42 Hey handsome guy, would you like to buy me a drink?
A week later, Lawyer Wang excitedly opened the glass door of his office and announced to everyone the good news that Tiancheng had won the Ling'an regular law contract. On the day the bidding closed, Liu Yuwei received a text from Ren Yiming wishing her a happy cooperation. She simply replied, "Good wishes." A few years ago, Liu Yuwei would have been utterly disdainful of such "nepotism." New lawyers often possess a certain naiveté, firmly believing that "professionalism is paramount." But reality, like a wind shrouded in grit, can smooth even the hardest stone. Liu Yuwei felt Ren Yian's unexpected arrival had something to do with Tiancheng's participation in the bidding. To secure the Ling'an project, many colleagues, including Lawyer Wang, had worked overtime and given their all. If someone offered to add the icing on the cake at the last minute, why not? Although she couldn't tell anyone, she felt it was important to treat Ren Yiming to a drink another day. Lawyer Wang then summoned Liu Yuwei to his office and earnestly inquired again about her change of heart. If she were willing to stay in the company's Commercial Affairs Group, a promotion and salary increase would be easy to come by based on this successful bid. As expected, Liu Yuwei still declined her old boss's offer. Fates eventually part, and they would remain colleagues in the future. Wang Lu had no choice but to tell her to complete the handover and report to the Public Welfare Affairs Group after the Lunar New Year. However, they had previously agreed that if the projects she was responsible for earlier needed assistance, she would still have to manage both. Liu Yuwei happily returned to her workstation. Everyone assumed Wang Lu had promised her some kind of year-end bonus and clamored for her to treat them. As they chatted animatedly, Xiao Meng nudged Liu Yuwei's shoulder and handed her her phone. "Sister Yuwei, someone's looking for you!" A familiar number rang out. It was him. During the busiest days recently, Jin Lang had sent her two WeChat messages inviting her to dinner, but work was so demanding that she struggled to get enough sleep. She quickly walked to the end of the corridor, where a cool breeze streamed in through the slanted window. She answered the phone. "Hello?" "Xiaoyu, are you busy?" A gentle male voice came from the receiver. "I'm fine. What's up? Is there anything?" Liu Yuwei's tone sounded quite relaxed and cheerful, inspired by the good news. "My mom has said several times that she wants to invite you to dinner to thank you for your help last time. And just now, she called again, saying I was being perfunctory. So I quickly came to ask if you're free this weekend?" "Hmm...how about Saturday night?!" Liu Yuwei thought, Chinese New Year is almost here, and she should have found an opportunity...
A week later, Lawyer Wang opened the glass door of his office with great enthusiasm and announced to everyone the good news that Tiancheng had won the Ling'an Changfa contract.
On the day the bidding ended, Liu Yuwei received a text message from Ren Yiming wishing her a happy cooperation. She simply replied, "Good wishes for you."
A few years ago, Liu Yuwei would have been extremely disdainful of this kind of "nepotism." New lawyers often have a certain naiveté about their profession, firmly believing that "professionalism is the only way forward." But reality, like the wind wrapped in grit, can smooth out even the hardest stone.
Liu Yuwei always felt that Ren Yian's unexpected arrival was more or less related to Tiancheng's participation in the bidding.
In order to win the Ling'an project, many colleagues, including Wang Lu, worked overtime and tried their best. At the last minute, if someone was willing to add icing on the cake, why not?
Although I can't tell others directly, it is still necessary to invite Ren Yiming for a drink next time.
Lawyer Wang then summoned Liu Yuwei to his office and earnestly inquired again whether she had changed her mind. If she was willing to remain in the company's commercial affairs department, a promotion and salary increase would be within her grasp, given her successful bid.
As expected, Liu Yuwei still rejected the kindness of his old leader.
