In Mengmeng’s Recreational Restaurant—
At 1:30 p.m., there were only three or four normal eaters.
At the VIP diners’ table sat Xu Yong, Sun Dongheng, Liang Hao, Liang Mengqi, and Zhao Dahu, while Yu Qingqing was at work and didn’t come at noon.
Zhang Han and Mengmeng were on the second floor. On the first floor, Zhang Li, like a door god, sat on the edge of the sofa and glanced at her mobile phone and the door from time to time. Luo Qing sat quietly beside her, wearing headphones and watching a young-love TV series on her tablet.
Liang Mengqi had finished her lunch and was sipping milk. Sensing her brother’s gaze at Zhang Li, Liang Mengqi curled her upper lip and waved at Zhang Li. “Lili, come and sit for a while.”
“Why?” Zhang Li got up and went over, sat beside her, and asked, “What’s the matter?”
Liang Hao glanced at Liang Mengqi. He knew what his weird sister wanted to do.
“Why did you come so early today? Don’t you come only occasionally in the evening?” asked Liang Mengqi.
“Eh? I’ll come whenever I want, and it’s none of your business.” Zhang Li took a look at her and said seriously, “I’ve been quite free recently. I should come every morning and go back to work at 10 o’clock in the evening.”
“Oh, that’s not bad.” Liang Mengqi laughed.
“You’re a little strange. Is there anything wrong?” Zhang Li looked at Liang Mengqi curiously and asked.
“Of course,” Liang Mengqi rolled her eyes and said frankly, “my brother likes you.”
“Poof…”
As soon as she said this, Xu Yong, who was sitting behind them, almost spewed out a mouthful of beer.
“Wow! I didn’t expect that the guy who just came here a few days and seemed honest would dare to pursue the boss’s sister!”
Sun Dongheng beside him was also stunned and began looking around with widened eyes.
Zhao Dahu almost choked on the milk. He covered his mouth with his right hand and looked at Liang Mengqi and Zhang Li.
“Huh?”
Zhang Li was also stunned. She turned to face Liang Hao and looked him up and down.
Just when Liang Hao was smiling and wanted to say something, Zhang Li shook her head in disgust.
“Well, I don’t like little fresh meat with a pale face and long hair like your brother. He is not my cup of tea.”
“???” The smile froze on Liang Hao’s face.
“Little fresh meat? Am I not manly?
“I was rejected before I had a chance to say anything?
“It is so…”
“I…” Liang Hao trembled and forced a smile. “My sister likes to joke.”
“Oh, I’m joking, too,” Zhang Li smiled and said. “You are actually pretty handsome, but you are a little less masculine.”
“Haha. It feels like being friendzoned.” Liang Hao smiled and shook his head.
“Oh…” Liang Mengqi patted her chest and said, “You surprised me. My brother is definitely a handsome boy.”
“Your eyes and nose are alike. My brother and I don’t look like each other, and it’s hard for you to find out that we are family,” said Zhang Li.
“Your brother is as masculine as a cool soldier. How unlucky it would be if you looked like him.” Liang Mengqi joked, and then said, “Last night, my brother wanted to go to the Starry Sky Bar to see you.”
“Really?” Zhang Li looked at Liang Hao again and asked, “Do you like going to bars?”
“Not particularly.” Liang Hao nodded and said with a smile, “You are very personable and likeable, so I went to that bar to learn more about you. Your DJ skills were so good that you were livening everyone up.”
“Of course. I’m the No. 1 DJ of the Starry Sky Bar,” Zhang Li said proudly. “Mention my name the next time you go to Starry Sky Bar, and someone will arrange a good table for you.”
“Well, I’ll try next time,” Liang Hao smiled and said. “How long have you been a DJ?”
“Er… Four years. I’ve always liked it,” Zhang Li thought about it and then replied.
“You have learned so well in only four years. It seems that you are very talented in this field,” Liang Hao said with a smile.
“Really? Actually I’m not talented. Those famous DJ masters like Hu Jianlong are really worth admiring.” Zhang Li shook her head. When talking about Hu Jianlong, there was a look of longing in her eyes.
Hu Jianlong was a famous DJ master in China. He had released many popular singles and won lots of awards, which was the goal of many insiders.
