Seven people entered the private room at Ensue.
Cui Xiaodan, ever observant, immediately took the seat by the door, the one most convenient for serving. Wang Lei promptly sat down next to her.
"Oh, right, Brother Chu, I forgot to introduce you," Lu Ming chimed in with a smile. "This is Xiaolu's classmate, Du Xiaoman. Where should we all sit?"
Lin Chu said, "Sit wherever. Why don't the three of us sit close and have a drink?"
Liu Junfeng quickly waved his hands in refusal. "I drank too much last night. No more for me, no more. I need to recover."
Lin Chu just laughed. "How are you going to recover by taking a break? You need some hair of the dog. Just a small sip."
Lu Ming laughed out loud but then tried to talk him out of it. "Aren't you picking up your car this afternoon? How are you going to drive if you drink?"
Ugh.
Lin Chu thought for a moment and gave up on the idea. He nodded, thinking to himself, 'There goes two hundred thousand.'
What a bummer.
"Fine, tonight then."
Lu Ming seized the opportunity. "Xiaoman, we've got a very safe seat for you. Why don't you sit between Brother Chu and Brother Feng?"
Liu Junfeng let out a laugh and smoothly pulled out a chair for her. "Here you go. Please, have a seat."
With them putting it like that, Du Xiaoman felt it would be rude to refuse, so she sat down.
Working in perfect sync, the two of them had seated Du Xiaoman to Lin Chu's right.
Lin Chu couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.
'A couple of good wingmen can practically deliver a girl right to your bed.'
'These guys are something else.'
They quickly ordered. After picking out a dozen or so of the usual dishes, Lin Chu casually handed the menu to Du Xiaoman.
"Thank you, Brother Chu."
In a place like this, her aloof demeanor melted away. She offered a faint smile, politely ordered one dish, and passed the menu along.
With the food ordered, Lin Chu smiled and raised his teacup. "Since there's no alcohol, we'll toast with tea. I'd like to thank my two good brothers, and the four of you for becoming clients at our gym today. Come on, a toast to our new clients!"
Lu Ming didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You're something else. Alright, alright..."
The four of them had only spent eighty thousand on memberships, which wasn't even enough to cover this meal. Still, hearing Lin Chu say that made him happy.
'Brother Chu truly was a down-to-earth billionaire.'
The "old driver" Liu Junfeng came online, laughing as he said, "That's right, work out! You guys have to come train often from now on. Run to lose the gut, squat to boost your testosterone. Let's work towards getting rid of those little blue pills for good!"
Everyone couldn't help but laugh.
That was his go-to joke.
At that moment, a waiter knocked and entered, pushing an exquisite cart. On it were seven identical fresh fruit and seafood salads.
"Hello, Mr. Lin. You are a valued guest of our restaurant. Our head chef has prepared a special complimentary appetizer for you. Please, enjoy."
"Furthermore, your entire bill for today will be on the house."
"We wish all our distinguished guests a pleasant meal."
Huh?
Hearing this, everyone in the room was stunned speechless.
"Holy shit! Brother Chu, how much money have you spent at this restaurant? Are you on the 'eat for free' list now?" Liu Junfeng exclaimed.
"Wow!"
Du Xiaoman couldn't help but stare at Lin Chu, truly shocked for the first time. Xiaolu had tried to introduce them last night, even sending her Lin Chu's WeChat contact, but she hadn't been in a rush to add him. Even after meeting him today, up until this very moment, she'd thought he was no big deal—just some run-of-the-mill rich guy. But now...
'She suddenly realized that the man to her left was... on a whole other level.'
Lin Chu didn't even notice her expression. "We'll accept the dishes, and I appreciate the gesture. But we're paying for the meal. Go back and tell your head chef not to pull this stuff with me. Or better yet, have her message me herself."
'Lin Chu felt like cursing.'
'Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to spend my money?'
'First, I can't even order drinks, and now you want to comp my meal?'
'Then I'd be eating for nothing, wouldn't I?'
The waiter was taken aback for a second, but his smile quickly returned. "Of course, Mr. Lin."
He served a plate to each person before exiting the room.
