Chapter 156: Envy and Destruction (1)

Once he remembered that Cheng Xiaoyu was just a high school student, Ma Guoli's interest in him dropped significantly, and his initial enthusiasm faded. Realizing this meal would cost around two thousand yuan, he felt a twinge of regret in his wallet, yet he could not show it, forcing a grandiose facade as he urged everyone to eat and drink.

Seeing that he had already sat there for a short while, Cheng Xiaoyu stood up and said, "I'm sorry, I really have matters to attend to today. You all go ahead and eat; I must be leaving."

Li Ping'an grabbed Cheng Xiaoyu's arm and protested, "What matter could possibly be more important than eating? Stay until the end of the meal!"

The rest of the group chimed in, urging Cheng Xiaoyu to stay a bit longer.

Ma Guoli remained silent.

Cheng Xiaoyu raised his glass, which was still half full, picked up the beer bottle on the table, topped it off, and said, "I truly apologize to all my elder brothers and sisters. I really do have business today, so I hope you'll excuse me. I must go. I'll finish this cup right now, and next time I'll play the host and treat you all to a proper feast."

Seeing that Cheng Xiaoyu's departure was set in stone, Li Ping'an finally let go of his arm.

Deep down, Ma Guoli felt that Cheng Xiaoyu was being overly pretentious for someone so young, which irritated him. Old grievances and new annoyances welled up in his heart, so he feigned a playful tone and said, "Xiaoyu, you said you'd treat us next time last time, and you're saying the same thing again today. You already owe everyone two meals. Why don't you just settle the bill this time and consider yourself excused from leaving early?"

For Cheng Xiaoyu, paying the bill was a trivial matter, but at the moment, his wallet was still in his private dining room and hadn't been brought along. He could only pat his trouser pocket with an embarrassed smile and say, "I left my bag with a friend when I came over. Let me go grab my bag first, and I'll come back later to pay."

Hearing this, Ma Guoli assumed that Cheng Xiaoyu simply didn't want to pay or didn't have much money, and was merely making up an excuse—he would certainly not return. Believing he had successfully put Cheng Xiaoyu on the spot, and noticing the surrounding gazes fixed on them, Ma Guoli chuckled and said, "Xiaoyu, just joking, just joking. How could we let you foot the bill? It'll be fine if you just buy the senior sisters an ice cream tomorrow."

Most people didn't catch the underlying dig in Ma Guoli's words and simply chuckled along with him.

Cheng Xiaoyu naturally heard the sarcasm, but he pretended not to understand the mockery, and said with an air of effortless indifference, "Then you all enjoy your meal, I'll take my leave first." With that, he turned and walked away.

Not long after Cheng Xiaoyu left, Ma Guoli sneered with utter disdain, "These modern high school students with a tiny bit of background act all high and mighty. When we bumped into each other in the office this afternoon, he didn't even acknowledge me. I had to invite him a thousand times just to get him to come to dinner, and after sitting for mere minutes, he rushes off as if he's terrified of having any association with us. I really don't know where he gets his sense of superiority."

Most people hadn't thought much of it initially, but prompted by Ma Guoli's words, they began to feel that Cheng Xiaoyu indeed kept his distance from everyone and possessed an arrogant, condescending attitude.

Li Ping'an smiled and said, "After all, he just graduated from high school; what does he know about interpersonal relationships? Besides, maybe he really did have something urgent to attend to." Personally, Li Ping'an didn't feel that Cheng Xiaoyu was particularly arrogant or difficult to approach.

Ma Guoli didn't dwell further on the topic. No matter how deep Cheng Xiaoyu's background might be, he was merely a freshly graduated high school student, not worth the effort of currying favor or holding a grudge. He turned his attention back to urging the others to eat and drink; since the money was already spent, it had to serve its purpose. The thought of pouring a few more drinks down Qin Senmei so he could invent an excuse to escort her home later—and perhaps steal a kiss—brought a broad smile back to his face.

The reason Ma Guoli came to Shanghe was that his uncle, a minor figure at an entertainment magazine, had good connections with Xiang Fengxing from the production department. Through his uncle's networking, he had managed to move from Beijing to Shanghai. Ma Guoli was quite satisfied to smoothly enter a major record label like Shanghe. He was one of the few in his class who had already secured a job; aside from those staying at the university or joining major orchestras, all his other classmates were still scrambling for employment. In terms of benefits, Shanghe was quite generous—at least higher than staying at the university or joining an orchestra. Leaving aside the standard social insurances and housing fund, his starting salary for the first month would be over four thousand yuan. Once he was promoted to a music producer, he would switch to an annual salary system with a minimum of one hundred and fifty thousand. Thinking of his bright and brilliant future, Ma Guoli felt immensely proud and triumphant, causing his spirits to soar high at the dining table.

When Cheng Xiaoyu returned to his private room, the girls were in the heat of a lively battle over food, paying him no mind. Cheng Xiaoyu felt that this kind of casual atmosphere suited him much better. Watching a group of pretty girls devouring their food with gusto instantly stirred his own appetite, so he picked up his bowl and chopsticks and joined the fray.

