Chapter 393: Chapter 392: At Least Don’t Act Like a Mouse Seeing a Cat
"You have no idea how nervous I am," Xu Su said, pulling out a tissue to wipe the sweat from her forehead. "Let’s go. Time to pick them up."
When they got out of the car, they both put on masks. They’d timed their arrival perfectly, and the flight wasn’t delayed.
After waiting less than ten minutes, they saw Huang Feng and Qian Jia walk out arm in arm, followed by Huang Chao, who was pushing the luggage.
Being picked up from the airport by the big boss himself was probably a scenario Huang Chao wouldn’t even dare to dream of. Even though he had been mentally prepared, when he saw Zhou Mochen actually appear before him, the nearly thirty-year-old man couldn’t help but look utterly terrified.
It wasn’t just Huang Chao; even Huang Feng and Qian Jia, two young women who hadn’t yet entered the workforce, were a bit reserved.
Fortunately, Zhou Mochen’s attitude was just as he had promised: very gentle and friendly.
He helped Huang Chao put the luggage in the trunk, then cleanly and efficiently sent his subordinate back to the company before getting into the passenger seat himself.
As Xu Su started the car and focused on driving, she saw Zhou Mochen deliberately turn to face Huang Feng and Qian Jia in the back seat and say, "First, I’ll take you to the place you’ll be staying."
His voice was gentle and kind.
Qian Jia and Huang Feng glanced at each other, their faces flushing as they nodded.
Listening from the side, Xu Su felt that Young Master Zhou’s warm, spring-breeze-like smile was certainly a great show of respect for her two best friends.
The place arranged for them had been decided on long ago: Xu Su’s apartment near University B.
In fact, neither Xu Su nor Zhou Mochen had been there before; all they knew was that the residential complex was called Hanlin Garden.
As soon as they arrived at the entrance of the complex, two middle-aged men who had clearly been waiting for a while came to lead the way.
On a hot summer day like this, they had been standing under the sun waiting for them, their heads beaded with sweat.
This apartment, in keeping with Zhou Mochen’s usual style, was, unsurprisingly, a large penthouse flat.
Xu Su held Huang Feng’s hand with her left and linked arms with Qian Jia with her right. The three "sisters" chatted intimately as they toured the apartment.
After getting familiar with the layout and furnishings, Xu Su pointed to the four guest rooms and said magnanimously, "Pick whichever room you like. Don’t be polite with me."
Worried that her two friends would feel awkward with Zhou Mochen around, Xu Su had specifically asked him to wait for them on the living room sofa.
Even so, his powerful presence still made it impossible to ignore him.
Qian Jia pulled Xu Su into a guest room, peeking at the man on the sofa before closing the door. Then she whispered, "Susu, I’m seriously impressed you can joke around so freely in front of him. I don’t even dare to breathe too loudly. Why don’t you let him go attend to his business?"
Huang Feng nodded repeatedly. "Yeah, Susu, have your boyfriend leave first. He’s even scarier than Old Wu!"
They were treating Zhou Mochen like some kind of prehistoric monster, and this was when he was deliberately trying to leave a good impression on them.
"..." Xu Su was speechless. ’So, just how terrifying is Zhou Mochen, really?’
"Don’t be scared. You’re my best friends, why would you be afraid of my boyfriend? It’s not like he’s going to eat you. Don’t worry, he’s actually really good-natured."
Xu Su spoke as she helped Qian Jia unpack her luggage. "I’ll have him treat you to dinner tonight. You’ll feel better once you get to know him a bit more."
She didn’t expect the two of them to be able to tease Zhou Mochen the way they used to tease Xi Zirong, but at least they shouldn’t be like mice in front of a cat...
Zhou Mochen was completely unaware of the pressure his presence created. When he saw them come out after getting settled, he still wore that same refined and gentle smile, looking very approachable.
"All done?" He reached a hand out to Xu Su. "Then let’s go. I’ve booked a restaurant to welcome your friends."
"Wait, not yet." Xu Su pulled Huang Feng and Qian Jia to the main door. "Let me register your fingerprints. It’s more convenient than carrying a key card."
The apartment Zhou Mochen had chosen was certainly excellent in terms of security and privacy. The university town wasn’t far, and all three of their schools were nearby, which also made it convenient for Huang Feng and Qian Jia to find a summer job.
Xu Su felt very reassured having her two friends stay here.
By the time they finished everything, the sky had begun to darken. The restaurant Zhou Mochen had booked was near University B. Even though it was summer break, business at the restaurant was still quite good.
In a private room on the second floor.
After all the dishes had arrived, Zhou Mochen ordered a pot of sake and personally filled the three girls’ cups. "Try it and see what you think. I came here a few times when I was a student. It has a very low alcohol content."
The small, white-jade-colored cups held a clear, faintly pink liquor that looked very inviting.
Xu Su sniffed it, then raised her cup to her two friends with a smile. "It’s okay if you get drunk. I’ll take you home to sleep it off."
Huang Feng had tasted alcohol before and considered her tolerance to be decent, so she clinked glasses with Xu Su heroically.
Qian Jia, on the other hand, was drinking for the first time. She took a tentative sip, and her eyes quickly lit up. The fragrant fruit wine was low in alcohol and tasted great, perfect for a girl just learning to drink.
Zhou Mochen didn’t drink. He just refilled their cups from time to time, listening to their conversation with a constant smile. He didn’t interrupt, appearing very patient and good-tempered.
After a few cups of wine, Huang Feng and Qian Jia became much bolder. They were no longer as cautious as before, and seeing that Zhou Mochen was actually so easy to get along with, they would occasionally strike up a conversation with him.
Zhou Mochen responded naturally each time. It could be said that both the host and guests were enjoying themselves, which left Xu Su very satisfied.
The conversation drifted from teachers to classmates, and the three girls shared a tacit understanding not to bring up Xi Zirong, who had placed first in the province for science.
Aside from the "royal flush" that was Xi Zirong, the rest of their cohort had also done well on the exams. Their undergraduate acceptance rate was far higher than the previous year’s.
Quite a few of their classmates had been accepted into schools in Beijing, but only Xu Su and Xi Zirong were guaranteed spots at University B. However, besides University B, Beijing had many other prestigious universities. The ones Huang Feng and Qian Jia were attending, for instance, were also "Double First-Class" universities.
Meanwhile, Fu Zichen, who had always had excellent grades, went to F University in Magic Capital, and Rao Lu went to Magic Capital as well.
A few other classmates from well-off families chose to go abroad to "gild" their credentials.
Three years as classmates, a bond forged through daily life, and now, after one college entrance exam, the students were like dandelion seeds scattered by the wind, drifting to all corners of the world.
This was the first major separation the teenagers faced after growing up. Fortunately, the three of them were still able to stay together and hadn’t been scattered.
As they were chatting, Xu Su suddenly thought of Gu Yunjia. She turned to Huang Feng, who was always well-informed. "Fengfeng, what was Gu Yunjia’s score? Do you know which university she applied to?"
"Over 600, I think. Her first choice was C University. I heard it’s not far from your University B—right next door, in fact."
Huang Feng’s expression showed that she was exactly the right person to ask. "I made a special effort to find out. She wanted to get into the medical school, which is C University’s top program! She’s so amazing."
Xu Su was taken aback. ’Medical school...’
Thinking about Gu Yunjia’s family situation, her heart grew a little heavy, but she also felt happy for her. She had endured such a difficult year, and now she would become a doctor who saved lives.
