Chapter 22

Time flew by amidst their laughter and chatter, and before they knew it, it was past ten o'clock. Qi Wang felt sorry for Chen Nian, who had worked hard all day to save people, and worried that his wife might be exhausted, so he suggested that they call it a night.

The group readily agreed, and Qi Wang got up to pay the bill. Everyone then took their belongings and left the restaurant one after another.

When they reached the door, Mu Ci said somewhat embarrassedly, "Every time we get together, Qi Wang treats us. It's too much trouble. Next time, let Zi Yi and I treat you."

Song Ziyi put his arm around his fiancée and said with an incredibly thick skin, "No need to be polite with this rich kid. Let's eat a few more meals at the hands of this evil capitalist. It'll be a way to earn back some money for the working class. Besides, what's a few meals to our CEO Qi?"

Mu Ci slapped Song Ziyi with utter disgust, and said with a wry smile, "Can you stop looking like you're always trying to take advantage of me?"

After saying that, everyone burst into laughter, and Shen Bining laughed along. She could tell that these people had a very good relationship, and she had also heard that the entire building where Tang Song Law Firm's offices were located belonged to Qi Wang's family. Such a large office, located in the bustling financial district, yet Qi Wang only symbolically charged a small amount of rent.

Indeed, compared to the cheaper rent, what's a few meals' cost?

After the commotion subsided, everyone went to the parking lot to find their cars. The men had all been drinking, while the women hadn't touched a drop and were naturally responsible for driving. Apart from Shen Bining and Tang Hui, the others were all couples heading home together.

Tang Hui's car was subject to license plate restrictions today, so she rode in Song Ziyi's car to get there. They lived in the same neighborhood, so they should have gone back together, but...

During dinner, Song Ziyi casually mentioned that he was going to Mu Ci's house tonight to help her pack some things and move them to her new house. Mu Ci's house happens to be in the opposite direction from the neighborhood where Song Ziyi and Tang Hui live.

Tang Hui didn't want to trouble the young couple, so he offered to take a taxi home. Since they were close friends, there wasn't much formality, and since he asked to take a taxi, Song Ziyi and Mu Ci readily agreed.

At this moment, Shen Bining suddenly asked, "Which neighborhood do you live in?"

Tang Hui was slightly taken aback, but didn't think much of it and casually gave the name of his neighborhood.

Shen Bining pointed to her car and laughed, "You're lucky, we're going the same way. I'll be passing by your neighborhood on my way home, so I'll give you a ride."

Her purpose in doing this was simple: firstly, she still felt guilty about bringing up unpleasant memories of Tang Hui that day; secondly, Tang Hui was a good friend of Qi Wang and Chen Nian, so he could be considered her friend as well. After spending time with him twice, she felt that Tang Hui was a pretty good person.

She enjoys making friends, and her father had told her that it wouldn't hurt for doctors like them to know more lawyers.

Shen Bining's seemingly casual action sparked a flurry of speculation among the others. They exchanged knowing glances and winks in a corner where the person in question couldn't see them, as if something was about to happen.

Tang Hui was slightly taken aback, wondering why Shen Bining wanted to take him home. Did she want to talk to him about Zhou Nianhua again?

Although he was puzzled and a little annoyed, he didn't want to embarrass the girl and politely said, "Then I'll trouble you."

Soon, the eight people got into their respective cars, and Tang Hui, under the ambiguous and teasing gazes of the others, reluctantly got into the passenger seat of Shen Bining's car.

He was actually giving face to Qi Wang and Chen Nian, because Shen Bining was Chen Nian's best friend. If he rejected Shen Bining in public, the girl would feel very embarrassed, and Chen Nian would also be caught in the middle.

However, he had made up his mind that if Shen Bining brought up Zhou Nianhua again during the journey, he would ask to get off the bus.

However, to Tang Hui's surprise, Shen Bining never mentioned Zhou Nianhua again, as if she didn't know Zhou Nianhua at all, and that their acquaintance wasn't because of Zhou Nianhua.

What surprised Tang Hui even more was what happened next. Since Shen Bining had also studied in Los Angeles, the two naturally started talking about the city and found themselves getting along very well.

They were shocked to discover that the two of them shared so many interests and hobbies, from their favorite movie genres to their preferred food flavors—they were completely alike.

In the end, even his favorite restaurant and cafe in Los Angeles were the same one.

Shen Bining and Tang Hui were like two kindred spirits. After a brief exchange, they discovered that they had so many of the same hobbies. As they chatted, they felt as if they had known each other for a long time.

Because of his childhood experiences, Tang Hui has a rather aloof personality. He is the kind of person who would rather say one word than two. Apart from a few close friends such as Song Ziyi and Qi Wang, it is difficult for ordinary people to have in-depth conversations with him.

It's safe to say that, except in court, getting to hear Attorney Tang say even a few words is as difficult as climbing to the sky.

