"That’s not a given," Zhou Mochen said with a smile. "As long as you want them, I can get them to come back."

’Is there anything money can’t solve?’

It was just a little pastry shop, after all. Zhou Mochen said slowly, "Susu, I’ll do everything in my power to get you anything you like. No matter what it is."

"..." Xu Su was at a loss for words. ’How did he have such autocratic tendencies even as a teenager? He really is the next generation bred by capitalists.’

"That’s really not necessary," Xu Su refused earnestly. "I only have it once in a while. If I get a real craving, I can just have someone go buy a piece. It’s not worth all that hassle."

Once Zhou Mochen was sure she wasn’t just being polite, he agreed with a hint of regret.

’He just wanted to make her happy. He was trying so hard to make a good impression, to get her to like him more so she wouldn’t always be thinking about going back.’

’What was so great about going back? To an old man so much older than her, almost thirty... could he possibly be better than me?’

Zhou Mochen’s brow furrowed in thought for a moment before a confident smile spread across his face.

After dinner, Xu Su kept saying she wanted to see what Beijing’s nightlife looked like in this era.

Zhou Mochen readily agreed and drove her out himself.

"It’s 2002 right now, right?" Xu Su asked, her hands folded on the car window as she gazed out at the bustling streets.

Zhou Mochen grunted in affirmation. "October 28, 2002."

Xu Su nodded slightly. ’Just as I thought.’ The architecture of the Imperial City radiated a vibrant grandeur. It was imbued with the profound history of a centuries-old capital, yet it also carried the unique chill of a modern city of steel.

Even though it was only the beginning of the 21st century, the fledgling shape of the future international metropolis was already visible.

’For students from small towns, after the initial shock of arriving here, all that gradually remained was confusion and the powerless feeling of being adrift and unmoored.’

’You could never understand your own insignificance until you came here—that feeling of helplessness, of being unable to ever cross the social divide.’

’If this is a dream...’

’...then it’s far too real.’

A rare, hollow sense of bewilderment settled over Xu Su... a confusion about where to go or what to do next.

Zhou Mochen kept glancing over at her. Seeing her expression, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of heartache for her.

"Susu..." He paused, pulling the car over to the side of the road. Just as he was about to say something, his phone started ringing.

The voice on the other end was drowned in noise. It was a friend, calling to ask him out for drinks.

He was about to refuse when the girl beside him turned to look over, her eyes lighting up. He froze for a second, then asked, "Do you want to go?"

Xu Su nodded. "Let’s go!"

Zhou Mochen chuckled and agreed. As he restarted the car, he picked up his phone and made a call.

Xu Su listened to his phone conversation from the passenger seat. After he hung up, she couldn’t help but ask, "What did you mean by ’clear out the troublesome people’?"

Zhou Mochen said, "Some of them can’t hold their tongues after a few drinks and say things that aren’t very pleasant. I had them sent home first."

’He’s got a lot of rules...’

But Xu Su understood his intentions.

A sweet feeling blossomed in her chest. ’Sure enough, no matter his age, Zhou Mochen was always a natural when it came to protecting her.’ 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

「Red Moon, VIP Room」

Shen Chen was in the corner, drinking moodily. He saw Jiang Baiyi take a call, release the girl from his arms, and then earnestly start clearing people out of the room. Shen Chen casually asked what was going on.

He was told that Zhou Mochen was on his way and had specifically called ahead to tell them to quiet down and get rid of the "troublesome people."

Jiang Baiyi was puzzled, too. "Young Master Zhou isn’t usually this fussy. Why the sudden complaint about us being too rowdy today?"

Shen Chen knew exactly what was going on. He lounged on the sofa with a cigarette between his fingers and said with a smile, "No matter what you see in a bit, don’t run your mouths. No cracking wise, no dirty jokes, and keep your hands to yourselves."

This group, though young, was used to a wild lifestyle and had little concept of "respect" when it came to the girls they partied with. After giving his warning, Shen Chen seemed to recall something and stubbed out his cigarette.

When Zhou Mochen led Xu Su into the room, the usually smoky and chaotic VIP suite was now occupied by just a dozen people, a mix of men and women. Some were playing cards, others were singing. Even the guys who had their arms around girls were keeping their hands respectfully in place as they laughed and joked.

The moment they pushed the door open, everyone’s gaze naturally fell upon the entrance. All activity stopped, and the room fell silent.

As she was led inside, Xu Su’s gaze swept across the room. She discovered that aside from a few girls in revealing outfits, every single guy there was an acquaintance she knew from her past life.

And seeing the way they all had girls in their arms...

’Tsk...’

’Sure enough, even as seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds, these playboys already partied hard.’

On the way over, Zhou Mochen had told her not to reveal her origins, so Xu Su obediently let them stare, pretending she didn’t recognize any of them.

Only after they had sat down did someone finally speak up. "Young Master Zhou, and this is?"

"My girlfriend, Xu Su," Zhou Mochen introduced succinctly.

He took a wine glass from a girl in a revealing uniform, glanced at Xu Su to confirm she wanted a drink, and then personally poured her a glass of wine.

The group of guys nearby exchanged bewildered glances. They were all around the same age—too young to have taken over their family businesses—so they all ran in the same circle and knew each other inside and out.

For someone like Zhou Mochen, who never gave women the time of day, to suddenly show up with a girlfriend was bombshell gossip.

Only Shen Chen seemed completely unsurprised. He got up from his corner, walked over to sit beside Xu Su, and clinked his glass against hers. "Drink up."

Xu Su finally noticed Shen Chen was there too. She glanced curiously at the corner where he had been sitting. ’He didn’t have a girl with him?’

Her expression was so obvious that Shen Chen put down his empty glass, looked at her, and laughed. "See? I’m taking your advice. How am I doing?"

"...You’re teachable," Xu Su praised, picking up her own glass and downing it in one go.

Her downing the glass instantly broke the stagnant atmosphere, and the room came alive again.

As Zhou Mochen refilled Xu Su’s glass, he began introducing everyone to her one by one.

The first introduction was Jiang Baiyi.

He raised his glass to Xu Su and offered a polite greeting. "Well done, Young Master Zhou. You quietly went and found such a beautiful girlfriend. She makes all our girls look like plain Janes. Here, I’ll toast to you two. Wishing you a long and happy future together."

Those words were music to his ears. Zhou Mochen smiled, raised his glass, and drained it in one clean motion.

In her past life, Xu Su actually had a better impression of Jiang Baiyi than Shen Chen. He was a playboy, sure, but at least he’d never hit on her roommate. So, she readily clinked glasses with him and finished her drink.

Next were Tu Yu, Xie Si, and Liu Mingyu, all of whom Xu Su vaguely recognized.

As for the rest, she couldn’t even remember their full names.

She hadn’t interacted much with them in her past life, so she couldn’t say she knew them well.