After the barbecue, Lin Yang, Hu Qian, Lin Xi, and Zhang Jun enthusiastically started playing games, their laughter echoing around them.
Unbeknownst to them, time quietly slipped away, and in the blink of an eye, it was past four in the afternoon.
Suddenly, the previously clear blue sky seemed to be slowly covered by a huge gray curtain, and the sky quickly darkened.
Immediately after, a strong wind blew, causing the canopies and tents on the entire river beach to sway precariously.
Seeing that a heavy rain was about to fall, everyone camping began to frantically pack their belongings, rushing to leave before the rain started.
Lin Yang's expression changed slightly; according to the original plan, they were supposed to have dinner there before returning.
This would have also allowed Lin Yang to fulfill the conditions of dating Hu Qian and having dinner together, thereby triggering a critical hit from the system and unlocking new system functions.
However, the impending heavy rain disrupted the plan.
Looking at the rain that was about to fall, Lin Yang secretly felt annoyed, thinking to himself:
"Why did it have to rain at this time?"
While helping to pack, Lin Yang pondered in his mind how he could still have dinner with Hu Qian.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind: he remembered a new popular hotpot restaurant called 'Nine-Colored Cloud' that had opened in Hedong.
He heard that this restaurant's Yunnan mushroom hotpot was delicious, and although it was not cheap, it was still very difficult to get a table.
But at this moment, in Lin Yang's eyes, none of these were problems.
As long as he could dine with Hu Qian and trigger the critical hit to unlock the system's new function, that was all that mattered.
So, he proactively suggested:
"It's almost dinner time. How about I treat everyone to hotpot? The newly opened Nine-Colored Cloud seems pretty good."
Upon hearing this, a hint of excitement flashed in Zhang Jun's eyes, and he quickly said:
"Nine-Colored Cloud? Is that the Yunnan mushroom hotpot place?
I heard it's expensive and hard to get a table. I've wanted to try it for a long time."
Lin Xi also nodded in agreement:
"I know about it too. I heard the taste is great and it's worth the price. Since you're treating, then I won't be polite."
Hu Qian smiled slightly:
"If everyone agrees, I have no objection either."
Lin Yang didn't expect it to go so smoothly, and he nodded with satisfaction.
Subsequently, Hu Qian and Lin Xi took one car, and Lin Yang and Zhang Jun took another, driving towards the hotpot restaurant.
The car sped down the road and soon arrived at the shopping mall where the hotpot restaurant was located.
At this time, the mall's underground parking lot was already full of vehicles.
Lin Yang finally found a parking space with difficulty, parked the car, and met up with Hu Qian and Lin Xi to take the elevator upstairs together.
When they arrived at the entrance of the hotpot restaurant, they saw that the entrance was already packed with people, forming a long queue.
Seeing this, Lin Yang's heart tightened, and he said to everyone:
"I didn't expect there to be a queue so early. I'll go in first and see what's going on."
After speaking, he strode into the restaurant.
He found a waiter and asked:
"Four people, how many tables are ahead of us?"
The waiter looked at the machine in his hand and replied:
"There are still 64 tables, and the waiting time is more than 4 hours. We recommend you come back another day for your meal."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang frowned slightly, not expecting the hotpot restaurant's business to be so booming.
But it didn't matter. His goal was just to have dinner with Hu Qian and trigger the critical hit; what they ate wasn't important. Since they were already here, if hotpot didn't work, they could eat something else.
He turned to leave, and just then, a familiar voice came from behind him:
"Lin Yang!"
Lin Yang stopped, turned around, and indeed, it was Chen Qingqing.
He said somewhat surprised:
"Chen Qingqing, are you here for hotpot too?"
Chen Qingqing shook her head, a proud smile on her face:
"This restaurant is also mine. How is it? Not bad, right?"
Lin Yang was very surprised. Chen Qingqing had already opened a high-end seafood buffet, and now another high-end hotpot restaurant. It seemed her family background was much better than he had imagined.
