Chapter 38
Tang Hui's birthday wasn't on a weekend, and both he and Shen Bining had to work, making it a very busy day for both of them.
It wasn't until 7 p.m. that Tang Hui finished his work and left the law firm. He drove to the agreed-upon restaurant, where Shen Bining had already been waiting for quite some time when he arrived.
The restaurant tonight was booked by Shen Bining; it's a very famous private chef restaurant in the area, and reservations are not easy to get. However, because the owner of the restaurant was once her father's patient, and the three of them frequented the place, she used her personal connections to secure a table.
After parking his car, Tang Hui hurried towards the private room. In his haste, he didn't notice a taxi stopping right behind him. As soon as he entered the restaurant, a slender figure got out of the taxi and followed him inside without hesitation.
"I'm sorry I'm late." Tang Hui apologized to Shen Bining as soon as he entered the private room.
Shen Bining put down her phone and said with a smile, "It's okay. You told me in advance that it would be a little late today. I just arrived not long ago."
Tang Hui sat down next to Shen Bining and asked, "Have you ordered yet?"
Shen Bining handed the menu on the table to Tang Hui, "Didn't you tell me to order whatever I wanted? So I picked a few of this restaurant's specialties. See if there's anything else you want to add."
"That's enough, it suits my taste perfectly." Tang Hui glanced at the menu, then slammed it down and complimented him.
Shen Bining was in a great mood and was about to give Tang Hui the birthday gift when suddenly, the door to the private room opened again.
At first, the two thought it was a waiter coming in to serve the food, but when they saw that familiar face, they immediately gasped silently.
Lisa stood at the door, looking at the two of them with a smug and boastful expression, showing no embarrassment or shame at being uninvited, as if she were the star of the meal.
Tang Hui was the first to react. His face, which had just been wearing a gentle smile, immediately turned cold, and he asked in a deep voice, "How did you find this place?"
Then, as if remembering something, she quickly explained to Shen Bining, "I didn't ask her to come, and I don't know why she came along."
He was terrified that Shen Bining would misunderstand and think that he had deliberately brought Lisa over, which would be a huge injustice to him.
Shen Bining knew Tang Hui well, but she also knew Lisa. Even a fool could tell that Lisa wasn't brought by Tang Hui. She nodded to Tang Hui, indicating that she trusted him.
Seeing the two exchanging glances, Lisa was furious. She plopped down on a chair by the door, determined not to move, and said smugly, "It's your birthday today, and I asked you out, but you said you were busy. I knew you were celebrating with that nasty woman. So I waited downstairs at your law firm, and when I saw your car come out, I took a taxi and followed you. I caught you, didn't I?"
After Lisa finished speaking, she looked at the two people opposite her triumphantly, acting like a scoundrel, which surprised the two of them greatly.
Tang Hui was furious. He hadn't expected that despite all his precautions, Lisa would dare to follow him, ruining his birthday date.
Shen Bining was both amused and exasperated, once again speechless at Lisa's childish behavior.
She even thought that if the two of them weren't currently "love rivals," she would definitely teach Lisa a couple of tricks—in this situation, you should insist that Tang Hui invited you, and the other party will definitely become suspicious and lose their guard. The main strategy should be to be unreasonable, talk nonsense, and sow discord...
Lisa's behavior of "bragging" about following someone after being rejected only earns her ridicule from her rivals; it's practically childish.
She had even begun to like this silly girl a little.
Tang Hui was furious. He stood up, walked to Lisa's side, and pulled her up with great force, showing no mercy whatsoever.
Lisa kept crying out in pain, but Tang Hui showed no mercy. He dragged her out while yelling, "You get out of here right now, before I get angry."
"I won't leave. It's your birthday today. I want to stay with you." Lisa cried and struggled, refusing to leave no matter what.
Tang Hui naturally wouldn't back down either, grabbing Lisa's arm and trying to shoo her outside. In an instant, the two siblings were in a commotion.
Shen Bining held her forehead, feeling utterly overwhelmed. Her only consolation was that she had booked a private room; otherwise, if she had caused a scene in the lobby, the restaurant would have definitely called the police.
How could Lisa possibly match Tang Hui's strength? Tang Hui had already dragged her to the door, pulling on the door of the private room with one hand, while Lisa fell to the ground, throwing a tantrum, crying and screaming, refusing to leave.
Fearing things would escalate and become unmanageable, and thinking that since it was a birthday celebration, it shouldn't end so unpleasantly, Shen Bining quickly stepped in to mediate. "Tang Hui, just let her stay and eat with us. There are so many guests outside; don't make a scene. Besides, it's not safe for her to go back like this."
In fact, Tang Hui didn't want to have a falling out with Lisa on his birthday. No matter what, Lisa was his cousin, and he couldn't bring himself to be too cruel.
However, he also knew that he had to prioritize Shen Bining's reputation, and for Shen Bining's sake, he could only let Lisa suffer this injustice.
Fortunately, Shen Bining was understanding enough to take the initiative to back down and resolve the deadlock.
