Chapter 10 The House of Music
Chen Xiaofei called Zhang Kexin, then quickly drove to Shu Yin University to pick up the two young ladies.
As soon as Zhang Kexin got in the car, she said, “Lu, you’re here too!”
Lu Yu smirked, “Of course. I’m in a good mood today—time to let loose!”
Zhang Kexin replied, “You might as well shower me with gifts!”
Lu Yu was curious, “Do you have a streaming channel?”
Zhang Kexin said, “On P Station, but I haven’t started streaming yet.”
Lu Yu responded, “Alright, when you go live, have Chen Xiaofei let me know. I’ll make sure you get all the attention!”
Zhang Kexin laughed, “Okay.”
Chen Xiaofei drove them to a trendy charcoal grill restaurant, heading into a small private room.
Red-hot bamboo charcoal burned beneath an iron plate. Using a brush, they spread oil over it, then laid out thin slices of beef. Once the special seasoning was brushed on, the meat cooked quickly, and paired with a dry dip of chili and cumin, every bite was so delicious you’d want to swallow your tongue.
They grilled and ate as they pleased, the sky gradually darkening outside, the flickering lights casting a unique atmosphere.
Zhang Kexin and Qianqian were tempted by the aroma, their gazes fixed on the sizzling meat.
Mostly, Lu Yu and Chen Xiaofei did the grilling, while the two girls sampled and judged the taste.
After the meal, Chen Xiaofei and Lu Yu were sweating from the spicy food—麻 enough, spicy enough, and certainly flavorful.
The key to good barbecue is the sauce; this restaurant’s fame was well-earned, its recipe truly unique.
During a break, Zhang Kexin asked Chen Xiaofei, “Hey, Chen Xiaofei, your skills aren’t bad—so practiced.”
Chen Xiaofei replied, “It’s alright, nothing special—just familiar hands.”
Zhang Kexin pressed, “How many girls have you grilled for in the past?”
Chen Xiaofei protested, “I haven’t, really, don’t make things up. What girls? I don’t know any!”
Zhang Kexin laughed slyly, “Oh? Then why the triple denial?”
Chen Xiaofei insisted, “Honestly, since college, I’ve mostly eaten out with Lu here. If you don’t believe me, ask him.”
Lu Yu calmly glanced at him and nodded, “He’s actually telling the truth—always together.”
Of course, being together didn’t mean there were never girls around...
Seeing Zhang Kexin hadn’t caught on, Chen Xiaofei quickly changed the subject:
“I’m not exaggerating. Lu Yu and I have been sampling food since our school days—over seven years now—and we still haven’t finished all the delicacies in Shu City.”
Zhang Kexin and Qianqian chorused, “Really?”
Lu Yu spoke from experience, “Absolutely true. You have no idea—when I first started school, I was broke, really broke, living off dirt every day.”
“Chen the Rich couldn’t stand it. He said, ‘You eat dirt every day—once you’ve finished all the dirt, I’ll just be rich, not dirt-rich. How can I keep being dirt-rich?’”
“So, every few days, he’d tell me he was feeling down, too much coursework, gloomy weather, depression setting in, and ask me to go out drinking with him.”
“I thought, ‘If I drink with you, you’ll pay, right? Besides, you’re almost depressed—out of basic humanity, I should support you, shouldn’t I?’”
“But instead of drinking, we just ate meat!”
“In that period, let’s say—within thirty kilometers around Shu University, we hit every halfway decent restaurant.”
“Once we got addicted, the range expanded, and we started going farther and farther.”
“I remember one night we were eating hotpot, arguing whether Shu City hotpot or Mountain City hotpot was better. After finishing, we drove straight to Mountain City for old-school hotpot. It was so spicy, we spent a month eating only clear broth and stews afterwards.”
Zhang Kexin and Qianqian laughed till tears rolled down their cheeks at Lu Yu’s stories.
...
Chen Xiaofei was laughing too, “You really thought that? Here I was treating you as a brother, and you hoped I would foot the bill?”
---
Lu Yu was speechless. “What else did you expect?”
Zhang Kexin pounded the table, laughing, “Haha, you guys really had fun in school.”
Qianqian asked, “Anything else fun?”
Lu Yu replied, “Plenty—middle schoolers have endless antics.”
Chen Xiaofei teased, “You really were pretty childish back then.”
Lu Yu just smiled and stayed silent.
Amidst jokes and laughter, time flew by. A little after seven, Lu Yu asked, “Where are we going next?”
Chen Xiaofei pondered, then asked Zhang Kexin and Qianqian, “Anywhere you want to go?”
Zhang Kexin pouted, “No.”
Chen Xiaofei suggested, “Let’s go to Music House, listen to songs, have some drinks.”
