Chapter 196: Seizing Every Moment
With delicious food right in front of her, of course eating came first.
Now that she had basically figured out Wei Xiao’s intentions, Gu Qinghuan relaxed and focused on enjoying the meal.
Although Ji Tianxiao didn’t bring lemon water like Song Yi suggested, he placed a handful of mint candies on the table, pretending they were after-meal breath fresheners.
After setting them down, he went to claim credit in the group chat:
Ji Tianxiao: [No lemon water, but I put some mint candies.]
Song Yi: [That works.]
Bao Qingsong: [So what are you guys eating for lunch?]
Jiang Chuchu: [We opened a small private room next to Qinghuan’s and are eating whatever we like.]
Qin Yue: [You sure you’re not just eating gossip?]
Jiang Chuchu: [^_^]
“Qin Yue” withdrew a message.
Bao Qingsong: [Qin Yue, how many times has this happened already? Still not learning your lesson?]
Xie Xiangxue: [Clay pot shrimp porridge.]
Zhan Chuchen: [Braised beef in red sauce.]
Ming Xiaolan: [Roast duck.]
Lin Zhulu: [Stir-fried lamb with scallions.]
Lian Fenghe: [Waaah crying.JPG]
Qin Yue: [What’s wrong with you?]
Lian Fenghe: [My family went to a new cooperative base to see flowers. I’m home alone eating instant noodles.]
Yao Shali: [Same here. My parents are busy, and I didn’t ask the housekeeper to cook—also eating instant noodles.]
Gu Qinghuan: [Add shrimp paste, soft-boiled eggs, vegetables, cheese slices…]
Jiang Chuchu: [?]
Lian Fenghe: [There really is shrimp paste in the fridge, I’ll go grab some.]
Yao Shali: [Cheese slices? Sounds good, I’ll add two.]
Gu Qinghuan: [You can sprinkle some seaweed sesame too!]
Jiang Chuchu: [Aren’t you eating with Wei Xiao? You still have time to check your phone?]
Gu Qinghuan: [He went out to take a call. I’m seizing every second to use my phone.]
Xu Xinghe: [More like seizing every second to talk about food.]
Jiang Chuchu: [Have you figured out what Wei Xiao wants?]
Gu Qinghuan: [I have a guess. Not sure if it’s correct, but it should be close.]
Yu Xin: [From what you said earlier, are you still going to accept him as your assistant?]
Gu Qinghuan: [Yeah. Otherwise he’ll keep pestering me. Better to keep him close and watch him.]
Lin Zhulu: [Makes sense, but won’t it be annoying to face him every day…]
Bao Qingsong: [What’s the next step? You can’t just let him stay like this forever, right?]
Gu Qinghuan: [I’m thinking of a way to get rid of him—ideally out of the school—but I haven’t figured it out yet.]
Yu Xin: [One step at a time! Don’t rush—steady and careful!]
Jiang Chuchu: [Xinbao, you’re getting more and more like a general now.]
The sound of the door handle turning came from outside.
Gu Qinghuan immediately put away her phone and went back to eating.
Wei Xiao walked in. Judging from his expression, he seemed quite relaxed—probably something good had happened.
Gu Qinghuan tested the waters. “Something good happened? You look like you’re in a good mood.”
Wei Xiao smiled and nodded. “Yes. The Xia family—Xia He’s family—has established a charitable foundation and invited our family to attend the celebration ceremony.”
“I’m about the same age as Xia He and we go to the same school, so I was invited too.” He paused slightly, then looked at her. “Were you invited?”
Song Yi: [Tsk!]
Ai Ning: [Ugh!]
Xu Xinghe: [Here we go again—another subtle attempt to put her down.]
Gu Qinghuan’s smile didn’t change. “No. My family doesn’t run a company, so it’s normal I wouldn’t be invited.”
But she was certain—the charitable foundation he mentioned was the one Xia He had talked about before, meant to help those girls harmed by Wei Xiao.
