I nodded slightly and walked up to Shen Xingyue. As expected during the holidays, she was finally wearing normal clothes today: a short white t-shirt on top, a similarly short beige leather jacket over it, her waist peeking out, and tight-fitting skinny jeans on the bottom. She didn't need a belt because her figure was such that any pants would stay put, with a significant difference between her waist and hips, like a bee's.
"Let's go, let's eat. I'll ride with you," I said.
Shen Xingyue's gaze swept past my shoulder to the other three. She said coldly, "You three, come along. I'm treating."
"There are too many of us, we can't let you pay," I said with a smile.
"If you don't let me pay, I'm not going," Shen Xingyue declared, reaching for her car door to get in.
"Fine, fine. Let Captain Shen treat. She can't beat four of us, but can't she treat four people?" Yaoyao said, still making sharp remarks. Their feud was none of my business. They knew each other longer than I did, one from a temple and the other from a coffin, often communicating spiritually.
"Who says I can't beat four of you? If you have the guts, don't use magic!" Shen Xingyue shot back.
"If you have the guts, don't use your gun!"
"Why wouldn't I use my gun if I have one!"
"Why wouldn't I use my magic if I have it!"
... dozens of paragraphs of their bickering omitted here ...
The fox spirit probably felt she wasn't qualified to intervene, and since I wasn't breaking up the fight, she didn't step forward either.
Mengmeng was squatting at the edge of the grass, poking at an ant nest with a small twig.
Fortunately, both of them were Southern gentlemen who only fought with words, not fists, so I didn't intervene. I lit a cigarette and admired the peerless beauty of the two women.
At some point, Jin Xiaomei came out. After listening for a while, she cautiously intervened, "Both Your Excellencies are important clients of our Jinqiang Sect. How about giving little sister a chance to host you? What do you say?"
With an excuse to step down, Shen Xingyue and Yaoyao stopped arguing and got into their respective cars.
Xiaomei then asked me, "Boss Wu, we have a restaurant in the city, not too far from here. Would it be alright to arrange it there?"
"Thank you, Xiaomei," I replied.
"It's a great honor for us at the Jinqiang Sect to be able to invite you all to dinner." Jin Xiaomei reached into her pocket for her car keys. "Oh, the keys are in the office. I'll go get them."
"No need. You can ride with me. I'll drop you off later." I gave the fox spirit a look, signaling her to get into Shen Xingyue's car. The fox spirit nodded and got into Shen Xingyue's passenger seat. The two girls were soon animatedly chatting again.
"Mengmeng, stop playing with ants, it's time to eat!" I called out. In my memory, orangutans liked using sticks to fish for ants; I hadn't expected bears to have the same hobby.
Mengmeng licked her lips, clearly not satisfied, threw down the twig, and trotted back. It was hard to believe that such an adorable creature could be as strong as Yaoyao claimed.
If that were true, then: A young girl from the Meng family grows up, with the strength to overturn mountains and seas. Rosy lips, white teeth, a loli face, and a single palm strike that shatters the cosmos!
Our BMW led the way. Following Jin Xiaomei's directions, we drove for about seven or eight minutes and arrived at a Chinese restaurant in the city called "Gu Yue Lou."
Jin Xiaomei had already made arrangements by phone during the drive. Several waiters in traditional aristocratic attire greeted us in a line and led us into the restaurant. Upon entering, it felt like we were on the set of a historical drama. The decor was exquisite, completely authentic, far superior to the pretentious style of He Laoliu in Shengjing.
Only a lone elevator in the corner seemed out of place.
We took the elevator to the second floor, to Room Tianzi No. 1, and took our seats.
I deliberately sat between Shen Xingyue and Yaoyao, pushing my chair forward to block them, so they wouldn't argue again.
"I am but a humble servant, and I have taken the liberty of arranging the menu. If any distinguished guests are not satisfied, you may change or add dishes," Jin Xiaomei said politely as an opening remark. Then she had the waiters introduce the dishes. The preparation was grand: for six people, twelve dishes—four meat, four vegetarian, two soups, and two desserts. There was no pork, duck, beef, or lamb. The so-called meat dishes were all light seafood, high in protein and low in fat, rich in collagen, good for beauty and complexion. The overall style catered more to the ladies, as I was the only man at the table...