Chapter Fourteen: Hot Pot

The hotpot restaurant was alive with singing and dancing.

The phrase “singing and dancing in peaceful times” was truly apt. Upon entering, the speakers mounted on the walls blared Jay Chou’s album, cycling through the famous lines from “Chrysanthemum Terrace”: “Chrysanthemum tea stains the floor, your smile has faded to yellow.” At the entrance, two drunken men clumsily supported each other, swaying and staggering as if performing a close-contact tango, their eyes shut tight with deep emotion.

Dodging past the two dancing men, Lin Nian was ushered by a group of classmates into the reserved private room. Looking down at the table, the blazing red hotpot in the center resembled molten lava, instantly filling him with a sense of foreboding.

“Isn’t there a half-and-half pot?” Lin Nian asked hesitantly. Though usually strong and healthy, he was still human, and he felt that anyone who ate from this fiery pot would soon find the restroom becoming their second home.

“Half-and-half? What nonsense. The medium-spicy red pot is our final stubborn stand,” Xu Yanyan declared confidently, waving her hotpot chopsticks in front of the round table.

“The half-and-half pot is at another table. Are you going to become a girl like someone else?” Xu Miaomiao teased Lin Nian with a sly glance. On the red pot side sat only boys, with a few girls who either liked spicy food or already belonged to someone; the other table was filled with lively young ladies, bright and charming.

Lin Nian glanced over at the half-and-half pot some distance away and immediately spotted that wretched Lu Mingfei opening a bottle of soy milk, making overtures toward Chen Wenwen beside him. Luckily, when they were seated in the private room, that guy hadn’t brought him along!

“I think I’d better go to the other table...” Lin Nian wanted to admit defeat. Admitting defeat wasn’t shameful; only regretting it afterward was.

“Want some beer? I brought some,” he barely finished when the private room door opened, and the little heroine strode in boldly carrying two crates of beer, winning cheers from all the boys, her voice instantly drowning out Lin Nian’s words.

The little heroine was truly a heroine among women. Carrying two crates of beer, she walked over and gave a nod to Xu Yanyan, who immediately rolled a seat out smoothly for her to sit.

Not only did the little heroine drink the manliest beverage, but she also boldly ate from the fiery red pot! This earned unanimous praise from all the boys, who insisted on toasting Su Xiaoqiang. Su Xiaoqiang accepted without hesitation, opening a beer and drinking it down in one go.

The hotpot officially began: tripe, fatty beef, tender beef. The flavor of this hotpot was no joke. Many classmates felt lightheaded within minutes, sticking out their tongues while shoveling meat into their mouths. When the spice hit too hard, they hurriedly drank soda or beer, laughing heartily at each other’s disheveled appearances.

Halfway through the meal, the little heroine took out a can, opened it, and placed it in front of Lin Nian. “I’m usually well taken care of by everyone, but Lin Nian has looked after me the most. I have to toast you today!”

“No, no, it’s nothing,” Lin Nian hastily reached for his tea, but before he could lift it, Xu Miaomiao pressed it down and instead handed him an opened beer.

“Anyway, I’m toasting you,” the little heroine said with generosity, drinking first.

“I think you’re confusing one cup with one can,” Lin Nian sighed, seeing her insistence, and resignedly took the beer, downing it in one gulp.

The “animals” at the table immediately clapped and cheered, some even moved to tears, making Lin Nian feel as if he were sharing a ceremonial toast.

“The hotpot’s ready, eat!” Su Xiaoqiang, tipsy from two beers, flushed cheeks glowing, clearly not much of a drinker. But indeed, sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls rarely handle alcohol well; even a couple of beers were enough to make them drunk. Su Xiaoqiang had clearly come prepared for a big night.

When people get drunk, they tend to babble. These drunken words aren’t lies or made up; on the contrary, they are the true feelings people dare not say when sober, hence the saying “trouble comes from the mouth.”

Su Xiaoqiang loved to talk when drunk. She talked about everything, but today she avoided family matters and spoke only about school—which, unsurprisingly, always came back to two particular words.

“The basketball team from Class Three was really annoying last time. Their captain kept saying our class was the weakest in the whole grade, just a bunch of nerds. Luckily, Lin Nian, you stood up for us. You said you usually play basketball with Senior Chu Zihang. Those guys didn’t believe you, but after that game, they all did... But I’ve always believed in you.”

“Remember the brawl at the school gate? Yeah, the one when the bullies from another school were chasing Liu Miaomiao? That was probably the manliest moment for our boys! Everyone went to fight after school! I still remember you, Lin Nian, directly punching the loudest bully—gave him two big slaps, ha ha.”