“You are too modest. Hu Jianlong has been working in this field for more than 10 years. If you can hold on as long as he does, you may become him.” Liang Hao chuckled.
“Easier said than done. Thank you for your encouragement, I will try my best!” Zhang Li made a gesture to Liang Hao.
While they were talking, Liang Mengqi stared at Liang Hao for a while and at Zhang Li for another while, and found that she couldn’t get a word in at all.
Finally, her eyes fixed on her brother. “How could he become so talkative? He would not really like Lili, would he?”
It was interesting. This brother and sister pair had fallen in love with the other pair.
What a pity… That brother had already gotten married!
Just when Liang Mengqi wanted to say something, Zhang Li suddenly stood up and looked at the door.
“Anna, aren’t you at work? Why are you here now?”
“Lily, you are here? I’m here to apply for a membership card for my boss. After she came to dinner last time, she was full of praise for all the dishes here. She is too busy now to apply for the card in the flesh, and ask me to do her a favor,” Li Anna replied.
“Membership card? I’ll get you a card!”
Hearing this, Xu Yong quickly stood up and went to the counter with a laptop. He took out his bank card and said, “You can transfer now.”
“OK.” Anna Li picked up her mobile phone and clicked onto the transfer page and entered her bank card number and password. The transfer was successful.
“This is the 18th membership card, so there are only two cards left.” Xu Yong handed the membership card to Anna Li and asked, “Do you know the specific information of your boss? I’ll take a note.”
“Well, this…” Li Anna was stunned and shook her head. “I don’t know the specific information either. Please record it when she comes next time.”
“OK.” Xu Yong nodded and walked back to where he was just sitting.
“Lili, will you go back later?” Li Anna looked at Zhang Li and said.
“No, I’m still going back after 12 p.m.,” Zhang Li replied.
“I see. I’ll go back to work now.”
“OK. See you.”
“See you.” Li Anna waved to them and walked out.
Liang Hao, Liang Mengqi, and Zhao Dahu sat for another 20 minutes. And most of the time, Liang Hao was chatting with Zhang Li.
At two o’clock in the afternoon, they left the restaurant, and Zhao Dahu walked to the place where Yu Qingqing worked.
Liang Hao and Liang Mengqi got in that Escalade.
“Brother, are you really in love with Lili?” Liang Mengqi stared at Liang Hao and asked.
“Why do you say that?” Liang Hao started the car and smiled.
“Intuitively, I know you very well,” said Liang Mengqi.
Hearing this, Liang Hao was silent for 10 seconds, as if he was seriously thinking about it.
At last, he nodded and said, “At present, she is very attractive to me. She is frank, personal, real, and not hypocritical. But I don’t know if I like her or have fallen in love with her. In a word, I feel comfortable with her, and I have never met such a girl in the past few years.”
“Don’t you like Zi Yan?” Liang Mengqi asked, full of doubt. “Your mind is changing so quickly.”
“I used to believe that I liked Zi Yan, but I didn’t feel very sad when I heard that she was married and had children. Maybe I didn’t love her, and I was just attracted to her when I was young. But Zhang Li gives me a different feeling. If your brother really fell in love with her, would you mind it?” Liang Hao smiled and asked casually.
“This… this, what can I say? But she’s not interested in you. Don’t be too confident and believe that she will promise you as long as you like her!” Liang Mengqi said mercilessly.
“All right.” Liang Hao forced a smile. On the way back, he was silent for a while, and finally uttered a sentence.
“Mengqi, which barbershop do you usually go to? My hair is too long and I want to shorten it.”
“Why? What’s the matter with you…”
……
Soon after, Li Anna took a special car back to the Blues Tearoom and went to the second floor.
“Miss Qiao, this is the membership card.” Li Anna carefully took out the diamond-inlaid membership card from her purse and handed it to Qiao Luoluo.
“Well, go back and tell your supervisor that your bonus is double this month.” Qiao Luoluo waved to her.
“Thank you, Miss Qiao.” Anna nodded happily and said, “Well, if Miss Qiao doesn’t…”
“You can go now,” Qiao Luoluo said directly.
“OK.” Li Anna turned and left.
Qiao Luoluo picked up the membership card and took a glance at it before casually putting it into her purse. Then she left the Blues Tearoom.
