Chapter 232 A Farewell Banquet with Undercurrents
Ning Jinli was about to hang up when she heard Ning Yao say that, and she hesitated for a moment.
She really wanted to know why Ning Hai was favored by the United States, or what methods he used.
However, even Shangguan Ying couldn't find out the reason behind it.
So it's highly likely that this is a secret to the United States.
Perhaps Ning Yao was unaware of the situation and was just saying it on purpose to trick her into meeting her.
but……
What if Ning Yao really knows something inside?
Besides, even if Ning Yao is just fooling me, there's nothing I'd lose by going to meet her.
"Where shall we meet?" Ning Jinli asked.
Ning Yao immediately told her the address, which was a high-end hotel in the city center.
More than an hour later, it was almost lunchtime.
Ning Jinli took a taxi to her destination.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, I saw several luxury business vehicles parked outside, all identical in style and painted black.
The parking spaces next to it were all empty.
This was rather strange; it was the first time Ning Jinli had ever seen the restaurant so deserted.
Ning Jinli got out of the car and walked into the restaurant. Two greeters greeted her with smiles, "Miss Ning Jinli, please come in."
In the large first-floor restaurant, apart from the table in the very center, there were no other customers at the other tables.
Ning Jinli spotted Ning Yao and Ning Yao's mother, Lin Lina, at a glance.
The mother and daughter were dressed in flamboyant attire and adorned with jewels, looking even more luxurious and glamorous than before.
"Come on in, have a seat!" Lin Lina glanced at Ning Jinli and gestured with her chin to the seat opposite the large round table.
Ning Jinli calmly walked over and sat down.
Ning Yao said, "Oh, cousin, you've finally arrived. It wasn't a waste that I booked the whole restaurant."
It turns out she booked the whole place; no wonder this high-end restaurant was empty with no other customers.
"You're really generous," Ning Jinli replied casually.
Ning Yao smiled and said, "Of course it has to be lavish, that's in line with my spending habits. To be honest, after you took everything from the Ning family, I almost lost the will to live when I thought about living a poor life. But I didn't expect my dad to be so capable."
Ning Jinli tapped the table lightly. "Just a reminder, everything in the Ning family originally belonged to my parents. It wasn't taken away by us; it's being returned to its rightful owner."
"Fine, fine, say whatever you want," Ning Yao said nonchalantly, spreading her hands. "Anyway, my parents and I no longer care about the Ning Group. From now on, my mom and I won't need to do anything. We can live a richer life than before, thanks to the generous treatment my dad receives from the US. Looking back, I realize I should thank you."
Ning Jinli raised an eyebrow. "What are you thanking me for?"
Ning Yao rested her chin on her hands, revealing a smug expression. "If it weren't for the series of events that happened before, how could my dad have been forced to run away to the other side of the ocean? If he hadn't run away to the other side of the ocean, how could he have inadvertently received such special attention from the United States? As a result, my mom was also pardoned, and both my mom and I obtained American citizenship. From now on, the three of us are American citizens."
Ning Jinli asked, "Are you so happy and proud to become a citizen of the United States?"
“Of course!” Ning Yao’s eyes sparkled. “Who doesn’t know that the United States is the ideal country that countless people around the world yearn for, a thousand times better than your country!”
Ning Jinli couldn't help but show a look of disgust.
They just changed their nationality and are already referring to their motherland as their own country. It's disgusting how eager they are to distance themselves from it.
Lin Lina smiled and said, "Daughter, don't provoke her. Otherwise, she'll become envious and jealous, and she won't be able to sleep at night."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, cousin," Ning Yao said, becoming even more smug. "I just got a little carried away when I got excited. Don't mind me. If you ever have the chance to travel to the United States, I'll show you around. You haven't been abroad before, have you? No problem. I used to travel to the United States often and I'm familiar with many places. Now that I'm a citizen of the United States, I should do my best to be a good host."
The mother and daughter sang in unison, their intention to show off couldn't be more obvious.
Ning Jinli was not provoked at all; she just thought the mother and daughter looked more and more like a pair of clowns, which was quite ridiculous.
"So you two booked the whole restaurant and called me over just to show off?" Ning Jinli's face showed a faint expression of speechlessness.
Ning Yao laughed and said, "Of course! How could I not show off something so great? Especially in front of you!"
Ning Jinli said calmly, "Let's get down to business. You know why I came here, so..."