'At that moment, Liu Junfeng seemed to have a sudden realization. Shit, Lin Chu and Chen Jinyu are already a thing! How else could you explain this?'
'Brother Chu is a fucking legend!'
'Did he really conquer her in a single night?'
He shot Lin Chu a thoughtful look but didn't say anything more. Du Xiaoman was still there, after all.
Lin Chu caught his gaze and they locked eyes for a moment.
In that instant, everything was understood.
Meanwhile, the shock from the waiter's announcement—and the even greater shock of Lin Chu refusing the free meal—still lingered in the room.
Lu Ming asked cautiously, "Brother Chu, what was that all about?"
He genuinely didn't get it.
A two-Michelin-star restaurant like this has prestige through the roof. When has something like this ever happened here?
Of course, he didn't know about Chen Jinyu.
Lin Chu just smiled casually, not offering any further explanation. He simply said in a nonchalant tone, "A comped meal? I can't accept that. I'd rather pay than owe a favor. Money is just a number, but a favor? That's a debt you can't quantify."
The others stared at him, once again struck by the sheer class he exuded.
'What a boss!'
...
After a pleasant and harmonious meal, Lin Chu paid the bill. Today's meal only came to 270,000, for a rebate of 540,000. Without a bottle of Romanée-Conti on the bill, half the cost of his car was gone, just like that.
Heh.
'Should just be content with what I have.'
'Besides, there's still tonight's gathering.'
With that thought, Lin Chu let it go and stood up to leave with the others.
Just before they left, Liu Junfeng grabbed the bill and glanced at it. "270,000... I can't take it, I just can't take it. The world of you rich folks is so simple and unpretentious, huh? I've never had a meal this expensive in my entire life."
Lin Chu knew he was just hamming it up to flatter him, so he just smiled. "Alright, alright. I'll start bringing you here every day."
Chen Jinyu didn't make an appearance, which was fine by Lin Chu. She was probably still busy in the kitchen. It was better this way; he was tired of it and didn't want any more drama.
"Let's go, Brother Feng. Come with me to pick up the car. The appointment's at two in the afternoon, so it's about time," Lin Chu said with a smile as they walked out of the restaurant.
Lu Ming: "I'm going too!"
Cui Xiaodan: "Boss, Brother Lei and I are heading back to look after the gym."
Lin Chu nodded at her, then turned to Lu Ming and joked, "With so many people going, what are we going to do, carry the car home?"
"I want to go too... I want to see it. I've only seen videos online, I haven't seen the real car yet."
Du Xiaoman said in a soft, sweet voice. It was the first time she had spoken up on her own initiative to express what she wanted. Her big, glistening eyes looked at Lin Chu with a pleading gaze.
Lin Chu glanced at her and had to suppress a laugh.
'Hah.'
'So much for that cold-as-ice act.'
'You couldn't keep it up either.'
"Alright, let's go then. Onward, to conquer the dealership!"
The group laughed and headed down to the underground garage. Two cars sped off like lightning toward the dealership.
...
Lu Ming and Xiaolu took his Porsche.
Liu Junfeng and Lin Chu went straight for the Bentley.
Xiaolu smiled. "Manman, which car are you taking?"
"I'm not about to be your third wheel."
Finding a perfectly valid excuse, Du Xiaoman quickly walked over to the Bentley.
They got into the car.
"Let's roll! I'm a wild driver, so make sure you wear your condoms!"
Liu Junfeng started making dirty jokes right off the bat.
Lin Chu couldn't help but laugh as he cursed, "You're really shameless..."
"Hahaha, damn right! A man can get old, but he can't get boring. Right, Xiaoman?"
Blushing slightly, she nodded.
The car started, and the three of them chatted for a while. Suddenly, Du Xiaoman blurted out, "Brother Chu, what kind of business are you in?"
"Young lady, don't ask questions you shouldn't..." Liu Junfeng immediately cut in.
Lin Chu just smiled nonchalantly. "You saw, didn't you? I'm just the humble owner of a small gym."
Du Xiaoman: ...
'Like hell I believe you!'
...
...