45: It's probably just a small apartment.

Looking at the arrogant demeanor of Chen Shimei and Zhong Lili, Chen Li felt that arguing with them was pointless, but he really couldn't swallow this insult.

"Chen Shimei, when God closed a door on you, he must have slammed it on your head too, right?"

"I was just asking, Chen Li. Are you really getting angry over this?"

"If I don't get angry, should I give birth to you instead? I certainly don't want a brainless son like you."

"Chen Li, you..."

Chen Shimei's face turned bright red from the retort. Seeing that Chen Li was alone,

he sneered, grabbed Zhong Lili, who was beside him, pulled her into his arms, and looked Chen Li up and down. "What? Still single?"

【Zhong Lili】

【Affection Level: -5】

【Figure: 64】

【Appearance: 71】

【number of times kun: 182】

【number of kunners: 3】

Looking at Zhong Lili's data on the system interface, Chen Li curled his lips and let out an undisguised sneer.

"Chen Shimei, that's all you're capable of. It's just a Zhong Lili, look at how smug you are, as if you've found some treasure."

His eyes were filled with mockery and pity, as if looking at a fool.

Chen Shimei was incensed by Chen Li's disdainful gaze, but then he immediately regained his composure—this guy was clearly just sour grapes.

A lonely single dog nobody wants, who is he trying to put on airs for?

Thinking this, his displeasure instantly vanished, and a smug arc even curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Haha, interesting. If I were you..."

Chen Shimei was about to continue his mockery, but the words suddenly stuck in his throat.

Gu Qingcheng walked out from the side, naturally took Chen Li's arm, and said softly, "Brother Chen Li, why haven't you come in yet? Everyone is still waiting inside."

She turned to look at the two of them and asked politely, "Are these two your friends?"

Gu Qingcheng, who was standing to the side, had heard the conversation clearly.

Waiter? Still single? These harsh words made her frown involuntarily.

She was gentle by nature and had mostly chosen to endure even when wronged for many years, but hearing someone talk about Chen Li with such contempt, a surge of anger rose uncontrollably—she rarely got this truly angry.

So, she gathered her courage, stepped forward, and took Chen Li's arm to show them whether Chen Li had a girlfriend or not.

Seeing Gu Qingcheng suddenly appear and take his arm, Chen Li knew she was standing up for him, and his heart warmed. "It's fine, just two irrelevant people. Let's go back."

Seeing Gu Qingcheng suddenly appear, Chen Shimei was completely stunned.

This unbelievably beautiful girl was actually Chen Li's girlfriend? How was that possible?

With Chen Li's background, how could he possibly find such a top-tier girlfriend?

However, the intimate scene before his eyes was like a silent slap in the face, ruthlessly shattering his delusions.

The girl held Chen Li's arm with complete ease, and when Chen Li turned his head to look at her, his eyes were filled with undisguised tenderness.

All of this forced Chen Shimei to admit—they were indeed a couple.

Chen Shimei suddenly felt that Zhong Lili by his side wasn't as appealing anymore. Although Zhong Lili was considered pretty, compared to Gu Qingcheng, she was at least a tier below.

Zhong Lili was also stunned, her face filled with disbelief.

She never would have imagined that Chen Li, whom she had rejected back then, had now found a girlfriend who made her feel ashamed of herself.

The moment Gu Qingcheng walked into the private room holding Chen Li's arm, the eyes of Zhang Yixi and the others immediately turned towards them.

Only then did she realize that her actions were too intimate. She hurriedly let go, her face instantly burning bright red, and even her ears were flushed with a blush.

She couldn't even explain where she got the courage just now to make such a bold move.

Seeing the ambiguous smiles and knowing glances on everyone's faces, Gu Qingcheng wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

"It's not what you think."

Chen Li quickly explained, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.

"Right, right, right, it's not what we think~"

Guo Zihong drawled, winking and grinning mischievously, prompting the others to join in the teasing.

Seeing that the more he explained, the worse it got, Chen Li simply stopped explaining and pulled Gu Qingcheng to sit in an empty seat. "Let's eat, let's eat. If you keep teasing, the food will get cold."

The entire meal proceeded amidst everyone's good-natured teasing of the two...

Gu Qingcheng kept her head down the whole time, eating in small bites and stealing glances at Chen Li from time to time, feeling both sweet and nervous in her heart.