"Sorry," Ning Yao gave a smug sneer, "My mother and I know nothing about my father's situation. I have no right to tell you what you want to know. I just wanted to lure you here with something that would interest you, and you actually believed me? Hahaha!"
Ning Jinli stared into her eyes, "You really don't know?"
Ning Yao crossed her arms. "I really didn't know. I'm not lying to you. Think about it. My dad is under the protection of both the US government and the military. How important must he be in the US? Do you think information about him can be revealed so easily? Not to mention ordinary people, even family members don't have the right to know. You're joking. You didn't even think of this."
“I had thought of it, but I only came here hoping to try my luck. I was prepared to make a wasted trip,” Ning Jinli said as she stood up. “Since there’s nothing left to talk about, I’ll take my leave now. I hope I never have to see you again.”
"Wait!" Ning Yao stopped her. "We're already here, why are you in such a hurry to leave? You're not even willing to have one last meal together? Or... can't you accept that our family's status, wealth, and social standing will surpass yours in the future?"
Lin Lina said with a forced smile, "Even if you can't accept it, it doesn't change the fact. Jinli, my daughter and I may be bragging, but we really wanted to see you one last time and have a meal together. We also wanted to contact your parents, but we couldn't reach them. After all, we were once family. I watched you grow up, so there's still some affection between us... We're leaving for the US this afternoon, so let's consider this a farewell dinner."
“Yes, yes,” Ning Yao echoed, “If your family wants to see us again in the future, it won’t be easy. Our two families will not only become citizens of two different countries, but also have a huge class gap in social status and identity.”
Ning Jinli smiled and said, "Alright, I rarely have time to relax, and listening to you two tell a joke is quite nice. So—let's serve the food, I'm hungry."
Lin Lina's cheeks twitched slightly, and her complexion looked somewhat unpleasant.
Ning Yao snapped her fingers. "The food is ready to be served."
Soon, the waiters lined up and brought over the dishes one after another, gradually filling a large table with Western dishes.
Ning Jinli didn't object to eating Western food, but the fact that all the dishes served were Western, and most of them were typical American dishes, made it clear what the mother and daughter meant, which made her feel somewhat amused and exasperated.
“Cousin, I put a lot of thought into this meal,” Ning Yao said, picking up her knife and fork and smiling. “These are dishes that elites in the upper class of the United States eat at high-end events. The ingredients and tableware were all carefully selected and air-freighted from the United States. The chef was also a top-level Western cuisine chef specially invited from the United States. The main focus is on recreating the original dishes in every aspect. You can’t easily find this in your country.”
Ning Jinli turned to the waiter beside her and said, "Please give me a pair of chopsticks, thank you."
Ning Yao mocked, "This is a proper, top-notch Western meal, and you're using chopsticks, such an outdated and old-fashioned thing?"
Lin Lina pretended to help by explaining, "Daughter, do you think she's like you, having seen it all since she was little? She only had a good life for the first ten years or so. After that, she didn't have the opportunity to go to high-end places. Be understanding of her."
Then, he pretended to lecture Ning Jinli, "Jinli, you now have your own career, and your family has inherited all of Ning's assets. You're considered middle class in the country. You need to broaden your horizons in the future. You still need to pay attention to the things you wear, such as clothes, food, housing, and transportation. Take your outfit today, for example. Why are you still wearing the same cheap clothes you wore when you were in school? Your hair isn't styled, you don't wear any jewelry, and you don't even put on any makeup. Sigh..."
Ning Jinli picked up a piece of top-grade steak with her chopsticks, chewing slowly as she said, "In terms of clothing, food, housing, transportation, and dressing up, I do what makes me comfortable. It's not that dressing up in a high-end and exquisite way makes a person superior. Putting the cart before the horse only makes one a laughing stock. It's like a pile of excrement. No matter how much gold leaf and jewels you wrap it in, it's still excrement inside. No matter how dazzling the jewels are, they can't hide the stench emanating from inside."
"You..." Lin Lina was speechless for a moment, and even the knife she used to cut the steak unconsciously increased the force.
Ning Yao scoffed, "We're having a fancy Western meal, and you keep talking about feces. It's so vulgar. Luckily, there are no outsiders here, or it would be really embarrassing."
