Xiao Ming stopped in his tracks, turned around, and said indifferently, "Wan Xingping, one should know oneself. This is a place for dining. Can't you see how much you're turning people's stomachs?"
The speaker was none other than his "good brother" Wan Xingping, with Hu Xiaotong also present.
The couple was dressed exquisitely and fashionably, sporting the look of heading to a banquet.
Wan Xingping's temples twitched twice. "Xiao, don't think just because you know some gang leader, you can be so arrogant and unbridled.
In this day and age, it's the rich who are the bosses, understand?"
"Oh?" Xiao Ming smiled. "So, you're saying you see yourself as quite wealthy!"
Wan Xingping held his head high with pride, "I wouldn't say 'very', but definitely more than you."
Before returning to the country, he had specifically asked local classmates about Xiao Ming, knowing that he had been gambling badly for the past two years, so he spoke with great confidence.
"Looking at the way you were just now, you don't come to such high-end places often, do you?"
As he spoke, he pointed at the archway and continued, "This is called 'Hu Men', meaning 'like a lamb entering a tiger's den'. It's a feng shui object to attract good fortune for the restaurant, and real connoisseurs would never walk underneath it, you country bumpkin."
"Pfft..."
Xiao Ming never expected to hear such words and couldn't help but burst out laughing as he glanced at Wan Xingping and walked toward the restaurant's main entrance.
Wan Xingping felt his glance was filled with extreme disdain, as if looking at an ant beneath his notice, and he couldn't contain his rage.
"What are you laughing at? Stop there! You..."
"Stop embarrassing yourself."
Hu Xiaotong yanked at him, frustrated and disappointed, "You don't understand anything, why babble nonsense?
'Hu Men' represents execution and killing; it's something you'd find at the entrance of a gambling hall. Because their goal is to make money, the gamblers are the lambs to be devoured, hence the saying 'like a lamb entering a tiger's den'.
You believe whatever you hear without using your brain. The restaurant is a place for serving diners, especially high-end ones. They can't wait to curry favor with customers. To place such a thing at the entrance, are they asking for trouble?"
With his wife's words, Wan Xingping's face turned red with humiliation and anger, "Whose side are you on? Are you really defending Xiao Ming?
Hu Xiaotong, don't tell me you're still hung up on him!"
"Who's defending him? I'm just afraid you'll make an even bigger fool of yourself if you chase after him again!"
Wan Xingping sneered, "Cut the act in front of me. On our wedding night, you called out his name, and I haven't forgotten that!"
Hu Xiaotong faltered, then also grew angry, "Wan Xingping, are you even a man? Dragging out that stale, old story to this day, isn't it just endless?"
Wan Xingping had just been venting and didn't really mean to bring up old arguments with his wife, and besides, there were more important matters at hand tonight, so with a cold huff, he turned and ascended the stairs.
Grinding her teeth, Hu Xiaotong lifted her skirt and followed.
In college, her dream lover had been Xiao Ming, but Xiao Ming had eyes only for Jiang Xue, practically ignoring her until she became Wan Xingping's girlfriend. Only then had he started to treat her as a friend.
Years flashed by, and the old affection had become a thorn in her heart.
This time returning, her intent was to look down on Xiao Ming from a lofty position, to tell herself through Xiao Ming's miserable state that her choice of Wan Xingping had been the right one as she was just naive back then.
So what if Jiang Xue was the campus belle? Wasn't she still reduced to living a hard life with a penniless man?
However, reality was not at all what she had imagined.
Xiao Ming was still as proud as he had been in the past... no, even more so, more radiant than before.
Even when mistaken for a car salesman, he showed not a hint of the lowliness or anger that should have come with it.
Even when faced with her husband's challenge and humiliation, he merely laughed it off, completely disinclined to engage directly.
Three years ago, indeed it was the husband who won, but the victory was despicable and without any glory.
Three years later, Hu Xiaotong felt that even with the most underhanded tactics, it was very likely that her husband would lose miserably.
By the way, Xiao Ming advised me to get a divorce as soon as possible this morning.
Should I listen to him?
Long Yan Restaurant was not a building, but rather a garden-style courtyard.
Guided by the cheongsam-clad waitress, Xiao Ming passed through an atrium in the front hall, crossed a Curved Bridge over a small lotus pond, and finally arrived at a delicately elegant waterside pavilion.
Lanterns hung beneath the pavilion, swaying in the wind, inscribed with the words "Lin Feng."
Putting aside the taste of the food at the restaurant, the environmental cost alone justified its high price.
There was no one in the pavilion yet, and as a guest, Xiao Ming was actually the first to arrive. So he casually took a seat on a beauty recliner outside, lit a cigarette, and enjoyed the cool breeze.
"What are you doing here? Who let you in?"
A surprised and angry voice suddenly sounded, causing Xiao Ming to also feel somewhat frustrated.
Could it be that misfortunes always come in twos?
Indeed, there were two more people in front of the pavilion, none other than Wan Xingping and his wife Hu Xiaotong.
"I'm sorry! The gentleman said he was a guest of 'Lin Feng Pavilion,'" explained the young girl who had brought Xiao Ming.
"Just because he says he is, does that make it true? Well, then I'm the Long Yan Owner! Brainless idiot!"
Wan Xingping cursed, his spit flying everywhere, "Look carefully, this 'Lin Feng Pavilion' has been reserved by yours truly. Do you think you know better than me whom I've invited to dine here?"
The young girl, being scolded, didn't dare to raise her head and kept bowing apologetically, then ran to Xiao Ming and said with a look full of grievance and resentment, "Mister, please leave."
Xiao Ming didn't have many particular demands in life, but he adhered to one principle: never to bully the innocent and weak.
The job of a waitress was to serve others, making life difficult for them was humiliating enough without losing money to boot.
"Sorry about that, might have got the place wrong and caused you trouble," Xiao Ming said.
Xiao Ming pinched out his cigarette, stood up holding it, and just as he was about to follow the young girl to leave, he saw another person being led by the waitress heading their way.
"Xingping, why are you standing outside? My father and Sir Zhou will be arriving soon."
The newcomer, around forty years of age, with neither a tall nor a heavy build, walked with his head held high and chest puffed out, exuding an aristocratic air.
"Mr. Duan!" Wan Xingping immediately bent over, smiling and saying, "There was a little situation, the staff actually led some riffraff here.𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
I was worried about disturbing the chairman and Sir Zhou, so I was just driving them off!"
Upon hearing these words, Mr. Duan frowned and glanced at Xiao Ming, displeased, "Long Yan claims to be the crème de la crème of Long Yin's restaurant services. Yet they can make such a low-level mistake; I will have to talk to Mr. Shen about it."
At these words, the young girl who had shown Xiao Ming the way instantly turned pale, and as tears were about to fall, she suddenly felt a gentle tap on her shoulder, followed by a soft voice.
"Don't be afraid; you haven't done anything wrong, and you won't be punished," he assured.
Somehow, the young girl's heart eased, she looked up at the guest and felt inexplicably comforted.
Xiao Ming had turned around and began to speak, "This gentleman must be Duan Zhengde from Qing Yuan Group Long Yin Branch Company, Mr. Duan, right?"
Duan Zhengde was slightly taken aback, scrutinized Xiao Ming carefully to confirm he didn't know him, and then asked, "And you are?"
"Who I am is not important," Xiao Ming shook his head. "I was the one who had the waitress bring me to Lin Feng Pavilion. If you have a complaint, take it up with me. What kind of skill is it to harass a young girl? Does the Duan Family tradition involve bullying the weak without distinguishing right from wrong?"