Tang Hui released Lisa, ignoring her still sitting on the ground, and walked back to Shen Bining's side, saying in a low voice, "I'm really sorry, it was my carelessness. I didn't expect her to wait for me downstairs at the law firm and even stalk me. I'm sorry you had to go through with this tonight. This meal doesn't count. I'll treat you to a good meal this weekend to make up for it."
Shen Bining covered her mouth and chuckled, saying good-naturedly, "It's nothing, it's just a birthday celebration, the more the merrier. Your cousin is like a child, I won't hold it against her."
The two talked in hushed tones, their heads unconsciously getting closer and closer. To outsiders, they really looked like a young couple whispering secrets to each other, very intimate.
Lisa, who had already gotten up and sat down again, was furious at the two of them being so affectionate, as if no one else was around. She snapped, "Aren't you going to serve the food yet? I'm starving!"
After saying that, he glared at the young couple with hostile eyes, as if he could shoot knives out of them.
Shen Bining and Tang Hui were startled and looked up at Lisa. They saw that this young lady was sitting upright like the mistress of the house, glaring angrily at them.
“The dishes prepared by private chefs tend to take longer, so you’ll probably have to wait a while,” Shen Bining kindly explained.
Lisa snorted heavily again, full of disdain, her eyes glaring at Shen Bining with cold and angry eyes.
Tang Hui was quite annoyed by Lisa's ungratefulness and said coldly, "If you're hungry, don't wait. There's a McDonald's nearby. You can go in and buy something to eat right away."
"You..." Lisa's eyes reddened with anger at Tang Hui's impolite retort, especially when Shen Bining couldn't help but laugh out loud, she felt like flipping the table on the spot.
Tang Hui knew his cousin well enough that he warned her coldly before she could explode: "If you stay for dinner, from now on you'd better stop complaining and talking and just keep your head down and eat. Otherwise, I'll still kick you out. You can try me if you don't believe me."
Lisa immediately surrendered, too intimidated by Tang Hui to utter a sound. Just as Tang Hui understood her, she understood him well enough to know that when this man got angry, he really meant what he said.
Finally, under Tang Hui's threats and intimidation, the scene quieted down, but this silence only made the atmosphere at the dinner table more awkward.
The atmosphere only eased slightly after the ordered dishes were served one after another, but unfortunately, it was only "slightly" eased.
Lisa channeled her grief into her appetite, burying herself in her food as if she wanted to stuff herself to death; Shen Bining was also somewhat disgruntled. After all, this was a birthday dinner she had carefully planned for her "boyfriend," and now that another person had come along, even she, as magnanimous as she was, was bound to be disappointed, especially since the identity of this extra person was truly indescribable.
The most difficult situation was for Tang Hui, caught between two women, with an incredibly awkward atmosphere, and he was already full before he even picked up his chopsticks.
To be honest, Tang Hui felt not only embarrassed but also angry. He had been looking forward to his birthday dinner tonight and even had a feeling that it would be the best birthday he had in recent years.
Looking back now, it wasn't the best birthday at all, but it was definitely the most unforgettable.
It's all Lisa's fault for ruining his plans. No way, after tonight, he has to find a way to send her back to America as soon as possible.
Because the atmosphere was so awkward and uncomfortable, even the special birthday celebration activities, such as singing the birthday song, making a wish, and blowing out the candles, were all omitted.
When the cake was served, Shen Bining casually said "Happy Birthday" to Tang Hui. They didn't even put in the candles before Tang Hui started cutting the cake, as if he couldn't wait to finish.
Then Shen Bining looked at the cake she had carefully chosen, which had been cut open without her even going through the birthday celebration, and felt so heartbroken that she could hardly breathe.
Fortunately, even the most unbearable time eventually comes to an end. With the three of them intentionally or unintentionally speeding things up, the birthday dinner ended in less than an hour.
Tang Hui couldn't wait for the party to end. Seeing that Shen Bining and Lisa had put down their chopsticks, he got up as if he had been granted a pardon and walked out. "I'll go pay the bill. You two pack up and let's go."
Lisa snorted, said nothing, then stood up and chased after Tang Hui out the door.
Shen Bining was both amused and exasperated. She neither minded nor rushed. She slowly took out chalk and lipstick to touch up her makeup, packed her belongings, and then got up to leave.
When Shen Bining came out, Tang Hui and Lisa were already waiting for her at the door. It was unclear what the two had argued about again. Tang Hui stood to the side with a bad expression, while Lisa covered her face with her hands and sobbed softly.
"Here we go again. I feel like an old woman. These two siblings are arguing and I have to stand by and try to mediate." Shen Bining muttered to herself, walking towards the two of them with a headache.
At this moment, the three were so engrossed in this farcical love triangle that none of them noticed that in the parking lot not far away, hidden by the cars, a man was waiting for one of them with a cold and menacing gaze.
The man held a fruit knife in his hand, which reflected a blinding light under the streetlights at night.
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