Shen Bining is naturally lively and cheerful. She was known for being a chatterbox and gossipy when she was young. Now that she's grown up and needs to be more mindful of her image, she doesn't talk as much as she did when she was a child, but she's still a chatterbox after all.

When two people with vastly different personalities come together, one of them will inevitably be influenced by the other.

They either chatted happily or remained completely silent.

Clearly, Shen Bining won this round.

Tang Hui hadn't talked this much with a stranger who wasn't a client in a long time. He felt that Shen Bining seemed to have a kind of magic that could make even the most indifferent person want to get closer.

She is like a little sun, warming everyone who comes near, while attracting others to her with her own magnetic energy.

Tang Hui not only did not resist this attraction, but also couldn't help but give up the struggle and follow the desire and guidance of his heart, wanting to get closer to her.

The Japanese restaurant where the gathering took place was not far from Tang Hui's residential area, and since there was no traffic congestion at this time, Shen Bining's car quickly arrived near Tang Hui's home.

Tang Hui surveyed his surroundings and knew he would be home after two more traffic lights.

For some reason, a sense of reluctance arose in his heart, and a strange thought suddenly popped into his head: "I hope the road home will never end."

Tang Hui couldn't bring himself to ask to see Shen Bining again. He had never said such a thing to a girl before, and he didn't even know how to ask for her contact information.

However, this couldn't stump our clever lawyer Tang; he could take a roundabout approach.

"Where do you live? Is it far? It's not safe for a girl like you to go home alone. How about I take you home first, and then I'll take a taxi back?" Tang Hui said.

He thought he had made himself clear—he wanted to spend more time with Shen Bining—but it was obvious that Shen Bining's next words indicated that she hadn't understood.

She said, "That would be too much trouble. My home is quite close to yours, only a ten-minute walk at most, and my neighborhood has very tight security, so it's absolutely safe. But thank you for your kindness anyway."

Alright, that's the end of the chat. What else can he say?

Tang Hui was extremely depressed, admitting for the first time in his life that he was inferior to Qi Wang and Song Ziyi.

Qi Wang is eloquent and Song Ziyi is incredibly shameless. If it were either of them, they would have already made plans to meet the girl again along the way.

He was the only one who didn't know how to ask for a WeChat ID, no wonder his subordinates at the law firm often lamented that he had ruined his face.

Just as Tang Hui was about to muster the courage to ask Shen Bining for her contact information, his phone rang in his pocket.

Tang Hui took out his phone, and when he saw the caller ID, his head started to ache even more.

But he dared not ignore the call, because it was Lisa calling. If he didn't answer, the girl would dare to disappear again.

Tang Hui answered the phone irritably, only to hear Lisa nagging on the other end, asking when he could move into her house. She then pitifully complained that she had been staying in a hotel for half a month and was on the verge of bankruptcy.

"You don't earn a penny yourself, yet you stay in such a high-end hotel. If I were your dad, I would have canceled your credit card long ago. I'll find you a budget hotel right now, good quality and cheap, guaranteed to last you another half month," Tang Hui mocked.

Lisa, of course, couldn't stand this kind of provocation and started throwing a tantrum on the phone, but every word she said revolved around her ultimate goal—she wanted to move into Tang Hui's house.

Tang Hui had already made up his mind that he absolutely could not be soft-hearted and agree to Lisa's request, otherwise this girl would teach him what it meant to "invite a god but send him away."

He steeled his resolve and gritted his teeth, saying, "If you insist on staying in China to develop your career, I won't stop you. After all, you're already so old, and it's your freedom to live and work there. But I have two requirements. First, you can't work at my law firm. You're not a lawyer, so what kind of work would you do at a law firm? Besides, you don't understand accounting or secretarial work, and there's no job here that suits you. Although I'm one of the owners, I also have to answer to the other partners and can't give you preferential treatment. If you insist on coming, you should go through the interview process yourself. If you have the guts, you can pass the interview and come in honestly. Second, you can't live in my house because it's inconvenient. I can help you rent a decent apartment, and I'll cover the rent for the first six months."

Tang Hui's refusal instantly enraged Lisa. She cried and demanded to know why she couldn't stay at his house, how could he bear to leave a girl like her alone in a rented place, and what responsibility he would take if something happened to her...

Lisa's entire focus was on Tang Hui forbidding her from staying at his house, completely forgetting that her work request had also been rejected.

Her ulterior motives were obvious: she wanted to live with Tang Hui, and she didn't care much about whether or not she worked.

Tang Hui waited with a cold smile until Lisa finished making a scene, and finally gave a cold reason for his refusal.

That was the reason he hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to use.

"I just got a girlfriend, and she sometimes comes over to my house. What's the meaning of seeing you? Please, I beg you, don't ruin my good time, okay?"