After everyone was thoroughly wined and dined, Cheng Xiujing started clamoring to go sing karaoke. Cheng Xiaoyu patted her shoulder and said, "You girls need to rest your voices properly today so things don't go wrong tomorrow. If you want to sing, do it after tomorrow's audition. Shall Big Brother Xiaoyu treat you all tomorrow instead?"

Thinking about it, Cheng Xiujing realized he made sense, so she reluctantly got up, made a playful face at Cheng Xiaoyu, and said, "You said it yourself! No going back on your word."

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and nodded, then called a waiter over to settle the bill. Since it was by card, the POS machine for the private room area was with another manager, so Cheng Xiaoyu decided to pay at the front desk where he also needed to pick up his parking voucher.

The manager naturally accommodated every whim of such a lavish spender, respectfully leading Cheng Xiaoyu toward the front desk.

When Cheng Xiaoyu arrived at the front desk, Li Ping'an was accompanying Ma Guoli as he settled his bill. Ma Guoli was haggling with the hotel, trying to secure a discount in exchange for not taking an invoice. Li Ping'an was chiming in to help, completely unaware that Cheng Xiaoyu had walked up behind them.

Had Ma Guoli not taken digs at Cheng Xiaoyu earlier, Cheng Xiaoyu would certainly have settled their bill as well. Yet no matter how magnanimous he was, he wouldn't press his warm face against someone's cold rejection, so he ignored the two of them entirely.

The manager took Cheng Xiaoyu's bill, which came to nearly ten thousand yuan, and proactively offered an eighty-five percent discount, saving him over a thousand yuan.

The pretty manager, dressed in a small black suit, picked up the bill and said, "Mr. Cheng, the total is nine thousand seven hundred and thirty yuan. With the fifteen percent discount applied, it comes to eight thousand two hundred and seventy yuan. Please verify the amount."

Cheng Xiaoyu waved his hand and said, "No need, just charge the card. And please give me a parking voucher."

Hearing this exchange and the somewhat familiar voice, both Ma Guoli and Li Ping'an turned their heads to look at Cheng Xiaoyu.

Li Ping'an was slightly surprised that Cheng Xiaoyu hadn't left yet, though he hadn't paid attention to the amount Cheng Xiaoyu had just paid. He quickly greeted him, "Xiaoyu, you're still here! Didn't you go find your friend?"

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and said, "My friend and I couldn't be bothered to look for another place, so we just agreed to eat here."

Ma Guoli, however, had clearly heard the sum Cheng Xiaoyu had just paid—the discount alone was almost equal to the entire cost of his own meal. His expression darkened instantly, and he lost all nerve to ask the waiter for a discount. Speaking to the waiter in an unfriendly tone, he snapped, "Hurry up and process the bill, I need to leave."

The manager walked over and asked Cheng Xiaoyu, "Mr. Cheng, are these two gentlemen your friends?"

Cheng Xiaoyu nodded indifferently, whereupon the manager instructed the waiter, "Give these gentlemen the maximum discount."

Ma Guoli's complexion turned thoroughly unsightly, and he forced a stiff smile as he muttered, "Thank you."

Li Ping'an and Ma Guoli watched as the attractive manager respectfully handed Cheng Xiaoyu her business card and a VIP discount card, and even escorted him all the way to the entrance.

As he left, Cheng Xiaoyu still said goodbye to both of them. Li Ping'an responded naturally, but seeing Ma Guoli's expression—as if he had just swallowed a fly—he could tell that Ma Guoli harbored deep resentment toward Cheng Xiaoyu. Li Ping'an patted Ma Guoli on the shoulder and remarked, "Some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouths; envy and jealousy are never as practical as working hard yourself." Without waiting for a response, he walked away toward the group waiting by the entrance.

The group gathered at the entrance had just walked over and hadn't seen Cheng Xiaoyu, and Li Ping'an certainly wasn't going to gossip about what he had just witnessed. Instead, he found himself even more intrigued by Cheng Xiaoyu, regretting that he hadn't seized the opportunity to interact with him more during his month in the planning department.

Su Yuqi and Xu Qinning had descended from the private elevator long ago and hadn't run into Cheng Xiaoyu at the entrance, so they were standing by the roadside waiting for him to bring the car around. Cheng Xiujing and the others had already walked back to the dormitories on their own.

From afar, Li Ping'an spotted the eye-catching figures of Su Yuqi and Xu Qinning. As someone working in the planning department, he naturally knew that one was the president's daughter and the other was the daughter of Shanghai's wealthiest tycoon. He began gossiping with his fellow cohorts standing nearby, saying that whoever managed to marry either of them could shave thirty years off their hard labor. Ma Guoli, having finished paying, walked over and couldn't help indulging in a fantasy upon seeing the two young women, though he knew it was nothing more than a mirage—such girls would never belong to their world.

At that moment, Cheng Xiaoyu's white Ferrari pulled up. Amidst the roaring engine and the gazes of astonished admiration from the crowd, it came to a halt right in front of the two focal points of everyone's attention.

Through the car window, Ma Guoli caught sight of the face that had ruined his mood. At that instant, he felt as though his entire life had been upended by Cheng Xiaoyu.

(Happy Valentine's Day to everyone.)