David Thompson said, “Alright, then today I’ll be a generous man for once—let’s go have some barbecue, my treat.”

Having rushed out just now without eating, his stomach was now empty after walking around for a while.

Although he didn’t have much money on him, it was still enough for a few people to have some barbecue.

“Great, great! I haven’t eaten dinner yet! Let this guy bleed a little, eat him broke, so he won’t be so stingy next time!” Hannah Quinn looked delighted; after walking around, she was actually a bit hungry.

William Clark’s face wasn’t as red as before. Seeing this, he smiled and said, “I don’t mind. What about you, Sarah Young?”

He didn’t dare ask Evelyn Brooks; after what just happened, he didn’t know how to start a conversation.

Sarah Young opened her mouth, wanting to refuse, but when she looked up and saw David Thompson frowning slightly, a surge of resentment rose in her heart. She said irritably, “Fine, let’s go. In all three years of high school, I’ve never seen David Thompson treat anyone!”

“Don’t wrong me! Ask Watermelon Head if I’ve ever treated anyone? It’s just that Miss Young was always too far from us—even if I wanted to treat you to a meal, I never had the chance, right?” David Thompson replied with a half-smile.

Afraid the two would get into a fight, and since they’d just argued that morning, William Clark quickly changed the subject: “Dongzi, since you’re treating, why don’t you lead the way? I haven’t had dinner either.”

David Thompson shrugged and didn’t say anything more. Somehow, after being reborn, his temper had grown. When he worked in sales, he could talk to anyone in any way they wanted.

……

There were quite a few snack stalls on both sides of the street. Although there weren’t as many barbecue stands as in later years, there were still several.

They picked one that looked relatively clean and found seats.

Seeing Sarah Young looking a bit hesitant, David Thompson was speechless—could she really be a neat freak?

After all, she was a classmate and a beauty, so David Thompson wiped down the bench and table with a napkin before saying, a bit annoyed, “Just make do, will you? What a bad habit—this isn’t some five-star restaurant.”

Sarah Young looked indignant—was this guy doing it on purpose?

He was definitely doing it on purpose!

She wasn’t actually a neat freak; it was just that there was a puddle of water on the bench, and David Thompson had seen it but still gave her that seat. He was clearly making fun of her—what a stingy man!

Cursing him in her heart, Sarah Young sat down angrily, wishing she could bite David Thompson.

Ignoring Sarah Young’s angry face, David Thompson turned around and grinned at Hannah Quinn: “Yuhan, what do you want to eat? Juice or a little beer?”

Hannah Quinn covered her mouth and giggled, giving him a playful pinch, but she was actually in a pretty good mood.

It wasn’t that she had anything against Sarah Young; it was just that their vibes didn’t quite match.

Women are like that—what they say isn’t always what they mean. Hannah Quinn stood up and smiled at Sarah Young: “Sarah Young, what do you want to drink? Don’t try to save David Thompson money—this guy spends all his cash at internet cafes anyway, might as well let us enjoy it.”

“Oh? You know about that?”

David Thompson laughed exaggeratedly, got up and gave a couple of instructions to the boss, then asked, “Yuhan, you’re not following me around every day, are you?”

He wasn’t faking his confusion—he and Hannah Quinn hadn’t interacted much in high school, and he only started going online in senior year. He didn’t expect Hannah Quinn to know about it.

“As if I’d follow you!”

Hannah Quinn looked disgusted, but didn’t mind David Thompson calling her that, and said, “It was the class president who told me. He said you go to the internet café every day to play games, and you definitely won’t get into college.”

“Damn!”

David Thompson was indignant—he didn’t expect Warren Wade to be in touch with Hannah Quinn behind his back.

He also hadn’t realized that kid was so sneaky, even going to Hannah Quinn to badmouth him—though, to be fair, it was true.

Thinking of this, David Thompson put on a wronged face and said, “That bastard was talking about himself! Yuhan, don’t you know your Dong-ge by now? It’s all Warren Wade trying to sabotage our pure friendship!”

“Pfft!”

As soon as he shamelessly said that, everyone who’d been quiet just now burst out laughing.

“Yuhan, you really did wrong David Thompson there. He doesn’t go online every day—I see him sleeping at school so much his face is swollen, where would he find the time for internet cafés?” Sarah Young, who’d just been furious at David Thompson, seized the chance to get back at him, half-mocking, half-joking.

“Oh! Even the ice queen can crack a joke now—what an honor for me!”

David Thompson didn’t get angry, just chuckled in reply. The group chatted and ate the barbecue as it was served, and the atmosphere was lively.

……

While eating and chatting, David Thompson didn’t forget his real purpose—he hadn’t come today just to flirt.

After clinking a glass of beer with William Clark, David Thompson turned to the boss, who was still grilling, and asked, “Boss, do you sell crayfish here too?”

“We do, but not much. People around here don’t really like it. I got some a few days ago and still have more than half left. If you want some, I’ll give you a good price,” the boss replied, wiping sweat from his forehead.

David Thompson pondered for a moment—seemed he remembered right. At this time, crayfish hadn’t caught on in Dongping County yet.

Unlike a few years later, when crayfish that used to be as cheap as tofu started selling for the price of beef. Even then, every summer, demand outstripped supply, and there were dozens of crayfish stalls lining the streets.