Chapter 119: Birthday Gift [Fourth Update!]

September 22nd was Zhao Ziqiu’s birthday. This stunning beauty, born on the final day of Virgo, planned to treat the members of two dormitories to roast duck at Quanjude.

Hu Zhengdao asked Li Yawei, "I've heard that Quanjude roast duck is very famous. How much does a meal there cost?"

Li Yawei chuckled, "It’s a bit of a rip-off. It’s normal for four people to spend three or four hundred, so for twelve people, it’ll be at least close to a thousand."

Hu Zhengdao was stunned. "That expensive? My monthly living allowance is only two hundred."

Li Mu noticed the frustration on Hu Zhengdao’s face and patted his shoulder. "Most of what we have right now comes from our families, don’t take it too much to heart."

Hu Zhengdao nodded gently. His parents were farmers, and he knew he couldn't compare with these city kids. However, his father was a skilled mason who did odd jobs building houses in nearby villages during the off-season, so their standard of living was actually quite decent for a rural area in northern Shaanxi. Many people his age didn't even have families capable of paying for university tuition.

Hu Zhengdao had voluntarily brought up his family situation during casual chats, and Li Mu truly appreciated this about him; he was genuine and unpretentious.

Sun Jian then said, "As the oldest in the dorm, I think it’s necessary for us to get Zhao Ziqiu a joint birthday gift. What do you think?"

Li Yawei nodded. "Since the girl is treating us to dinner, we certainly can't go empty-handed. But what should we get? I heard from Xiao Xiao that Zhao Ziqiu’s family is well-off and she doesn't lack anything."

For a moment, the others were unsure what would be an appropriate gift. Sun Jian suggested, "How about we decide on a budget first, then figure out what to buy based on that amount?"

Considering that Hu Zhengdao and Liu Nian were not as well-off, Sun Jian added, "I think fifty per person, pooling together three hundred, should be about right. What do you guys think?"

Hu Zhengdao hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly. Liu Nian also agreed, saying, "Let’s go with what Brother Jian suggested."

Li Mu waved his hand. "Forget it, I’ll take care of Zhao Ziqiu’s gift, you guys don't worry about it."

"That won't do," interjected Xue Jianfeng, whose family was relatively well-off. "If you give it alone, how will the rest of us five look? We should still pool our money."

Li Mu said, "Don't worry, I’ll buy the gift, and it will be from all of us."

"No way," the others in the dorm didn't seem to agree.

Li Mu smiled and retorted, "Zhao Ziqiu is primarily inviting me. You five are just the supporting cast, have a little self-awareness, won't you?"

"Damn."
"Shameless!"
"You absolute jerk!"

Li Mu’s posturing drew a chorus of curses. However, everyone stopped opposing his decision to buy the gift himself, as they truly felt that the five of them were just fillers.

In the afternoon, Li Mu went out to look for a gift. After wandering around, he still didn't know what to get. He considered just following the common trends of the future—a wallet or sunglasses—but then he spotted a specialty store.

Dahon, the king of folding bicycles.

At that time, these small bikes weren't very popular and lacked the brand recognition of Giant, but their prices were incomparable; even a basic folding bike started at one or two thousand yuan.

Li Mu didn't know why, but he suddenly wanted to buy Zhao Ziqiu a bicycle. Subconsciously, it might have been to make it more convenient for her to come to Renmin University to go swimming.

On a whim, Li Mu entered the shop. He chose a delicate little bike with a silver frame, black handlebars, and red grips and seat. It cost 2,288 yuan. It was a bit pricey, but it looked exquisite.

After buying it, Li Mu had the owner tune it up and rode it back to school. Once his five roommates saw that he had bought a bike for Zhao Ziqiu, they immediately understood. Li Yawei sighed, "We really are just the supporting cast. Look at this gift Brother Mu picked—isn't it just to make it easier for Zhao Ziqiu to come over for their trysts?"

Li Mu countered, "Yanda is huge. Isn't it a good thing for a girl to have a bike?"

"You win." Li Yawei had no argument. Yanda was indeed massive; walking around it would take several hours. Li Mu’s reasoning was impeccable.

Xue Jianfeng, smoking a cigarette, looked at the cool little bike. "This thing is not bad. I’ll buy one tomorrow too. Li Mu, how much was it?"

"A few hundred yuan."

The five roommates accepted the fact that they were giving a bike, but how to present it became a problem.

Li Yawei suggested Li Mu should buy a bouquet of flowers and arrive late, after everyone was seated in the private room, then ride the bike in with the flowers; Zhao Ziqiu would surely be moved to tears.

Sun Jian thought this was unreliable and suggested leaving the bike with the waiter, then getting it after dinner when they were leaving, so Zhao Ziqiu could ride it back to school.

Hu Zhengdao objected: If Zhao Ziqiu rode it back, what about the other girls in her dorm?

