Based on my experience of resolving several group fights peacefully in the past, through a mediator, there's no need for anyone to apologize. They just express their apologies, have a drink, and let bygones be bygones... As for the cost of the drinks and food, usually both sides will insist on paying in the end.
It's corny, but it's very practical.
Because when it comes to getting one party to admit fault, even if they know they are wrong, it's difficult to swallow their pride and apologize, unless the other party's domineering attitude makes it impossible for them to hold their head high. The saying goes, "One doesn't hit a smiling face," and generally, few people, even with a mediator, truly feel the need to save face. As the saying goes, "One should be forgiving when possible, and show respect even if one doesn't care about the monk's reputation..."
Hmm, I've rambled on a bit.
Xu Zhengyang was indeed thinking about every possible scenario, and of course, he had to consider the worst-case scenario.
Upon arriving at Zhengqiying residential area, Xu Zhengyang was too lazy to go upstairs. He got out of the car downstairs and immediately called his sister to come down and have lunch together. Looking at the time, it was already past 1:30 PM.
Just as the call ended, a red BMW 320i drove up from a distance and stopped in front of Xu Zhengyang.
Wearing a floral tank top, a purple-blue cardigan, and black hot pants, Ouyang Ying stepped out of the car. She wore pink woven mid-heeled sandals and a small white leather bag slung across her shoulder. Like a child, she skipped and hopped to Xu Zhengyang's side, blinking her big eyes as she said, "Brother Zhengyang, you finally decided to send my dear Rouyue back! You have no idea how much I missed her!"
"Hello." Xu Zhengyang smiled and extended his hand.
"Ah... hello, hello, hehe." Ouyang Ying reached out and shook hands with Xu Zhengyang with a mix of surprise and amusement. Then she noticed that Xu Zhengyang, just like last time, quickly withdrew his hand.
Xu Zhengyang looked at Ouyang Ying's fluffy hair and couldn't help but purse his lips. Such a pretty girl, why does she have to make her hair look like a bird's nest?
"Isn't it pretty?" Ouyang Ying seemed to notice that Xu Zhengyang had noticed her hairstyle, so she shook her head with a grin.
"Oh, uh-huh." Xu Zhengyang nodded with a forced smile.
"Tch, stop pretending!" Ouyang Ying stuck out her tongue. "This is called fashion, you wouldn't understand, hehe, you're probably thinking to yourself that it looks awful, right?"
Xu Zhengyang smiled and shook his head.
Ouyang Ying tossed her hair nonchalantly and chuckled, "Rouyue already told me how feudal and old-fashioned her brother is, how incredibly traditional and rigid..."
"That brat." Xu Zhengyang was both amused and exasperated.
As she spoke, Xu Rouyue came downstairs. She had changed into a white short-sleeved T-shirt, light gray casual capri pants, and white sneakers, making her look fresh and neat.
"Wow, my dear Rouyue, it's been so long since I've seen you, you've become even more beautiful and charming!"
Ouyang Ying exaggeratedly pounced on Xu Rouyue and hugged her, pouting as she tried to kiss Xu Rouyue's face. Xu Rouyue blushed with embarrassment and struggled, but was only able to break free after being kissed by Ouyang Ying.
Xu Zhengyang, watching from the side, clicked his tongue in amazement. Goodness, this girl is a typical crazy girl!
After the two girls chatted and laughed for a while, Ouyang Ying suddenly turned around and walked up to Xu Zhengyang. She grabbed Xu Zhengyang's hands and shook them, saying in a coquettish tone, "Brother Zhengyang, I haven't eaten yet! I'm starving..."
Xu Zhengyang had never experienced a girl grabbing his hand, shaking his arm, and acting all cute and coquettish before. His already slightly flushed face turned even redder, and he awkwardly pulled his hand away, saying, "Let's eat... let's go out to a restaurant, it's on me..."
"Then, no take-backs allowed! Laifu Dumpling Restaurant!" Ouyang Ying was overjoyed. She thought Xu Zhengyang was so funny; he would blush and get shy when a girl held his hand and acted coquettishly.
