But... when he saw Gonggong the next day, he found that Gonggong seemed to be completely normal. He was still gently accompanying Zhurong as before. The big, burly man still looked like a little bird clinging to a woman... Well, this was "normal" for Gonggong.
Saturday is Xu Ershao's birthday—it seems that Xu put a lot of thought into this birthday party.
Baidao Lake is about 100 kilometers from K City, a 40-minute drive. It is a freshwater lake in the south, famous for its superior water resources, beautiful scenery, and clear water. What is most remarkable is that it is surrounded by a ring of low hills and slopes, typical of the south, encircling the large lake in the middle, while the lake surface is dotted with small islands, like pearls scattered on a plate.
The lake is dotted with islands of all sizes, and it is said that at the lowest water level each year, more than two hundred islands are visible above the surface. Hence the name "Lake of a Hundred Islands".
This place, blessed with outstanding people and beautiful scenery, was acquired by the Xu family two years ago at a high price for development rights. After exploration, they selected several small islands in the lake with the best geographical environment to develop a resort. However, it is not officially open to the public yet—it's just a way for the young master Xu to have a taste of what it's like.
Buddha's Hand Island—this is the largest island in the Hundred Islands Lake. The highest point on the island is a low hill, topped with satellite and mobile communication signal receiving towers. Below is a small grove of trees. The southern side of the island is flat, where a row of resort villas has been built, incorporating a high-end hotel-style service system. A pier has also been built on the lake shore, where yachts are moored.
It's safe to say this place is an ideal vacation spot for the wealthy—that's why the old man Xu had such a keen eye.
When the company's heir and his entourage arrived, the resort staff on the island naturally put on a high level of enthusiasm to receive them.
On Saturday afternoon, when Xu Ershao and Chen Xiao's group landed on the island by yacht, all the island's staff members, dressed in their finest attire, came to greet them at the dock.
Looking at the two rows of staff standing on the dock, lined up to welcome him, bowing deeply, Chen Xiao couldn't help but sigh: "Isn't this a bit much? Xiao Xu."
Xu Ershao was also a little uncomfortable, and said with his head down, "The old man agreed to let me use this place to hold a party, but there were conditions. This place will officially open next month, and I'm here to check out the preparations. Uh... I can't let business and personal matters interfere with each other."
The group that came to the island this time included: Chen Xiao, Xu Ershao, Ya Ya, Bai Cai, Xiao Qing, and Lu Xiaoxiao. There was also a member, Jin Buhuan, the president of the karate club, nicknamed "Jin Buhuan".
President Kim was one of the few classmates Chen Xiao could get along with at Kidd Academy. He was a straightforward guy whose family owned several car dealerships. His temperament was similar to Lao Tian's—the kind of honest and kind person.
Jin Buhuan and Xu Ershao had a good personal relationship. After Xu Ershao and Chen Xiao left the karate club, he also considered disbanding it—most of the female members had joined because of the two handsome guys, Chen Xiao and Xu Ershao, and the club's popularity plummeted after their departure. The largest villa in the resort was undeniably luxurious and comfortable. Since it wasn't open to the public yet, the group simply occupied the best-facing rooms. Each room's balcony faced the lake, offering an extremely open and refreshing view.
After everyone returned to their rooms to rest, they regrouped in the courtyard below. The sun was already setting, and at Xu Ershao's instruction, the resort staff had already set up several barbecue grills in the courtyard, and a barbecue party officially began.
Since it was a barbecue party, Xu Ershao simply dismissed all the staff, saying that it would be more fun to barbecue by doing it ourselves.
Unfortunately, among these people, Xu Ershao and Jin Buhuan, two wealthy young men, rarely even set foot in the kitchen at home. They wouldn't even know how to boil water, let alone grill meat. As for Xiao Qing, the great martial arts master, he spends most of his time diligently practicing martial arts, so naturally he has no time to learn kitchen skills.
As for Ms. Monica… she didn’t mind helping, but after she roasted the first chicken wing to a crisp…
And then there's Ya Ya. Her cooking skills are great now; she can make fried rice without any problem, but as for barbecue... she still has a long way to go.
In the end, only Chen Xiao and Bai Cai MM were left to take on the job of chef.
At the two barbecue grills, Chen Xiao and Bai Cai, wearing aprons and gloves, were busy cooking with chicken wings, bacon skewers, and other food. The flames licked and sizzled, releasing the aroma of grilled meat. Then, as if by magic, Xu Ershao had several bottles of fine champagne brought out from the resort. He popped one open with a bang, yelled, and started spraying the champagne wildly at his companions.
