Chapter 31: What is a Girlfriend?

The private room was quite spacious, and Wang Zijun was the top VIP here—he not only had money but also some connections.

A few people entered, looked around, greeted Wang Zijun, and sat with familiar faces. Some opened bottles of alcohol, while others started picking songs.

Xu Qing glanced at them and then ignored them. He was mainly here to let Jiang He, this village girl, experience the world, and didn’t want to cause any trouble.

"Is this all we're eating?" Jiang He asked, her small hands moving quickly as she cracked open various nuts, piling up shells along the table’s edge in no time.

"Are you hungry?"

"A little."

"Wait a bit, there should be a huge cake coming soon."

If Xu Qing called it "huge," it was bound to be massive. Jiang He pursed her lips and began imagining what kind of cake it might be.

So far, she hadn’t eaten anything particularly bad here. The worst food was the leftover baozi and burgers that had been hidden away when she first arrived—after two days, they were a bit hard and had lost their flavor, but even then, they were still far better than flatbread with plain congee.

"Steel pot, with tears, crying to repair the broken pot, with a bad missing corner, replacing it with a new one, chasing the pot in the wind and rain—"

Wang Zijun sang while handing the other microphone to Xu Qing, giving him a wink, "The rat’s not here, so let’s sing."

"......"

Xu Qing reluctantly took the microphone. This was Qin Hao and Wang Zijun's favorite song, but they both sang terribly, and Xu Qing couldn’t even get them in tune.

Jiang He curiously eyed the large speakers around the room and then glanced at Xu Qing, who was holding the microphone. She pursed her lips and quietly leaned over.

"Oo~"

Hearing the amplified "oo" from the speakers, her eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing gave her a warning look, turning his back as he moved a little further away with the microphone.

Silly country girl, so easily shocked.

This was one of the reasons Xu Qing brought Jiang He here—there were many things in life that were universal. He couldn’t explain every small detail to her, but she could discover them on her own and integrate them into her life.

At least, next time she went shopping and heard an announcement, she wouldn’t be amazed and say, "This person’s skill is so deep!"

Singing, Xu Qing stole a glance at Jiang He. Sometimes, the way she acted really hit the spot.

"Do you like it?"

In a break between the chorus, he asked Jiang He.

Jiang He shook her head, "I don’t understand it."

"You’ll understand it later."

Xu Qing got into the mood of the KTV environment and, for some reason, felt a burst of courage to pinch Jiang He's face. Just as his hand lifted, Jiang He noticed it. With a look, he immediately sobered up.

He'd have to try it eventually...

During the course of the song, a few more people came in and sat down. After the song "Wide Ocean and Sky" ended, Wang Zijun gave Xu Qing a thumbs up, "Ten times better than the rat!"

"You two are about the same, don’t badmouth each other."

Xu Qing snorted and handed over the microphone, looking around at the people present, "Is everyone here?"

"Almost, we’re not waiting for them anymore." Wang Zijun glanced around, waved at one of the girls, and said a few words. She went out.

After a moment, the big table in the center of the room was cleared by the waiter, the lights turned on, and the food was served.

It was a music restaurant. No need to run between two places—sing when you’re hungry, eat when you’re full. This was one of the reasons they often chose this place.

"Today’s my girlfriend’s birthday... Hey, where’s my girlfriend?"

Wang Zijun started speaking but realized something was off when he didn’t see her. He looked left and right, searching for his girlfriend.

"She was sitting here just now, where is she now?"

"......"

"She seems to have gone out." A girl in the group reminded him.

"Where did she go?"

"Don’t know."

"......"

Wang Zijun scratched his head, went to the door to look around, and when he didn’t see her, he gave up and returned, "Let’s eat first, we’ll cut the cake when she comes back."

"Celebrating your girlfriend’s birthday, and now she’s gone?"

Xu Qing couldn’t help but complain. He hadn’t even noticed which one was Wang Zijun’s girlfriend—this guy changed them so frequently, one hadn’t even been familiar before he switched to another.

"The cake is for the celebration. Right now, we’re just eating," Wang Zijun waved his hand, "Let’s drink!"

The two boxes of beer had just been opened by the waiter and passed around. Xu Qing took the coconut juice on the table and poured some for Jiang He, while he drank directly from the bottle.

"Just started dating?"

"More than a month."

"That long? Looks like you’re about to break up." Xu Qing said.

"Shut up," Wang Zijun grumbled, "We’re truly in love."

Jiang He, sitting to the side, opened her chopsticks and listened to the conversation. Suddenly, she looked thoughtful.

True love... girlfriend...

"Is a girlfriend a wife?" She frowned and asked Xu Qing in a low voice.

She had often been mistaken for his girlfriend by the security guards in their complex, but if that was the case, the misunderstanding was huge.

"Uh... no." Xu Qing quickly changed the subject when he saw Wang Zijun looking over, "A girlfriend is just a title, everyone’s is different. For example, his girlfriend will eventually be someone else’s wife."

"……" Wang Zijun winced.

Actually, that didn’t seem wrong.

Jiang He looked at Wang Zijun in confusion, not understanding what he meant, but continued eating her food. After a moment, she asked again, "What about yours?"

"I’m a homebody. For homebodies, a girlfriend can mean anything—like a paper doll, or even just a concept."

Xu Qing joked. He wished he hadn’t fooled around last time. If he explained what a girlfriend was seriously now, Wang Zijun would think he was an idiot.

"Hahaha, self-awareness!"

Wang Zijun laughed when he heard "concept," his gaze scanning between the two of them, "So you’re really just friends?"

"What else?"

"Good luck. Let’s drink one together!" Wang Zijun stood up with his bottle.

Now he was convinced Jiang He was from the village—she was a bit odd in every way, but it was hard to pin down exactly what was strange. He could only be sure she was strangely good-looking.

"Here, hold it up." Xu Qing reminded Jiang He to raise her coconut juice and clink glasses with everyone.

After they finished eating, Wang Zijun’s girlfriend still hadn’t returned. Xu Qing put down his chopsticks and urged Wang Zijun to make a call and check. Jiang He continued eating, but to avoid drawing attention, she didn’t eat much of the main course, focusing mostly on the vegetables.

Wang Zijun went out to make the call, and the others smoked or chatted. After a while, someone came over with a drink and sat next to Xu Qing.

"Hey, Qing-ge, got a new girlfriend?"

Xu Qing lazily glanced up, "None of your business."

"Teach me, your girlfriends are all so beautiful, how do you find them? Tell me, why can’t I find one?"

"You’re too ugly."

"......"

Liang Zi was choked, adjusted his glasses, and then smiled again, "Come on, Qing-ge, let me drink to you."

"Not drinking."

Xu Qing couldn’t be bothered with him. "Liang Zi, I don’t want to deal with you today. Stay put, alright?"

"Hey, look at what you’re saying, Qing-ge, you..."

"You keep talking like that, see what happens?" Xu Qing raised an eyebrow.

"Liang Zi, stop provoking him, go sit back down, what trouble are you looking for?" Wang Zijun returned with his phone and noticed the tension between them, feeling a headache.

He had originally invited Liang Zi over to give them a chance for peace, but now it seemed like that was ruined.

"No way, just drinking, haven’t seen each other in a while, how could it be trouble?" Liang Zi took a sip from his cup, smiling mischievously.

Xu Qing didn’t even look at him, turning to Wang Zijun, "You called him here?"

"This is... sigh." Wang Zijun sighed, glancing at one, then the other, "It’s over, isn’t it?"

Jiang He stopped eating, grabbed a tissue to wipe her mouth, and curiously looked at the conversation.

Were they... about to fight?

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