Chapter 178 The bar is fun because it teases you
The feud between Xie Zhigang and Xu Zhengkang stemmed from Xu Zhengkang's often ambivalent nature. They were collaborating on a business project, with Xu Zhengkang's company handling procurement. He double-crossed the process, accepting bribes from suppliers and lying about the purchase amount to Nongda Yun. Xie Zhigang discovered his misconduct. Due to their long-standing friendship and the timely discovery of the matter, which prevented any actual losses, Xie Zhigang refrained from punishing him. However, he no longer wished to work with someone like him, and the two severed ties.
By the time Xu Sirui approached Xie Zhigang, he was already retired, in his sixties. Since the incident hadn't been pursued immediately, he couldn't afford to let it drag on and provoke trouble for years. However, in appreciation of Xu Sirui's assistance in upgrading the company's systems, Xie Zhigang provided him with another lead—evidence that Xu Zhengkang had been substituting inferior products for quality ones.
With this evidence as a starting point, Xu Sirui spent several months contacting countless former employees and suppliers of Xu Zhengkang, gradually gathering old evidence. He eventually filed a lawsuit. Before the trial, he overheard court officials jokingly referring to his case as one of sacrificing one's own family for the sake of justice.
"That's quite accurate." The street scene outside the car flashed by, and he snorted, but the sarcastic ending of his laughter was drowned out by the wind.
He said Xu Zhengkang would most likely request a second trial, but that didn't matter; no matter how he tried, he would fight to the end. He also said that Zhang Haisheng, Xu Zhengkang's childhood friend, hadn't attended the court hearing, and that instead, a group of dubious friends had come.
"Zhang Haisheng may be scared now, but there's no point in being scared. Whether it's him or Xu Zhengkang, or whether it's the past bad debts or what they did to my mother, I will settle them all sooner or later. None of them will be able to escape."
His tone was calm when he said this, and his eyes were full of tranquility, but only those who have experienced and witnessed it can understand that his current calmness was gained by the unwillingness of many times of incompetence in the past.
After Xu Sirui finished speaking, he tilted his head slightly and saw Zhu Yingning looking at him with a smile.
Unlike the joke just now, her smile was very light, like a gentle breeze and warm rain, morning glow and flowing water. Her eyes curved into soft arcs because of her smile, and her eyelashes were deep.
He raised his fingers that were resting on the seat, subconsciously wanting to touch her eyes. Halfway through, he realized what was happening and put his hand back. He cleared his throat in a disguised manner and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
"I'm happy for you, Xu Sirui." She said with a smile, "From now on, no one can hurt you."
His heart was suddenly filled with anxiety, but he turned his face to the side, supported his chin with his hand, looked at the street scene outside the car window, and muttered, "...There is still some."
"Who?" she asked curiously.
He stared at her for a moment in the reflection of the window glass and said, "I don't know."
**
When the online taxi stopped, Zhu Yingning realized that she had forgotten to ask Xu Sirui where the destination was.
"Where are we going now?" She unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car.
Xu Sirui put his hand on the roof of the car to prevent her from hitting her head when getting out of the car in the dark: "Eat dinner."
"Are you sure you want to eat here?" She stopped and stared at the bar in front of her in a daze.
The bar was located in an alley. Perhaps because of its location or because it was still early, the entrance was deserted. There was only a cheap sign stuck on the ground with the name of the bar written on it. It was in French and she couldn't read it.
The bar door was ajar. Xu Sirui pushed it open. The lights inside were only half on. A man, who was either a customer or an employee, was sitting in the corner. Seeing them, he said familiarly, "Good morning."
"Good morning." Xu Sirui responded.
"Good morning." Although he didn't understand the meaning of "good morning" so late in the evening, out of politeness, Zhu Yingning also greeted him cheerfully.
She asked Xu Sirui if this was the bar he often came to, and he shook his head and said it was his first time there too.
"Then why you responded to that person just now was so natural..." she complained inwardly.
"We Beijingers are just so welcoming."
"?"
After choosing a double seat in the bar, Xu Sirui asked the person who was either a customer or an employee if the bar had any staple foods.
"Huh? You're ordering main courses at a bar? How weird." The man stood up, scratched his hair, and yawned as he said, "Here's some leftover pizza from my takeout. Do you want any? I've never had it before, and I only wanted to order one, but my eyesight wasn't working well after waking up, so I ordered a set meal for two, and it was the durian pizza I hate the most. If you want it, it's free, but otherwise it's going to go in the trash."
Zhu Yingning was stunned by this relaxed answer, thinking to herself, aren't you weird? What stunned her even more was that Xu Sirui actually said, "Then take it out and let me see it. Thank you."
"Do we really have to eat other people's leftover takeout...?" She couldn't help but wonder if Xu Sirui was having some financial difficulties because he had to pay for a lawyer to fight the lawsuit. She hinted tactfully, "Today is the day of your victory. It should be my treat. Let's go find a restaurant you like and order some dishes you like."
"No need." Xu Sirui refused, and said, "If you don't like it, we can order takeout again."
...Do I have to order this takeaway? Do I have to wait in this bar?
She ultimately didn't ask these questions, as the man she suspected to be the boss had already returned with his leftover takeout. She stiffly thanked him and waited for him to leave before carefully examining the box of durian pizza in front of her—the packaging was intact, the food seal hadn't been removed, and there were no suspicious holes on it that might indicate injection.
Zhu Yingning's serious attitude made Xu Sirui, who was sitting opposite her, chuckle softly: "What's your impression of bars? There's no need to be so nervous."
He said that although it was his first time here, this bar was opened by Zhang Lin's cousin, and the relaxed boss was Zhang Lin's cousin. They had met each other before while playing games and knew each other well.
After she finished listening, her cheeks flushed slightly with embarrassment and anger, and she lowered her voice and asked, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I thought you didn't know each other."
"Because it's fun to tease you." He folded his arms and leaned back, lazily leaning against the backrest of his chair. He tapped the table with his fingertips and looked at her with a half-smile. "But it's good to be safety-conscious."
“…”
"Eat, just a little something to fill your stomach first." Xu Sirui pointed at the pizza box, "We'll have dinner later when we're done."
She tore off the seal, put on gloves, and pulled out a piece of the still-warm pizza. She instinctively wanted to give it to him, but halfway through, she decided he was too annoying, so she turned around and put it in her own mouth. After she finished chewing and swallowing the pizza in her mouth, Zhu Yingning asked the question that had puzzled her since she came in: "What do you mean by finished? Are there any activities in this bar?"
"Yeah." He replied calmly, raising his chin slightly and motioning her to look behind him. "There's a flash mob event with a famous band. Let's grab a good seat now while no one's around. Otherwise, if fans find out and post it online, we won't be able to get in even if we grow wings on our backs."
Famous band?
She had a vague premonition in her heart, and turned around, only to see five people walking in from the main entrance of the bar. The one leading them was Shao Yanjun, whom she had not seen for a long time.
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