“Drink less, okay?”

“Oh, and the art festival! Where did you learn kendo? It’s really cool. Many juniors asked me for your QQ number, but I didn’t give it to them. I know you don’t like being added by strangers, right?”

“Right... Su Xiaoqiang, drink less.”

“Lin Nian, you know, if it weren’t for you in sophomore year... cough cough... if you hadn’t helped me that time... cough...”

“Alright, drink less,” Lin Nian said firmly, pushing away her beer. The hotpot was already spicy enough, and the more she drank, the faster she got drunk. He stopped her from drinking more to prevent any regrettable actions.

“You really care about me the most. Let’s have another one!” Su Xiaoqiang’s eyes were blurry as she decisively raised her cup again.

The more they pushed and pulled, the more their classmates egged them on.

Su Xiaoqiang poured, Lin Nian urged restraint; some joked they might as well get married. Su Xiaoqiang said Lin Nian’s entrance exam scores were surely the highest in the grade. Others said she wasn’t bad either—a perfect match. No matter what Su Xiaoqiang said while drunk, someone always dragged Lin Nian into it, and others would agree, as if the two were bound tonight like hotpot and tripe.

“I told you, drink less.” Lin Nian finally couldn’t take it and swapped her beer for hot tea.

“Okay, I’ll listen to you.” Su Xiaoqiang suddenly stopped fussing, taking small sips of the tea, while Lin Nian watched her drink attentively.

After finishing the tea, the little heroine looked at her empty cup, then glanced at Lin Nian’s profile beside her. A flicker of resolve appeared in her eyes.

“There’s something I need to announce,” Lin Nian suddenly stood up, holding his tea cup and looking around at his classmates.

The round table gradually quieted. Xu Yanyan and Xu Miaomiao exchanged a glance, both sensing something was off. Weren’t they expecting Su Xiaoqiang to stand? Why was Lin Nian going first? Had the script changed?

Su Xiaoqiang was also stunned. Her hand was still on a freshly opened beer, ready to stand, but Lin Nian had beaten her to it. Hesitating, she decided to wait and see what he wanted to say. Looking up, the warm yellow light in the room cast shadows on Lin Nian’s profile, and she felt a bad omen looming.

The red pot table fell silent. The neighboring half-and-half pot table glanced over, countless eyes fixed on Lin Nian, anticipating his announcement.

If tonight’s hotpot were a play titled “The Little Heroine’s Hotpot Ambush of Lin Nian,” then after Lin Nian spoke, this drama was doomed to be undone.

“I’m planning to transfer schools. Probably leaving this semester, so you won’t see me next semester,” Lin Nian said softly, holding his beer and looking at everyone.

The private room was unusually quiet, only the bubbling sound of boiling water in the hotpot could be heard, bubbles rising and bursting, cooking the overcooked tripe and potatoes as they rolled around.

“What?” Su Xiaoqiang asked.

“I’m going abroad to study. The school’s overseas, and the plane tickets are already booked. I probably won’t be going to school with you anymore,” Lin Nian explained.

“That’s so sudden,” Xu Yanyan echoed something Lu Mingfei had said earlier.

“Going abroad? Leaving in sophomore year? So soon? Which school?” Someone was genuinely curious.

“The Kassel Academy mentioned in the group chat. It seems reliable and offers scholarships. I thought the conditions were good, and it saves me from taking the national college entrance exam here. I accepted their admission offer directly,” Lin Nian nodded as he explained.

“It’s a school affiliated with the University of Chicago. Many want to get in but few do,” Zhao Menghua, sitting next to Chen Wenwen, interjected with a smile and made a toast gesture toward Lin Nian.

“Prestigious! Lin Nian, you’re amazing!” someone exclaimed. Then the round table overflowed with congratulatory pleasantries. The girls at the neighboring table softly raised their soy milk drinks in celebration. Lin Nian nodded and downed his beer.

Setting the empty bottle on the side table, Su Xiaoqiang opened her mouth but said nothing. She gripped the half-full beer bottle in her hand and fell silent for a moment before suddenly standing and saying, “I’m going to the restroom.”

Lin Nian watched her open the private room door and leave. After sitting briefly, he stood and followed, leaving behind the words, “I’m going to the restroom too.”

The classmates inside exchanged glances, a mix of mischief and indifference. The lively atmosphere returned to the room. Only Lu Mingfei, holding his Wei Yi drink, sat quietly. He didn’t drink but quietly raised his cup toward Lin Nian’s departing back, then sipped his soy milk cautiously, afraid anyone would notice his sudden melancholy.