Lu Youchuan's hand was on the doorknob. He stared with wide eyes at the two people standing at the door. The boy was tall and imposing, with deep-set eyes and eyebrows.
The girl was slender and charming.
A handsome young man and a beautiful young woman—what a perfect match.
"Y-you two, why aren't you coming in?" Lu Youchuan stammered. He consciously stepped to the side to make way for them.
"Right! Class monitor, Lin Jinran, what are you two doing just standing at the door? It's so cold outside. It's much more comfortable in here with the heater on."
"Looking at them, it's really a feast for the eyes. I've always said that our class isn't full of bookworms. Look at them, one more handsome and beautiful than the next."
"What should I do? As their classmate, I also want to ship this CP. The Su-Lin CP has been really popular lately. Some old classmates specifically asked me about their progress. Isn't this just like a campus-themed dating show?"
"Right! A dating show is great. If it were live-streamed, our whole class would become famous."
"To be honest, I've secretly been shipping Su Qinian and Lin Jinran's CP from the very beginning."
"..."
"We just arrived. We happened to meet here and were just about to open the door and come in." Lin Jinran curved her beautiful eyes and gave everyone a smile.
Then she turned around to face the private room. There were three tables in the room, with at most eight people at each table. Counting carefully, there were more than twenty people attending this New Year's Eve gathering.
Su Qinian smiled faintly. He looked down at the girl and said softly, "Let's go over there. It's the middle table. Lu Youchuan saved seats for us two."
Lin Jinran nodded. She took her hands out of her pockets and walked over slowly.
Most of the people at their table were good friends.
Lu Youchuan, Xie Wanyu, Tao Wan, Jiang Xiubin, and two other classmates who got along well.
"Wow, it's really a treat for the eyes. My eyes are so happy again." Tao Wan propped her chin up and joked.
Xie Wanyu rubbed her hands and raised her chin proudly. "Thanks to me telling Jinran last night to dress up beautifully. Look, the class monitor is over the moon."
"She looks like a delicate doll." Jiang Xiubin said gently.
"Right. Hey, you two, stop right there. Don't sit down yet." Tao Wan slapped the table and suddenly stood up. The friends around her were startled. She picked up the camera. "Stand still. I'll take a photo of you first!"
"T-there are so many people watching, and everyone is about to eat." Lin Jinran muttered softly. She glanced at the heater on the ceiling. It was making her feel hot, and her face was bright red.
She really wanted to sit down quickly and take off her coat. She was dying of heat.
"It's okay. It'll be quick. The class monitor didn't even refuse." Tao Wan had already adjusted the parameters and aimed the camera forward.
Su Qinian coughed awkwardly to cover the smile that flashed across his eyes. "Let's be quick. They'll start serving the dishes at eight."
"Both of you, get closer. A little closer. Shoulder to shoulder. Face the camera and smile. Right, just like that."
Tao Wan directed. Looking at the slightly messy background in the camera, she frowned slightly, then relaxed and hooked her lips into a smile.
Was the background messy? It didn't matter. She could do photo editing.
She could cut out the figures and P them onto a big red background.
Wouldn't this be a perfect marriage registration photo?
Su Qinian would thank her so much.
With a "click", the scene in front of her was captured.
Lin Jinran was a bit curious. She took the camera and looked at the photo with Su Qinian.
In the photo, she and Su Qinian were facing the camera with smiles on their faces, and there was also a bit of solemnity in their smiles.
"Why does it feel a bit strange?" Lin Jinran looked at it again and again. She always felt it was very familiar, but she just couldn't remember.
Su Qinian stood behind her. He glanced at it and smiled lazily.
"It's just an ordinary photo. There's nothing strange about it. Okay, it's almost time to eat. Give the camera back to Tao Wan."
As he finished speaking, he took the camera and gave it back to Tao Wan, and casually said "thank you".
His look when he looked at Tao Wan was meaningful.
Was he thanking her for the photo?
Or was it for something else?
Could it be that the class monitor had discovered something?
Tao Wan took the camera and was a bit suspicious.
She wasn't sure. She'd have to observe more.
But Su Qinian had already taken his seat and didn't look at her again.
All his attention was on the girl beside him.
"Tao Wan, why are you only taking photos of the class monitor and Lin Jinran? Why don't you take photos of the rest of us?"
The voice came from the table on their left.
Tao Wan looked up. It was Zhang Qiaozhi speaking.
Maybe Zhang Qiaozhi's words were a bit sarcastic. The expressions of a few classmates around changed. They pulled her and whispered, "Our relationship with Tao Wan is just so-so. It's just a photo. We'll take more nice photos of you later. There's no need for this."
Zhang Qiaozhi snorted and ignored the classmate beside her.
Lin Jinran looked at Tao Wan worriedly. Tao Wan smiled at her to reassure her not to worry.
"I just didn't have time. After we finish eating later, let's take a group photo together. Don't rush home first."
Tao Wan smiled sweetly. Her words were soft but carried a hidden barb as she refuted gently.
"It's really rare for everyone to get together. We really should take a photo before we leave to commemorate this moment."
Su Qinian tilted his head slightly and spoke to that table.
His gaze was calm. His idle hand on the table tapped rhythmically, looking nonchalant.
"Y-yes, it's me being too impatient. Tao Wan, don't mind." Zhang Qiaozhi tried hard to act as if she didn't care, but her evasive eyes had already betrayed her.
"It's okay." Tao Wan was an easy-going person. She just smiled casually. Seeing the door of the private room open and the waiter starting to serve the dishes, she tried to smooth things over. "The food is coming. Let's eat quickly. I'm starving."
Only then did the atmosphere become lively again.
The private room was brightly lit. Exquisite crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, looking extremely dazzling.
Outside, it was a thick night, and scattered stars could be faintly seen.
Lin Jinran took off her down jacket, folded it neatly, and put it on the sofa on one side of the private room. A neatly folded black overcoat was placed next to her pink down jacket.
The black was cold and imposing, while the pink was charming.
Lin Jinran blushed slightly. She quickly turned around, grabbed the boy's arm, and whispered, "Let's go over quickly."
The boy was in an extremely good mood. He looked down at Lin Jinran holding his arm, and his deep voice was filled with a smile. "Okay, let's go. We can't let you starve, right, Xiao Ranran?"
Xiao, Xiao Ranran?
What kind of address was this?
Lin Jinran's face flushed red instantly. She immediately let go of her hand, kicked Su Qinian's shoe, and said crossly, "Speak properly, Su Qinian!"
As she finished speaking, she walked forward by herself.
Su Qinian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He looked at his poor shoe and slowly followed behind her.