384: Handsome men and beautiful women

“I didn’t expect you to be the wealthy client Minister Cui mentioned! If I had known it was you, I would have fleeced you at noon! My best friend and I saw you eating noodles at the noodle shop too, but we were too embarrassed to go over and say hello,” Xiao Hongmei said with a smile.

“Why didn’t you call me over? If you had, I would have treated you to a big meal, no matter what!” Liu Xiaolin looked at the lively Xiao Hongmei, and for some reason, his mood was exceptionally good.

“Oh, I didn’t know you were the rich person Minister Cui mentioned. It was already embarrassing enough to trouble you to take pictures for us then, how could we push our luck further?” Xiao Hongmei shook her head and said, “We know our place; we can’t do such things!”

“Since you missed the chance to fleece me at noon, don’t be polite tonight. Fleece me hard; the harder you fleece me, the happier I’ll be.” Liu Xiaolin said, handing the menu to Xiao Hongmei, “You order the dishes. Order whatever you want to eat.”

The waitress, holding the ordering device, said, “Our seafood today is very fresh. We recommend these few dishes.”

As she spoke, she pointed here and there on the menu.

“No need to introduce them to me. I know what seafood is good. I grew up by the sea,” Xiao Hongmei said, looking at the menu.

Then she closed the menu and began to order: “Stir-fried conch with oil, Four Treasures of Wealth, Salt-baked Three Delicacies, Squid with Bean Paste, Steamed Sea Bass, Spicy Crab, and a garlic baby cabbage to cleanse the palate.”

“Madam, you’ve ordered seven dishes in total. Would you like a soup?” The waitress knew from Xiao Hongmei’s ordering style that she was an experienced seafood connoisseur.

“Tomato Clam Seafood Soup, that one tastes very good.” Xiao Hongmei finished ordering and asked, “What kind of wine should we drink? It’s better to have some wine with seafood.”

“You decide. I’m just paying the bill; you’re in charge of ordering the food and wine,” Liu Xiaolin said with a smile.

“Hmm, you order the food, he pays the bill, and I just need to eat,” Cui Zhenzhong said triumphantly.

“Alright then, let’s order a bottle of our local Yuhai City wine, yingchun wine,” Xiao Hongmei said.

Liu Xiaolin thought, it’s yingchun wine again. It seems people from Yuhai City are very fond of their hometown wine. However, he definitely wouldn’t have to drink 20-year-old yingchun wine today.

“Our restaurant has yingchun wine from five, ten, fifteen, and twenty years. Which vintage would you like?”

While Liu Xiaolin was still relieved about not having to drink 20-year-old yingchun wine, the waitress’s question stunned him: “Didn’t you say yesterday that it took a lot of effort to get 20-year-old yingchun wine? How can it be chosen so casually today?”

“Ah?” The waitress looked at Liu Xiaolin in surprise, not knowing what he meant.

“Just yesterday, I was eating in your VIP room, and your waitress took a long time to bring two bottles of 20-year-old yingchun wine, and she told us it was very hard to get,” Liu Xiaolin said.

“Are you referring to Manager Han in the VIP room?” the waitress whispered, “He always asks for 30-year-old yingchun wine, and we really don’t have it, so we came up with this method, telling him that even 20-year-old yingchun wine is hard to get, just to get by.”

“Oh, so it can be done that way,” Liu Xiaolin said, suddenly enlightened.

“Ah? You were eating with Manager Han and them yesterday?” Xiao Hongmei asked in surprise.

“Yes, they treated me yesterday, and I paid the bill,” Liu Xiaolin said with a smile.

“Since you drank 20-year-old yingchun wine yesterday, then I want to drink that today too.” Xiao Hongmei thought, he told me to fleece him hard anyway, so I shouldn’t be polite.

“Alright, no problem, that’s the one,” Liu Xiaolin said cheerfully.

He wasn’t refusing the 20-year-old yingchun wine because he was afraid of spending money, but because he felt his alcohol tolerance was too low and he didn’t want to get drunk and embarrass himself in front of Xiao Hongmei.

“I’ve been ordering dishes for a while, and we’re about to start eating, but I still don’t know who today’s benefactor is,” Xiao Hongmei said, looking at the two handsome gentlemen.

Both gentlemen were wearing white shirts, black pants, and black leather shoes today. One might have thought they were wearing work uniforms out for a meal.

Cui Zhenzhong was already tall and handsome, with a well-defined face, a prominent nose, and lips that naturally curved into a smile, making everyone who saw him light up. His mature and steady demeanor, in particular, gave people a strong sense of security.

Liu Xiaolin, on the other hand, had a youthful and lively handsomeness. Beneath his wispy bangs, his bright eyes sparkled like stars. His high nose bridge and thin lips, combined with his slender 1.8-meter height, were truly captivating to behold.

“I’m sorry, I was so busy talking to you,” Liu Xiaolin said with a smile, introducing himself, “I’m Liu Xiaolin, the purchasing manager of Langfang Fine Carving in Kunhe City.”

“Liu Xiaolin? That’s a nice name,” Xiao Hongmei raised her eyebrows and said, “Hello, Manager Liu, I’m Xiao Hongmei from the Finance Department of Haizhe Technology.”

“Look at you two, why are you so serious? This isn’t the company, relax,” Cui Zhenzhong said with a smile, “Since we’re sitting together to eat, don’t be so reserved and act like strangers.”

“Minister Cui is right. I’ll listen to you, and I’ll have another drink with you later,” Xiao Hongmei said cheerfully.

Liu Xiaolin looked at Xiao Hongmei’s smiling face and felt very happy. He suddenly looked forward to having a drink right away.

“Don’t I hate drinking the most? Why would I have the thought of having a drink quickly?” Liu Xiaolin was startled. He thought to himself, “Is it because Xiao Hongmei’s smile is too charming? What? I think she’s charming? Impossible!”

Just as Liu Xiaolin was confused and at a loss, the waitress started serving the dishes. After three dishes were served, Xiao Hongmei asked the waitress to open the yingchun wine.

“Let’s eat and drink while we wait for the rest of the dishes. Come, I’ll fill your glasses first,” Xiao Hongmei picked up the wine bottle and poured the wine.

“Thank you, Manager Liu, for letting us fleece you today. I’ll drink this first as a toast,” Xiao Hongmei said, raising the small two-qian wine glass and downing it in one gulp.

“It should be us thanking you for gracing us with your presence,” Liu Xiaolin also chugged his drink.

“You two, eat some food before you drink! What’s the rush?” Cui Zhenzhong hurriedly advised, “Drinking on an empty stomach makes you get drunk easily. Eat first, eat first.”

After speaking, he glanced at Liu Xiaolin, who then remembered that he couldn’t get drunk in a daze like yesterday, as he still had many questions to ask.

“Yes, Minister Cui is right. Let’s eat first, line our stomachs, and then drink. It’s good for the stomach,” Liu Xiaolin quickly echoed.

“Since both of you say so, then let’s eat first. Manager Liu, try this stir-fried conch with oil; it’s absolutely delicious. People with small appetites can get full just by eating one conch,” Xiao Hongmei directly picked up a large conch with her hand and handed it to Liu Xiaolin.

You are providing God Wu Ji’s Rise of Heavy Industry: Building a National Brand.