"Qingyu, drive slowly!" Liu Xinyu reminded her.
"Okay, don't worry."
The women headed downstairs again. Since their excitement still hadn't worn off, no one objected this time.
Zhou Qiang watched them disappear down the stairs and shook his head.
"A woman's stomach really is a marvelous thing."
"As long as it's something delicious, something they've never tried, or something they want to eat, they can always squeeze in more."
"I'm going to the restroom. We'll talk in a bit."
Wang Xiaoliang stood up too.
"Me too."
They left the tea room one after the other.
The corridor was quiet. They could faintly hear a car starting downstairs, followed by the sound of its engine fading into the distance.
A little later.
The four of them were seated again.
Fresh tea was poured into each cup.
Zhou Qiang picked up his cup and blew on the steam, but didn't drink.
"Go on."
"We shouldn't be interrupted again this time."
Liu Xinyu held his own cup, his fingers rubbing its warm surface.
"Where... was I?"
"Your dad called and told you to come home," Fan Qishan said.
"Right."
As though those words had brought him back, Liu Xinyu nodded.
"My dad called and told me to come home."
"I listened."
"Actually, I used to listen to my dad too. I almost never argued with him, because I knew arguing was useless. But I could simply not do what he said."
"I'd known how to agree to his face and disobey behind his back since I was little."
"But this time, I was unusually obedient."
"The day after graduation, I bought a plane ticket and went home."
"Without a moment's hesitation."
"The night I got home, my dad called me into his study."
"The two of us talked for four whole hours."
Liu