Chapter 905: Is This Really Okay for Us?

Lakefront Manor.

“Whoosh!”

A Honda Accord sedan stopped in front of the Yan family’s gate.

Su Zelin stepped out of the car: “Alright, Ah Biao, here is fine.”

“Brother Ze, should I wait for you here?”

The younger brother asked very respectfully.

The man in front of him was his big brother’s big brother, and if needed, Zhang Yuanhang would voluntarily have him serve as his driver for the whole night.

“No need, you can head back first.”

Su Zelin mildly declined his offer.

“Yes, Brother Ze!”

The young man was quite sensible; hearing Su Zelin’s tone, he understood he wasn’t needed, so he drove away.

Inside the manor, Yan Qiuwen sat at her bedroom table, intently reading a book. The girl’s deep eyes were like ice, her expression calm, her jade face unwavering, as if today was just an ordinary day and not her birthday.

There were also several new foreign books neatly stacked on the table: tonight’s birthday gifts from her parents. These were the latest works by renowned foreign philosophers or psychologists, not yet published domestically, only available in foreign editions. But for Yan Qiuwen, who was proficient in foreign languages, reading them wasn’t difficult.

From an early age, she had no interest in dolls, but showed great enthusiasm for books and knowledge, especially in the areas of philosophy and psychology where her parents excelled.

So over the next decade, the gifts she received most often were books.

Yan Qiuwen was accustomed to finishing off dinner with her parents each birthday evening and then immediately retreating to her room to read these new books.

“Beep beep beep…”

The Nokia phone on the table chimed with a new message notification from QQ.

Her cool gaze finally shifted from the book to the phone screen.

She had few QQ friends, almost countable on one hand. A quick scroll to the bottom of the list revealed they were acquaintances who rarely connected, knowing her personality, unsure of what topic to discuss.

She quickly thought of one person.

If not him, it wouldn’t be any other friend.

Indeed, an official QQ avatar wearing sunglasses was blinking.

Opening it revealed only a cake emoji, the meaning clear without words.

“You still remember…”

Yan Qiuwen murmured to herself, her fingers swiftly typing on the phone keyboard, responding with two words.

Wen: “Thanks!”

One-yeared Handsome: “I’m at your gate?”

Within ten seconds, the delinquent’s next message left Yan Qiuwen slightly surprised.

Wen: “Why did you come over?”

One-yeared Handsome: “Is it convenient to meet? If it’s inconvenient, I’ll leave.”

You are at my door, can I say it’s inconvenient…

Yan Qiuwen felt a bit speechless.

It appeared to be a choice question, yet Su Zelin hadn’t really planned to give her a choice, or he would have asked if she were available before coming over, not waiting until he arrived to mention it.

Act first, report later.

A little-psychology trick to invite someone over that’s hard to refuse, a tactic not easily missed by the female strategist.

Wen: “Hold on, I’m coming out now.”

One-yeared Handsome: “Alright, see you soon!”

Ending the conversation, taking a glance at the page, Yan Qiuwen closed the book and left her room.

“Dad, Mom, I’m going out for a bit!”

With that, she left the living room.

Mr. and Mrs. Yan were quite puzzled.

Though it was only nine o’clock, not too late, their daughter’s quiet nature, unlike other young people who enjoy nightlife, made her stepping out at this hour quite rare.

A few minutes later, the Yan family gate opened, and a graceful figure walked out—it was Yan Qiuwen.

She was greeted by the delinquent’s smiling face.

“Hi, Qiuwen!”

“Did you drink?”

Yan Qiuwen’s long eyebrows furrowed lightly.

She smelled the strong scent of alcohol on Su Zelin.

“Had dinner with a few leaders tonight, drank a little, it’s fine.”

While speaking, Su Zelin looked Yan Qiuwen up and down; this evening, the female consultant wore a pure white chiffon jumpsuit, unadorned, yet elegant like a snow lotus, a rare flower suiting Yan Qiuwen’s aloof temperament, always blooming independently in icy lands, keeping others at arm’s length.

“New dress? This abstinent style suits you well, hehe.”

The delinquent instinctively complimented.

“Abstinent style?”

This internet term hadn’t emerged yet, but Yan Qiuwen could vaguely understand it from word analysis, implying she appeared impenetrable to men’s desires.

Su Zelin often used peculiar words, but she wasn’t surprised, though felt somewhat displeased, humming softly: “Nonsense, I’m a normal girl!”

“Alright, let me ask, have you ever tied a string of flowers?”

“No.”

“Have you jumped elastics?”

“No.”

“Have you eaten snacks?”

“No.”

“Have you done your hair?”

“No?”

“Have you worn lipstick?”

“No.”

“…”

He posed several questions in succession, all met with negative answers from Yan Qiuwen.

Finally, the delinquent shrugged, grinning: “See, those are experiences any twenty-one-year-old girl would have, none of which you’ve had, plus no girl stays home on her birthday instead of going out with friends.”

Yan Qiuwen: “…”

Now that you mention it, I do seem a bit abnormal.

“Qiu Wen, come on. I’ll take you to break something, something that girls your age have pretty much all done.”

Su Zelin suddenly blurted out.

“W-what are we doing?”

Yan Qiuwen sounded a little flustered.

Usually, Su Zelin wouldn’t act randomly, but it was obvious he was a bit tipsy.

Plus, his mischievous grin seemed a bit suggestive, looking as though he had ulterior motives.

“You’ll find out when we get there!”