After the meal, Chen Li first sent everyone back to school before driving back to the Villa.

At this time, Meng Yu was curled up on the living room sofa, eating fruit while scrolling through short videos, occasionally laughing out loud at the funny content, when a message from Li Tingting suddenly popped up on her phone:

"Meng Yu, Su Nian and the others want to get together tomorrow. We want to buy ingredients and cook ourselves. Are you free?"

Meng Yu put down the grapes in her hand and replied, "Sure, I should be free."

"Is it convenient to go to your place? We want to see your house." Li Tingting immediately sent an expectant emoji.

"Sure, the kitchen equipment is complete. We can cook or have a barbecue."

Meng Yu added, "I have to tell my boyfriend."

"Great, we'll go to your 'mansion' tomorrow to have fun."

"No problem, you're welcome~"

Just after finishing the conversation with Li Tingting, the crisp sound of keys unlocking the door came from the entrance.

Hearing the sound, Meng Yu looked up, and a joyful smile immediately bloomed on her face. "Hubby, you're back."

Chen Li pushed the door open and walked into the living room, seeing Meng Yu lying on the sofa at a glance.

He put down his things, walked over with a smile, naturally leaned over to hug her from behind, and rested his chin gently on her shoulder.

"What are you watching? You're laughing so happily." He whispered in her ear.

Meng Yu turned her head and handed him the fruit plate. "I was just watching a funny video. Here, try this honeydew melon, it's super sweet."

Chen Li sat down beside her and took a bite of the fruit from her hand; it was indeed sweet and juicy.

"Um… just now Tingting said they want to come over for a barbecue party tomorrow. Is that okay?" Meng Yu leaned on his shoulder.

"Of course, that's fine."

Chen Li ruffled her hair. "These are your friends. It'll be lively to have them come over to play."

"Then will you stay home and hang out with us tomorrow?" Meng Yu looked at him expectantly.

"I have something to do tomorrow. Just have a good time and host your friends well."

Hearing that Chen Li couldn't stay home to help her host her friends tomorrow, a flash of undisguised disappointment crossed Meng Yu's face.

She leaned gently into his arms and whispered, "Okay..."

She had originally looked forward to Chen Li joining in the fun with everyone, as this was the first time they were hosting her friends after moving into their new home.

"There seem to be both men and women,"

Meng Yu suddenly thought of something, looked up at Chen Li, and asked cautiously, "Hubby, you won't mind, right?"

Chen Li was amused by her nervous expression and reached out to ruffle her hair. "Why would I mind that? Are you going to be charmed by some handsome guy and leave me?"

"What nonsense are you talking about."

Meng Yu playfully punched his chest, took the initiative to wrap her arms around Chen Li's waist, and pressed her face against his chest.

Her heart had long been filled by Chen Li; no matter how outstanding other men were, they were meaningless to her.

Chen Li felt the warmth in his arms. He really wasn't interested in getting to know Meng Yu's friends, but as long as Meng Yu was happy, that was enough.

...

After getting confirmation from Meng Yu, Li Tingting immediately sent a voice message to Su Nian: "Sister Su Nian, Meng Yu said she's free tomorrow, so we can go directly to her place to hang out."

"That's great. How is her kitchen? Is it convenient for cooking?"

"It's convenient. She said we can cook or have a barbecue."

"Barbecue would be even better."

She didn't tell Li Tingting that this was actually specially arranged for Wei Jie.

After ending the call with Li Tingting, Su Nian turned around and contacted Wei Jie: "It's done. We're going to Meng Yu's place for a barbecue tomorrow, but I have to warn you, don't make it too obvious."

Wei Jie was extremely excited on the other end of the phone: "Thank you so much, Sister Su Nian. I'll cover all the ingredients for tomorrow. I'll make sure everyone eats their fill."

Wei Jie paused on the other end of the phone, his voice lowering unconsciously, carrying a hint of doubt: "By the way, Sister Su Nian, can they really have a barbecue at her place? Where will we grill? It can't be inside the house, right?"

"I guess we'll just make do on the balcony. No matter what, her place can't be so small that it doesn't even have a balcony."

"That's true. Just a student. Even if her family bought her a place, how big could it be? It's probably just a small apartment. Being able to set up a grill on the balcony would be good enough..."