46: Chapter 46 Warm My Feet

Su Bai placed the clay pot on the dining table and lifted the lid.

Steam billowed upward, and the aroma of rice and the fresh scent of seafood instantly filled the entire living room.

The white porridge base was thick and smooth, with a few slivers of ginger and green onions floating on top.

Next to it were six large platters of seafood and side dishes, with colors of red, white, yellow, and green that made one's mouth water just looking at them.

The six of them sat down around the dining table.

"Blanch the side dishes first, then drink the porridge," Su Bai said.

Chu Yi was the first to pick up her chopsticks.

She picked up a piece of king crab leg, swished it in the porridge pot, and popped it into her mouth.

"Mmm—" She narrowed her eyes, her face full of happiness, "This is so delicious! It's so fresh and tasty!"

Chu Xiang also picked up a piece and savored it carefully.

"This porridge base is seasoned perfectly," she said.

"Mmm-hmm! It's fresh without any fishiness, and it even has the fragrance of rice."

Luo Ying looked at Su Bai, her eyes filled with excitement.

"With skills like yours, it's a pity you don't open a restaurant."

Su Bai smiled.

"I'll consider it."

The meal lasted nearly an hour.

The king crab was wiped out, only a pile of shells remained from the black tiger shrimp, and not a single abalone or scallop was left.

In the end, even the porridge in the pot was scraped clean by Chu Yi, not a single grain of rice remaining.

The six of them leaned back against their chairs, rubbing their rounded bellies, their faces full of satisfaction.

"This is pure bliss," Chu Yi sighed. "If only we could eat like this every day."

"Keep dreaming," Chu Xiang rolled her eyes at her. "Do you know how much this meal costs?"

Luo Ying did the math: "A king crab alone is at least two thousand, the black tiger shrimp a few hundred, and the abalone and scallops are another few hundred... This meal costs at least three thousand."

Chu Yi stuck out her tongue.

"Then I definitely have to cherish it even more."

Su Bai began to clear the dishes, but was stopped by Luo Ying.

"Leave it, I'll wash them. You've been busy all evening."

"Alright."

The others helped clean up, and soon, the six of them moved to the living room and sat down on the sofa.

The television was on, playing some variety show.

But everyone's attention was not on the TV.

"Oh right," Chu Yi suddenly remembered something. "The day after tomorrow is our school's year-end gala."

"Mm," Luo Ying nodded. "This time it happens to coincide with the 60th anniversary of Jingzhou University, so the school is paying special attention to it."

Chu Xiang added, "I heard they invited a lot of impressive alumni back?"

Luo Ying looked at Song Qian. Song Qian was the deputy minister of the Art Department, so she knew the most about this.

Song Qian leaned back on the sofa and spoke slowly.

"Diliyereza is confirmed to be coming. Just for that alone, this year's gala is bound to be a hit."

Chu Yi's eyes lit up.

"Who else?"

"Olympic champion Xiao Teng," Song Qian said. "The gymnast."

"Wow!" Chu Yi was even more excited. "I watched his competitions when I was a kid! He's amazing!"

"And Vice President Lu Chuan of the Jingzhou Chamber of Commerce," Song Qian continued.

"He's in investments; who knows how many billions he's worth."

Chu Yi had already started counting on her fingers.

"And General Manager Zhou Zhaolong of Fengxian Construction," Song Qian said.

"His company has a market value of over two billion."

The living room went quiet for a moment.

"Over two billion?" Chu Yi opened her mouth wide. "What kind of concept is that?"

Chu Xiang calculated, "Could it buy our school?"

Chu Yi gasped audibly.

"Oh my god... what kind of gods are these people..."

Su Bai leaned back on the sofa, and upon hearing the names "Fengxian Construction" and "General Manager Zhou Zhaolong," he raised an eyebrow slightly.

General Manager Zhou Zhaolong.

The general manager of Fengxian Construction.

When he acquired Fengxian Construction, he was only ten years old.

At that time, he had his father step in to invest and acquire a construction company on the verge of bankruptcy.

After all, the real estate industry was just beginning to rise at that time.

General Manager Zhou Zhaolong was the founder of that company, with strong professional skills, but he had bad luck, running into the financial crisis and nearly going bankrupt.

He recognized General Manager Zhou Zhaolong's ability and had his father keep him on to continue managing the company.

This management lasted for eight years.

In those eight years, Fengxian Construction went from a small real estate company to its current market value of over two billion.

General Manager Zhou Zhaolong holds three percent of the equity, with annual dividends in the tens of millions.

So every time they met, General Manager Zhou Zhaolong treated him like his own father.

Luo Ying and the others, of course, didn't know about this.

Su Bai didn't say much and continued listening to their discussion.

The variety show on TV was still playing, and as the group chatted, they gradually dispersed.

Chu Xiang, Luo Ying, and Song Qian said they were going to review for tomorrow's exam and went back to their rooms.

Lin Qiaoyou went back to her own nest even earlier.

Only Chu Yi and Su Bai were left in the living room. Along with the laughter from the TV.

Although Chu Yi was already nineteen, she was still quite childish.

She scooted her bottom and sat a bit closer to Su Bai.

She handed over the bag of potato chips in her hand.

"Want some?"

Su Bai took a piece.

Chu Yi scooted closer again, almost pressed against him.

She was wearing loose loungewear, her legs crossed on the sofa, and her bare feet dangled back and forth right beside Su Bai's legs.

Su Bai ate the chips while watching TV.

After a while, Chu Yi's eyes rolled around.

"You..." Su Bai wanted to say something, but swallowed the words back.

Chu Yi had already turned her head, focusing on the TV.

Su Bai hesitated for a moment but didn't push her away.

She stared intently at the TV, and when she saw a funny part, her toes would curl up.

He held Chu Yi's foot, preparing to move it away so she could change positions—

Just then, Lin Qiaoyou's bedroom door opened.

Lin Qiaoyou walked out and headed towards the bathroom.

Her gaze swept across the living room and landed on the sofa.

Su Bai's hand was holding Chu Yi's foot.

Her footsteps stopped immediately.

Su Bai's hand was still holding Chu Yi's ankle, about to pull it away.

But from Lin Qiaoyou's perspective, it looked like he was pressing Chu Yi's foot onto his own thigh.

Lin Qiaoyou's face flushed red instantly.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't get anything out.

"S-sorry to disturb you!"

She turned and ran towards the bathroom, her slippers making a clattering sound on the floor.

Su Bai's hand remained frozen in mid-air.

He wanted to explain, but Lin Qiaoyou had already run out of sight.