Miss Xu snorted and asked imperiously, "What are you doing?"
Driver Lin honestly replied, "I'll refund the movie tickets."
Miss Xu pressed further, "How many should I return?"
Driver Lin boldly glanced at the young lady, his eyes darting around with a flirtatious and suggestive look, clearly not a respectable driver: "Two tickets, is that alright?"
Miss Xu was overjoyed and waved her hand, "Granted!"
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Author's Note:
Help! Help! The young lady and the driver have eloped!
Chapter 15: The Entertainment Industry is Actually Quite Down-to-Earth!
Although they became close friends with the richest second-generation heirs in Jinning Province during high school, both Xu Xingyan and Luo Jing focused on their studies at school, and at most, their temperament and manners were more outstanding.
So Lin Shengmiao was quite looking forward to this dinner party, wanting to broaden his horizons and observe the extravagant lifestyle of contemporary rich second-generation individuals.
But the scene before her eyes was certainly not included in any of her imaginations.
Lin Shengmiao gripped the steering wheel, pointed to a small two-story building beside a crowded street outside the car window, and asked hesitantly, "Are you sure this is it?!"
Xu Xingyan looked at the rustic-looking red and yellow lettering of the signboard, and the loud voices of the waiters serving food that she could still hear even from twenty meters away. She glanced at the navigation and calmly said, "Don't worry, let me call Xiao Heng and ask."
"Hey, Xingyan, have you arrived yet? Oh, I see your car. Wait here, I specially saved a parking space for you. Please don't move it, it's hard to drive here! Don't scratch your car."
The young man on the other end of the phone was very energetic and hung up before she could speak. Lin Shengmiao and Xu Xingyan looked at each other, and after a long silence, they could only utter one sentence: "Your circle is quite down-to-earth."
Xu Xingyan was somewhat dazed. Upon hearing this, she subconsciously replied politely, "Not at all, not at all. Opposing extravagance and waste is everyone's responsibility."
Lin Shengmiao was immediately filled with respect.
"Sister Xingyan," two minutes later, a young man in a yellow hoodie ran out of Zhao's Local Cuisine Restaurant. He had slightly dark skin, a bright smile, and looked to be in his early twenties.
Xu Xingyan opened the car door and got out. "What's going on? I thought the navigation was wrong."
Ji Heng touched his nose, a little shyly: "This is my girlfriend's parents' shop, so I'm just doing this to support their business."
Xu Xingyan was taken aback.
Ji Heng then greeted Lin Shengmiao, saying, "You must be the friend Sister Xingyan mentioned. Hello, my name is Ji Heng, Ji as in Ji Xiaolan, and Heng as in eternal. Just call me Xiao Heng, like Sister Xingyan. Eat and drink as you please, don't be shy!"
Lin Shengmiao handed over a business card at the opportune moment and said with a gentle smile, "Hello, my name is Lin Shengmiao."
Ji Heng took the car and glanced at it, paused on the professional part, and changed his address without changing his smile: "Sister Shengmiao, let me drive the car. You and Sister Xingyan go upstairs first. Brother Yaoyan and Sister Sining have already arrived. They are in the private room on the second floor, number 1088. You can see them as soon as you go upstairs."
As soon as she entered the restaurant, seeing the bustling crowd inside, clinking glasses and exchanging toasts, Xu Xingyan pulled her mask up and leaned close to Lin Shengmiao's ear, giving a wry smile: "Luo Jing is probably going to starve to death today."
Making Miss Luo, who is known for her refined and delicate palate, eat the heavily oiled and salty food here is practically torture.
Moreover, given Luo Jing's personality, she would definitely make Ji Heng die first before she starved to death.
As Xu Xingyan climbed the stairs, she quickly sent a message to Luo Jing to warn her in case she got emotional and threw Ji Heng over her shoulder.
One thing is certain: even if Ji Heng had undergone two months of temporary military training, he still couldn't beat Luo Jing, who had spent her childhood summer camps in special forces.
Lin Shengmiao held her elbow, afraid that she might accidentally slip and fall. "Actually, restaurants that have been open for more than ten years have decent taste and hygiene, and are even quite unique. They have many repeat customers. Luo Jing's situation is purely due to personal reasons."
Xu Xingyan didn't speak. Room 1088 was right in front of her. She took half a step forward, blocking Lin Shengmiao's shoulder, pushed the door open, and gave a well-behaved and timid smile to the man and woman sitting on either side inside. "Brother Yao Yan, Sister Si Ning, oh... isn't brother-in-law here?"