At 6:30 p.m.—
There were more than 30 diners in line, and all the members had arrived.
The meal had just been prepared, and it was time for the members to line up for dinner.
A light-pink Bentley again stopped in a parking spot in front of the restaurant.
Qiao Luoluo, dressed in casual clothes, got out of the car and went straight to the restaurant, followed by a man in a suit.
Some people beside recognized her and began to whisper.
“Isn’t she the beauty who stood in line with me yesterday?”
“She arrived in a Bentley and went straight to the restaurant. Is she… Hiss, is she the 18th member?”
“She’s so rich… There are only two membership cards left in the restaurant. We don’t understand the world of the rich!”
“…”
Under the murmur of the diners, the two entered the restaurant. After handing the membership card to her subordinate and asking him to wait for dinner, Qiao Luoluo glanced around and finally walked over to a small dining table near the piano.
“Miss Lin?” Qiao Luoluo stopped at the dinner table, looked at Lin Xue, and said with a smile, “Long time no see.”
“Hello, Miss Qiao.” Lin Xue stood up and shook hands with her.
In terms of identity, the Qiao family was the most influential family in Hong Kong, which was not comparable to the Lin family. Therefore, although Lin Xue had met Qiao Luoluo several times, they were not familiar with each other.
“Mind if I sit here?” Qiao Luoluo pointed to the seat in front of Lin Xue.
“Of course not. Please take a seat,” Lin Xue replied with a smile.
“She is the new member.” Lin Xue realized.
When Lin Xue was about to say something, Qiao Luoluo turned around and looked back at the man in beige casual clothes, saying hello in a sweet and smarmy way.
“Hello, Mr. Sheng. I’m Qiao Luoluo from the Qiao family. I didn’t expect to meet you here. We’d be very honored if Mr. Sheng has time to visit the Qiao family.”
“Mr. Sheng?”
Lin Xue was surprised and looked at the man carefully. Her pupils slightly constricted.
“Mr. Sheng of An Yu technology?
“Why is he here?”
Although she was shocked, Qiao Luoluo had already said hello, and she could not be indifferent. So she stood up and said with a smile, “Hello, Mr. Sheng. I’m Lin Xue from the Lin Group. I’d like to invite Mr. Sheng to the Lin Group if I have a chance.”
Mr. Sheng behind them smiled and nodded in response to the two women without saying anything.
The subordinate, who was in charge of the meal for Qiao Luoluo, came with her dinner, set it on the table, and left. Qiao Luoluo and Lin Xue began to eat and chatted in low voices occasionally.
Xu Yong watched the whole process and felt a little headache.
“It was Qiao Luoluo who bought the member card?
“Should I go upstairs and report it to the boss right away?”
Xu Yong was hesitating. He thought over and over again and decided to wait for the boss to finish his meal. Otherwise, the boss would be disappointed by the bad news if he went upstairs and reported it now. Moreover, so many members and diners were here, and the boss would be disgraced if something went wrong.
But he didn’t know that Zhang Han never cared about other people’s judgment.
When Xu Yong finished eating, had a rest for five minutes, and was ready to go upstairs, he saw Zhang Li and Luo Qing come down from the second floor.
Just as Zhang Li sat down on the sofa, she noticed the newcomer. Zhang Li’s eyes widened as she got up and went over to Qiao Luoluo.
“Why is there one more person? Are you a member, lady?” Zhang Li said, looking at Qiao Luoluo in a strange way.
Her words immediately attracted the attention of others in the restaurant.
Liang Hao turned to look at them, feeling that Zhang Li was aiming at that woman. “Did they know each other? Otherwise, it would be inappropriate for Zhang Li to do so.”
He was a little confused, but soon figured out the reason.
“Of course.” Qiao Luoluo took out the membership card from her purse, shook it in front of Zhang Li, and said, “I’m a member here.”
“You got a membership card?” Zhang Li frowned, took out her cell phone, and called Li Anna. “Anna, did you help a Qiao get a membership card?”
“Yes, Miss Qiao is a shareholder of our company.”
“I see.”
Zhang Li hung up the phone, looked at Qiao Luoluo angrily, and said, “How can you get the membership card in this way?”
