"Little Shen, there you are! Come, sit down. We old fellows have been waiting so long we're starving." The Chief chuckled and patted the seat beside him.
Shen Bing discreetly rolled his eyes. The Chief's words were... well, a little hard to believe.
What time was it, anyway? It wasn't even half past six.
He smiled without calling the Chief out and glanced at the only remaining seat beside him.
Chief Zhou, standing on the Chief's other side, smiled. "There's another table over there. Your three... friends will be seated there. You don't mind, do you?"
Shen Bing understood that they probably intended to discuss some confidential matters later. He immediately smiled and said, "Of course not."
Secretary Jiang gestured with a smile. "This way, please, all three of you."
Yun Xue and Yuan Wei didn't give it much thought. They acknowledged him and headed inside.
Li Xiao maintained a calm expression, discreetly surveying their surroundings before following them in.
Once the three had left, everyone took their seats, and several servers began bringing out the dishes.
The dining table was fairly large, but only eight people sat at it, including Shen Bing.
"Chief, isn't this... a little too lavish?" Shen Bing offered the polite remark as he surveyed the wide variety of dishes.
Chief Zhou smiled. "Frankly, it's rather embarrassing. Serving this meal to you, Scientist Shen, is like showing off our skills before a master. Every dish was made by a Spirit Immortal Intelligent Robot. Their efficiency really is beyond reproach. These robots you've developed have thoroughly spoiled the palates of us old fellows."
"As long as you're all satisfied!" Shen Bing chuckled, looking rather pleased with himself.
After a few pleasantries, they began eating in earnest, and the conversation turned to the matter at hand.
"Little Shen,