31: Rich? I'll rip you off!

"Everyone should choose a restaurant closer to the school, so it's easier for us to travel back and forth."

He came up with this countermeasure in the spur of the moment.

But Shen Qian couldn't possibly let him off the hook. If he hadn't gotten involved, fine, but since he did, Shen Qian was going to crush him.

"It's fine, everyone can search wherever. I'll cover the round-trip taxi fare for all the boys."

His words quickly drew cheers from the boys, and of course, hostile glares from Sun Haoyu.

Taking a taxi in Shanghai is unlike other places; the starting fare is slightly higher. A single trip easily costs forty or fifty yuan. With over 30 girls in the class, at least eight cars would be needed, making the round trip another six or seven hundred yuan.

Normally, he wouldn't even notice a mere six or seven hundred yuan, but now he only had a little over 10,000 yuan, and the total expense was estimated to be over 30,000 yuan. When a person is short on cash, they won't let go of even one or two yuan, let alone one or two hundred.

"What's wrong, Young Master Sun? Why are you looking at me? Oh~ You don't want to pay for the girls' taxi fare, do you? That's alright, I'll pay for the girls' fare too. It's just a few hundred yuan more, what's the big deal?"

Shen Qian stared at Sun Haoyu as he spoke.

The other party couldn't possibly be unaware that if he didn't pay for the taxi fare, even if he paid for the meal, he would still be called stingy in the end.

That's just how people are; taking an inch and demanding a mile is human nature.

If they could have gotten 100, and you give them 90 or 80, as long as it's not 100, they feel like you owe them.

"It's nothing, classmate Shen Qian doesn't need to worry. I can still afford a few hundred yuan."

"I found this place; they offer set menus. For a table of 10, the set menu is about 4,888 yuan. We need about four tables, which is nearly 20,000 yuan. Is that okay?"

"This is a set menu, but we're splitting the payment by gender. Tell me how we divide that?"

"I think how about this!!!"

Suddenly a boy suggested:

"If we only eat, a restaurant in Shanghai with a 1,000 yuan per person average is quite rare, and even if there is one, we have too many people.

I have a good idea: we can go to a Hot Spring Spa. Many hot springs now offer not only bathing and massages but also very luxurious buffets. A Hot Spring Spa priced at 1,000 yuan per person offers plenty of food.

Everyone has been sore and tired from so many days of military training. We can eat and get massages, too. Brother Qian, what do you think?"

Shen Qian had just been thinking that spending only twenty or thirty thousand yuan wouldn't hurt Sun Haoyu much and probably wouldn't teach him a lesson, but this new idea was excellent.

You have to understand, those foot massages and essential oil spa treatments often cost five or six hundred, or even one or two thousand yuan. He had the cashback card anyway, and even without it, his nearly ten million in cash was more than enough.

"I think what he suggested is great. How can we just eat? We're all sore; shouldn't we get a massage? I agree, raise the budget! Find me a comfortable Hot Spring Spa with a luxurious buffet, massage, and foot bath, budgeted at 2,000 yuan per person!"

"Brother Qian is awesome!"

"Brother Shen is amazing!"

"Shen Qian, you are my god!"

Cheers erupted on the bus again. This time, Shen Qian didn't even ask Sun Haoyu's opinion, as the girls had already defaulted to him paying, and they started looking for Hot Spring Spas.

"Young Master Sun, the girls might end up spending fifty or sixty thousand yuan. Will that be difficult for you?

If it's too difficult, how about I treat the entire class instead?"

It was just twenty or thirty thousand yuan, and now it instantly doubled to fifty or sixty thousand, yet Sun Haoyu still gritted his teeth.

"It's fine, the girls can also look. A budget of around 2,000 yuan. Comfort is what matters most."

For him, Shen Qian was no longer just provoking him; this was blatant humiliation. If he didn't agree, how could he face his classmates for the next few years?

If he didn't step up today, he would forever be suppressed by Shen Qian—and not just Shen Qian, but also those in his dorm.

So, he had to fight for dignity. What was a few tens of thousands more? He was going to get scolded anyway, so what was the difference between an extra ten or twenty thousand and an extra thirty or forty thousand?

Seeing the other party look like he wanted to swallow him whole, Shen Qian only found it amusing. This guy was self-righteous when spending other people's money, but now that the knife was cutting his own flesh, he felt the pain.

Someone quickly found a suitable place: 1,500 yuan for the entry ticket and set menu, including massage, bathing, and buffet.

"Holy crap, that's expensive. If my Old Man and Old Lady knew I spent 1,500 yuan on a bath, they'd beat the living shit out of me."

Chang Heng secretly clicked his tongue.

"It's fine, this is the one. Share this place in the group chat. Everyone, let's go back to school to change clothes first, then meet up at the school gate."

The price being only 1,500 yuan made Sun Haoyu breathe a sigh of relief. Since he was paying, the less money spent, the better.

But Shen Qian didn't think so. Compared to Sun Haoyu, he was more rational and believed more strongly in human nature. While 1,500 yuan indeed covered the massage, bathing, and buffet, what about other services?

When someone else is paying, people will want more. That is human nature.

He didn't care; he had the reimbursement card.

What about Sun Haoyu? What did he have?

The bus quickly arrived at the school. As soon as Shen Qian got off, a message popped up on his phone. It was none other than Liu Xinyao. She had been messaging him continuously during the military training these past few days. He replied when he felt like it and ignored her when he didn't.

"Did you guys get to school? I just arrived. Want to grab a meal together?"

Just as Shen Qian was about to reply, another message popped up, sent by Qin Lan.

"Junior, you've worked hard these past few days. How about Big Sister takes you out for a good meal to help you recover?"

There was also an ambiguous emoji at the end of the message.

He thought for a moment and sent a reply to Qin Lan.

"After dinner, maybe. Today, someone rich in our class is treating everyone to a Sauna/Korean Spa, and we're waiting to fleece him."

Based on his understanding of this Big Sister, since she could even follow him to the pool, finding out the details of who was treating their class would be very easy. He'd let her dig slowly; the stronger her curiosity, the more interested she would become.

"Our class is going for a sauna. Another classmate and I are treating everyone. Do you want to come?"

"Treating everyone? You and another classmate?"

"Yes. He's paying for the girls, and I'm paying for the boys. If you come, I'll just pay for one extra person."

On the other end of the phone, there was almost no hesitation.

"I'd love to! Where can I find you?"

"We'll meet at the East Gate later. Just come there."

The boys got ready very quickly; they simply changed clothes. The girls took a bit more time, putting on light makeup before heading out.

Liu Xinyao's appearance attracted the attention of some people. The girl stood next to Shen Qian, looking like she wanted to get closer but keeping a slight distance.

"Young Master Sun, this is my friend. Her share is on me."

"Shen Qian, this is a class gathering. How can you bring an outsider?"

Shen Qian smiled and looked at the boys beside him.

"Brothers, can I bring a friend?"

"Young Master Sun, he's not asking you to pay for her. What's wrong with bringing a friend?"

"Exactly! When you were making us pay earlier, we didn't see you consulting us either."

Various voices rang out, and Sun Haoyu was left helpless, only able to walk away unhappily.