Xu Rouyue understood that Ouyang Ying was just teasing her, so she quickly stepped forward, playfully pulled Ouyang Ying away, and walked towards the car.
As Xu Zhengyang walked to the car, opened the door, and got in, he wondered what Li Bingjie would be like if she were as lively and mischievous as Ouyang Ying.
Hmm...that's going to be tough!
The BMW drove out of the residential area.
...
This time, Xu Zhengyang didn't show off like last time, ordering a whole table of good dishes. Instead, he let Xu Rouyue and Ouyang Ying order whatever they wanted.
Ouyang Ying joked, "Are you reluctant to spend money? I deliberately picked the most expensive items, hehe."
"Yingying, stop making fun of my brother, okay?" Xu Rouyue said, still bothered.
"It's alright, it's alright, just order whatever you want to eat." Xu Zhengyang smiled, his expression very peaceful. He no longer had the vulgar and simple-minded air he had when he came here last time, but instead exuded maturity and composure.
Three simple dishes, a pound of dumplings, two cans of beer, and a bottle of juice.
The three ate at a leisurely pace. Ouyang Ying chattered away to Xu Rouyue about where she had been recently, how two foreigners wanted to take a picture with her at a resort in Rouhuai County today, and how she would occasionally tease Xu Zhengyang.
Having already gained some understanding of Ouyang Ying, Xu Zhengyang naturally felt no longer embarrassed or awkward, and simply smiled and calmly dealt with the situation.
It wasn't until they were almost finished eating that Xu Zhengyang said, "Yingying, um, do you mind if I call you that?"
"Hehe, just call me Little Sister, it's so much fun," Ouyang Ying said carefree.
Xu Zhengyang smiled and said, "What's the situation with Huang Chen? Hmm, what's his version of events?"
"Ah? Oh, it's alright, Zhengyang-ge, don't worry." Ouyang Ying said casually, "I've already told them. Rouyue's here, so let's have dinner tonight..."
"Yingying, my brother, my brother won't let me apologize," Xu Rouyue said softly.
"Apologize? Why should I apologize? I don't agree to it." Ouyang Ying said nonchalantly, "I'll call my cousin over again tonight. I mentioned this to him last week, and he was bragging to me, saying there's nothing to be afraid of, that there are almost people in Beijing who don't know him, and they all have to give him face..."
"How old is your cousin?" Xu Rouyue asked with some doubt.
Ouyang Ying laughed and said, "He's the same age as me, but two months younger. He's not bragging, he knows a lot of impressive people."
"Really?"
"Of course it's true, why would I lie to you? But I used to ignore him. This guy and Huang Chen and his gang are the same kind of people, no good at all," Ouyang Ying said, pursing her lips.
Xu Zhengyang listened silently, thinking to himself that this cousin of Ouyang Ying was unreliable. Judging from Ouyang Ying's words, he was just a young playboy who relied on his family's wealth to fool around outside. Compared to Huang Chen and Yu Xuan, who were also playboys, he was several years younger, so there was a difference... The reason he made those boastful remarks to Ouyang Ying was simply to show off his heroism.
If someone is truly capable, they wouldn't make such grandiose claims; they would simply get things done.
Not necessarily. Who knows what kind of family background a young man might suddenly have in this capital city?
Xu Zhengyang shook his head. It was better to rely on himself than others; he had to handle it himself. If a meal could truly resolve the conflict, he was willing to pay for it himself—it was no big deal. But he feared things wouldn't be that simple. Then… he wouldn't be blamed for being a foreign deity, bullying mortals in their territory!
He ate slowly, lost in thought, while Ouyang Ying and Xu Rouyue had already finished eating. Ouyang Ying was telling Xu Rouyue about some of her cousin's supposedly impressive past achievements, things that most young people admired, like getting into gang fights, rescuing a beautiful stranger from out of town, and how famous he was for speeding in his sports car on the Third Ring Road…
Xu Rouyue was stunned as she listened, and she actually began to believe that Ouyang Ying's cousin could suppress Huang Chen and Yu Xuan and handle the matter properly.
