Chapter 26
After dinner, Tang returned to the law firm to continue working overtime, enduring the hardships of being a lawyer.
Unfortunately, Song Ziyi was busy with wedding preparations and decorating the bridal chamber, so many work-related matters naturally fell to Tang Hui, the bachelor.
The other two married men had to go home to be with their wives, and even Song Ziyi, that heartless scoundrel, felt a little embarrassed before leaving.
He put his arm around Tang Hui's shoulder and said, half seriously and half jokingly, "You've really worked hard these past few days. I'll remember your kindness. When you get married, I'll work overtime for you too."
Tang Hui gave him a push, signaling him to stop being coy and get lost, but when he turned around, the smile on his face disappeared.
He was quite certain that he would never walk down the aisle in his life; the sacred word "marriage" would never happen to him.
*
Tang Hui was busy until almost ten o'clock before he finished his work. He stretched and rubbed his eyes with his long fingers.
Even someone as workaholic and as tough as Iron Man would be mentally exhausted after such a high-intensity workday, and fatigue was visibly etched all over his face.
Tang Hui was the only one left in the entire law firm. He wasn't in a hurry to leave, since he would be all alone at home anyway.
After resting with his eyes closed for a few minutes, Tang Hui opened his phone, intending to complain about Song Ziyi, but unexpectedly refreshed his Moments and found that the latest post was from Shen Bining, whom he had just added as a WeChat friend the night before.
Tang Hui immediately perked up and began to read intently.
Shen Bining's post was very simple; it was just a daily complaint about how hard her work was, accompanied by a picture of a dejected little dog.
It seems she just finished working overtime too?
Tang Hui's heart stirred, a thought flashed through his mind, and his body acted more honestly and quickly than his thoughts. Before he could react, he had already dialed the number for Shen Bining.
He was startled and realized he had been presumptuous. Just as he was about to hang up, the call was answered.
"Attorney Tang?" Shen Bining's voice was filled with exhaustion and a hint of surprise. "Did you need something from me, or did you press the wrong button?"
With things having come to this, Tang Hui had no choice but to bite the bullet and start the call with Shen Bining. "I was just scrolling through my WeChat Moments and saw your latest post. Are you still working overtime?"
Shen Bining seemed to have a deep fear of the word "overtime". Her sigh came from the other end of the phone, "A patient's family member came to me at the last minute. Because the patient is on the verge of death and the situation is very urgent, I have no choice but to work overtime."
"Are you done with your work yet?" Tang Hui asked in turn.
"Just finished working and I'm about to take the elevator out of the hospital. What's up? Is there anything I can help you with?" As she spoke, the crisp sound of high heels clicking on the marble floor came from the other end of the phone.
Tang Hui took a deep breath, steeled his resolve, and invited, "I just finished working overtime too, and I'm still at the law firm. If you're not in a hurry to go home, would you like to grab some late-night snacks together? I know a really good barbecue place."
Tang Hui was prepared to be rejected. Firstly, their relationship wasn't close enough for them to arrange a late-night snack together; secondly, Shen Bining sounded really tired, perhaps she wanted to go home and rest early.
Unexpectedly, Shen Bining cheered and said excitedly, "Great! My stomach is growling. If you hadn't invited me, I was planning to go to KFC by myself for a late-night snack. I'm coming right now. Send me the address of the barbecue restaurant."
"Okay, then we'll meet in a bit." Tang Hui's voice unconsciously tinged with laughter.
Half an hour later, Shen Bining and Tang Hui met at the entrance of the barbecue restaurant.
Shen Bining looked around at the trendy barbecue restaurant and praised, "It's really a great place. I didn't expect Tang Lu to have this kind of taste in his food."
She had thought Tang Hui was like those lawyers in movies and TV dramas, eating either high-end Western or Japanese food or healthy salads. She never expected Tang Hui to be so down-to-earth.
Tang Hui and Shen Bining walked into the store together, and Tang Hui said with a smile, "Old Song especially likes hot pot and barbecue, so this store is one of our regular canteens."
As it turned out, Tang Hui's words were not an exaggeration. As soon as he walked into the store, everyone from the manager to the staff greeted him warmly, and several young female waitresses' eyes lit up when they saw him.
The store manager, ever the gossip, teased, "Tang Lu, you didn't come with Song Lu and Young Master Qi today, but you brought a pretty girl with you. Got a girlfriend?" He then winked at Tang Hui.
Shen Bining smiled politely at the manager. Tang Hui neither confirmed nor denied it, but simply asked, "It's just the two of us tonight, are there any seats inside?"
"There should be one. Come on, I'll take you inside to look for it." The shopkeeper warmly greeted them and led Chen Tang and his companion inside.
Although it was almost 11 o'clock, the barbecue restaurant was still very popular, with almost all the seats on both floors. We finally managed to find a two-person table in a relatively secluded corner.
