Qin Lie smiled but did not answer.
This is the boss's secret; even if the boss's father asks, he can't tell.
Cheng Jianguo glanced at him but didn't ask any further questions.
He turned and walked towards the parking lot, his steps unhurried, the plastic bag dangling from his arm.
Qin Lie chose the restaurant for the meal; it was a local Shanghainese restaurant not far from the hotel.
The private room wasn't large, with a round table and six chairs.
A traditional Chinese ink painting hangs on the wall, and the warm yellow light casts a thin sheen on the tableware.
Jiang Xue took Su Miaoyin's hand and led her inside, asking her to sit next to her.
Su Miaoyin was pressed into the chair, still a little reserved, with her hands on her knees and her back ramrod straight.
Cheng Che sat on her other side, Cheng Jianguo sat opposite Jiang Xue, Qin Lie sat next to Cheng Jianguo, saying it would be convenient for them to drink together.
After ordering the food, Jiang Xue remembered to ask Su Miaoyin.
"Young lady, what's your name?"
Jiang Xue turned to the side, resting one hand on the back of the chair, looking at Su Miaoyin with a smile in her eyes.
" Su Miaoyin," Su Miaoyin said, her voice still a little tense, "Auntie, just call me Miaoyin."
" Miaoyin." Jiang Xue read it aloud and nodded. "It's a nice name. Where is your hometown?"
"From Shandong."
" Shandong is great," Jiang Xue said. " Shandong people are honest and straightforward."
She paused, then asked, "How old are you this year?"
Twenty-two.
"He's four years older than our Cheng Che."
Jiang Xue said, her tone implying that "being four years older is good".
She glanced at Cheng Che, then turned back, "You two go to school together, do you see each other often?"
Su Miaoyin's chopsticks held a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs, which hovered in mid-air.
She glanced at Cheng Che Cheng Che, who was engrossed in eating, pretending not to have heard anything.
She bit the tip of her chopsticks and whispered:
"See you during music club class."
"Good morning, class." Jiang Xue nodded, then reached into Su Miaoyin's bowl and placed another piece of braised pork in it, her movements natural, as if she were serving food to a family member. "So, what do you usually talk about?"
Su Miaoyin's ears turned red.
She lowered her head, stirred the braised pork in her bowl, and lowered her voice even further. "Let's... let's talk about music."
"The music is great." Jiang Xue was increasingly satisfied. Leaning back in her chair, her gaze lingered on Su Miaoyin's face for a couple of seconds. "Can you sing?"
"Yes, I know a little."
"Then sing a song for Auntie next time."
Su Miaoyin's face was already red all the way to her neck.
She lowered her head, stuffed the braised pork from the bowl into her mouth, chewed twice, and almost choked.
As she reached for the water glass, her fingers slid along the side of the glass, Cheng Che pushed the glass towards her.
She took it and drank a mouthful, and it took her a while to recover.
Cheng Jianguo sat opposite him, watching everything unfold. He raised his glass and clinked it against Qin Lie's.
" Old Qin," he said, "You've had a long trip."
"It's no trouble at all," Qin Lie said, finishing his drink. "It's nothing."
After clinking glasses, the two poured more and clinked glasses again.
Cheng Jianguo didn't say much, he just drank and occasionally picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks.
Qin Lie didn't ask any questions and drank with him, but each time they clinked glasses, he only touched his lips to the rim of the glass.
Jiang Xue was still asking.
She asked Su Miaoyin how many people were in her family, what her parents did, and whether she planned to stay in Capital City or return to Shandong.
Su Miaoyin answered each question one by one, becoming more and more fluent with each response. The blush on her face gradually faded, and her speech became much more natural.
When she mentioned that her parents ran a small restaurant in Shandong, Jiang Xue slammed her hand on the table and said, "Then we're in the same business." Su Miaoyin was taken aback for a moment, then laughed.
