Return to the City: The Strongest King
Chapter 343 - 344: You’re Choosing a Penniless Guy?

Chapter 343: Chapter 344: You’re Choosing a Penniless Guy?

Everyone merely greeted Song Xiaodong, then no one paid him any attention. Song Xiaodong didn’t mind; he found an empty seat and sat down.

Cui Sijiao waved to Su Yao and said, "Su Yao, come, sit here." There was an empty spot next to her, but on the other side was Zhou Peng, clearly trying to set up Su Yao and Zhou Peng again.

Su Yao smiled slightly and said, "No need, I’ll sit here." Then she directly sat down next to Song Xiaodong.

Zhou Peng felt a bit awkward, but he didn’t think that there was anything between Su Yao and Song Xiaodong. He just thought Su Yao was deliberately avoiding him, so he laughed it off and said, "Come on, now that everyone’s here, waiter, serve the dishes please."

The waiter immediately left, and the dishes were quickly brought to the table.

Cui Sijiao asked, "Su Yao, I heard you quit your job. Where are you working now?"

Su Yao replied, "I’m working at the headquarters of Qingyuan Group now."

Wang Yuming said, "You’ve gone to Qingyuan, huh? Wang Chenggui, that guy, is also there."

Su Yao said, "He should be away on business recently. I haven’t seen him once since I got there." When she said this, Su Yao glanced at Song Xiaodong. If Wang Chenggui were there, it would be hard to keep Song Xiaodong’s identity a secret.

Everyone wanted to match Zhou Peng and Su Yao, but Su Yao was only responding perfunctorily to this topic. She spent more time whispering in conversation with Song Xiaodong.

This really annoyed Zhou Peng. Being with Su Yao had always been a source of pride for him and gave him face in front of his classmates. Now that Su Yao had just left him, it was something he could not accept. He drank glass after glass, and soon Zhou Peng was somewhat intoxicated.

"Su Yao, you will regret leaving me!" After another drink, Zhou Peng slammed his cup down and directly addressed Su Yao for the first time that day.

Su Yao looked at Zhou Peng and sighed, "Zhou Peng, I’m really sorry. I know you’ve always treated me well, but I truly feel we’re not suitable for each other. It’s better for both of us to be apart. I hope we can still be classmates and friends in the future."

Zhou Peng suddenly stood up and said, "Su Yao, do you realize that in these past days, my company has made great progress? Through introductions from others, I’ve gained quite a few new connections. I’ve met a leader at the Urban Construction Bureau, I’ve gotten to know an important figure at Xiao Corporation, and I’ve even made friends with someone influential in the underworld. In the future, whether it’s the underworld or the lawful world, I, Zhou Peng, will be able to thrive. Making money will become even easier, and my prospects will be even greater. Do you think there’s no future in following me?"

Wang Yuming said in surprise, "Zhou Peng, is that true or false?"

"Of course it’s true." Zhou Peng said proudly.

Just then, a knocking sound came from the door, and a waiter entered carrying a plate of fiery red lobsters. Cui Sijiao immediately exclaimed, "Zhou Peng, you even ordered lobsters? Isn’t that a bit extravagant?"

Zhou Peng was also puzzled, saying, "I didn’t order them."

The waiter said, "These are added to your meal by a gentleman."

Everyone was stunned and turned to look at Zhou Peng, as it seemed none of them had the clout to warrant such a gesture.

Zhou Peng hesitated, asking, "Who added them for us?"

The waiter replied, "The gentleman didn’t say."

Wang Yuming immediately said, "No need to ask, it must be someone you know, right Zhou Peng?"

Zhou Peng excitedly said, "I remember now, when I came in earlier, I saw a brother from the underworld; it must have been him who added it."

"Ha... I have to say, Zhou Peng, you do have a lot of clout. That’s an Australian lobster, and it must weigh over three pounds, worth nearly a thousand bucks. Without some solid connections, there’s no way they would serve this kind of dish."

Immediately, everyone burst into praise, and many were very envious. At their age, they were just in the stage of building networks, often taking pride in knowing more people.

At this moment, the waiter came in again, this time carrying about ten bowls, and placed one in front of each person.

Cui Sijiao immediately exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my gosh, braised abalone, and they’re so big too. How much is each serving?!"

The waiter smiled slightly and said, "This is our Japanese triple-head abalone from the store, a pound for three abalones, and each serving is five hundred and eighty-eight!"

"My goodness, just one serving is five hundred eighty-eight? We have ten people here, so that’s five thousand eight hundred and eighty. Who’s sending us this?" Wang Yuming asked in shock, his gaze turning to Zhou Peng.

Zhou Peng was also stunned. Among the people he knew, there was nobody with such clout. Who could have sent this?

"Are you sure you didn’t deliver to the wrong table?" Zhou Peng wasn’t foolish and cautiously asked.

"No, we wouldn’t make a mistake with something like adding dishes. It’s someone else’s gesture of goodwill, and if we messed it up, our restaurant couldn’t afford the consequences, but the abalone was added by a different group of guests."

After the waiter left, everyone immediately began to speak. "Zhou Peng, this must be because of your influence, after all. No one else has the ability."

Zhou Peng chuckled and replied, "This is really too much face, I’ll have to pay them a visit later and thank them with a toast."

"That’s for sure, but with all this good stuff, we should eat first," was the reply.

These delicacies were usually beyond their reach, but now everyone started to indulge right away, expressing their gratitude to Zhou Peng while eating. Without him, they wouldn’t have had the chance to taste such food.

Su Yao gently nudged Song Xiaodong’s leg and gave him a look.

Song Xiaodong understood what she meant and smiled without saying anything. These dishes must have been added by Chen Zixu and Zhao Yongbo. The lobster was probably Zhao Yongbo’s addition, and Chen Zixu, that guy, is generous, so he must have added the abalone.

At this point, Su Yao’s opinion of Zhou Peng declined a bit further. If you don’t have that kind of capability, just admit it. Now you have to pretend and put on airs. This was done for Song Xiaodong, and if it’s mistaken, how will you save face later?

Zhou Peng, seeing Su Yao and Song Xiaodong exchanging glances, couldn’t help feeling annoyed and said, "Su Yao, don’t tell me you left me just to be with Dongzi?"

Su Yao immediately replied, "What are you talking about, Zhou Peng? My breakup with you is my own business. Don’t you start making up stories, Dongzi and I are nothing more than friends."

Zhou Peng snorted and said, "Really? I don’t think you’re so tasteless as to not choose me but go for a pauper instead."

Su Yao frowned and responded, "You’re wrong, Zhou Peng. If it weren’t for the fact that Dongzi already has a girlfriend, I really wouldn’t mind chasing after him."

Zhou Peng glared, angrily saying, "Su Yao, are you trying to humiliate me on purpose?"

With a light smile, Su Yao said, "You’re overthinking it again. Do you really think Dongzi is that worthless? All I can say is that you... sigh..."

Su Yao stopped there. Though Song Xiaodong’s identity would inevitably become known to everyone sooner or later, Song Xiaodong wasn’t ready to reveal it himself and she didn’t feel it was her place to spill the beans. As for these people, they were missing a great opportunity. She feared they would come to regret it later.