“Why can’t I understand what you’re talking about? I’m busy during the day, and thus asked my staff to help me with the membership card. What’s wrong with that?” Qiao Luoluo gave her a puzzled look.
Some ordinary diners began to whisper in support of Miss Luo, as if the restaurant was bullying customers.
Even Mr. Sheng was looking at them curiously.
Qiao Luoluo’s smile brightened when she noticed the situation.
Zhang Li became even more angry and she said, “Why are you here? You are not welcome here!”
“Sister, I’m here for dinner as a member. If you don’t welcome me, why didn’t you tell me earlier when I was not a member?” Qiao Luoluo smiled inexplicably.
“You!”
Listening to the whispers around, Zhang Li was at a loss. Qiao Luoluo was now a member, and driving her out would bring gossip to the restaurant.
“Who do you call sister? Who is your sister? Do I know you well? Wait here!” Zhang Li glared at her severely, turned around, and hurried to the second floor.
It surprised everyone around.
Even two members who were just about to leave stopped to watch the bustle. This was the first time that this kind of thing had happened here.
Many people looked at the stairway, wondering if the boss would come down in person.
They didn’t know if the boss, who had always been indifferent, would be angry this time.
And… Who was this woman? What was their relationship?
The members were more curious about this.
Soon after, a figure came out of the corner of the stairs.
The crowd turned their gaze to the comer.
It was the boss!
Zhang Han was calm as usual, but it could be seen that there was less gentleness and more indifference on the boss.
He went to the door step by step.
At this time, everyone, including Mr. Sheng, was looking at the boss.
But they were all ignored by the boss.
Zhang Han went straight to the table of Qiao Luoluo, and looked at her quietly, without saying anything first.
The restaurant fell into a dead silence.
Qiao Luoluo blinked and looked at Zhang Han, but she was defeated in less than 10 seconds. “What do you want to do standing here?” she asked.
Zhang Han didn’t answer, and the restaurant fell silent again.
One second, two seconds… 10 seconds.
As time went on, Qiao Luoluo couldn’t keep smiling.
Zhang Han suddenly spoke in a low and indifferent voice.
“This is the second time, don’t do it again. I’m not very patient.”
“As a member of the restaurant, can’t I come here for dinner?” Qiao Luoluo said, paying attention to the expressions of the people around her. Then she raised the membership card in her hand and complained, “There are rules in your restaurant, and I was eating in accordance with them. It was someone from your restaurant who disturbed me, and I even haven’t gotten a chance to say anything yet.”
She was acting like an innocent victim and waiting for Zhang Han’s explanation to all the guests, including Mr. Sheng here.
She believed that Zhang Han would take the overall situation into consideration and put up with her, and she enjoyed seeing him in this dilemma.
However… she was overconfident.
“Only those I approve will be admitted as members,” Zhang Han released a little master’s aura, frowned slightly and said.
“Stop your wishful thinking.”
“This is your second and last chance. Don’t show up in front of me after this meal.”
Zhang Han’s gaze made Qiao Luoluo feel inexplicably frightened and flustered. She lowered her head and said, “Since you don’t welcome me, that’s all.”
Hearing this, Zhang Han turned around and left for the second floor.
The restaurant remained silent.
Liang Hao went blank in surprise.
That aura just now seemed to belong to a warrior. Was the boss a warrior, as well?
He was confused by the fleeting aura.
While Liang Hao didn’t have enough strength to make an accurate judgment, the man sitting face to face with Mr. Sheng lost countenance and whispered to Mr. Sheng.
“He is better than me.”
At that moment, he felt great pressure. Obviously, the restaurant owner was not just an ordinary cook.
“Oh?” Mr. Sheng gave him a strange look, and then shook his head without making any comment.
In fact, he was sighing with emotion in his mind.
Sure enough, masters with ability liked to hide themselves in the noisy crowd of the city.
Qiao Luoluo lowered her head, and her eyes were full of anger!
She was again defeated for a second time!
“Why was he so calm? How dare he say that?
“Why did the diners around him echo his words with their expressions and feel that all of that was justified?”
Qiao Luoluo clenched her teeth so hard that she didn’t even want to finish the dinner. She couldn’t stay anymore.
A few seconds later, she picked up her purse and escaped from the restaurant.