After lunch, the three of them went back together. Ouyang Ying, who had been playing outside all morning, was exhausted. She asked Xu Rouyue to prepare a room for her brother and then went back to her bedroom to sleep.
Xu Rouyue tidied up the single bed in the study so her brother could rest, and then went back to her bedroom to rest as well. After all, she had been traveling all morning, and then tidying up the house after arriving in Beijing, she was quite tired.
Although Xu Zhengyang was also tired, he couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard he lay in bed.
A jumble of random thoughts raced through my mind: antique shops, treasure hunting, ghosts whose lifespans hadn't ended, Li Bingjie, Jiang Lan, and Li Bingjie's family in Fuhe City, Huang Chen, Yu Xuan, and that cousin of Ouyang Ying...
Frustrated, Xu Zhengyang summoned the county clerk, intending to see if anything had happened recently that warranted his attention as the clerk. After all, he enjoyed the faith of many people every day, and he would feel ashamed if he continued to neglect his duties as the clerk.
Browsing through the displayed messages, there were no petitions worth paying attention to; they were all just trivial matters. Already somewhat irritated, Xu Zhengyang was too lazy to read any more. He simply had the county clerk communicate with him directly through his thoughts, while he retrieved the clerk and closed his eyes to doze off.
While multitasking, Xu Zhengyang was learning about those trivial matters, and also considering whether he should resort to tomb raiding if the antique shop really took off and business boomed, and he couldn't keep up with the demand. After all, although the county was large and had been an important town since the Warring States period, how many treasures could truly be buried underground? Could they withstand him digging like this forever?
There are quite a few ancient tombs here, yet they haven't been discovered.
No, no, tomb raiding is the most immoral and sinful thing to do.
Shouldn't I consider doing something else? It's not sustainable to spend my whole life digging for treasure. I'll get tired of it eventually, and I'm really afraid of attracting the attention of malicious people. In that case, I'll have to explain myself by saying that I'm a god. The problem is... I have to make people believe it.
His concern stemmed from Jiang Lan's words today.
Thinking about all these random things, Xu Zhengyang gradually became confused.
When I woke up, Ouyang Ying was making an arrogant phone call in the outer room, saying that she was going to such-and-such hotel and that if I was reluctant to spend money, she would pay for it herself!
Xu Zhengyang stood up with a wry smile, knowing he had to see that young master Huang again.
Volume Two, Gong Cao, Chapter 57: Immediate Results
The Red Dragon Hotel is a mid-to-high-end hotel in the vicinity, with a magnificent lobby and elegantly arranged private rooms.
When Xu Zhengyang and his sister followed Ouyang Ying into the private room, they saw a man and a woman sitting on the inside of the dining table. The man looked to be in his late twenties, handsome, and dressed casually yet elegantly. The woman looked to be in her early twenties, very beautiful, with long, black hair, wearing a white off-shoulder short dress, and light makeup. She was delicate, graceful, and quite charming.
Upon seeing Xu Zhengyang and his group enter, the girls in the private room stood up with smiles and greeted them, "Yingying, Rouyue, you're here."
“Brother, this is my friend Xia Dan.” Xu Rouyue introduced, her face slightly flushed: “Xia Dan, he is my brother.”
"Hello." Xu Zhengyang smiled and nodded, then casually glanced at the young man sitting next to Xia Dan. This should be Yu Xuan, but where is Huang Chen?
"Hello, please have a seat." Xia Dan smiled and waved for Xu Zhengyang and the others to sit down, while she herself sat back down next to Yu Xuan.
After his sister and Ouyang Ying sat down, Xu Zhengyang sat down next to his sister on one side of the round table.
As soon as he sat down, Yu Xuan, who was sitting on the inside, picked up a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from the table, casually tossed one to Xu Zhengyang, and said with a seemingly easygoing smile, "Brother, have a smoke."
The cigarette was thrown a little off-center and a little high.