Su Zelin chuckled.

Just then, a free taxi passed by, and he signaled it down, pulling the lady consultant into the backseat with him.

“Driver, Jiahua Hotel!”

When he announced the destination, Yan Qiuwen felt her heart racing, initially wanting to refuse. However, the male aura mixed with the scent of alcohol surrounding Su Zelin made her head spin, rendering her speechless.

The taxi arrived at the Jiahua Hotel in no time, and that was when the lady consultant snapped out of her daze. She nervously fidgeted with the hem of her skirt: “Do we really have to go in? Isn’t this not right?”

“We’ve come all the way, what’s wrong with that? Come on, it won’t take too long, at most an hour and a half.”

Su Zelin’s words intrigued even the driver.

Young people are so bold these days. Back in my day, I was known as the Iron Palms of the Water, and even I wasn’t as audacious as you.

However, once they got out, Yan Qiuwen realized she had misunderstood.

Because Su Zelin was heading not into the hotel, but into a nearby BBQ skewer shop.

Only then did the lady consultant realize she’d been tricked by Su Zelin, her cheeks flushed as she secretly cursed him.

“Qiu Wen, I’m taking you to let loose. A twenty-one-year-old girl who’s never had BBQ should be rarer than a panda, right? To celebrate your birthday, let’s get some BBQ and let you be a normal girl tonight.”

Su Zelin spoke with an amused expression.

So it’s about breaking the diet for BBQ!

This guy dared to mess with me; I really want to hit him!

Yan Qiuwen was fuming.

“No way!”

She pulled a stern face.

“BBQ contains benzopyrene, heterocyclic amines, and other carcinogenic substances that can increase the risk of liver, esophageal, stomach, pancreatic, and colorectal cancer. Plus, 1 gram of fat produces 9 kilocalories of energy—BBQ, being a high-calorie food, can easily cause overweight and obesity. Not to mention, it can also increase the burden on your kidneys…”

“Alright, alright, spare me the science lecture, okay? I already know all this stuff!”

Su Zelin couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Looks like Baidu Encyclopedia is always ready to pop up.

“How about this instead? I’ll have the BBQ, and you eat something else. Just keep me company!”

The mischievous guy cleared his throat, offering a suggestion.

“Well… okay.”

This time, Yan Qiuwen had no reason to refuse.

Yet she felt a bit down once she said it.

It’s clearly my birthday, so why am I the one accompanying him?

Nevertheless, seeing Su Zelin already entering the shop, she reluctantly followed him.

The corner of the mischievous guy’s mouth curled into a subtle smile, clever like a little fox.

As long as she’s willing to enter this BBQ shop, Qiu Wen won’t escape from Brother Ze’s grasp… oops, no, it means I have plenty of ways to make her

break loose!

The BBQ shop was bustling, quite crowded, but luckily they managed to find seats.

Once seated, a stout waiter came by: “For the two of you, what would you like to order?”

Su Zelin handed the menu to Yan Qiuwen, letting her order first.

Besides BBQ, there were plenty of other options. However, the lady consultant glanced over, dismissing one item as unhealthy, another as unsafe, and eliminated nearly everything, finally reluctantly ordering some stir-fried greens as a token.

Truthfully, even that she didn’t want to order, but she had to at least show some gesture.

The mischievous guy, on the other hand, was far from reserved.

“Five skewers each of fatty beef, mutton, prawns, and two of chicken wings and chicken feet, plus a dozen oysters, and some enoki mushrooms, eggplants, and dried tofu skins…”

Hearing Su Zelin rattle off the BBQ items like a connoisseur, Yan Qiuwen couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Didn’t you just have dinner with the boss before coming here? Why are you ordering so much?”

Su Zelin finally put down the menu: “It’s fine, I got hungry again on the way over.”

Yan Qiuwen: “…”

Are you a pig?

Hmm, even pigs wouldn’t get hungry this fast.

In truth, during dinner Su Zelin hadn’t eaten much. Mostly because he was drinking most of the time. Eating too much isn’t good; it can make you throw up easily. Eating too little isn’t good either, as it can also lead to vomiting. This was his well-earned wisdom from those long gatherings in the social scene.

“Alright!”

The waiter jotted down the order and asked, “Would either of you like any drinks or beverages?”

“Half a dozen Qian Dao Lake, please.”

To make Yan Qiuwen drop her guard and give in, the best method is to get her to drink.

Her constitution is particularly sensitive to alcohol. A few sips and she’s like a different person.

“You’re planning to drink more? Isn’t that a bit much?”

Yan Qiuwen felt concerned for him.

“‘A man should never say he’s defeated,’ it’s nothing!”

The mischievous guy laughed heartily, then corrected: “It’s not just me drinking, it’s us!”

“Us?”

Yan Qiuwen was puzzled, then instinctively shook her head.

That incident last time was quite embarrassing; she’s now wary of alcohol at just its mention.

“Hey, you’ve broken the diet with alcohol before, so another time won’t matter. Plus, last time was my fault for not knowing your alcohol tolerance, which resulted in you drinking too much. This time it won’t happen; you just need to have a tiny bit for your birthday celebration, just breaking the diet one more time!”

The tone of the mischievous guy, low like a devil’s whisper, coaxed Yan Qiuwen into nodding inadvertently.

“Okay, but just a little bit, I’m not having more!”

“Sure, just a tiny bit!”

Su Zelin’s serious expression looked like he was just one step away from swearing it to the heavens.