Chapter 189

Chapter 189: Gathering Before the New Year

Mei Fang had already arranged the annual gathering in Baizhou City, as returning to Meixian was not an easy task.

He wanted to seize this precious opportunity to meet important people, boost everyone’s enthusiasm for game development, and touch on the follow-up work arrangements.

The gathering was set at Xin Cabinet, the busiest restaurant in the county, which combined a karaoke box with Chinese and Western cuisine.

It was initially inspired by Xiuyu Red Tea House, a famous restaurant in Jiangcheng, offering Cantonese dishes like clay pot rice, fried rice, and topped rice, along with Western dishes such as baked rice, steak, pasta, and ice cream cake.

Due to the extensive menu choices, the meat broth that came with the clay pot rice was a local specialty, and the elegant ambiance made it a popular spot for students, young people, and first dates.

In addition, they also offered the unique service of dining inside the attached karaoke boxes.

As long as the consumption reached a certain amount, one could use the karaoke for up to four hours for free.

However, these regular rules were essentially useless during the New Year period, when prices skyrocketed and only specific low-value drink packages were available for booking rooms.

Because of this, students rarely visited during the New Year, but the place was still packed. Without prior reservation, it was nearly impossible to secure a room.

Mei Fang had booked a large room a week in advance, inviting Guo Yun, Zhang Ming, Peng Xue, Yue Xinyi, and Liu Xiaoyu.

Since Mei Fang had moved to Baizhou City, meeting with everyone in Meixian wasn’t frequent. When he posted the invitation in the group chat, everyone responded enthusiastically.

Mei Fang, Xia Yuan, and Lin Youxi went to the ATM to withdraw some money. Due to their rushed departure, they arrived at the Xin Cabinet a bit late. Upon entering the room, they heard Peng Xue singing.

She was familiar with the place and felt at ease; the others looked awkward and sat quietly.

Peng Xue put down her microphone when she saw Mei Fang and greeted him warmly:

“Oh, wow! Boss Mei! It’s been a while, you look even more handsome!”

She seemed ready to hug him, but Xia Yuan pulled her away, “You’re being too enthusiastic, Xiao Xue!”

“Haha, I’m just joking.”

“You always joke… Look how capable you think you are…”

Yue Xinyi continued to tease Peng Xue, though she appeared much more composed and mature now. After nodding to Mei Fang, she then greeted Liu Xiaoyu.

“Are Zhang Ming and Guo Yun here yet?”

“I’m right here!” Zhang Ming raised his hand, startling Mei Fang. “What are you doing sitting in the corner?”

“I like peace and quiet.”

Zhang Ming held his can of cola, looking melancholic.

“Come on, you’re just trying to act cool. Haven’t you recovered from being beaten by those science experimental class guys?”

Yue Xinyi bluntly exposed Zhang Ming’s facade, then crossed her arms and looked at Mei Fang. “By the way, I’ve already met Xiao Yu in the group chat, but a girl just came in saying she’s with us.”

“Why didn’t you tell us ahead of time? The atmosphere was awkward. We barely talked before she went to the restroom. She must be new.”

“Oh, that’s not new… Is that Guo Yun?”

Liu Xiaoyu reminded them, “I thought you knew her. That’s why we didn’t ask.”

“Oh, it’s Guo Yun… No wonder.”

“Guo Yun?”

Everyone was stunned for a moment, exchanging glances before exclaiming in unison:

“That’s Guo Yun!”

Guo Yun had just returned from the restroom.

“Huh? Are you calling me? What’s going on… Oh, You Xi and Mei Fang are here?”

Before Guo Yun could greet the three, Peng Xue dragged her to sit in the karaoke box. Yue Xinyi and Peng Xue were curious about Guo Yun’s transformation.

“How did you lose so much weight in half a year?”

“Your skin looks great, you’re so young!”

Except for Peng Xue and Mei Fang (from a previous life), everyone else was visiting a KTV for the first time. They all remembered KTVs as unhealthy places, so they were still cautious.

“Have you ordered food?”

“We bought a drink package, so no extra food. It’s too expensive here, like robbery.”

“It’s normal for businesses to be like that.”

Mei Fang opened the New Year special menu, intending to order something. Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi were already leaning over to look at it. Everyone felt a sense of understanding—perhaps their relationship had advanced further.

But what good would it do if they didn’t express it?

“What good food is there?”

Xia Yuan tugged at Mei Fang’s arm, “Do you have any recommendations?”

“I heard their clay pot rice is quite good…”

“I just had lunch, so I don’t want to eat now,” Xia Yuan pouted.

“How about banana boat? It’s a famous dessert.”

“You’re well-prepared, then I’ll have this.”

Xia Yuan leaned heavily on Mei Fang, making Yue Xinyi feel envious and Peng Xue cheerfully comment.

After Mei Fang and Lin Youxi Xia Yuan finished ordering, he passed the menu to the others, “What do you want to eat? Let’s order together.”

“Well… This is a package room, ordering more will be more expensive,” Zhang Ming said, “This should be enough… splitting the bill seems expensive.”

Mei Fang shook his head, “It’s fine, I’ll pay today.”

“Everything in the room? All by Mei Fang?”

Zhang Ming was surprised, “You’re so generous now?”

“Hmph, little Zhang Ming, what do you take our boss for?” Peng Xue smirked, Yue Xinyi shook her head in frustration, “This is what happens when you don’t develop games with the team.”

After Xia Yuan ordered, Peng Xue continued singing. Xia Yuan and Lin Youxi went to choose songs, while the others enjoyed the pre-New Year gathering.

Since everyone was a student, they drank fruit tea or juice. Mei Fang poured himself some tea and noticed that Guo Yun and Liu Xiaoyu’s cups were empty. He courteously filled them both.

“Thank you, Mei Fang.”

“Thanks…”

Mei Fang saw that they looked uneasy, so after pouring the tea, he didn’t sit with the girls but instead went to Zhang Ming at the bar and sat on a high stool.

“Science experimental classes are tough, huh?”

“The curriculum is the same as other classes, but competition is intense.”

Zhang Ming gave Mei Fang a bitter smile, “I haven’t ranked in the top 30 all year.”

“That’s normal, considering it’s a science experimental class.”

“Baizhou No. 1 High School’s science experimental class is already this challenging. Your Jiangcheng Shi No. 1 High School must be even tougher, right?”

“Huh? Tough? Not really, it’s not that bad…”

Mei Fang shrugged, “By the way, I’ve learned guitar and even performed on stage.”

Zhang Ming’s expression turned surprised, “So relaxed! Wait, you actually performed!”

“Zhang Ming really doesn’t know anything…”

Yue Xinyi sighed, while Peng Xue handed the microphone to Xia Yuan and sat down with a can of cola.

“Really not caring about our boss, he might not be able to keep up… In the future, Mei Fang will only have cute girls around him, anyone below Yue Xinyi won’t be allowed in.”

Yue Xinyi was furious, pinching Peng Xue’s thigh, “What standard do you think I am? Speaking of which, why are you at the Ximilu Studio gathering? You didn’t do any work for us all year.”

“How can you say that! Can’t you see why? Actually…”

Peng Xue leaned towards Yue Xinyi’s ear and whispered like a demon:

“Now… I’m in a ‘support’ relationship with Mei Boss.”

—

Next chapter tomorrow afternoon, good night.

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(End of Chapter)