22: Barbecue party

Jiang Yuan lightly tapped the screen, hanging up the phone, but the playful curve of his lips was impossible to suppress.

He knew it clearly; the moment that billion in cash flow was injected, Gu Xinyu's wheel of fate had completely turned.

He had originally thought it would take some effort, but he hadn't expected to alarm the provincial-level Bank Manager directly.

Sure enough, the old saying didn't lie: although money couldn't buy time, in a capital-is-king system like the bank, money was a ladder to the heavens, or even an omnipotent god.

He gently shook his head, finding the thought of Gu Xinyu's future rocket-like promotion speed both absurd and amusing.

Going from an ordinary account manager who spent all day soliciting business to the position of City Branch Vice President in one leap—that wasn't a jump, it was instant ascension.

He picked up his phone again, his fingers quickly typing out a WeChat message to Gu Xinyu: "Xinyu, set your heart at ease. You don't need to worry about being transferred."

"The Vice President position is yours, and you will always be my exclusive consultant. No one can take that away."

Gu Xinyu's reply was almost instantaneous. Even through the screen, he could sense her state of shocked speechlessness: "Brother... Brother Jiang, are you joking with me? How... how could that possibly be done?"

Jiang Yuan looked at the exclamation points on the screen, merely smiled faintly, and offered no further explanation.

He believed that the bank's internal official document would be issued soon; at that point, the facts would speak for him.

At this moment, his physique, strengthened by the system, surged within him. The feeling of having inexhaustible energy made his entire being radiate vibrant vigor.

Just then, a burst of clear laughter sounded as Song Qinghan and Shen Lingke walked down the boardwalk, smiling brightly.

"Brother Jiang! We finished taking pictures! Hurry, come over, let me take some handsome photos of you!"

Song Qinghan held up her phone and called out, full of energy.

Finally, Jiang Yuan stood next to the massive stone engraved with the vigorous characters "Tianchi" and took his spirited check-in photo.

His phone album also gained several group photos full of youthful vitality: buddy pictures of him shoulder-to-shoulder with Zhao Xin and Li Yu, and photos with Song Qinghan and Shen Lingke, the two Golden Flowers.

Because it was still early after descending the mountain, the sky was only glowing with brilliant sunset colors and hadn't completely darkened.

Following the extremely sincere, almost "shameless," invitation from Zhao Xin and Li Yu—combined with the fact that they were all the same age, chatted easily with no generation gap, had the reliability of local guides, and the "charm gravity" of Jiang Yuan, the top Handsome Guy—the two Girls maintained their composure for a moment before happily agreeing to visit their villa.

"Wow! Brother Jiang, you guys actually live here?!"

As soon as they entered the villa gate, Song Qinghan's eyes lit up like two light bulbs.

"I've never lived in a detached villa with a big yard like this in my whole life!"

She looked left at the high-ceilinged living room and right at the genuine leather sofa, appearing mischievous and lively, like a bird released from its cage.

Suddenly, a rapid ringing exploded from her small bag.

She pulled it out and saw a WeChat video invitation from a friend displayed on the screen.

"Brother Jiang, my friend is video calling me to check up on me."

Song Qinghan pointed at the phone screen and awkwardly stuck out her tongue. Since she was at Jiang Yuan's house, she was afraid that being loud would be impolite.

"It's fine, answer it. Don't be so reserved; treat this like your own home."

Jiang Yuan smiled gently, signaled for everyone to sit wherever they liked, and then turned toward the double-door refrigerator, taking out several bottles of chilled drinks and handing them around.

"Xiao Han! Where did you guys run off to? What time is it? Are you planning to abandon the two of us?"

As soon as the video connected, a clear voice carrying a hint of "resentment" came through the phone speaker.

"Huh? Holy cow, that background... are you eating that well?!"

After receiving Jiang Yuan's silent nod of permission, Song Qinghan completely let loose.

Instead of rushing to speak, she mischievously turned the camera, first giving a close-up of Jiang Yuan's sharply defined profile, then spinning the phone around to give a full tour of the villa's luxurious interior.

The Girl on the other side of the video instantly lost her cool; her exclamation was so loud she didn't even bother maintaining her lady-like image and blurted out a curse word.

