Chapter 22 [VIP]
Chapter summary: "If only I had a girl."
The private room was very spacious, with a reception area on one side and a dining area on the other. A TV was hanging in the center, playing the restaurant's promotional video on a loop.
As soon as Ni Zhenzhen entered, she was drawn to the floor-to-ceiling windows that covered an entire wall. The night outside was deep, with twinkling lights embedded in the windows, as if someone had scattered a handful of colorful diamonds into the dark sky.
Ni Zhenzhen couldn't help but marvel at the scene before her, and even the image of her home in her heart became clearer.
"Manager Ni, please have a seat."
Ni Zhenzhen thanked him and sat down in the seat closest to her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a pack of cigarettes on an empty seat, and a half-empty cup of Jin Jun Mei tea in a white porcelain cup. Presumably, Zhang Wang had been sitting there before he left.
It was Ni Zhenzhen's first time at such an event, so she was inevitably a little nervous. She was still figuring out how to start when the woman who had led her in spoke first: "President Zhang really has a wide network. I just asked him if he knew anyone at the bank, and he immediately brought you here." The woman smiled apologetically, "I hope I didn't delay Manager Ni's business?"
“No,” Ni Zhenzhen said. “I also want to make more friends.”
The man then said, "Manager Ni is General Manager Zhang's..."
“Classmate,” Ni Zhenzhen added.
The other person immediately laughed and said, "Hello classmate, we know each other well..."
The man asked Ni Zhenzhen a few more questions, and they gradually started chatting.
Ni Zhenzhen discovered that each of these people was a social expert, let alone when they were together. Although it was their first time meeting, she didn't feel awkward at all.
Perhaps out of respect, those people rarely interacted with each other, but instead unanimously treated Ni Zhenzhen as the main character of the dinner party.
Ni Zhenzhen didn't have a moment to rest. She chatted with one person and then another. Later, someone mentioned the bank's QR code and asked Ni Zhenzhen how to apply for it.
"A QR code for receiving payments?" Without any hesitation, Ni Zhenzhen said bluntly, "I really don't recommend this. Our bank's QR code for receiving payments has high fees and limits. Other companies offer better value for money."
Amidst the slightly surprised expressions of the crowd, Ni Zhenzhen actually recommended another payment QR code that she thought was more cost-effective. Her serious demeanor made it seem like she wasn't joking at all.
After Ni Zhenzhen finished speaking, the people looked at each other and laughed without any attempt to hide their laughter, all saying that Ni Zhenzhen was "too honest".
Ni Zhenzhen didn't think anything of it; she's always been like this.
It's not that no one in the bank sells insurance as a fixed deposit, or only mentions gifts without mentioning fees when applying for a credit card. Ni Zhenzhen insists that, compared to that small commission, one's reputation is more important.
After chatting for more than ten minutes, someone finally remembered something, "The dishes are all served, why hasn't Mr. Zhang returned yet? Should we go check on him?"
The woman in the suit immediately said, "I'll go take a look."
A short while later, the man returned and said to everyone, "Mr. Zhang said we don't need to wait for him."
She put her hand on Ni Zhenzhen's shoulder and said with a smile, "Mr. Zhang said he ordered the dishes without your permission, and he doesn't know if there are any dishes you like." She turned to the waiter and asked him to bring over the tablet computer used for ordering, insisting that Ni Zhenzhen add a few more dishes.
Ni Zhenzhen declined, saying, "No need, that's enough."
The table is so big, it's already overflowing. There are only a few of them, how could they possibly eat so much food?
Ni Zhenzhen recalled Xu Tianzhou's words again. He actually said Zhang Wang was stingy. How could he be stingy? He was clearly extravagant! She would definitely have a good talk with Xu Tianzhou when she got back.
Before Ni Zhenzhen started eating, someone asked her, "Do you want to take a picture?"
"Photograph?"
“Yeah, if you won’t take pictures, I will.” The man took out his phone and started filming as he said, “You guys don’t know, this restaurant is super popular. You have to book a table well in advance. We’re only able to get a table because of Mr. Zhang, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to get any.”
