One remark from Liu Xinyu brought that day's gathering to an end.
Zeng Haiyan hurried to agree, and no one objected.
No one even suggested finishing the drinks in their glasses.
Chairs scraped against the floor in a chorus of screeches.
"Liu Xinyu, thanks for treating us today!"
"My treat next time. Let's get together again!"
"We'll head out first. You guys enjoy yourselves."
They stood up one after another, offering polite goodbyes.
Chen Xiaoying went out, then came back to add Wang Xiaoliang on WeChat.
Of everyone there, Li Xiaoman and Xiao Weijin were closest to Fang Dongxu.
"Liu Xinyu, how about I treat you and your wife to the buffet at the Hyatt tomorrow?"
"Sorry, Xiaoman, we've already got plans tomorrow, and our flight is early the following morning. There's a lot to deal with at home."
"You really are something. Next time you're here, you have to let me know first!"
"Sure."
"Well, let's just let Dongxu sleep here!"
"All right! Leave him to us."
"Okay, I'll head out, then."
When Xiao Weijin and He Runya left, they did not even say goodbye.
Fang Dongxu, drunk out of his mind, was now like a bag of rubbish dumped in a corner, with no one paying him any further attention.
In the blink of an eye, the private room had emptied out.
The six in Wang Xiaoliang's group remained, along with Zeng Haiyan and Huang Xueli. They moved to the other end of the room, farther from the stinking area.
Yet they still felt as though the smell surrounded them.
Wang Xiaoliang looked at Fang Dongxu, who was snoring like thunder, and nudged Zhou Qiang with his elbow. "Brother Qiang, what do we do with this guy? We can't actually leave him here, can we?"
Zhou Qiang frowned