Ning Jinli smiled slightly, "As for your opinion that chopsticks are outdated and old-fashioned, I suggest you take some time to learn some real knowledge. Knives and forks, as dining utensils, appeared in my country as early as the Neolithic Age, about four thousand years ago. Then, more than two thousand years ago, eating with knives and forks was considered too primitive and barbaric, and was gradually phased out, replaced by chopsticks, which are more suitable for refined food and are more civilized. In short, the knife and fork dining that you think represents high-end and advanced is something that our ancestors had already done."
Ning Yao's face instantly turned awkward, and she tried to salvage the situation, "Even so, modern Western cutlery is incomparable to the ancient cutlery of your country, and it's even more incomparable to chopsticks. Eating with a knife and fork is so elegant and classy... Moreover, the use of a knife and fork is quite sophisticated and requires more skill, which is much more pleasing to the eye than poking around with two sticks."
Ning Jinli sneered, "You haven't even officially settled in the US yet, and you've already forgotten your roots and your race just because you changed your nationality? I feel ashamed that the Ning family produced such a foreign-worshipping bastard like you."
"You!" Ning Yao slammed her hand on the table in anger.
Lin Lina immediately reassured her, "Daughter, we are from the United States. Don't lower yourself to the level of a country bumpkin like her. Be mindful of your image."
Ning Yao took a deep breath, forced what she thought was a dignified smile, and said in a high-pitched voice, "Cousin, I'm just stating the facts with you, but you're labeling me and trying to morally blackmail me. This proves that you can't refute me on a factual level, and I really don't need to lower myself to your level."
Ning Jinli smiled dismissively, "In our country, any normal person wouldn't poke around with their chopsticks like you described. Anyone who eats so rudely would be called ill-mannered. Didn't anyone teach you how to use chopsticks when you were a child? Do you usually poke around with your chopsticks?"
"I...you..." Ning Yao couldn't hold back anymore.
Isn't this a roundabout way of saying she's ill-mannered?
Ning Jinli continued, "You can find a few monkeys and train them a little, and they can all learn to use knives and forks skillfully. But have you ever seen a monkey learn to use chopsticks easily? Ha, something that's easy for animals to use, and you still have the nerve to talk about technical skill. Ning Yao, so you think being a monkey is more advanced, huh?"
"Ning Jinli!" Ning Yao broke down, slamming her hand on the table in anger. "You just wait! One day, my great M country will crush your country! Then all of you will become homeless beggars! You'll all have to beg us M people for alms and rescue!"
Ning Jinli grinned, "Let's wait and see who will be crushed in the end."
Ning Yao, who was originally extremely proud, now felt as if she had swallowed a bellyful of flies, feeling uncomfortable from head to toe. She sat down, casually pushed the plate in front of her, and refused to eat anything with a stern face.
Although Lin Lina's expression wasn't very pleasant, she remained calm and ate slowly and elegantly.
Ning Jinli was happy to have some peace and quiet. After finishing her meal, she wiped her mouth with a napkin and smiled brightly. "I'm done eating. Thank you both for your kind hospitality. The ingredients were very fresh, and the taste was quite good. Well then, I'll take my leave now."
Seeing that Ning Jinli was about to get up and leave.
Ning Yao felt increasingly aggrieved. She had clearly orchestrated this whole thing to show off and humiliate the other person, but the result was the opposite.
I just can't swallow this!
If this isn't resolved, I'm afraid that during my time living in the US, I'll be so angry that I won't be able to sleep at night just thinking about it!
Clap clap clap!
Ning Yao suddenly raised her hands and clapped them three times.
Crisp applause echoed through the empty restaurant.
Ning Jinli turned her head and teased, "So polite, you even applauded as you saw me off?"
Before the words had even faded, ten men strode into the restaurant and lined up to block Ning Jinli's path.
They had different skin colors, some white, some brown, and some black, but all of them were tall and strong, their black suits bulging from their muscles, and they all wore black sunglasses, which made them look even more imposing and cold.
Ning Jinli glanced at it indifferently, "What, are you worried about my safety on the road alone, and want to have your bodyguards escort me?"
Ning Yao casually picked up a wine glass filled with red wine and slowly swirled it, a smile playing on her lips. "Calling them our bodyguards isn't wrong. They came from the US to pick up my mother and me and are responsible for our safety throughout the trip. They'll do everything in their power to resolve any situation that might pose a danger to us."
Ning Jinli turned around to face Ning Yao, and asked with a half-smile, "You mean, I've posed a danger to you and your mother? So, you want to get rid of me?"
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