After complaining about men together, Bai Weiwei felt a bit better. Then the two of them had a hearty taste of the wedding banquet dishes. When they put down their chopsticks, Su Yang felt that her waistband had tightened by an inch.
"I can't eat anymore. I'm stuffed," Bai Weiwei on the side said, waving the white flag and putting down her bowl. But even though she was full, she didn't forget the only purpose of this trip. She pointed at the braised mutton in the middle of the table and asked, "Don't you think it's a bit redundant to eat mutton this season?"
Su Yang took a look and nodded. "Actually, there's already a braised pig's trotter on the menu. I think we can replace the mutton with something else."
"Right," Bai Weiwei said, more determined since they shared the same opinion. "Is there anything else you think is not quite right?"
"I also think the rice cake is just so - so. It's too dry to be a dessert after the meal," Su Yang said honestly. "How about simply replacing it with sweet osmanthus soup with glutinous rice balls? It's sweet and has the same auspicious meaning. Don't add fermented glutinous rice, in case some people can't drive after eating it."
Seeing Bai Weiwei nod, Su Yang stood up and said, "I'll go to the restroom first. I'll also call the head manager in for you. Let's communicate with them directly today. This way, we can avoid making mistakes over the phone."
"Okay. I'll call Qi Feifan and ask him what he wants to replace the mutton with."
As Bai Weiwei said this, she picked up her phone. Su Yang then turned around and walked out of the private room. After calling the duty manager who had been greeting guests outside, she went straight to the restroom.
When Su Yang pushed open the restroom door, she was looking down at her phone and didn't notice what was in front of her. Just then, someone was about to come out. The door was pushed open by Su Yang, and the person didn't have time to back away and almost got hit by the door edge.
"Don't you look when you push the door? Are you blind!"
"Sorry," Su Yang replied instinctively.
But the shrill voice echoing in the empty restroom was so familiar that Su Yang shuddered and looked up from her phone.
"Sorry? Do you know who I am? Can you afford to compensate if you hurt me... Oh, I was wondering why there's someone who doesn't look where they're going. It turns out to be my good elder sister who always looks down on others."
A soft laugh followed. Su Yang took a closer look and indeed saw Su Qian standing in front of her.
It had been a while since they last met. Su Qian seemed to have changed. Not only was her dressing style more mature than before, but the arrogant and pampered look on her face was also gone. Instead, there was an air of vulgarity. She was far less eye - catching than before.
Su Yang couldn't really tell whether the feeling Su Qian gave her now was good or bad.
She was clearly wearing delicate makeup, a high - end custom - made cocktail dress, and a platinum handbag that was obviously very expensive. But for some reason, Su Yang could only see a vulgar kind of beauty in Su Qian.
"Move aside," Su Yang said indifferently, pushing against the door. She didn't want to have too much interaction with Su Qian.
Surprisingly, Su Qian this time was calm. Hearing this, she even took a step back and said with a smile, "What a coincidence! I can meet you here." As she said this, she tiptoed and looked outside, then asked falsely, "Are you alone? Where's Mr. Xu?"
Su Yang didn't want to talk to her at all. She let go of the door and walked inside to the sink. She turned on the faucet and started washing her hands.
Su Qian watched her wash her hands quietly. Her eyes with colored contact lenses squinted slightly. Suddenly, without saying a word, she pushed the door open and walked out.
It was not until the heavy wooden door of the restroom was slammed shut that Su Yang slowly raised her head. But in an instant, a sense of unease welled up in her heart.
She quickly turned off the faucet, leaned on the sink and thought for a few seconds. Then she shook the water off her hands and opened the door to go out.
Just at the corner of the corridor, she was suddenly stopped by a man in a neat suit with a smiling face.
"Ms. Su," the man seemed to be very familiar with her. There was no sense of strangeness in his voice. "Mr. Xu would like to take a few minutes of your time and invite you for a cup of tea."
The man spoke with a standard Beijing accent at a slow and steady pace.
"Which Mr. Xu?" Su Yang took a step back. Due to the guests and waiters coming and going in the corridor, she didn't show any particular panic.
"Xu Wenfeng, Mr. Xu, the fourth uncle of Mr. Xu Lize," the man said with a smile. "Ms. Su, don't worry. Mr. Xu really just wants to invite you for a cup of tea. Since your sister happens to be here too, Mr. Xu said that as a family, it's good to have a cup of tea and get to know each other."
There was so much information in his words that it made Su Yang stop in her tracks.
Seeing this, the man continued to explain with a smile, "If you're not at ease, Ms. Su, after you go in, Mr. Xu said he will call Mr. Xu Lize personally to tell him that he has invited you for a cup of tea."
Su Yang hesitated for a few seconds. Then, while the man waited patiently, she called Bai Weiwei and told her that she had met a friend here and was going to catch up with the friend. She asked Bai Weiwei to go back first after she was done and that she would take the subway home later.
Bai Weiwei was a bit cautious. On the phone, she directly asked if Su Yang had informed Xu Lize, because she knew that Su Yang had told Xu Lize that she was going to the Caesar Hotel with her to taste the dishes.
After getting a positive answer from Su Yang, Bai Weiwei hung up the phone with confidence.
Half an hour later, after double - checking and confirming all the dishes with the hotel manager, Bai Weiwei finally happily headed home.
When the car drove out of the parking lot and merged into the traffic, she habitually turned on the radio to relax. Coincidentally, the radio was reporting the time. It was exactly 9:30 p.m.
Bai Weiwei instantly remembered what Su Yang had said on the phone about taking the subway home after meeting her friend.
But it was already 9:30 p.m. There was only Subway Line 5 available from the hotel where they had dinner. Moreover, Line 5 didn't go directly to Wutong No. 1 and it would stop operating at 10 p.m.
Bai Weiwei thought it over and felt a bit worried. She originally wanted to call Su Yang directly to remind her not to take the subway if it was too late and to take a taxi instead.
But then she thought about Su Yang's gentle nature and changed her mind. She directly dialed Xu Lize's phone number without asking.
The phone rang twice and was picked up. As soon as Xu Lize said "Hello", Bai Weiwei started speaking.
"Mr. Xu, has Yangyang contacted you? I'm on my way back. I'm afraid she'll miss the subway if she talks with someone at the hotel too late. Do you plan to pick her up or let her take a taxi home?"
"Contact about what?" Xu Lize on the other end of the phone was completely confused. His voice also sounded tense. "Wasn't she with you at the Caesar Hotel to taste the dishes? You're back. Why didn't you bring her back with you?"
Hearing this, Bai Weiwei's heart skipped a beat. She thought to herself, "This is a disaster!"