Xu Zhengyang squinted, seemingly not even looking, stretched out his left hand, moved back, caught the falling cigarette, and laughed, "You're too kind." He put it in his mouth, took out a lighter with his right hand, held it between his index and middle fingers, pressed the button to light it, lit the cigarette, extinguished it, and casually stuffed the lighter back into his pocket.
The way he lights a cigarette is a bit unusual; it looks effortless, yet carries a hint of arrogance.
"My name is Yu Xuan," the young man said with a smile to Xu Zhengyang.
"Yes, I can guess. I am Xu Rouyue's older brother, Xu Zhengyang." Xu Zhengyang nodded and smiled.
Yu Xuan paused for a moment, lit a cigarette, took a puff, exhaled smoke, and said with a smile, "I really admire you."
"I wouldn't dare say that. I'm actually quite envious of you guys." Xu Zhengyang leaned forward, his left hand resting flat on the table, his right elbow propped on the table, and a cigarette between his fingers, looking completely indifferent.
“There’s nothing to envy, and you can’t envy it anyway. My father is really impressive!” Yu Xuan looked at Xu Zhengyang with a hint of sarcasm.
Xu Zhengyang gently tapped the ash off his cigarette, looked down at the ashtray, and said as if talking to himself, "That's why I envy him, that his son can be so useless."
"Hey, what do you mean by that? Why are you talking so sarcastically?" Xia Dan said, frowning.
Xu Zhengyang glanced at Xia Dan, then looked at Yu Xuan and said with a hint of doubt, "Where is the real person? You're not here to apologize on his behalf, are you? If you're going to be a middleman, you should at least act like one... But being a middleman is really not easy. You have to understand your brother's situation and also please your sister-in-law. It's a dilemma."
Yu Xuan clapped his hands, a look of approval on his face, and said, "I'll give Huang Chen a call, he should be here soon... Brother, don't take what I said earlier to heart, and I don't mind what you said either. Just consider it me representing Huang Chen, venting our frustrations to each other. We'll have a few drinks later, and this matter will be over."
"That would be perfect," Xu Zhengyang said with a smile, leaning back in his chair.
At this moment, Ouyang Ying had already taken out her phone, dialed a number, and said with a straight face, "Hey, you little brat, why aren't you here yet?"
"Then hurry up!" After hanging up the phone, Ouyang Ying said to everyone with a smile, "My cousin heard there was a dinner party and insisted on coming with me. Don't mind him."
"It's alright, it'll be more lively with more people," Yu Xuan said with a gentlemanly smile, while picking up his phone to make a call.
No one could have imagined that Xu Zhengyang, who seemed calm and collected, was actually pondering who should pay for the meal… After all, looking at the table full of dishes, juices, beer, and liquor, it must have cost at least a few hundred yuan, right? No, it must have cost at least a thousand. Just that bottle of Moutai must have cost several hundred yuan, right? Logically speaking, since Yu Xuan chose the location and organized the banquet, it should be him, the middleman, or his friend Huang Chen who should pay.
That's interesting. Being a middleman in the capital isn't easy!
Perhaps they don't care about this little bit of money at all.
The last sentence hit the nail on the head for Xu Zhengyang, whose old-fashioned thinking hadn't completely faded. Because... although he was still careful with his money, he didn't really care too much about a thousand or eight hundred yuan.
The sound of clear, powerful, and stirring music drifted in from outside the private room.
Yu Xuan put down his phone and smiled, "Here it is."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the private room was pushed open. The person who pushed the door was the rooster-haired guy who had been beaten up by Xu Zhengyang along with Huang Chen. He stood by the door, glaring fiercely at Xu Zhengyang with a sinister smirk on his face.
Huang Chen, dressed in light-colored casual clothes and white leather shoes, walked in arrogantly, his face full of disdain and smugness. Behind him were two muscular men wearing black T-shirts, their strong bodies making the T-shirts bulge. Their arms were covered with tattoos of dragons and tigers, and their faces were fierce. They looked like they were very good fighters who had been specially trained.
Xu Zhengyang leaned back in his chair, head slightly lowered, not even glancing at the person who had come in.