was merely thinking in jest, not sincerely considering pursuit of Mu Jinyu. She acknowledged that he likely wouldn't be interested in her.

Seeing the three stand by Mu Jinyu and speak for him, Guo Songlin felt even more discomfort, but refrained from saying much else, slightly nodded: "As long as it's clear…"

Then, he pulled out a chair to sit beside Mu Jinyu, without speaking to him, and picked up the menu to start ordering food again.

"We're all pretty much done eating, no need to order so much. If you can't finish, it'll all be wasted."

Cai Zhengyan sat opposite, unable to see what Guo Songlin ordered, but sitting beside Mu Jinyu gave him a clear view without using Divine Sense—what Guo Songlin ordered: steamed bass, lobster, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall…

This simple selection already exceeded two thousand, prompting Mu Jinyu to advise.

"No worries, go ahead and order, it won't waste much." Cai Zhengyan, unaware of the eighteen hundred Buddha Jumps Over the Wall that Guo Songlin ordered, waved generously.

Guo Songlin continued flipping through the menu, ordering, responding coldly to Mu Jinyu, "Won't waste much; I'll cover the bill later."

"Hey now, I said I'd treat, why are you snatching the bill…"

Upon hearing Guo Songlin's words, Cai Zhengyan slightly raised her brows, annoyed.

At this moment, Guo Songlin handed her the menu: "Sister, see if you want to add anything else."

Cai Zhengyan accepting it, planned to see what else to order while persuading Guo Songlin to abandon paying, but upon seeing the eighteen-hundred-eighty-eight Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, her words to persuade him immediately swallowed back.

Cai Zhengyan abruptly looked up at Guo Songlin, eyes helplessly watching him, irritably uttered: "Did you intentionally order something so expensive?"

Her monthly salary was only over three thousand, and this meal of more than two thousand dollars, close to three thousand, how could she afford it?

Guo Songlin was clearly aware of her situation, yet intentionally ordered this much, evidently planning for him to pay, leaving them no opportunity.

This made her feel quite helpless as though she deliberately contacted Guo Songlin for a get-together, only to have him pay.

Guo Songlin chuckled, saying: "Sister, I mean nothing else, but I now dine out like this. We're all family, there's no need for clear separation over who pays for what, right? Today, it's my treat, next time, when you get your paycheck, treat me then."

"Given you've done this, what can I do?" Cai Zhengyan shook her head, helpless.

Yang Chao and He Jingting learned Guo Songlin ordered Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, couldn't help but give him a thumbs up, praising: "Big Brother, awesome!"

Guo Songlin listened to their praises quite contentedly, as though returning to the days at the Welfare Institute when they played errand boys for him.

After the waiter took the menu and left, Guo Songlin then turned to the calmly-faced Mu Jinyu and asked, "Little Mu, right?"

"What's up?" Mu Jinyu turned to look at him.

Guo Songlin asked: "What are you up to now, still in school?"

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