"I might not come back tonight to eat instant noodles with you guys. Shen Lingke and I met some amazing new friends, and tonight we're having a party here, a huge barbecue feast!"

Song Qinghan shook her head at the camera, her tone brimming with undisguised pride.

"Was that Handsome Guy the new friend you met? Is this where he lives? Oh my god, this is too luxurious!"

The Girl on the video clearly had an outgoing personality and immediately joked: "Aren't there too few of you? The atmosphere isn't lively enough. I think the two of us should totally come over to fill out the numbers. We're the atmosphere crew, and we can eat a ton!"

"Hmm... about that, I have to ask Brother Jiang Yuan first."

Song Qinghan said, turning her gaze toward Jiang Yuan, who was opening drinks.

"I'm fine with it."

Hearing himself mentioned, Jiang Yuan shrugged indifferently, a faint smile on his face.

He genuinely didn't mind two more people; in fact, he thought more people would make it more interesting.

"Yes, yes, yes! You absolutely must come! The more people, the livelier it is. It's too quiet with just us staring at each other!"

When Zhao Xin heard this, his eyes immediately widened, and he was so excited he nearly jumped off the sofa.

He loved gatherings surrounded by beautiful women. Even if he couldn't get close to them, just looking at them was a pleasure for the eyes.

Besides, birds of a feather flock together. Beautiful women like Song Qinghan and Shen Lingke surely had roommates who were just as good. If an older sister type could show up, the party would be absolutely perfect.

"Really?! That's great! Xiao Han, quickly send the location! We'll grab a taxi and head over right now!"

Before Song Qinghan could reply, the Girl on the other end shouted impatiently; their excitement could be felt even through the screen.

Anyway, the four sisters in their dorm were always united, and since this was a tourist resort area, not some desolate wilderness, they weren't afraid of any danger.

More importantly, they had confidence in daring to run out this late.

Because the roommate who usually seemed quiet was a genuine martial artist who practiced Wushu!

Furthermore, that person was a Wine God who could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk!

This was one source of confidence for their "adventures."

As for the second reason, Shen Lingke's uncle was a local Bureau Chief. In this territory, few people would dare mess with them.

While waiting for their roommates to arrive, the group didn't sit idle and began preparing the ingredients for the evening.

In fact, it didn't require much effort; it was simply a matter of raiding the 24-hour convenience store at the community entrance for snacks and alcohol.

As for the main event—the meat—Zhao Xin simply waved his hand and ordered specialized fresh food delivery.

After learning that neither Jiang Yuan nor the two Girls had any dietary restrictions, Zhao Xin's Northeastern straightforwardness came out.

He ordered a full five catties of freshly sliced mutton, three catties of high-quality beef, plus a whole pile of barbecue-suitable ingredients like chicken wings, pork belly, and beef tendon.

The price of beef and mutton at the foot of Changbai Mountain was reasonable this season, around thirty-something yuan per catty. Including all the miscellaneous side dishes, Zhao Xin spent over a thousand yuan out of his own pocket to treat his friends for this meal.

Song Qinghan and Shen Lingke weren't idle either. They bought all sorts of drinks, beer, fruit wine that Girls love, and a large pile of chips and snacks, spending several hundred yuan themselves.

For students still in college, casually spending a few hundred yuan on a meal was already a significant expense, but their faces were full of happy smiles.

Jiang Yuan stood aside, watching the busy crowd, looking left and right, only to realize that he couldn't seem to help out, as nothing was missing.

He clearly had over a billion yuan in his card, possessing staggering wealth, yet at this moment, he suddenly felt a strange sense of being lost and wistful.

He actually didn't know what he could buy to add the finishing touch.

If it were in the past, he might have haggled over this few hundred yuan expense, but now, that money didn't even register as a number to him.

However, changing his mind, he looked at the sight of these young people happily bustling about preparing for the party, and a warm feeling surged in his heart.

He quite enjoyed this atmosphere of a party that was stress-free, contained no exchange of benefits, had nothing to do with how much money was spent, and was filled only with pure happiness.

Perhaps, if he had carelessly pulled out hundreds of thousands to host some kind of top-tier feast, this originally simple and pure party would have changed its flavor, and everyone wouldn't have been so relaxed.