The manager apologized, "I'm sorry, the private room you usually go to is already taken, so you two will have to make do here."
Tang Hui was a regular customer, and the group always spent lavishly when they came. But today they were arranged to eat in this remote corner, which made the manager a little uneasy.
The store manager then glanced anxiously at Shen Bining, worried that this seemingly wealthy and beautiful young woman might look down on him. This was Tang Lu's first time bringing his girlfriend to support the business; if they displeased her, they feared they would lose this regular customer.
To everyone's surprise, Shen Bining said very casually, "It's alright, this place is very nice and quiet. Boss, could you please bring us the menu? We need to order quickly, we're starving after working overtime until this late."
The store manager was surprised that Shen Bining, who looked like a pampered young lady, was so easy to talk to and had such a carefree personality. He couldn't help but feel a sense of goodwill towards Tang Lu's girlfriend, and while asking the waiter to bring the menu, he spoke well of Tang Hui.
“Beautiful lady, you have excellent taste. Attorney Tang is a rare breed of good man. Not only is he handsome and successful, but he's also incredibly reliable. He's been coming to my barbecue restaurant almost a year now, and quite frequently, always with just those two male friends. You're the first girl he's ever brought here.”
Tang Hui frowned slightly, somewhat annoyed by the shopkeeper's meddlesome words, but also afraid that Shen Bining would be angry after hearing these misunderstandings, so she unconsciously glanced at her.
However, Shen Bining smiled broadly and said to the shop manager, "It seems I do have good taste. Boss, I not only have good taste, but also excellent judgment, especially when it comes to food. So just show me what your shop's specialties are. If you make me happy, you'll have another regular customer."
The manager immediately beamed, said "You'll see," and happily left with the ordered menu. He had to go and remind the kitchen staff to grill it properly.
After seeing the store manager off, Shen Bining was squinting as she looked at the store's decor and the customers at the next few tables when she inadvertently caught Tang Hui's astonished gaze.
"What's wrong? Is there something on my face or did I say something wrong?" Shen Bining asked suspiciously, while touching her face with her hand.
Tang Hui smiled gently and said, "It's nothing. I just didn't expect you to say those things to the store manager just now. I thought you would explain our relationship."
Shen Bining tapped the table and loudly reminded him, "Attorney Tang, have you forgotten that we are now nominally boyfriend and girlfriend? If we're going to put on an act, we have to go all the way. Only by making everyone who doesn't know the inside story believe that we are a couple can we fool your little cousin."
No, this sounds strange. It sounds like two bullies are seducing an innocent young girl.
Tang Hui even had a smile in his eyes this time, and agreed, "You're right, if we're going to put on an act, we have to make it convincing."
Just then, a waiter came over to bring them the cold dishes they had ordered. The waiter was a young man in his early twenties. After placing the cold dishes on the table, he said with a grin, "Attorney Tang, your girlfriend is really beautiful. You have good taste. I've served a lot of this cold dish as a little treat for a handsome man and a beautiful woman. Enjoy your meal, and call me if you need anything."
After the waiter left, the two looked at the plate and, good heavens, it was so full it could spill at any moment. It was no wonder the waiter was so skilled; he carried it all the way here safely.
Shen Bining happily picked up her chopsticks and started eating, muttering to herself, "It's so nice to eat with the restaurant's regular customers."
Tang Hui, abandoning his usual cold and serious demeanor, smiled slightly, his eyes softened, and even his voice carried a hint of amusement, "So hungry? Doesn't your hospital provide meals?"
"Don't even mention it. The patient who came in today has end-stage renal disease. He's only in his early fifties, and his family has already given up on treatment. That patient is incredibly stubborn and refuses to believe in any end-of-life care services. His family couldn't persuade him, so they've been dragging it out until now. He's almost at the end of his life, and I don't know what he suddenly thought of. His family rushed to me, insisting that I take him on. If I didn't agree, they threatened to kneel down and beg me. You can imagine how scary that was. The youngest of those family members is about my parents' age. I'm afraid of shortening my own lifespan, so I had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree. As a result, I've been busy all afternoon and evening, and I haven't even had dinner. How could I not be hungry?"
Upon hearing that Shen Bining hadn't eaten dinner, Tang Hui immediately pushed the plate of cold dishes towards her again and blurted out, "You soften your heart as soon as the patient's family begs you. You really are kind."
“Hehe, you’re very kind too,” Shen Bining looked up from her busy schedule and smiled at Tang Hui, her lips appearing even more moist and full because of the vegetable soup on them. “Knowing that I hadn’t eaten dinner, you specially brought me to your treasure barbecue restaurant.”
Tang Hui's heart skipped a beat, and his throat suddenly felt thirsty. He hurriedly grabbed a water glass to drink and cover his embarrassment, muttering somewhat guiltily, "I just finished working overtime, and I happened to see on my WeChat Moments that you had just finished, so I thought I'd ask you to grab something to eat together."
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