Chapter 318: Co-ed Mixer

After both groups got acquainted, they walked into the bustling hot pot restaurant.

The moment they stepped inside, a rich, savory aroma of hot pot hit them.

The eight of them glanced at the other customers who were eating with gusto, and couldn’t help but feel their own appetites stirring.

Zhou Yue had called ahead to book a private room, and the group was soon led to a space with a large, round table that had a built-in hot pot burner at its center.

Just as everyone was about to sit with the four guys on one side and the four girls on the other, Zhou Yue suddenly said with a smile, "Since we’re here to make new friends, let’s mix it up and alternate between guys and girls. It’ll be easier to talk that way."

Upon hearing this, the introverted Li Zhe and Zhao Ya looked visibly uncomfortable.

Being seated between two people of the opposite sex right after meeting was a bit too much for them.

But seeing that no one else had any objections, they kept quiet.

Since Zhou Yue was treating, everyone went along with her arrangement and took their seats.

Chen Mo sat between Su Yuqing and Zhou Yue. Next to Zhou Yue was Li Zhe, and next to Su Yuqing was Shen Xinghe. Beside Shen Xinghe sat Zhao Ya, who was followed by Wang Lan, and then Lin Xiaoxiao, who was seated next to Li Zhe, completing the circle.

Zhou Yue had arranged it this way on purpose.

She could tell that Li Zhe and Zhao Ya were the more introverted types, and she figured they needed a more extroverted person next to them to liven things up so it wouldn’t be too dull.

Since it wouldn’t be right to separate Chen Mo and Su Yuqing, she placed Li Zhe between herself and Lin Xiaoxiao, who were both more outgoing. She then placed Zhao Ya between Wang Lan and Shen Xinghe. This way, they each had a more talkative person next to them to help get the conversation flowing and improve the mood of the dinner.

It would also help everyone get to know each other faster.

Otherwise, if you put two quiet people together, they might not say a word to each other all night.

As everyone settled in, Su Yuqing subconsciously glanced at Shen Xinghe next to her. The closer she looked, the more she noticed how much he resembled a girl—his skin was just impossibly good.

It was fair and dewy, practically no different from a girl’s.

"Hello, sister-in-law." As they sat down, Shen Xinghe gave Su Yuqing a polite nod.

He was relatively immune to Su Yuqing’s beauty, perhaps because he was used to seeing his own face all the time.

He was nothing like Wang Lan and Li Zhe, who had looked completely awestruck when they first saw Su Yuqing.

Hearing him use the term "sister-in-law," Su Yuqing’s pretty face immediately flushed slightly, and she gave a small nod in response.

Once everyone was seated, the task of ordering food naturally fell to the most assertive person, Zhou Yue.

"Fatty beef, tripe, shrimp paste, aorta... we have to get all of these!" Zhou Yue picked up her phone, scanned the QR code, and started rapidly checking off items like a pro. "You guys see if there’s anything else you want. Order whatever, don’t be shy."

"Let me see..." Wang Lan wasn’t shy either. He picked up the menu on the table and glanced at it. "Let’s get an order of crispy fried pork! And the duck intestines look good too!"

"Crispy pork and duck intestines, got it!" Zhou Yue’s fingers flew across the screen. She looked up at the others. "What about drinks? What should we get? You need something ice-cold with hot pot to cut the spice. That’s the best way!"

"I’m good with anything." "Whatever everyone else is having." Several voices chimed in at once, most of them tinged with the politeness of a first group meal.

"Then let’s get two pitchers of iced plum juice, one pitcher of kumquat lemon tea, and have a case of beer on standby. Those who drink can have beer, those who don’t can have the other drinks. How does that sound?" Zhou Yue suggested, her gaze sweeping across the table and lingering for a moment on the other three girls for their input.

"How about milk? Milk is better for cutting the spice," Chen Mo said with a smile.

"A pitcher of iced milk it is."

After ordering the soup bases and other dishes, Zhou Yue efficiently submitted the order.

In the interval while waiting for the food to arrive, a brief, unavoidable silence fell over the private room.

Even though the seating had been deliberately arranged, they had just met, after all, and no one knew how to start a conversation.

As the host, Zhou Yue naturally took on the heavy responsibility of breaking the ice.

She cleared her throat and turned her gaze first to Li Zhe, who was sitting beside her. "Li Zhe, where are you from?"

"Su... Su Province." Suddenly being spoken to by Zhou Yue, Li Zhe was clearly a little nervous.

Although he couldn’t recognize the value of Zhou Yue’s designer clothes, she was undeniably a beauty. For Li Zhe, who rarely spoke to girls, being suddenly approached by a beautiful woman naturally made him feel both flattered and overwhelmed.

"Oh, from Su Province? I hear the food there is on the sweeter side. Are you going to be able to handle this Xiangchuan spicy broth later?"

Li Zhe hadn’t expected to be called on first. He pushed his glasses up nervously. "It’s... it’s okay. I think I can give it a try."

"Just trying isn’t enough, you have to eat your fill!" With her forthright personality, Zhou Yue laughed and patted his shoulder in a way that was natural and not at all abrupt. "Look at Wang Lan. You can tell just by looking at him that he can handle his spice!"

Wang Lan immediately puffed out his chest. "Of course! We guys from the Northeast can eat anything, and spicy food just makes it more exciting!"

His exaggerated expression made everyone laugh, and the atmosphere instantly lightened up considerably.

"It’s okay if you can’t handle spicy food, I was just kidding. I ordered a yuanyang pot, so if you can’t eat spicy, you can have the mushroom broth," Zhou Yue said with a smile.

Lin Xiaoxiao also joined the conversation, curiously asking Wang Lan if winters in the Northeast were really as cold as people say, and if the snow could get as high as a person.

Wang Lan immediately became a chatterbox, describing it all vividly and mixing in some amusing anecdotes from the Northeast that made Lin Xiaoxiao giggle.

’It always feels like people from the Northeast have some innate talent for stand-up and comedy.’

’One guy can just chatter on and on and still make everyone laugh.’

’Just having someone like that around is enough to keep the conversation from dying.’

On the other side, although Su Yuqing was sitting next to Chen Mo, there was still a bit of distance between them. She whispered to him, "We’re pretty lucky coming to university. Our roommates all seem really nice."

Chen Mo smiled and said in a low voice, "Even if we’d gotten bad ones, it would have been no big deal. Worst case, I’d just get an apartment for us to live in off-campus."

As soon as she heard this, Su Yuqing immediately recalled how secure she felt sleeping in Chen Mo’s arms. The thought that she would have to sleep in a bed by herself for the foreseeable future made her feel a pang of reluctance.

While the two were talking, the nearby Zhao Ya couldn’t help but sneak a peek at Shen Xinghe.

As it happened, Shen Xinghe seemed to feel her gaze. He looked up, and gave her a polite, graceful smile.

Feeling as if she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t, Zhao Ya quickly turned her head away, her face flushing as her heart inexplicably skipped a beat.

’That guy’s smile... is way too lethal.’

Shen Xinghe seemed to find her reaction amusing. A faint, almost imperceptible smile played on his lips as he started a conversation with her. In a gentle voice, he said, "Zhao Ya, judging by your accent, you sound like you’re from the south?"