At dusk, the sun, like a flame, gradually sank towards the horizon.
The sky was covered in a fiery red glow, painting the heavens a brilliant crimson.
Inside Villa No. 29 at Gubei No. 1, Tang Yuan, who had just completed all the procedures, stood by the bright, clear floor-to-ceiling window, taking a call.
"Alright, send me the address."
"Su Xiaoxiao is with me; we'll head over together later."
"Mm-hmm, see you later."
...
After finishing the call, Tang Yuan turned and returned to the living room.
"Xiaoxiao, my college basketball teammates want to have dinner together tonight," Tang Yuan said, walking over to Su Xiaoxiao.
"Would you like to come with me? If you don't want to, we can just drop by there, and then go to that izakaya you mentioned."
At this moment, Su Xiaoxiao had recovered from the shock of Tang Yuan's home purchase. Facing Tang Yuan's question, a flower-like smile bloomed on her face: "Senior, it's livelier with more people. We can go to the izakaya anytime. I'd love to go to dinner with you."
Having dinner with Tang Yuan's classmates was the best opportunity to integrate into his life. Su Xiaoxiaowasn't foolish, so she naturally wouldn't refuse.
"Alright, then we'll head straight to the restaurant later."
After Tang Yuan finished speaking, he didn't sit down again. Instead, he looked at Xiao Yayue, who was coordinating the property purchase details with Wang Guofei.
"Secretary Xiao, come here for a moment."
Tang Yuan called out to Xiao Yayue.
Hearing this, Xiao Yayue immediately walked quickly towards Tang Yuan: "Tang Zong, what is it?"
"You can continue to coordinate the remaining matters with Manager Wang. I have something else to do, so I'll take Xiaoxiao and leave first."
At this point, Tang Yuan paused, then remembered something and spoke again: "After you finish with the Hong Kong matters, when you return to Shanghai, please help me hire a professional butler team for this villa, with a team size of no more than 10 people."
"Understood."
Xiao Yayue nodded in response, committing the matter to memory.
Having given all the necessary instructions, Tang Yuandidn't delay any longer. He called Su Xiaoxiao, and under Wang Guofei's respectful send-off, he drove his black Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta away from Gubei No. 1.
...
Time slowly passed, and night quietly descended. The bright moon hung high in the sky, casting endless silver moonlight.
Under the cover of night, Shanghai transformed into the Magic City, with countless dazzling lights illuminating the city.
"Beep beep beep..."
In the Magic City at night, congestion was the norm.
Even a super LaFerrari worth nearly forty million still moved slowly like a sardine in crowded sections.
"Senior, once the house in Gubei No. 1 is ready, will you move out of school?" Su Xiaoxiao looked at Tang Yuan's chiseled profile and asked softly.
Tang Yuan heard her, turned his head to glance at Su Xiaoxiao, his eyes a bit strange: "Why would I move out of school? The house in Gubei No. 1 is for holidays and weekends; I'll still live at school on weekdays."
Living alone?
Just thinking about it was incredibly boring.
Although the school was a bit small, there were many interesting classmates. Playing games, playing basketball, having a few drinks, bragging – that's what a colorful life was like. After all, humans are social animals.
"Hehe..."
"That's good."
Su Xiaoxiao seemed instantly joyful upon hearing Tang Yuan's reply.
"What's wrong?"
"Are you that happy I'm staying at school?"
"Can't bear to part with me?"
Tang Yuan looked at the road ahead and teased casually.
"Yes!"
"I just can't bear to part with you!"
"If you move out, won't I be the only one left for morning exercise?"
Facing Tang Yuan's teasing, Su Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up, and she completely embraced it, her reply quite bold.
"You didn't know me before, and you still did morning exercise by yourself, didn't you?"
Tang Yuan was unmoved, smiling as he retorted.
"It's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury to frugality."
Su Xiaoxiao puffed out her chest slightly, saying confidently: "I'm already used to you taking me running every day now. If you're not around, I might instantly lose motivation."
"Oh? So you're clinging to me now?"
"Yes, I'm clinging to you!"
Just as the two were chatting a bit ambiguously, Tang Yuan finally drove out of the congested section, then followed the navigation, making several turns, and finally found the location for the basketball team's dinner tonight.
It was a Japanese yakitori restaurant, a standalone three-story building, hidden beneath the bustle of the Magic City. Many luxury cars were parked outside, including Guan Yuntao's green Lamborghini Aventador and Li Qiming's purple McLaren.
Tang Yuan drove his black Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta into a parking spot, then took Su Xiaoxiao into the Japanese yakitori restaurant.
Upon entering, a huge workstation immediately met their eyes. Dozens of chefs in pristine white chef uniforms were bustling back and forth in the center. The lighting here was the brightest, shining on the chefs, making them appear to glow from a distance.
Around the workstation were tables for individual guests. Many white-collar workers who had just finished work or couples sat around the workstation, enjoying the chefs at work while savoring delicious food and drinks. It was only seven o'clock, but the individual tables were already almost full.
As for the areas around the workstation, there were independent dining tables, each quite spaced out. The lighting was dimmer compared to the central workstation, with a warm, dim glow creating a unique atmosphere.
After Tang Yuan entered with Su Xiaoxiao, he scanned the area, then told the waiter the table number Guan Yuntao had sent him. Led by the waiter, he quickly found Guan Yuntao and the others in a corner.
"Yuan Ge!"
"Yuan Ge is here!"
"Yuan Ge, we saved you a seat, sit here!"
...
As Tang Yuan and Su Xiaoxiao approached, Guan Yuntao and the others quickly noticed them and stood up from their seats to greet Tang Yuan.
The Gaojin College basketball team had a total of eight people: five starters and three substitutes.
However, there were eleven people sitting at this table, with four extra girls.
Undoubtedly, these four girls were definitely the companions of some of the guys.
In this situation, introductions were naturally unavoidable when everyone met.
Tang Yuan had known for a long time that Li Qiminghad a girlfriend named Song Qingru.
They had been in love since college for four years and were now pursuing a dual master's and doctoral degree at Fudan University, a bona fide academic overachiever.
Tang Yuan had often heard Li Qiming mention her, but this was the first time he had met her. She wore round-rimmed glasses, looked gentle and delicate, and had a very scholarly aura, seeming completely mismatched with someone as outgoing as Li Qiming.
Yet, their relationship had always been very good, and they were now nearing the point of marriage.
Tang Yuan wasn't surprised that Li Qiming had a female companion, but what was the deal with Guan Yuntao?
Tang Yuan looked at the fashionably dressed, hot female companion next to Guan Yuntao, feeling a bit bewildered.
"When did you get a girlfriend?"
As everyone resettled, Tang Yuan whispered to Guan Yuntao.
"Yuan Ge, don't misunderstand."
"Not a girlfriend, just a very good drinking buddy."
Guan Yuntao winked at Tang Yuan and replied quietly.
"Drinking buddy?"
Tang Yuan paused, not quite understanding his meaning.
"Hehe..."
"It's a female friend with whom it's very easy to have a physical relationship after drinking."
Guan Yuntao chuckled twice, responding with a sincere expression.
Tang Yuan: "Buddha Buddha"….