The person first took a panoramic photo, then picked out dishes like braised sea cucumber with black truffle and scallions, braised abalone, and honey-glazed char siu to take pictures of. Finally, after looking through the photos again, he said with satisfaction, "Hmm, all done."
Someone nearby teased, "You're really something, making Manager Ni laugh at you."
Ni Zhenzhen smiled and said, "No."
That's the truth.
Ni Zhenzhen didn't expect that the other party also liked to do the influencer check-in thing, but this move made Ni Zhenzhen's little bit of unease disappear.
Everyone started eating. Ni Zhenzhen took a bite of the roast goose in front of her. The roast goose was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a crispy skin and juicy flesh.
She couldn't resist eating another piece.
As Ni Zhenzhen ate, she thought to herself that she must buy a portion before she left so that Xu Tianzhou could have a taste.
Just as Ni Zhenzhen was eating with her head down, the people opposite her exchanged glances. Then, someone raised their glass and said, "Manager Ni, I'd like to toast you. I hope you'll take good care of me in the future."
Ni Zhenzhen wasn't ignorant of social etiquette. Since she had agreed to come to dinner, she knew that drinking was inevitable. Without thinking much about it, she picked up her glass and took a small sip.
The man feigned anger and said, "Manager Ni, you're not giving me face. I drank it all, and you only drank a little?"
Ni Zhenzhen had no choice but to drink all the wine.
The man finally laughed and said, "Manager Ni is a really straightforward person."
Before she could finish speaking, someone else offered Ni Zhenzhen a toast. Having already drunk the previous glass, she couldn't refuse this one either. After saying a few polite words, Ni Zhenzhen drank it down in one gulp.
Those people praised her for her "good drinking capacity" and poured her another glass.
In such a short time, I haven't eaten much food, but I've drunk quite a bit of wine.
Ni Zhenzhen hadn't drunk much alcohol before and didn't know her alcohol tolerance. At first, she didn't feel anything, but later she started to feel a little dizzy.
Worried that she might get drunk, she wanted to send a message to Xu Tianzhou, but when she took out her phone, she was surprised to find that it had no signal!
In another private room separated by a wall, someone else also discovered the incident.
He turned his phone off and on, then off and on again, but it still had no signal.
A young man with an earring sat on the other side of the table, one leg propped up on the armrest of his chair, idly playing with a lighter. "Brother Zhang Wang, why isn't the girl you mentioned here yet?"
Zhang Wang also found it strange.
My cousin just graduated from university and wants to come here to develop his career. I'm staying at his house for the past two days.
We went out to eat today, and not long after we sat down, my cousin joked that eating like this was really boring, "It would be great if there was a girl here."
"Girl?" Zhang Wang scoffed inwardly. Girls these days are shrewd. If you don't give her a bag, will she have dinner with you?
However, since his cousin had spoken up, he didn't want to lose face in front of him.
Fortunately, he had a sudden inspiration and remembered seeing Ni Zhenzhen's post on WeChat Moments a couple of days ago, saying that people who wanted to buy financial products could contact her.
Zhang Wang immediately pictured Ni Zhenzhen. It was back in school. Ni Zhenzhen was wearing a uniform, with her hair in a ponytail. She was pure and tall, no less attractive than those "internet celebrity" escorts.
He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Isn't this a ready-made girl?"
Most importantly, it's free!
He immediately called Ni Zhenzhen, and as he expected, as soon as he mentioned the opportunity to cooperate, Ni Zhenzhen agreed without hesitation.
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Wang tossed it aside and smugly told his cousin to wait, "I'll show you what true beauty is."
"Wow!" My cousin rubbed his hands excitedly, but he admired Zhang Wang's quick thinking even more. No wonder his family made him come to learn business from Zhang Wang. "Brilliant! You even thanked her after you got her. No wonder so many bars charge men but give it to women for free. So that's what it means."
Who knew that this wait would last until now, my cousin was almost falling asleep.
He said sarcastically, "Brother Zhang Wang, is your stunning girl still coming? You haven't been taken advantage of by someone else, have you?"
"Nonsense!" Zhang Wang glared at him, and his cousin dared not utter another sound.
