Within minutes, two young people dressed in luxury joined Qin Xue'er and the others leading the way.
The one in front was smoking a cigarette, looking rough and ready, while the one behind wore glasses and appeared to be an art student.
"Xue'er, Ling'er, this is my boyfriend, Huo Haoyu, and the one with glasses is Nana's boyfriend, Jia Siwen."
"We're all in the same class and often hang out together, so..."
"Hey there, ladies!"
To prevent her friends from misunderstanding, Nan Xi quickly stepped forward to introduce her boyfriend to Qin Xue'er and Qin Ling'er.
However, no matter how much she tried to hold him back, she couldn't stop Huo Haoyu from speaking.
Jia Siwen, on the other hand, seemed polite and, after greeting everyone, remained silent.
He simply stood quietly beside Lin Nana, waiting to leave with his girlfriend.
"Oh, this brother looks familiar!"
"Oh, I remember now, did I see you in the garage just now?"
More lively than Nan Xi, Huo Haoyu was a true social butterfly.
Upon learning that another man would be joining them for dinner, he proactively approached Qin Xuan to strike up a conversation.
Qin Xuan was taken aback and nodded gently.
He vaguely recalled seeing these two when he parked his car.
Huo Haoyu chuckled and immediately slung an arm around Qin Xuan's shoulder.
"Looking at your outfit, it probably doesn't add up to five hundred, right?"
"Driving a Maybach?"
"The boss's car?"
"Huo Haoyu!"
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
Hearing her boyfriend start to talk irresponsibly again, Nan Xi quickly exclaimed.
Huo Haoyu grinned, waved his hand, and Qin Xuan also smiled knowingly.
Although the questions the young man asked were not particularly insightful, his intentions were far from malicious.
Since the other party was extending an olive branch, he naturally wouldn't be coy.
"No, it's my own car."
"Tch, showing off."
Huo Haoyu nodded slightly in understanding at Qin Xuan's reply.
However, Jia Siwen, who was not far away, overheard this and let out a breath of air, speaking sarcastically to Lin Nana, "That car clearly isn't his, yet he's trying so hard to show off. He's obviously trying to use the luxury car to get close to you.
"Darling, you two should stay away from people like this in the future, or you might end up losing everything!"
Lin Nana immediately agreed and nodded.
To be honest, she also felt that the car didn't look like Qin Xuan's.
Putting aside everything else, just looking at Qin Xuan's demeanor.
His every move was like that of a penniless, stingy person.
How could such a person afford a luxury car worth millions?
She truly didn't believe it.
It was just that Qin Xue'er was Nana's best friend, so she couldn't openly express her feelings.
That's why she had maintained a distance from Qin Xuan and Qin Ling'er, not doing anything too excessive.
However, their thoughts were different from others.
Upon hearing Jia Siwen whispering to Nana, Nan Xi immediately lowered her voice and chided the two.
"Brother Qin Xuan is Xue'er's cousin. Even if he's not super rich, driving a Mercedes is more than enough, isn't it?"
"If you want to gossip, go say it at home. Don't let them overhear and think you're snobbish."
"So what if he thinks that? Do I care about him?!"
"Just a poor guy driving a Mercedes!"
"You were all here just now, you didn't see it, but Huo Haoyu and I saw it clearly."
"In the garage, this guy actually used his own clothes to wipe the car!"
"After wiping it, he even blew on it, and after blowing, he continued wiping!"
"Tell me, which rich family would do something like that?"
"Treating a beat-up Mercedes like a treasure."
"He said the car was his?"
"Who would believe that?"
After Nan Xi's remark, Jia Siwen immediately became displeased.
Not only did he recount what they had seen in the garage, but his voice grew louder and louder, directly attracting the attention of Qin Xuan and the others.
"What's wrong, Nan Xi?"
"What are Nana and the others arguing about?"
Qin Xue'er and Qin Xuan slowly walked over. Nan Xi quickly waved her hand and smiled, changing the subject.
"Haha, they're just whispering sweet nothings to each other, it's nothing, nothing!"
"By the way, weren't you guys going to choose a restaurant?"
"Have you decided yet?"
"If you've picked one, let's go quickly. I'm so hungry now!"
"Ah, okay, let's go then."
Hearing that there was nothing major going on here, Qin Xue'er didn't probe further.
Taking Nan Xi's hand again, the group took the elevator and went up to the French restaurant on the upper floor.
This was a genuine French restaurant that Huo Haoyu had dined at before.
It was said that its French steaks and French desserts were the most authentic in Jiangcheng.
Seated according to their positions, Qin Xue'er, who was two hours late, naturally became the one to treat them to dinner.
She ordered the same dishes for Qin Ling'er and Qin Xuan based on her and her best friend's tastes. Qin Ling'er was fine; she didn't eat much and was more here for the novelty.
But Qin Xuan really couldn't handle it.
French haute cuisine always emphasized a slow and deliberate pace with small portions and multiple dishes.
It was common to spend one to two hours on a meal.
Qin Xuan considered himself a rough person; he ate quickly and had a good appetite.
Especially when he encountered food he liked, he wouldn't stop until he was fully satisfied.
When these two concepts collided, Qin Xuan almost suffered internal injuries.
Take the signature dish, the French steak, for example.
The steak tasted good overall, and Qin Xuan liked it.
But one piece was only 400 grams!
It wasn't even enough to fill the gaps between Qin Xuan's teeth!
Even though Qin Ling'er and Qin Xue'er specifically cut off their unfinished portions and gave them to him, he only ate a little over two pounds in total, not nearly enough to satisfy him.
This made him consider ordering another portion.
However, this action was interpreted by Jia Siwen and Nana as Qin Xuan being a country bumpkin.
Even if he was stuffed, he insisted on ordering another dish to eat his fill.
Therefore, throughout the meal, the two of them looked at him with utter disdain.
If Qin Xue'er hadn't been there, they might have jumped up and pointed at Qin Xuan's nose to mock him openly.
By the time they finally finished eating, it was already around 7 PM, having started at 5:30 PM.
The sisters had agreed to go shopping earlier, and Qin Xuan, having eaten his fill, had no objections.
Besides, Ling'er was out today, so he could buy more New Year clothes for her.
Although the festive spirit of the New Year was fading, the rules of his own family should not be broken.
Following the escalator directly to the women's fashion section, Qin Xue'er and the others skillfully headed straight for the high-end women's wear section.
Dior, Chanel, Givenchy, Prada.
All sorts of famous brands, some Qin Xuan had heard of, others he hadn't, were available.
The girls each chose styles and fits they liked.
And Qin Ling'er, dressed ordinarily, naturally became the primary focus of Qin Xue'er and Nan Xi's attention.