Fate eventually brings them together and they will still be colleagues in the future, so Wang Lu had no choice but to tell her to complete the handover work at hand and report to the public welfare affairs team after the New Year. However, they had previously agreed that if the projects she was responsible for earlier needed help, she would still have to take care of both.
Liu Yuwei returned to her workstation happily. Everyone thought that Wang Lu had promised her some extra year-end bonus, and they all clamored for her to treat them.
Everyone was chatting animatedly when Xiao Meng touched Liu Yuwei's shoulder and handed her her cell phone.
"Sister Yu Wei, someone is looking for you!"
A familiar string of numbers, it's him.
During the busiest days a while ago, Jin Lang sent her two WeChat messages inviting her to have dinner together, but he was really unable to get away from work, and it was difficult for him to get enough sleep every day.
I walked quickly to the end of the corridor and a cool breeze came in through the slanted window.
She answered the phone, "Hello?"
"Xiaoyu, are you busy?"
A gentle male voice came from the microphone.
"I'm fine. What's wrong? Is there anything wrong?"
Because of the good news just now, Liu Yuwei's tone sounded quite relaxed and happy.
"My mom has said several times that she wants to invite you to dinner at her house to thank you for your help last time. And just now, she called again and said I was being perfunctory. So I quickly came to ask you if you have time this weekend?"
"Um…how about Saturday night?!"
Liu Yuwei thought that the New Year was coming soon, and he should find a chance to visit Li Xin again.
Jin Lang really didn't expect that using his mother as an excuse would be so effective. He was directly rejected the previous two times, but this time Liu Yuwei was so straightforward that he happily agreed.
"Great, then I'll tell her right away. If it's convenient, I'll pick you up on the weekend!"
"No, I have other things to do this afternoon, so you can go there yourself. My colleague is calling me, so I'll hang up now!"
After hanging up the phone, Jin Lang returned to the dressing room with a bit of unconcealable joy. His assistant Xiao Zhou and the makeup artist were both standing by the door, craning their heads to wait for him.
Just now, Zhang Yi said in the WeChat group that there is a brand endorsement event in Beijing North this weekend that requires Jin Lang's participation. He has already communicated with the director on the crew and asked for leave.
Xiao Zhou was worried that Jin Lang hadn't noticed the group message, so he casually mentioned it to him. But after listening, Jin Lang grabbed his phone from the table and walked out without saying a word, leaving the two of them staring at each other in bewilderment.
…
On Saturday afternoon, Liu Yuwei went to a high-end supermarket near her home to buy some dried fruits and imported fruits for the New Year. Although the appointment was for dinner time, it was not easy to go at the same time.
Around five o'clock, she knocked on the door of Li Xin's house. Li Xin saw Liu Yuwei struggling to carry large bags and small boxes, and like all elders, he couldn't help but "complain" to her, asking her why she came and bought something.
Liu Yuwei walked in and looked around. Li Xin understood immediately and hurried to explain.
"Yangyang has some activities this afternoon, so I think he'll be back before dinner."
Liu Yuwei felt a little embarrassed to have his thoughts revealed by his elders, and nodded slightly.
The two sat on the sofa and chatted for a while. Li Xin got up and prepared to go to the kitchen to prepare dinner, and Liu Yuwei immediately followed.
There was a stainless steel basin on the kitchen counter, and the spare ribs soaking in it were covered with a layer of blood.
Liu Yuwei asked casually, "Auntie, are you going to make sweet and sour pork ribs?"
"yes!"
Li Xin rinsed the ribs clean, poured some flour and cooking wine on them to remove the fishy smell.
"Today I can finally taste the authentic version. Jin Lang always said that his sweet and sour spare ribs are far from yours."
Liu Yuwei helped take the light soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and sugar from the condiment table, preparing to make the sweet and sour sauce later.
Li Xin's busy movements suddenly stopped, and the soup dripped from her fingertips onto the ground. Something that had been a bit uncertain for her before gradually became clear. She tilted her head and smiled at the girl next to her, her eyes filled with satisfaction and joy.
