I'm back in 1990

Chapter 1009: Riding a Tiger in a Difficult Situation

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The seven-day National Day holiday came to an end in the blink of an eye. Tang Ruixuan returned to Jinda University alone, carrying some snacks with her. Her mother, Zeng Hong, had told her that her clothes for the changing seasons would be delivered to her by express courier before it got cold. She would then ask her to send her spring and autumn clothes back, mainly because there wasn't much storage space in the dormitory and she had too many clothes to fit in.

When Chen Yue returned to her dorm and found her three roommates there, she announced, "Girls, it's my birthday next week, I'm treating you to dinner!"

Lin Weiwei was naturally delighted to be invited to dinner: "Great! Great!" Then she asked, "Where should we eat? Should Xiaoyu recommend a good value restaurant?"

Chen Yue waved her hand casually: "No need, my cousin has already booked the restaurant for me. He recommended it, saying it's a really good restaurant and very hard to get a reservation at. He booked it many days in advance."

Zhou Xiaoyu asked curiously, "Which one are you talking about?"

"Hua Hong Banquet! My cousin said that this restaurant is a high-end catering brand that originated in Shanghai. It is said that the environment inside is very good and the food is also excellent."

Lin Weiwei's eyes lit up: "I know, this restaurant is really amazing. There's a branch in Suzhou too. My aunt's family treated us to a meal there last month and said the food was especially delicious."

Zhou Xiaoyu seemed to have heard about this upscale restaurant before, and she hesitated, "Chen Yue, those kinds of places are very expensive. Why don't you choose a more ordinary restaurant instead?"

"Hey, birthdays only come once a year, so it's rare for me to splurge. My mom has been kind enough to approve some funds for this. Besides, it's not just the three of you I'm inviting; I've also invited a few close classmates, so it's not much per person."

When Tang Ruixuan heard the words "Hua Hong Yan," she was slightly taken aback. She had originally wanted to advise Chen Yue not to go, as the dishes there were really expensive, and no one knew that better than her.

But seeing Chen Yue's excited expression, he swallowed back the words he was about to say.

At this moment, Lin Weiwei asked her, "Xuanxuan, have you ever been to Huahongyan?" Lin Weiwei asked this because Huahongyan has the most branches in Shanghai, so she thought Tang Ruixuan might have been there.

Tang Ruixuan shook her head and said frankly, "I've never been to the Jinling branch." She was telling the truth. Although Hua Hong Yan was her family's business, she had indeed never been to the Jinling branch.

"Then it's settled!" Chen Yue made the decision immediately. "Next Friday at six o'clock, there are four of us in the dorm, plus five classmates from our class, a total of nine people. The private room has already been booked, so we can just go there."

A week later, on Friday evening, a group of nine people arrived at the entrance of Huahongyan Jinling Store.

Located in a restored Republican-era building on the banks of the Qinhuai River, this restaurant features blue bricks and gray tiles, vermilion doors and copper rings, and large red lanterns hanging under the eaves, exuding both classical charm and the sophistication of high-end dining.

"Wow! This place is so grand!" one of the boys couldn't help but exclaim.

Chen Yue was also somewhat surprised: "My cousin said the environment and food here are good, but I didn't expect it to be this upscale?"

At that moment, a smiling shop assistant standing at the store entrance greeted them and asked, "Hello! Do you have a reservation?"

Chen Yue quickly replied, "Yes, the surname is Chen, and the name is Haitang Hall!"

The welcoming staff member's smile became even more friendly: "Hello, Ms. Chen, the Begonia Hall is on the second floor, please follow me."

The group of nine followed the greeter through the winding corridors into the store. The store was elegantly decorated, with ink paintings and calligraphy hanging on the walls, celadon ware displayed on the antique shelves, and a faint sandalwood fragrance wafting through the air.

A girl named Wang Qi stuck out her tongue and asked Lin Weiwei, who was standing closest to her, "How much does this cost per person?"

Lin Weiwei shook her head: "I don't know. Judging from the situation, it definitely won't be cheap. What kind of family does Chen Yue have? They actually invited us to eat at a place like this?"

At this moment, everyone assumed that Chen Yue's family must be well-off, otherwise she wouldn't have invited them to such a high-end place for dinner.

Chen Yue was inwardly groaning, blaming her cousin for ripping her off. This was a place she couldn't afford! But there was no turning back now; she was already here, so she could only grit her teeth and bear it.

When you see your aunt again, you must tell her all about your cousin.

Zhou Xiaoyu was the most reserved. She was stunned by the environment; it was her first time eating in such a place.

Of the group, only Tang Ruixuan remained calm. She silently followed at the back of the group. When she passed a waitress, she whispered a few words to her. The waitress looked at her in surprise and then went to report the incident.

She was very familiar with this decorating style; it was all designed with her father's help, and all the furniture was made by her uncle Huo Miao's furniture factory—all high-end mahogany furniture, so the prices here were naturally not low.

The group was led into the Begonia Hall, a private room of about 20 square meters. In the center was a round mahogany table that could seat 12 people, and the Suzhou embroidery on the wall was a begonia pattern.

"Please have a seat, everyone. We'll serve you tea and refreshments shortly." The waiter went to the preparation room to prepare the tea and refreshments.

Just then, Tang Ruixuan saw someone standing outside the door gesturing to her. She knew it was the person she was looking for, so she went out for a moment, but soon returned to the private room without anyone noticing her.

Several classmates excitedly looked around the private room, while two others ran to the window to admire the courtyard on the first floor, as they hadn't had enough of it when they arrived.

Chen Yue nervously took the menu from the waiter; she knew the prices here were probably...

She gritted her teeth, opened the menu, and almost fainted at first glance. She couldn't help but curse her cousin inwardly, thinking, "His pockmarked face is full of freckles!"

Stir-fried shrimp 388, seasonal seafood 488, black pepper Wagyu beef cubes 888, grilled conch 1088. As for lobster and abalone, she didn't dare to look at them, nor did she have the courage to flip through the rest of the menu.

The cheapest option is dessert, taro dumplings for 88.

Just as Chen Yue was struggling with how to arrange the dishes, a middle-aged man in a dark suit walked in.

He introduced himself with a smile: "Good evening, everyone. Welcome to Hua Hong Banquet. I am the manager of this restaurant, and my surname is Zhao."

He glanced at the nine people in the private room, and when his gaze passed over Tang Ruixuan, he didn't linger for long before naturally moving on to the next person.

"I overheard that you are all students at Jin University, and some of you are celebrating your birthdays today, so I've prepared a special birthday menu for you."

As he spoke, he handed over a freshly prepared menu, but he didn't know who to give it to, so his eyes involuntarily turned to Tang Ruixuan, while Tang Ruixuan's eyes turned to Chen Yue.

Manager Zhao immediately understood and accurately handed the menu to Chen Yue.

Chen Yue received the menu, glanced at the prices, and her eyes widened immediately. "So many dishes for only 688? Manager Zhao, are you sure you're not mistaken? I just looked at your menu, and each dish costs more than this!"

Manager Zhao said in a serious tone, "This is a special package we offer to students of Jin University, and since it's your birthday today, we'll only charge the cost price. If you're okay with that, I'll have someone arrange it right now."

Nine people, each costing less than eighty yuan, in such a high-end restaurant—Chen Yue wondered if she was dreaming. She secretly pinched the back of her hand—ouch! It hurt.

"Then this set meal is fine! Thank you, Manager Zhao!" Chen Yue quickly agreed. This was like a godsend! She would be a fool not to agree!