Cheng Che listened from the side and felt that this meal was more tiring than fighting a five-game battle.
Moreover, Su Miaoyin was quite modest, calling it a small restaurant when it was clearly a five-star hotel.
Halfway through the meal, Cheng Jianguo put down his wine glass and glanced at Cheng Che.
"Son."
"Um?"
"I discussed it with your mother," Cheng Jianguo said excitedly, putting his chopsticks down on his bowl. "Since we're already here, I'd like to go to Disneyland. Your mother has never been before."
Cheng Che was taken aback.
He turned his head and met Su Miaoyin's gaze.
The two of them simultaneously recalled their day at Disneyland.
Su Miaoyin's face turned red again, Cheng Che's lips twitched.
"I'll go with you," he said.
"No." Cheng Jianguo waved his hand, pressing his palm down in the air. "You're about to have the finals, don't get distracted. Your mother and I can go by ourselves."
"Are you sure you can manage?" Cheng Che asked. "It's quite big over there, and queuing up will be a real hassle."
Cheng Jianguo glanced at him, raised an eyebrow, and looked slightly resentful.
"Your dad may be getting old, but he's not so old that he can't use a mobile phone. We can look up travel guides and use navigation. Don't worry about us."
Jiang Xue nodded beside her, but her gaze never left Su Miaoyin.
" Miaoyin," she suddenly spoke, leaning closer to Su Miaoyin, "Have you ever been to Disneyland?"
Su Miaoyin was taken aback. "I... I've been there before."
"Are you familiar with them or not?"
"It's alright," Su Miaoyin said. "I just went there yesterday."
After she finished speaking, she realized she had let something slip, and her face turned red again.
Her fingers clenched on the tablecloth for a moment, then released.
Jiang Xue's eyes lit up.
She glanced at Cheng Che, then at Su Miaoyin, the smile on her lips growing wider and wider.
"Then you take Auntie there," Jiang Xue said. "If Auntie goes with you, your uncle won't lead the way."
"I won't lead the way blindly," Cheng Jianguo said.
Jiang Xue ignored him.
Su Miaoyin nodded.
She nodded very seriously, her chin slightly tucked in, as if she had accepted some important task.
"Okay. I'll take Uncle and Auntie."
Jiang Xue was extremely satisfied with her serious expression.
She patted Su Miaoyin's hand under the table, then turned to Cheng Jianguo and said, "Just the three of us will go tomorrow, let Cheng Che get some rest."
Cheng Jianguo glanced at her, then at Su Miaoyin, and finally at Cheng Che.
He picked up his wine glass and clinked it against Qin Lie's again.
" Old Qin," he said.
"Um."
"You mean this kid?" Cheng Jianguo paused, his gaze lingering on Cheng Che's face for a moment, "Isn't he better at interpersonal relationships than we are?"
Qin Lie almost spat out his wine. He coughed twice, put down his glass, and patted his chest.
" Brother Cheng," he said, "I'm not in a position to comment on the boss's affairs."
Cheng Jianguo glanced at him but said nothing more. He tilted his head back and drank the wine in one gulp, then lowered his head and picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks.
The atmosphere at the dinner table returned to that slightly awkward but warm and cozy state.
Jiang Xue was still chatting with Su Miaoyin, asking her what she liked to eat, where she usually went, and if anyone bullied her at school.
Su Miaoyin answered each question one by one, her voice much more relaxed than before. She even took the initiative to ask Jiang Xue some questions, such as what Cheng Che was like when he was a child.
Cheng Che kept his head down while eating, occasionally glancing up at Su Miaoyin before continuing to look down.
Cheng Jianguo and Qin Lie clinked glasses several more times.
The two didn't talk much; they just drank.
Cheng Jianguo's face was a little flushed from drinking. He leaned back in his chair, watching the three people across the table, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
He turned his head and said something to Qin Lie.
When I was young, I didn't have his skills.
Qin Lie smiled but didn't reply.