At first, everyone laughed and playfully dodged, but then, seeing a few bottles of champagne on the nearby table, they rushed over, each grabbing a bottle, and started spraying each other with it. Laughter and chatter filled the air, creating a harmonious atmosphere. Even Xiao Qing, usually quite quiet, had a lot more smiles on her face.
The only one who wasn't too happy was probably Cabbage Girl. She took on half of the cooking work, and seeing Xu Ershao and that beautiful and charming teacher Monica spraying champagne at each other and jumping around, Cabbage Girl's face fell. She held a small knife in her hand and fiercely cut a piece of beef...
I'll cut! I'll cut! I'll cut, cut, cut!!
Chen Xiao, who was standing nearby, saw this and couldn't help but smile wryly to himself. Little Xu really did calculate things very accurately...
What annoyed Bai Cai was that while Chen Xiao was grilling, Ya Ya stood obediently beside him, watching quietly, occasionally taking out a handkerchief to gently wipe the soot off Chen Xiao's face with a sweet smile.
Chen Xiao would always take out a skewer of the grilled food and let Ya Ya try it first. After watching for a while, Ya Ya tried to grill the raw meat like Chen Xiao. At first, she naturally couldn't control the heat, but with time and Chen Xiao's patient guidance, she learned quite well. When Ya Ya finally grilled her first skewer of beef that wasn't burnt, she happily held it to Chen Xiao's lips for him to eat…
The cabbage is already gritting its teeth!
Xu Ershao was busy spraying champagne at Monica—humph! They were practically flirting!
Lu Xiaoxiao and Xiao Qing were discussing kung fu when Jin Buhuan joined them (after all, Jin Buhuan was supposedly the president of a karate club, and although his kung fu skills were lacking, he still knew some theory). Moreover, judging from Jin Buhuan's excited expression and the fact that his eyes kept drifting towards Xiao Qing, it was obvious to everyone that he had ulterior motives.
All by myself... all alone...
Just as she was feeling wronged, she suddenly heard footsteps running up behind her. Turning around, she saw that Young Master Xu had already put down the champagne and was standing beside her with a smile, pulling out a flower from somewhere in his hand.
"Don't move."
Young Master Xu stood very close, his voice exceptionally gentle. He reached out and, before Bai Cai could react, quickly tucked the flower into her hair. He smiled, his eyes narrowed, and said softly in a deep voice, "I saw it by the woods just now. I thought it was very beautiful, and it suits you perfectly."
Bai Cai's heart softened a little, but she still kept a straight face: "Where's your beautiful teacher? Doesn't she need you to accompany her?"
Xu Ershao smiled slyly and leaned closer: "Can I take that as you being jealous?"
"Pah!" Bai Cai immediately spat and glared at him, "What a pipe dream!"
"I miss you." Young Master Xu was incredibly shameless, pointing to his heart: "I miss you, and you really are beautiful."
Bai Cai didn't even realize that her face had turned red. Just as she was wondering what to say, she suddenly realized that Young Master Xu was standing closer and closer to her. She quickly took a step back, frowned, and said, "Why are you standing so close! Move aside!"
By evening, everyone was full and satisfied, and the smell of champagne lingered on them. Only a small portion of the case of champagne had been consumed; most had been spilled on everyone and in the air. The aroma of the barbecue and the champagne blended together, creating a rather pleasant smell.
Young Master Xu had drunk quite a bit, even though he had a good tolerance for alcohol. He'd had two bottles of champagne tonight, and the evening breeze had made him slightly tipsy. He chuckled and said, "Such a beautiful night, shall we play some games?"
Since everyone was young and there was a vacation, no one objected to the suggestion.
"What do you want to play?" Chen Xiao already knew his best friend's philandering thoughts, but still asked politely.
"Playing hide-and-seek." Young Master Xu shamelessly uttered such an old-fashioned game, which immediately earned him the contempt of everyone.
He quickly explained, "It's not that simple! Look, we have eight people in total. We can divide into four teams. We'll draw lots to form teams of two. Then we'll take turns being the seekers, and the other teams will hide on this island. First of all: no hiding inside the villa—anywhere on the island is fine, as long as you don't leave the island! And if the seekers win, there will be a reward!"
"What reward?" Lu Xiaoxiao asked.
"A boy can ask any of the ladies present to give him a kiss."
The reward conditions proposed by Young Master Xu immediately met with strong opposition from all the women present.
"It's my birthday today," Xu Ershao said shamelessly. "Alright, let's add one more thing: if the girl you're asking refuses, you don't have to kiss her, but you'll have to accept a punishment. As for the punishment... how about putting on a show? Whether it's singing, dancing, or even breaking a boulder on your chest, it's all fine. Is that okay?"
Chen Xiao rolled her eyes – How dare you say that, asking a girl to perform breaking a boulder on her chest?