Mentioning her husband, Lu Sining smiled and said, "Leo is working overtime today. Once I'm done here, I can go to the company to pick him up." Then, looking behind her, she asked, "And who is this?"
“My friend,” Xu Xingyan said without any hesitation, taking two business cards from Lin Shengmiao’s bag and winking playfully as she handed them over, “a professional translator.”
Lu Sining picked up the business card and looked at it, then suddenly said, "You were the interpreter for the second session of the international symposium at Anji Building this March, weren't you?"
Lin Shengmiao was somewhat surprised, "It's definitely me."
Lu Sining smiled and said, "The previous translator's clumsy and awkward work made me so angry. Your translation was so smooth and professional. I was even thinking that I would like to work with you in the future."
Lin Shengmiao took it as just polite talk and exchanged a few more polite and humble words with her.
Unexpectedly, Lu Sining took out a sticky note from her bag, found a pen and copied down her contact information, explaining apologetically, "Because today is a private trip, I didn't bring my business cards with me."
Lin Shengmiao reacted quickly, taking it and smiling, "Not at all, it's my honor."
I looked down and took a closer look—Lu Sining, Administrative Director of the Jinning Branch of Asia Pacific Group.
Yao Yan sat back in his chair, looking rather uncouth, and teased, "I didn't expect Xingyan to have friends who are translators. Hey, Si Ning, do you remember that video Luo Jing sent to the group chat when Xingyan took her university oral exam? We all laughed so hard back then."
"Hey!" Xu Xingyan quickly interrupted, "You can't expose someone's dark past like that!"
“That!” Lu Sining laughed too. “I couldn’t speak Chinese. My teacher laughed so hard she almost passed out. I’ll never forget it…”
"What are you talking about? You're laughing so happily," a fit and mature woman in her thirties pushed open the door, with Luo Jing following behind her. The two were chatting and laughing, showing no sign of anger.
Yao Yan waved her hand, "It's nothing, I'm just talking to Xingyan's friend about CanSpeakChinese. Sister Yun, did you come with Luo Jing?"
Bai Yun chuckled: "Why are we bringing this up again? We've been saying this over and over again for years. The child is all grown up now, so let's give Xiao Xingyan some face."
Luo Jing replied, "No, I just ran into Sister Yun downstairs. You're here too." The last sentence was addressed to Lin Shengmiao.
Seeing this, Lu Sining asked, "You know each other too?"
Xu Xingyan had just finished introducing Bai Yun when she heard this and quickly turned around and said, "Miaomiao and Sister Jing were classmates in high school and sat next to each other for three years."
Bai Yun glanced at them, then greeted them warmly and generously, with the air of an older sister: "Then we're all family here. Don't stand, come sit down. Where's Xiao Heng? I haven't seen your girlfriend yet."
Ji Heng poked his head in and said, "She's helping out outside. You guys order first, I'll go check on her and be right back."
Xu Xingyan looked at him and didn't seem to have been beaten up. She looked at Luo Jing with a questioning gaze, which Luo Jing accepted and secretly gave her a hand gesture.
Xu Xingyan understood; it meant they would settle scores later, but since his girlfriend and her family were still there, they had to save him some face.
A short while later, Ji Heng led in a petite girl with fair skin and introduced her with great excitement: "This is my girlfriend, Mi Tang. Mi is the rice and Tang is the candy. Isn't this a lovely name?"
Contrary to everyone's expectations, she wasn't a stunning beauty at first glance; at most, she was just pretty.
Mi Tang looked a little nervous, but still said gracefully, "You can just call me Tangguo."
After saying that, he placed a large plate of cherries on the table, saying, "I apologize for the poor hospitality; the dishes will have to wait a while. Please have some fruit first."
The people present were not the kind of pampered young masters and ladies who were detached from worldly affairs. They knew that the fruit platter in this kind of restaurant would at most contain watermelon and cherry tomatoes... These cherries were definitely a special treat from the restaurant, and judging from the appearance, they were very likely bought on special occasions.
Everyone obliged and started eating, even Luo Jing smiled and ate one.
When Mi Tang brought the drinks and wine, Luo Jing's eyelids twitched. Although she hid it well, Xu Xingyan knew her too well and noticed her restlessness and irritability almost immediately.
Because of historical issues from many years ago, Luo Jingyi has a very poor appetite when eating out.
It's not entirely a matter of taste; there's also a large psychological factor involved. It's fine when she's with her childhood friends at a familiar upscale restaurant, but this unfamiliar place, which doesn't look very safe or hygienic, is practically hitting her sore spot.
But she could endure all of this.