Liu Yuwei also realized belatedly that some words, though spoken unintentionally, can be interpreted by the listener, relying entirely on imagination. Fortunately, Li Xin wasn't an online friend, otherwise she'd probably be in for a bloody ordeal.
Half an hour later, the food was served with a lingering aroma.
Li Xin took off his apron and muttered softly.
"Why hasn't Yangyang come back yet? I'll go give him a call."
Liu Yuwei also took advantage of the free time to take out her cell phone. There was a missed call from Jin Lang a few minutes ago, and WeChat also showed a message.
JL: [Xiaoyu, I just finished my event here. You guys can eat first. You don’t have to wait for me. Sorry!]
Li Xin frowned and returned to the dining table, snapping his phone. "He said there was a traffic jam on the road, so we should eat first!"
A few days ago, Jin Lang called Li Xin to tell her that he had invited Liu Yuwei to his home for dinner this weekend. After all, this was the child he raised, and even if he didn't say it explicitly, as a mother he could more or less guess what he was thinking. But at the critical moment, this guy failed to deliver again.
Liu Yuwei picked up the chopsticks and pretended to be exaggerated, "Alas, someone is not lucky enough to taste the freshly baked sweet and sour spare ribs!"
Traffic in northern Beijing was unimpeded except during the Chinese New Year, when it was like a deserted city. Otherwise, it all depended on luck. After a meal, Jin Lang still hadn't returned.
Liu Yuwei had an appointment that evening and took the initiative to say goodbye at around 7 o'clock. Li Xin's expression became more and more helpless. He couldn't force her to stay, so he had to send her to the gate of the community under the pretext of going downstairs to throw away the garbage.
…
Ever since they knew they would be returning to Beijing for the weekend, the staff and Xiao Zhou noticed that Jin Lang seemed to be in a particularly good mood.
Although he was usually extremely polite in his interactions with others, without any celebrity airs, his polite smile in social situations always carried a certain distance. However, over the past two days, he had radiated warmth, and the joy in his eyes was palpable.
Worried about flight delays, Jin Lang even told Xiao Zhou to buy a high-speed train ticket early Saturday morning. After a late-night production, Xiao Zhou arrived at the station after less than three hours of sleep. Xiao Zhou couldn't help but yawn, but when he turned around and saw Jin Lang next to him, full of energy and spirit, he secretly sighed that he was no ordinary person!
No matter how much we planned, no one could have expected that the high-speed train would be delayed.
The event was forced to be postponed, and to apologize to the brand, Zhang Yi even agreed to add an interview segment. The bright lights blazed down on his face, and Jin Lang forced himself to maintain a businesslike smile.
After leaving the venue and getting into the nanny car, my smile immediately disappeared. I checked the time on the map navigation and my heart sank.
After finally getting through the traffic jam, Jin Lang was about to reach home when he received a WeChat message from Li Xin, telling him that Liu Yuwei had already left. With nowhere to vent his frustration, he pounded the seat with his fist, instantly waking Xiao Zhou, who was dozing off in the back seat.
"What's wrong? What happened?"
No one answered.
Jin Lang glanced out the window and saw a familiar figure standing under the street light at the entrance of the community in the distance. It was dark at night and he was not very sure.
As the distance got closer, he hurriedly shouted to the driver to pull over, his voice filled with uncontrollable excitement.
The electric door opened with a click. He leaned out, and as soon as one leg touched the ground, he caught a glimpse of the familiar red Cayenne parked steadily next to Liu Yuwei.
Although they were three or five meters apart, the corners of her lips extended towards her ears, and the soft curve of her cheeks created by her smile fell clearly into Jin Lang's eyes.
It's like swallowing a plum covered with icing sugar. After a little bit of sweetness, it's filled with sourness that makes you speechless.
