There were plenty of restaurants near the hospital, but the food was all mediocre.
Huang Ling rode in Liang Wenpei's car, and the two drove for a while before picking a decent Thai restaurant in a shopping mall.
The menu was in Liang Wenpei's hands for less than two seconds before Huang Ling snatched it away. She flipped through it once and placed the order.
The lemon water had lemongrass leaves added to it, and it tasted quite refreshing.
Liang Wenpei took a phone call midway through the meal. He made no effort to be discreet and answered it right in front of Huang Ling.
Sitting across from him, Huang Ling vaguely heard a woman's voice on the other end. Her hands, which had been cupping her cheeks, moved imperceptibly from her face to her ears, and she plugged them with her fingers.
Though the gesture was subtle, Liang Wenpei still noticed.
He raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. After hanging up, he saw Huang Ling release her fingers and teased, "Manager Huang's professionalism is truly top-notch."
Huang Ling rubbed her ears, which felt slightly off after being pressed for so long. "Should I have Lawyer Liang send me a banner of commendation?"
Recalling how she'd once offered to send him a cardboard box to sleep under a bridge for the winter, Liang Wenpei gave a stiff smile and shot back, "If you ever get fined for littering, I'll defend you for free—guaranteed to turn a life sentence into a death sentence."
Huang Ling laughed in spite of her irritation. "So we're not good friends anymore?"
Liang Wenpei spread his hands. "We are. That's why I'm defending you for free."
Huang Ling mimicked his earlier smile, all grins but gritting her teeth. "I really want to grab a shared bike and run you over."
"Come on then." Liang Wenpei grinned, his face full of provocation. "Think I'd avoid your charge?"
"Give me a few multiple-choice questions and you'll be utterly defeated." Huang Ling said, a mischievous idea surfacing in her mind. "Lawyer Liang, do you love your dad more or your mom more?"
Seeing him at a loss for words, Huang Ling's mood lifted beyond measure. She was so happy that she ate ravenously at lunch and ended up stuffed.
After Liang Wenpei dropped Huang Ling off, he went to the courthouse in the afternoon to submit materials. Checking the time and seeing it was about right, he didn't return to the firm. His mother had called him at noon to pick up the cake.
After picking up the cake, he went straight to the restaurant.
In the private room, his grandparents had already arrived. Liang Guodong was chatting with them, Pei Wenliang was scrolling through her phone with earphones on, and Pei Xiaomei sat nearby handling work matters.
Besides the family, there were also a few of Liang Guodong's friends.
"Grandpa, Grandma." Liang Wenpei handed the cake to the private room attendant to store in the fridge. "Dad, Mom, uncles."
The ingratiating smile Liang Guodong had worn while chatting with the elders switched off like a button, replaced by a stern face as he coldly looked at Liang Wenpei. "Today is your grandparents' birthday. As the youngest, you're the last to arrive. Are you that busy?"
"Busy, yes." Liang Wenpei went along with it.
Caught off guard by his son's bluntness, Liang Guodong's face momentarily lost composure. Not wanting to lose face in front of his friends, he was about to speak when the elders stepped in to mediate.
"It's good that he's busy with work at his age—it means his boss values him." Grandma said, then looked at Pei Xiaomei. "Xiaomei, everyone's here. Have them serve the dishes."
Pei Wenliang took off her earphones, glanced at her brother sitting beside her, and quietly gave him a thumbs up. "Nice one."
But backing down was never Liang Guodong's style. "Which of these two uncles here isn't successful in their career and happy in their family? I've never seen them as busy as you."
With that, he immediately switched to a genial smile and chatted with his two friends. "Come, come, let's drink this baijiu. Tonight we don't leave until we're drunk."
Liang Wenpei pretended to be deaf. He'd long been used to Liang Guodong since childhood—bickering with Huang Ling was fun; bickering with Liang Guodong was asking for trouble.
Seeing his son fall silent after being scolded, Liang Guodong felt somewhat satisfied and soon was clinking glasses with his friends.
The grandparents turned their attention to Pei Wenliang's job prospects after graduating from university.
Pei Wenliang chewed on a chicken foot. "I submitted a resume to a hotel. I have an interview in a few days."
Grandma was puzzled. "Why not go work at your mother's company?"
"I don't want to." Pei Wenliang shook her head. During college, she'd watched workplace dramas and dreamed of her future work environment—working with friends, traveling on business, being free and independent, like a real adult. Anything was better than feeling constantly watched under her mother's thumb.
Pei Xiaomei didn't mind either. After all, she'd supported her son's decision to study law back then. Everyone had their own life to live. All she could do was earn more money for her two children.
"Mom, let her be. When she's tired of the outside world, she can come to my place." Pei Xiaomei ladled out some soup and turned it toward the elders. "This old duck soup is simmered quite well. You two should try it."
Pei Wenliang saw her mother ladling soup and suddenly thought of something. She also stood up and ladled a bowl of soup. Across the table, Liang Guodong saw this and was already smiling, reaching out his hand to receive it, when he watched his daughter hand the bowl to her own brother instead.
Liang Wenpei had a bad feeling about this.
Pei Wenliang: "Brother, I have an interview the day after tomorrow. Can you drive me? Please? The place isn't too far from your law firm."
Liang Wenpei swapped the soup in his hand back. "No."