Speaking of which, since it was a charity event, wouldn’t attendees have to donate? At least symbolically.
Gu Qinghuan glanced at Wei Xiao, wondering how much the Wei family would contribute.
Wei Xiao, meanwhile, felt that he had finally regained a bit of ground after all the setbacks earlier.
Still, just as Gu Qinghuan said, her family background made it normal she wasn’t invited, so the satisfaction wasn’t complete.
Forget it. What he wanted was the student council member list—nothing else mattered.
The meal ended relatively peacefully.
But Wei Xiao’s invitation wasn’t over yet.
He brought Gu Qinghuan to the entertainment area, suggesting they walk around after eating as a way to digest.
There were quite a few activities there. Wei Xiao led the way straight toward the billiards area.
Only three tables were occupied, spaced apart. When the other guests saw them enter, they glanced over briefly.
“Have you played billiards before?” Wei Xiao asked.
“No,” Gu Qinghuan answered simply. She had seen billiard halls as a child, but never entered one.
“Then how about trying snooker today?” Wei Xiao suggested with a smile.
Tao Shenxing: [Oh? He picked the wrong battlefield—I’m definitely listening closely.]
Tao Shenxing’s mother was a professional billiards player, and his father came from a well-off family. Though he himself was rather mediocre, his older siblings were outstanding, so no one pressured him much.
Influenced by his mother, Tao Shenxing loved billiards since childhood, though he didn’t plan to go pro.
Now hearing Wei Xiao mention snooker, he immediately became interested.
“Snooker is a type of billiards, right?” Gu Qinghuan recalled vaguely.
“Yes. The most common formats now are Chinese eight-ball, nine-ball, and snooker,” Wei Xiao explained, briefly introducing each.
Ming Xiaolan: [How’s his explanation?]
Tao Shenxing: [Basic knowledge is solid. No problem. But for a beginner, starting with snooker is going to feel difficult.]
As Gu Qinghuan listened, she mentally noted things. The rules didn’t sound too complicated—just needed to remember the values of the colored balls.
Of course, theory and practice were two different things.
Especially when Wei Xiao started explaining stance and hand positioning—
Just as he was about to grab her hand, Gu Qinghuan quickly stepped back.
Wei Xiao looked surprised. “What’s wrong?”
Holding the cue stick, Gu Qinghuan almost wanted to use it to push him away.
She forced an awkward smile. “I’m not used to being this close to the opposite sex. Just explain verbally—I think I can learn without hands-on guidance.”
The group chat exploded again.
Xie Xiangxue: [I knew it! He’s trying to use physical contact to provoke her!]
Zhan Chuchen: [Even if class monitor doesn’t usually mind contact…]
Lin Zhulu: [Who would want to be touched by a cockroach?!]
Jiang Chuchu: [I’m angry. I want to smash his head.]
Qin Yue: [Calm down! Calm down!]
Ji Tianxiao: [Don’t worry—I’ve sent reinforcements.]
Bao Qingsong: [What reinforcements?]
“You’re that young lady from last time, right?”
A familiar female voice sounded.
Gu Qinghuan turned her head in surprise—and saw Han Yun.
Today, Han Yun looked just as gentle and elegant as before, but her expression carried even more warmth.
“Hello, Ms. Han,” Gu Qinghuan greeted politely.
“You still remember me,” Han Yun smiled, clearly pleased. “I’ve been wanting to see you again. I just didn’t get the chance. When I heard you were here today, I came right over.”
“I didn’t really do anything,” Gu Qinghuan said modestly.
“I wanted to thank you properly,” Han Yun replied casually.
Wei Xiao hesitated before speaking up, “And this is…?”
Only then did Han Yun seem to notice him. Her expression immediately cooled.
“Hello,” she said indifferently. “I’m Han Yun—Han Lang’s younger sister. The one who gave your family that secondary membership card.”
