Chapter 71, Celebration
When they went out for dinner that evening, Meng Xiao and A Kai waited for them downstairs at the girls' dormitory. Li Yanyan touched Zhang Youyou's shoulder in an ambiguous way, and Zhang Youyou lowered her head and smiled shyly.
“Let’s go!” Meng Xiao said. “They’ve already gone to the hotel.”
"Which hotel?" Liu Ping asked curiously.
"It's the Yunding Hotel in front of the east gate of the school," Kai replied. "It's very close!"
Liu Ping gave a thoughtful "Oh".
Zhang Youyou was still immersed in the joy of walking with Meng Xiao, completely unaware that her roommates were secretly laughing.
Zhang Youyou found the 20-minute journey to be too short.
When they arrived, everyone else had already gone into the private room. Once there, they realized that it wasn't just the athletes who were celebrating today, but also their cheerleading squad and the athletes' friends. The luxurious private room, which could accommodate thirty people, seemed a bit crowded.
"Hey, our champion is here!" Meng Xiao and Zhang Youyou had just entered the door when they heard cheers. Zhang Youyou immediately made way for him.
Although she had attended many banquets with her grandfather, Li Donghao, and Li Dongshuo in the past, she always stayed by her grandfather's side and had an assistant with her whenever she needed to do something. Now, she didn't know anyone except her roommate and Meng Xiao. Moreover, she had to maintain a ladylike image around Meng Xiao. Zhang Youyou felt it was very difficult.
"Come, champion, please take a seat!"
Someone stood up and gestured for him to sit in the main seat, but Meng Xiao refused. He told the coach to sit there and wanted to find a corner to sit with Zhang Youyou, but they wouldn't allow it. They not only made Meng Xiao sit next to the coach, but even pushed Zhang Youyou to sit next to him. Zhang Youyou really wanted to pull a roommate to sit next to him, but unfortunately, he didn't have the chance.
Fortunately, Meng Xiao was considerate. He said they were Zhang Youyou's roommates and asked them to sit together. Zhang Youyou breathed a sigh of relief. She and Meng Xiao weren't that close yet, and sitting together like that could easily cause awkwardness. Having her roommates around would make things much better. Unfortunately, the person sitting next to her was Li Yanyan. Not only did Li Yanyan not help her, but she also seemed to be shipping them. Zhang Youyou felt that tonight would be difficult.
Once everyone was present, the coach stood up and said a few words of celebration. The group raised their glasses in celebration, and then some ate and others chatted. Zhang Youyou intended to eat quietly, but because she was next to Meng Xiao, and because Meng Xiao had personally picked her up, even the most clueless people could tell that their friendship was special. So they egged her on to toast Meng Xiao. Zhang Youyou didn't drink alcohol, a rule strictly enforced by the Li family, even after she became an adult. So Zhang Youyou suggested tea instead of alcohol, but they disagreed. She then suggested a soft drink, but they still refused. Zhang Youyou was in a dilemma, but Meng Xiao stood up to help her out, and the matter was dropped.
"They're just making a fuss, ignore them!" After all, they were his friends, classmates, and teammates, and he knew them well.
"I know, thank you." Zhang Youyou smiled gently, her eyes lowered, and Meng Xiao was momentarily lost in thought.
Liu Ping frantically sent WeChat messages on her phone, while Cheng Qiu, sitting next to her, looked at her with a puzzled expression. "What are you doing? Your phone is practically smoking!"
Liu Ping replied without looking up, "It's nothing, it'll be fine in a bit."
Cheng Qiu ignored her, focusing on her meal while looking for any boys who suited her taste. As for Li Yanyan, she had already moved to another spot and was mingling with them.
"This is good, try it!" Meng Xiao put some food on Zhang Youyou's plate. Zhang Youyou smiled and said thank you. The two chatted happily, and even the coach sitting next to Meng Xiao thought the two kids were good.
The celebration banquet was so lively that Zhang Youyou didn't even hear her phone ring.
After finishing their meal, the group prepared to go to karaoke. Zhang Youyou and Meng Xiao were having a great time chatting and naturally didn't want to go back to school, so she decided to go with them. However, they were stopped by an uninvited guest as soon as they arrived at the hotel entrance.
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