Rebirth at the Start: This Fate is Too Explosive!

Chapter 132 The First Dinner Party in Dormitory 208

After a long wait, they finally managed to find an empty table at a popular, bustling food stall, and the four of them quickly sat down.

Plastic stools, greasy tabletops, and bright incandescent lights overhead create the most down-to-earth backdrop for a meal.

"Boss! Bring over a case of ice-cold beer first!" Li Yifeng shouted with great enthusiasm as soon as he sat down.

In Sichuan Province, a party without beer is soulless.

Soon, a case of large green bottles bearing the "Jinling Beer" logo was brought to the table.

Water droplets instantly condensed on the cool bottle.

Pry open the bottle cap, and the foam hisses. Several cups of clear yellow liquid are poured into disposable plastic cups, and the youthful passion rises along with the steam from the cup walls.

Before many dishes had even been served, a plate of salted edamame and fried peanuts had already made the four of them finish off almost half a case of beer.

The friendship between the teenagers quickly warmed up and became intense amidst the clinking of glasses and unrestrained laughter and banter.

Just like in their previous life, Li Yifeng and Ye Fan got along the best. They talked about everything from embarrassing moments in high school to historical anecdotes, from discussing international affairs to envisioning the future. They even discovered that their aesthetic tastes were surprisingly similar when they talked about their favorite types of girls—they both liked girls with a cool and aloof temperament and a scholarly air.

The conversation veered off-topic, escalating from "how to woo the most beautiful girl in the neighboring art academy" to "how to use the Thirty-Six Stratagems to conquer the White House" and "the fatal weaknesses of Washington's defense system"... The topics were wildly imaginative and unrestrained, making everyone laugh heartily.

Shi Kai was relatively quiet, but he was a genuine listener and participant, often bursting into laughter at their bizarre and outlandish remarks, and frequently raising his glass to join in: "Come on, Brother Fan, Fengzi, let's have a drink!"

He was kind and honest. In his previous life, after graduating, he worked diligently in Hangzhou and maintained a sincere friendship with Ye Fan and Li Yifeng.

As for Xiao Ji... he spends most of his time looking down at his phone, scrolling through WeChat Moments, Weibo, and gaming forums... Occasionally, when he's called out, he'll perfunctorily pick up his cup, clink it against his phone, take a small sip, and then immerse himself back in his own little world.

It was as if this lively gathering of four people had little to do with him.

Just as expected, it's exactly the same as in my previous life.

Just then, Ki Woo-ho put down his phone, as if suddenly remembering something, and brought up a topic in a tone that carried a hint of deliberate boasting and superiority: "Have you guys noticed? That black Audi A4L parked in front of our dorm building?"

"Of course I saw it!"

Li Yifeng picked up a piece of grilled fish. "That brand new bike, so big and shiny, stands out like a crane among chickens among all the bicycles and electric bikes in our dorm building. It's impossible not to notice it!"

Ki Woo-ho asked mysteriously, "Do you know how much that car costs?"

Shi Kai wasn't very knowledgeable about cars, but he was interested, so he asked, "How much?"

Li Yifeng raised an eyebrow: "Probably in my thirties!"

He has some knowledge about cars.

Ki Woo-ho's lips curled into a slight smile, revealing a "you guys don't understand" expression, as he slowly and deliberately explained with a hint of scientific knowledge, "That's not the regular version. I checked specifically; it's the top-of-the-line quattro sports model that just launched this year. It has optional matrix headlights and a B&O sound system. Do you know how much it cost on the road?"

He paused deliberately, scanning the curious gazes of the crowd, before announcing the answer with satisfaction: "At least 46! We still have to wait for the bus."

Shi Kai gasped: "So expensive? Many cars in our area only cost tens of thousands of yuan."

"It's parked downstairs in our dormitory building; it must belong to one of our students."