After all, such a high-end restaurant couldn't be opened without tens of millions.
"Although I haven't eaten yet, I know it must be good, otherwise, how could the business be so good?"
Chen Qingqing smiled even more happily when she heard Lin Yang's praise.
"Thank you."
As she spoke, she looked at Lin Yang's hand, noticed he hadn't taken a number, and asked:
"Why didn't you get a number?"
Lin Yang nodded and explained:
"Well, we'd have to wait four or five hours, so we were planning to go somewhere else."
"Are you alone or with friends? Bring them in, there are still private rooms."
Chen Qingqing said enthusiastically.
"Thank you, I'm benefiting from your connection today."
"It's nothing, we're classmates. Why be so polite?"
Lin Yang had heard before that high-end restaurants would reserve some private rooms.
These private rooms would only be made available when important guests arrived.
He never expected to enjoy such treatment himself one day.
Lin Yang walked out of the hotpot restaurant, waved to Hu Qian and the others, and called them over.
"Aren't we supposed to queue? How come we can eat so quickly?"
Zhang Jun saw that everyone else was queuing, but Lin Yang was calling them in, and he asked curiously.
"This restaurant is owned by a classmate. She said there are still private rooms."
Zhang Jun immediately gave Lin Yang a thumbs up:
"Awesome, awesome! We're all benefiting from you today.
You don't know, high-end restaurants usually reserve some private rooms just in case important guests arrive and there's no place to sit.
This is the first time I've enjoyed such treatment in so many years."
As he spoke, Zhang Jun took out his phone to take a picture, then casually posted it on his Moments.
"Benefiting from a friend's connection, I came to Nine-Colored Cloud hotpot during peak hours and not only don't have to queue but also get a private room."
As soon as his Moments post went live, he immediately received many likes and replies.
"Awesome, Zhang Jun! You actually have such an awesome classmate! Begging to latch onto your coattails!"
"Nine-Colored Cloud is a high-end hotpot place where the average spend is over 2000. Those who can enter the reserved private rooms usually have extraordinary backgrounds!"
"Excuse me, senior, are you still short of pendants on your leg hair?"
...
Zhang Jun was overjoyed looking at these comments.
He felt very proud to have a friend like Lin Yang, and it gave him a lot of face in front of others.
Shi Cong was bored scrolling through his Moments when he suddenly saw this message and immediately liked it.
Now he was even more certain that Lin Yang's background was not simple.
What puzzled him was that last time he had specifically organized a class reunion just to build connections with Lin Yang, yet in the end, Zhang Jun seemed to be closer to Lin Yang.
...
Once Hu Qian, Lin Xi, and Zhang Jun had all arrived, Chen Qingqing led them to a private room.
"This is the best private room in our hotpot restaurant. You can take a look at what you'd like to eat first, and if you need anything, you can call Xiao Li."
Chen Qingqing looked at Hu Qian and Lin Xi beside Lin Yang, and a different kind of feeling welled up in her heart.
Ever since she kissed Lin Yang to drive away a suitor last time, the scene had often reappeared in her mind, and she had developed a different kind of affection for Lin Yang.
She casually greeted them a couple of times, then excused herself, saying she had something to do, and left the private room.
After Chen Qingqing left the private room, she didn't leave immediately.
Instead, she leaned against the wall in the corridor, took a deep breath, trying to calm the surging emotions within her.
Her eyes revealed a hint of loss and helplessness. The images of Lin Yang laughing and talking with Hu Qian and Lin Xi kept replaying in her mind, each image like a sharp knife, piercing her heart fiercely.
She thought to herself:
"What's wrong with me? Am I really falling for Lin Yang?"
...
In the private room, Lin Yang and the others finished ordering, and the dishes were served shortly after.
They ate and chatted.
Just then, the system's prompt sounded in Lin Yang's mind.
"Ding, the conditions for dating and having dinner with the intelligence target have been met, triggering a critical hit. The system will unlock one random new function."