Because the minimum spend was really quite high.
So, Jiang Li had ordered in advance as soon as he arrived, just waiting for the guest of honor to co so they could serve the food.
That’s why when Bo Jingshen and Su Lu arrived, seeing Jiang Li drinking a glass of lemon cola with only a small fruit plate on the table, along with a dish of cashews and a dish of pistachios, they thought it was a low-key affair.
Now, as they started serving the food, it was truly eye-opening.
Besides two bottles of foreign liquor, there were also many soft drinks. The small fruit plate Jiang Li had been eating from earlier was just playacting compared to the serious one they brought out now—it was outrageously large, three tiers tall, and sat on the table like a behemoth.
Then there were all sorts of snacks, crayfish, grilled fish, hand-torn roasted rabbit, braised sheep’s brain, rabbit heads, grilled skewers, cold pot skewers, hand-torn beef, hand-torn squid, boneless chicken feet and duck feet, and they even brought up a big pot of snails and duck feet! This concoction, stemming from the sa origins as snail noodles, imdiately spread a divisive aroma through the air.
Bo Jingshen stared in amazent at the table full of food that couldn’t all fit, then turned to look at Jiang Li who was lazily watching him with arms crossed. Bo Jingshen asked, "Have you co here for a picnic, or what?!"
"How can you say that!" Jiang Li said, "You even brought take-away! If you’re going bring take-away, don’t put it on the table, man. Now we have to pay an extra 15% service charge for that. And you still have the nerve to tell you’re thrifty? Pshaw!"
Su Lu just burst out laughing.
She laughed so hard she couldn’t even straighten up, doubling over back and forth, which made Bo Jingshen and Jiang Li feel a bit embarrassed.
Bo Jingshen cleared his throat with a light cough, "Ahem."
Jiang Li also coughed, "Su Xiaolu, do you think I’m making sense?"
Su Lu wiped away the tears of laughter and said, "Honestly, with that scene just now, if I were to record it and show it to anyone, would they believe you’re both bosses? With your net worths, arguing over a 15% service charge almost to the point of cursing each other, I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes."
Jiang Li shrugged his shoulders, "He’s the one who started it, right?"
"He’s the birthday boy after all, show so respect," said Su Lu.
Su Lu patted Bo Jingshen on the shoulder, "Okay, birthday boy, don’t be mad."
"I can’t be bothered to stoop to his level," said Bo Jingshen.
Su Lu looked over the table and said, "But really, for just the three of us, isn’t this a bit too much?"
Jiang Li said, "Of course it’s not just the three of us. The nightlife has just begun, and not everyone has arrived yet."
Since the guests hadn’t arrived yet, Su Lu also opened a can of cola, poured it into a glass with lemon slices, and chatted idly with Jiang Li while drinking.
Just from the tone of Jiang Li’s voice, Su Lu felt that his mood seed okay, not too great, but at least not as gloomy as before.
But it seed like he couldn’t quite get truly happy either.
"Ah Li, how have you been lately? All good?"
"The sa old," Jiang Li smiled at her, "Seeing you and Bo Jingshen get along so well makes feel a lot better."
Su Lu also smiled, letting out a light sigh, seemingly reminiscing about the entanglents between her and Bo Jingshen over the years, and it was quite emotional.
Jiang Li raised his cola glass to clink with hers, "I’m sort of a witness to your relationship, aren’t I?"
"Definitely," nodded Su Lu.
Recalling the reunion with Bo Jingshen at Yunding, which took place at the welco party Jiang Li held for him, she had to consider him as a witness.
Not to ntion, when they were abroad, Jiang Li had witnessed Bo Jingshen’s rise to success step by step.
Seeing that Jiang Li’s glass was filled with cola, Bo Jingshen inquired, "No alcohol?"
"I don’t really feel like drinking. Once everyone arrives, it’ll be inevitable, so I might as well stick to soft drinks for now," Jiang Li said, his lips curling into a smile. "The main thing is, I feel like my tolerance has gotten better; I can’t even get drunk."
Su Lu and Bo Jingshen could tell that Jiang Li was definitely not bragging or boasting about his alcohol tolerance.
How does one build their tolerance? Of course, by drinking it up.
Drink a lot, and over ti, your tolerance increases.
Bo Jingshen watched Jiang Li for a mont, then, after planting a kiss on Su Lu’s cheek, he whispered into her ear, "I’m going to make a phone call."
For so reason, Su Lu understood him so well that she almost instantly knew what he intended to do.
After so thought, Su Lu nodded, "Mhm, go ahead."
Bo Jingshen got up and left.
Jiang Li watched his retreating figure but didn’t ask what he was up to.
Su Lu felt that perhaps it wasn’t just she and Bo Jingshen who shared this level of understanding. Ah Li and Bo Jingshen, being close friends for many years, must have their own unspoken agreent. Perhaps, Ah Li guessed what Bo Jingshen was going to do too.
After Bo Jingshen left, he habitually headed towards the smoking area, but halfway there, rembering his son’s cute little face seriously informing him about the health hazards of smoking, he stopped.
A smile curved Bo Jingshen’s lips, and instead of going to the smoking area, he patted his pocket, indeed finding that he no longer carried cigarettes on him.
He made his way to a sofa in the resting area, pulled out a pack of gum from his pocket, unwrapped a piece, and placed it in his mouth to slowly chew. The taste of waterlon and mint spread across his taste buds.
The number he dialed was connected.
A cold and slightly hoarse voice answered, "Hello? Who is this?"
"Looking for you," Bo Jingshen said.
"Who’s speaking?"
"Bao..." Bo Jingshen was about to give his na, but at the last second, he said instead, "Bambi."
"..."
There was a mont of silence on the other end. After the pause, the original cold and hoarse voice, now noticeably less impatient, was as before, but it sounded much gentler.
"Brother Bao."
"Did you delete my number or what?" Bo Jingshen recalled that although they hadn’t contacted each other often, it wasn’t as if they had never been in touch.
Considering he was ostensibly the other person’s idol, it made no sense not to have saved the number.
"I didn’t delete it; I changed phones and didn’t back up many numbers," ca the reply.
Hearing this, Bo Jingshen pondered. Even with a phone switch, transferring contacts to a new device wasn’t exactly a big deal. What kind of state would soone have to be in to not even feel like doing that?
Seeing that Bo Jingshen was silent, the person on the other end spoke, "Brother Bao, I’ll save your number right now. Is there sothing you need for?"
After another few seconds of pause, Bo Jingshen spoke up, "It’s my birthday today. I’ve booked a spot at Shengjing, private room S06. Do you want to co over? Ying Xi, you know what I an. Think it through before deciding."
The other end fell silent for a mont without a word, then the call was ended.
Bo Jingshen looked at the smartphone screen which displayed the ended call. He had made his intentions very clear, outright telling him that Jiang Li was here. Co if he wants.
The birthday boy could only do so much, mainly because he really didn’t want to keep looking at Jiang Li’s pitiful face anymore.
Reviews
All reviews (0)