Lu Yu confirmed, “The one on Yulin South Road?”
Chen Xiaofei nodded, “Yeah.”
Zhang Kexin and Qianqian hadn’t been, so they had no opinion.
Lu Yu went out to pay, then the group drove to Music House Bar on Yulin South Road.
...
This bar was a quiet spot, with resident bands and frequent performances by semi-famous singers and groups—well-known in Shu City’s bar scene.
Once inside, Chen Xiaofei booked a booth in the viewing area. A band was singing an old song.
Lu Yu couldn’t judge their skill, but thought they sounded pretty good—quite atmospheric.
A server came by to ask about drinks.
Chen Xiaofei considered ordering a Margarita, but Lu Yu spotted Long Island Iced Tea and, recalling a song by Miriam Yeung, convinced Chen Xiaofei to have one too.
The two girls deliberated for a while and picked Cinderella.
Cinderella, as a cocktail, is more like a soft drink—lemon juice, pineapple juice, and grenadine, essentially non-alcoholic, mild in taste, hence the name.
Their booth offered a panoramic view of the bar, with music and drinks—a perfect, understated vibe, quite unlike the wild energy of Space.
Soon, the server brought the cocktails. Long Island Iced Tea looked ordinary, but Cinderella was stunning in its glass.
Zhang Kexin and Qianqian were instantly captivated by the beautiful drink, reluctant even to take a sip.
Lu Yu and Chen Xiaofei weren’t so sentimental—they clinked glasses and drank.
It was their first time trying such a cocktail. Despite the name, Long Island Iced Tea was potent, strong in flavor, and likely packed a punch.
No wonder Miriam Yeung sang, “If there’s no painkiller when I go home, give me a Long Island Iced Tea for half a night’s sleep.”
Clearly, it was the perfect remedy for heartbreak and insomnia!
...
After admiring Cinderella, Zhang Kexin and Qianqian asked about the guys’ drinks. When they heard it was Long Island Iced Tea, they requested “Unfortunately, I’m an Aquarius.”
The band’s lead singer happened to be a woman. Chen Xiaofei asked the server to request “Unfortunately, I’m an Aquarius.”
One hundred yuan per song—expensive or cheap depending on your perspective.
Soon the band began playing, and the lead singer’s voice was pleasant, not saccharine but evocative, like a classmate with a story.
Listening to the music, sipping drinks, the only downside was the smoke.
Chen Xiaofei ordered several more Miriam Yeung songs.
---
...
Leaning back on the sofa, Lu Yu found his mind wandering in this quiet, musical environment.
One moment he pondered his next steps in artificial intelligence research, the next he contemplated the realization of those biotechnology materials.
What’s the easiest money to make?
Women’s money—especially cosmetics!
What woman doesn’t want to be beautiful? How many hesitate to spend on cosmetics?
Lu Yu thought about the technological data—methods to stimulate cellular activity, microbial skin whitening, physical fat reduction, pharmaceutical fat reduction, and so on.
Beyond these basic technologies, there were even methods to slow cell death, delay aging, and extend lifespan.
In that civilization, these were elementary techniques, but any one of them would be cutting-edge technology on Blue Star!
If he could develop them, making money would be effortless.
No, not making money—printing it!
...
The more Lu Yu thought, the more excited he became, his eyes shining.
Immersed in his thoughts, he didn’t notice Qianqian across the table growing increasingly red-faced and flustered.
From her seat, Lu Yu seemed to be staring at her, eyes unblinking and getting brighter.
Yes, as the saying goes: when you see someone you like, your eyes light up!
Lu Yu’s eyes were positively glowing!
Not only Qianqian noticed—Chen Xiaofei and Zhang Kexin did too.
Qianqian couldn’t help but imagine wildly:
What if he confesses? We barely know each other! He hasn’t even pursued me yet!
Should I refuse? If so, what should I say? If I turn him down and hurt him, what then? Or maybe... accept and see how it goes?
Lu’s looks aren’t bad—sunny, and the more you look, the more attractive. Not a bad boyfriend to have...
...
Lu Yu had no idea of Qianqian’s inner turmoil; he was still thinking about microbial data.
Some microbes probably didn’t exist on Blue Star, since they belonged to different universes.
The medicines were developed under different systems; he’d have to use Blue Star materials as substitutes, applying the techniques from the data to achieve the desired effect.
Thinking about it, it was a massive undertaking.
Lu Yu sighed internally. No wonder Hua Xia had chased Western countries for so long, yet remained constrained technologically, lagging in cutting-edge fields.
Climbing the technological ladder was truly hard!
Even within the same system, it was tough—how much more so when Lu Yu faced two entirely different systems!
His thoughts grew heavy, brow furrowing. The road ahead was long and winding, but all he could do was keep striving and searching...
...