Sun Jian suggested she just push it back.

Liu Nian thought none of his brothers’ ideas were practical, suggesting they should just roll the bike into the restaurant and give it to her when they entered the private room.

Xue Jianfeng blew a puff of smoke in Liu Nian’s face. "You little brat, you just come up with random ideas. Are you going to make Zhao Ziqiu sit on the bike to eat?"

Li Mu stood up, pushing the bike with one hand and waving the other. "Alright, keep bickering if you want. I’m going to ride this over to Yanda and give it to her now."

The five of them had a sudden realization. That was the best solution, wasn't it? Li Mu was always the thoughtful one.

Li Yawei added, "After all, Li Mu and Zhao Ziqiu have a special relationship. They spend all day at the pool, splashing about, whispering sweet nothings, and getting close—we can’t compare to that."

"Screw you."

...

Li Mu headed downstairs with the bike and called Zhao Ziqiu to ask where she was. She said she was in the dorm, so Li Mu told her to wait downstairs, saying he was there to deliver her birthday gift on behalf of all the members of Dorm 606 at Renmin University.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ziqiu was overjoyed. "I’ll come downstairs to wait for you right now!"

After hanging up, the other girls in the dorm asked, "Why are you so excited all of a sudden, Ziqiu? Who are you going downstairs to wait for?"

Zhao Ziqiu replied, "Li Mu is coming to bring me a birthday gift on behalf of his whole dorm!"

The five girls immediately said, "We’re coming too!"

Li Mu had no idea six girls were waiting for him. He leisurely rode the bike to Yanda and headed straight for Zhao Ziqiu’s dorm building, only to find all six of them lined up at the entrance to greet him.

What a disaster.

Li Mu parked the bike in front of the six girls and pointed at it. "Student Ziqiu, this is a birthday gift from all of us in Dorm 606. I hope you like it."

Zhao Ziqiu covered her mouth in surprise, never dreaming that Li Mu would buy her a bicycle. Her young heart was excited yet filled with a touch of anxiety. She felt that the meaning behind this bike must be that he wanted her to visit him more often—that was a good sign, wasn't it? Did this mean their relationship could progress further? Or was she overthinking it, and this was just an idea his dorm came up with together?

Li Mu felt awkward being surrounded by six women, so he waved goodbye before they could start questioning him. Han Xiaoxiao tried to call him back, but Li Mu didn't even look back. "See you at dinner tonight."

Once Li Mu left, the girls crowded around the bike. Zhao Ziqiu took it for a test ride and was surprised at how incredibly smooth it was. The other girls, as if they had found a new toy, took turns riding the folding bike around the front of the dorm building.

Han Xiaoxiao called Li Yawei to ask what the deal was with the bicycle and how they decided on it. Li Yawei didn't hide anything from his girlfriend and told her the truth.

Han Xiaoxiao whispered to Zhao Ziqiu what she had learned from Li Yawei. Zhao Ziqiu was thrilled, especially hearing that Li Mu had said the other five were just supporting cast—this clearly meant he was treating her specially.

...

At 6:30 in the evening, everyone met at a Quanjude near Zhongguancun. The girls arrived beautifully dressed, especially Zhao Ziqiu, who looked as dazzling as a star.

The girls brought a large cake, and Han Xiaoxiao declared, "Everyone has to drink tonight, men and women alike."

Both universities started classes on Monday, and since today was Saturday, they could play to their hearts' content.

With twelve people from two dorms, there were two established couples. Li Mu and Zhao Ziqiu were seen by the others as having an ambiguous but close relationship, so Li Yawei suggested, "How about we make a night of it? After dinner, let's go singing and keep it going all night. What do you think?"

To Li Mu’s surprise, ten people responded enthusiastically. Only he hadn't spoken yet.

Singing all night? Wasn't that a bit too wild? But then he thought, they were young—wasn't this the time to have fun? Li Mu nodded, indicating he had no objections.

During dinner, Zhao Ziqiu sat with the six girls. Li Mu had originally sat between Li Yawei and Hu Zhengdao, but Li Yawei dragged him over to sit next to Zhao Ziqiu. Li Mu didn't act coy and sat down beside her.

The waiter brought over two crates of beer. Everyone filled their glasses and toasted to Zhao Ziqiu’s birthday. After the first round, the atmosphere at the table became lively. Toasts were exchanged constantly, and the girls were very game—if someone toasted them, they drank. Bold ones like Han Xiaoxiao downed glass after glass. Although Zhao Ziqiu didn't have a high tolerance, she kept up with half-glasses.

They drank until they were tipsy, then took the cake to a karaoke venue Li Yawei had pre-booked. According to Li Yawei, his uncle was a shareholder there, and he usually just put it on his uncle’s tab.

Li Yawei was a Beijing local, a standard "local snake," and his connections were certainly much stronger than those of the students from out of town.