Unless... you pour wine and other drinks of unknown ingredients for Xu Xingyan right under her nose.
“I have to drive to pick up Leo later, so I won’t drink. Yan Yan can’t drink either. I’m actually craving milk tea, Yan Yan, let’s split the order, and we’ll save on delivery fees,” Lu Si Ning suddenly said with a smile.
Bai Yun immediately chimed in: "Who only buys for two people? You're really proving that saying true now: the richer you are, the stingier you are. Xiao Heng's girlfriend is right here, and you don't even bother to give him face."
“Exactly!” Yao Yan laughed. “None of us are big drinkers, so if we’re going to order, we should each order one!”
Luo Jing's expression relaxed, and she opened the food delivery app, saying, "Let me treat you, Xiao Heng. Let me test you: what flavor of drink does your girlfriend like?"
Ji Heng rattled off the name, which made the girl next to him smile and lower her head. Everyone teased each other for a while, each announcing their favorite drink.
Xu Xingyan also breathed a sigh of relief. There were some things that Ji Heng was too young to know, and he was always careless, but Si Ning and the others knew them.
She deliberately chimed in, "Sister, I want to drink black tea."
"No way!" Luo Jing refused without hesitation. "Do you even want to sleep if you're drinking tea at this hour?"
Then I decisively and quickly added a cup of hot milk to my shopping list.
A potential minor incident was thus averted by a group of people working together, and the young couple, deeply in love, were so focused on their sweet romance that they were completely unaware of what was happening.
Lin Shengmiao, on the other hand, seemed to sense something as she looked at these people, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. She simply smiled back when Xu Xingyan looked at her, and the smile vanished without a trace.
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Author's Note:
Ms. Xu: Everyone has a dark past! Why are you omitting mine?
What is the relationship in Chapter 16?
Boiled sliced pork, fish head in casserole, Mapo tofu, braised duck (four pieces), spicy pork intestines, beef soup, stir-fried eggs with ground bean curd, dry pot cabbage, salt and pepper chicken wings, stir-fried vegetables with pork cracklings, braised pork ribs, sweet and sour pork tenderloin...
A bright red expanse, simple and unadorned, almost entirely meat.
As Xu Xingyan picked up some food, she turned her head and smiled at Lin Shengmiao, saying, "This tastes a bit like the cafeteria food in my university. It's delicious, but it's a bit too oily and salty, which can make you fat. I gained a lot of weight during my four years of university, which was from eating with my classmates."
Lin Shengmiao glanced at Luo Jing, who was separated from her by Xu Xingyan. Although Luo Jing was smiling and occasionally picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks, a closer look revealed that she hadn't eaten a single bite. The food was piled up in her bowl and plate. Even the milk tea she ordered was pure green tea, crystal clear.
"Will no one bring you food when you get to college?"
Xu Xingyan whispered, "That would be too unsociable, and Aunt Luo went to the Provincial Medical University with Luo Jing, so I don't want to bother getting along with another aunt..."
Lin Shengmiao remembers that the year Xu Xingyan took the college entrance examination, domestic media exposed a number of scandals involving rich second-generation and official second-generation individuals, which had a significant impact. Several of them even implicated their elders. Perhaps because of this, Xu Xingyan did not seek connections at the time and relied entirely on her own hard work and study to achieve an exceptional performance and be admitted to a second-tier university in Nancheng.
He studied Chinese painting, a purely artistic art form.
Bai Yun took a sip of her bubble tea and looked at Luo Jing: "Xiao Jing, is there a young man named Gong Xia in your hospital? He's about 1.86 meters tall, thin and tall, and looks like he just graduated."
Lu Sining immediately became interested upon hearing this, "What? Sister Yun has a romantic encounter?"
Luo Jing thought for a moment, "We haven't heard of it in our department, but it shouldn't be hard to find out. Sister Yun, why don't you wait a couple of days and I'll go ask someone about it?"
Bai Yun propped her forehead up and leaned back in her chair. "I was just asking. I saw it when I was going up the escalator after get off work last night."
"Tsk, white shirt and jeans, fair skin, long and thin legs, and he kept smiling at me. I thought he was up to something, but guess what?"
Everyone's attention was drawn to her, and they stopped eating to wait for what happened next.
"He came over and asked me if I had gotten the booster shot. I said no, and he pitifully said, 'Give me one more shot, they only need one more shot before they can go home.' In a moment of confusion, I dragged him into a small room and gave him the shot. What? Do vaccines now come with a gun?"
After Baiyun realized what was happening, she was both annoyed and amused.