…
In the twilight, the neon sign of Freelance cast colorful light and shadows on the car window. Ren Yiming parked the car steadily at the door, threw the keys to the doorman, and walked around to the other side to open the car door for Liu Yuwei.
The glass door swung open, and the air, swirling with electronic music, numbed my eardrums. Heat mingled with the scent of alcohol washed over me, making it hard to tell whether it was winter or summer.
Liu Yuwei took off her coat and stuffed it into Ren Yiming's arm, then stood on tiptoe and spoke loudly in his ear.
"I'm going to the bathroom, see you at the bar later!"
Ren Yiming leaned against the bar, slowly shaking the whiskey in his hand. The round ice ball hit the carved glass, making a pleasant crisp sound.
The moment the lights swept across the dance floor, he saw Liu Yuwei like a fish with glittering silver scales, slipping from the darkness into the boiling crowd and swimming towards him.
Her straight legs were clad in distressed jeans, the whitened rips of which looked as if they had been slashed by a sharp object. Her steps followed the rhythm, her knees barely visible. The black cardigan she was wearing draped over her fair arms, and a red, one-shoulder top revealed her slender neck.
When he got closer, Liu Yuwei stretched out his hand and snapped his fingers in front of his eyes.
"Hey handsome guy, would you like to buy me a drink?"
Her wavy hair draped lazily over her shoulders, the ends of her hair damp and wet, curling against her collarbone. Her lips were flaming red, and her asymmetrical earrings swayed gently with her movements.
Ren Yiming looked up and met her mischievous smile. He hadn't seen her dressed like this for a long time. He deliberately glanced up and down at the woman opposite him with a playful and slightly aggressive look, acting like a typical bar thug.
"My beautiful lady, drink this glass of Glenfiddich I'm buying you, and you're mine tonight!"
Ren Yiming narrowed his peach blossom eyes and pushed another glass of wine that he had prepared in front of Liu Yuwei.
A pink fist hit his shoulder, and he pretended to lose his balance and fell on Liu Yuwei, but she dodged it nimbly.
"Get up, get up, you're so frivolous!"
Liu Yuwei scolded with a smile.
He straightened up with an innocent expression.
"You're already dressed like this, if I act too serious, it'll ruin the atmosphere!"
Liu Yuwei sat on a high stool, casually tossed her long hair, picked up the wine beside her and clinked the glass with Ren Yiming's.
"Thank you so much for the bidding!"
Her voice was a little soft, drowned out by the restless drum beats on the dance floor.
Ren Yiming seemed not to hear clearly, "What did you say?"
Liu Yuwei leaned over slightly and repeated what she had just said in his ear again.
He spread his hands and said loudly, "I didn't do anything! But if you want to thank me sincerely, don't you have to show some sincerity?"
Liu Yuwei raised the glass and took a sip. The fresh fruity aroma and the taste of hops bloomed on the tip of his tongue, and he continued according to what Ren Yiming said.
"How can I show my sincerity?"
Ren Yiming moved his stool so that he was almost touching Liu Yuwei.
Just as he was about to speak, a young man with dyed blond hair came over and sat down on the other side of Liu Yuwei with a colorful cocktail in his hand.
"Beautiful lady, can I buy you a drink?"
Hearing the sound, Liu Yuwei tiptoed and turned her chair. Only then did Ren Yiming realize that the shirt that looked ordinary from the front actually held a secret.
The back straps crisscrossed symmetrically along her spine to form a huge V, and her exposed skin glowed like honey. The hanging strings flickered under the laser light, like a snake spitting out its tongue.
No wonder someone came up to chat with her!
The blond man saw that a glass of wine had been placed in front of her, the music vibrating and the amber liquid glistening.
"Whiskey is too strong for a pretty girl like you!"
He flexed his fingers and tapped the bar, "A Long Island for this beautiful lady!"
Liu Yuwei watched the strange man's "performance" with interest, then turned and gave Ren Yiming a look.
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