There was no signal in the private room, so Zhang Wang planned to go outside to make a phone call to urge them to hurry up.
He had just stood up when he heard footsteps outside.
Zhang Wang immediately beamed, "Here we are!"
The door to the private room was pushed open from the outside. My cousin turned around excitedly, only to see a man.
The man was wearing a suit with an overcoat draped over his arm. It didn't look like an expensive brand, but it made him look refined, handsome, and gentle.
My cousin looked the man up and down for a while, and secretly sighed in his heart, "He's good-looking, has a good figure, and there's nothing wrong with him, except that his gender is wrong."
The man looked around and then fixed his slightly aloof gaze on Zhang Wang.
His face was expressionless, but Zhang Wang sensed a questioning tone. Perhaps feeling guilty, Zhang Wang asked somewhat flusteredly, "Xu Tianzhou? What brings you here?"
Xu Tianzhou said leisurely, "Didn't you invite Zhenzhen to dinner? She had something to do and couldn't make it, so she asked me to apologize to you."
My cousin asked, "Who is this...?"
Zhang Wang said impatiently, "He's my high school classmate."
"Wow..." My cousin's eyes suddenly lit up.
If I remember correctly, Zhang Wang attended an international school, so his classmates must be very influential. My cousin immediately stood up and said respectfully, "Hello, Mr. Xu!"
Zhang Wang rolled his eyes and scolded, "What President Xu? He's not him."
"Huh?" My cousin's outstretched hand turned away, and he scratched the back of his head. "What's that?"
"It's nothing!"
Xu Tianzhou didn't care. He pulled up a chair and sat down, saying calmly, "I came here to tell you, don't make a move on her."
"Me, making a move on her?" Zhang Wang sneered. "Only you would treat her like a treasure. Don't you know that it's already been spread among the classmates that Ni Zhenzhen is a fraud?"
Xu Tianzhou didn't seem surprised. He tilted his head slightly and asked, "What could she possibly be lying to me about?"
Zhang Wang was stumped by the question. Xu Tianzhou was different from them; he had nothing and there was really nothing to lie about.
Inside the private room, Xu Tianzhou sat while Zhang Wang stood, yet Zhang Wang seemed several feet shorter than Xu Tianzhou. He couldn't think of anything more vicious to say. After a long while, Zhang Wang spat out a mouthful and said fiercely, "You two are a perfect match."
Xu Tianzhou's lips curved into a handsome smile, and he sincerely praised, "After all this time, you've finally said something sensible." Perhaps it was this sentence that pleased Xu Tianzhou so much, that he stood up and said before leaving, "I'll pay your bill."
My cousin was dumbfounded.
After Xu Tianzhou left, his cousin was still in shock. "You said you weren't President Xu? You're so generous. I begged you for days before you finally brought me here to eat, and you just waved the bill away."
Zhang Wang sarcastically remarked, "Look at your ignorant attitude, how much could this meal possibly cost?"
“This is considered not much money? Even if the food was cheap, the wine was expensive.” My cousin’s eyes were filled with longing. “When can I be like him?” He imitated Xu Tianzhou’s tone and said, “I’ll pay your bill. Wow, so cool.”
"Handsome my foot! You think he's really rich? He's just putting on a show!" Zhang Wang said viciously, then spat towards the door, "Pah, stop pretending with me."
My cousin, however, was unimpressed. "Being so generous when you're broke is even more admirable!" He looked at Zhang Wang expectantly. "By the way, that girl..."
Zhang Wang retorted angrily, "You look like a girl to me!" He casually tossed a pack of cigarettes over, which his cousin immediately caught, grinned, and stuffed into his pocket, saying, "Thanks, Brother Zhang Wang."
Zhang Wang cursed and shouted, "Give it back to me!"
"I told you you were stingy. Mr. Xu would never be like you, giving something away and expecting it back. He won't give it back!"
Zhang Wang was furious, but there was nothing he could do.
He thought for a moment, compared to losing half a pack of cigarettes, Xu Tianzhou had spent a month's salary just to show off in front of him. He'd probably be starving next month, wouldn't he?
Thinking of this, Zhang Wang smiled smugly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com