Li Yifeng clicked his tongue, his eyes revealing undisguised envy. He raised his glass, his slightly tipsy pride evident: "It's decided! One of my goals for these four years of university is to earn my own car before graduation, through my own efforts! That's what you call cool!"

Seeing the familiar glint in Li Yifeng's eyes, Ye Fan almost spat out his beer, thinking to himself, "Old Li, the way you set this flag... is exactly the same as when you saw that BMW in my past life!"

He could almost see the “miserable” scene of Li Yifeng in his previous life, who saved money by scrimping and saving to speculate in stocks, only to lose it all and end up having to live on instant noodles every day.

Ji Yuhao scoffed dismissively, "It's alright. When I'm a senior in college, doing my internship, or after I graduate, I'll just tell my dad and ask him to buy me one. It's not like it's a particularly expensive car."

These words caused the atmosphere at the dinner table to subtly cool for a few seconds.

Li Yifeng and Shi Kai exchanged a glance, but didn't reply, instead changing the subject to other things.

Ye Fan lowered his head and took a bite of food, smiling silently to himself. That familiar feeling washed over him: "Well, the taste of Ji Yuhao's past life is exactly the same, still so intoxicating."

Ye Fan raised his glass, the clear yellow liquid swirling in the disposable plastic cup. He smiled at Li Yifeng and Shi Kai, a mix of mischief and sincerity in his eyes: "Come on, a toast to ideals! A toast to Fengzi's Audi dream, and to Kaizi's Jiangnan girl!"

"To our ideals! Cheers!"

"Let's do it!"

Li Yifeng and Shi Kai also raised their glasses in a hearty toast, the cold beer sliding down their throats, dispelling the heat of the summer night.

Setting down his glass, Li Yifeng wiped the foam from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, and leaned closer to Ye Fan, smug and curious. "Old Ye, you haven't said anything yet! What's your dream? After graduation, are you going to get a car even more awesome than that 46 yuan Audi that Ji Yuhao mentioned? A Porsche? A Maserati?"

His eyes gleamed with gossip and anticipation.

Ye Fan shook his head, picked up a skewer of freshly grilled, sizzling lamb, and said in a casual tone, as if he were just saying the weather was nice: "I haven't thought that far ahead. My current goal is to study hard and enjoy these four years of university life. Eat when you're hungry, drink when you're thirsty, and have fun when you're tired."

After Ye Fan finished speaking, even Xiao Ji looked up, his eyes showing a hint of surprise, as if to say, "Are you kidding me?"

Li Yifeng and Shi Kai exchanged bewildered glances, and then, with remarkable tacit understanding, the three of them simultaneously uttered a loud, drawn-out sound:

"cut--!"

It was as if he had heard the most half-hearted "declaration of ideals" of the year. Ye Fan just smiled and continued to eat his lamb skewers, keeping his achievements hidden.

The four of them drank until after 10 p.m., and then, feeling slightly tipsy and satisfied, they staggered through the gradually quieting "Degenerate Street" and returned to the peaceful campus.

Ye Fan paid the bill.

As soon as they entered the campus, Shi Kai and Li Yifeng immediately rummaged through their wallets: "Fan-ge/Lao Ye, how much is it? We'll split the bill!"

Xiao Ji seemed not to hear, walked straight to the streetlight, looked down intently at his phone screen, and swiped his fingers rapidly, showing no intention of taking out any money.

Ye Fan immediately stopped Li Yifeng from taking out his money, then waved to Shi Kai, "Forget it, it's our first get-together, I'll treat! Consider it a celebration of our official 208 team's formation!"

He genuinely didn't care about the money from Shi Kai and Li Yifeng; the friendship from their past life and their reunion in this life were far more precious than this meal.

As for Ki Woo-ho? Ye Fan knows him too well. Asking him to split the bill? The most likely response would be, "Oh, we'll pay next time," or "I don't have any change, I'll transfer it to you later."

Then there is no more.

Instead of going through all that trouble, it's better to save your energy.