Liang Guodong's face darkened. "Being late already shows disrespect for your elders, and now your sister asks you, her brother, to do such a trivial favor, yet you still refuse—that's showing no care for your juniors. How have I raised you all these years?"
As soon as Grandma heard her son about to scold her grandson again, she immediately came to his defense: "Enough. It's my birthday, and you're talking more than I am, the birthday girl."
"I'm teaching him how to conduct himself as a person." Liang Guodong immediately softened his expression. "Today is your birthday, Mother. Your son has watched your black hair turn white. On this day of celebration, I wish you robust health, and from now on, no illness, no disaster, and fewer worries."
Pei Wenliang pressed her hand to her forehead. In situations like this, she always felt secondhand embarrassment for others.
But since it was her fault that Liang Wenpei had been scolded, Pei Wenliang looked at her brother apologetically. Liang Wenpei continued eating with his head down, but there was a thoughtful look in his eyes. Pei Wenliang tugged at his sleeve. "Brother, what are you thinking about?"
Liang Guodong began boasting about how he had disciplined Liang Wenpei in his childhood. A few drinks in, his voice had grown louder.
"When he was little, he wasn't like this. I was very strict with him back then. He said his hands were cold, so I hit his hands with a ruler and told him to finish his homework quickly. He never dared to say a single extra word. Now that he's grown up, he's become more and more disobedient."
Liang Wenpei listened to his childhood being narrated through Liang Guodong's mouth. It was like shards of glass embedded in his flesh—the wounds had long since healed, but being reminded of them still made the pain resurface. "I'm thinking whether giving him a dose of mute powder would count as intentional harm, or if I should just let it go."
"Isn't the way he treats us mental abuse? Isn't that intentional harm?" Pei Wenliang spoke up for justice.
Liang Wenpei raised an eyebrow. "I didn't expect my sister to have the potential to become a great judge."
Seeing that the atmosphere was just right, Pei Wenliang rubbed her hands together in anticipation and gave an embarrassed smile. "So… would you be willing to drive me to the interview?"
Liang Wenpei mimicked her smile, but the smile faded as he spoke: "No."
"All that buttering up for nothing." Pei Wenliang pouted.
After a while, Pei Xiaomei asked the waiter to bring over the cake. After Grandma cut the cake, Pei Xiaomei sat for a bit longer, then said she still had some work matters to attend to and needed to leave first.
"Xiaomei, take care of yourself."
"Mm, you too, Mom." With that, Pei Xiaomei walked past her son and gave his shoulder a gentle pat. "After dinner, make sure Grandpa and Grandma are settled in properly."
The couple hadn't exchanged a single word throughout the entire meal. Everyone knew perfectly well—this marriage had long been a shell of its former self.
"Sister-in-law's business is doing better and better. I heard she's opening another new branch soon."
Hearing his friend praise Pei Xiaomei, Liang Guodong's face couldn't quite maintain its composure, but he still managed a dry laugh or two. "Small business, just a small business. Let's keep drinking. Come on, son, pour some wine for your uncles."
Liang Wenpei stood up, walked over, picked up the wine flask, and poured for the elders.
"Wenpei, your father tells me you passed the bar exam and work at your professor's law firm. Being a lawyer is a great job. And your mother just happens to run a postpartum care center—you should get married soon. With a kid, you'd have nothing to worry about." The man gestured toward Liang Guodong. "And your father used to be a teacher, so the kid's education is covered too. Your Uncle Qian's daughter just came back to Xunchuan—she's a teacher. A perfect match. Find some time to meet her. Right, Old Qian, Old Liang?"
Before Liang Wenpei could respond, his phone on the table rang.
He picked it up, hummed a few times in acknowledgment, then put the phone away. "My professor needs me for something. Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, uncles—take your time with the meal. I'll head out first."
Only after stepping out of the private dining room did Liang Wenpei feel the suffocation lift.
His phone buzzed—a new message popped up.
It was from his sister, Pei Wenliang.
「Brother, you actually used an alarm as your ringtone to escape, leaving me alone to suffer.」
After reading the message, Liang Wenpei didn't reply. He simply lengthened his stride and walked faster.
After the rainy season ended, Huang Ling's workload didn't let up at all.
Her notebook was filled with items to announce at the pre-shift meeting.
"Even though it's not raining anymore, we still need to keep the dehumidifier mode on in vacant rooms at scheduled times every day. When doing room inspections, check the closets, under the beds, bathrooms, corners, baseboards, etc.—if you spot any mold, deal with it immediately. Also inspect the linens in the laundry room; if any have odors or mold spots, send them for washing immediately or apply for write-off. Mattresses need to be cleaned of dust mites and dust as well. Check the floor drains thoroughly—I've ordered pipe cleaner recently. The AC filters also need to be fully cleaned. It's been getting hot lately, so pay attention to mosquito and pest control… That's about it for now. In a bit, I'm going to interview new hires. Luo Shuang, you and Xiao Li will be in charge of floor inspections and room checks. Coordinate with the front desk on room status and don't make any mistakes. Call me if anything comes up."
"Yes."
"Got it."
After wrapping up her instructions, Huang Ling headed toward the hotel's executive building.
It was graduation season again. A flood of student applicants packed the reception hall.
Job seekers lined up by department and went into the adjacent room one by one for their interviews.
HR Sister Qiao was maintaining order at the scene. When Huang Ling had first joined the company, it was Sister Qiao who had handled her onboarding paperwork. Sister Qiao was forty this year, unmarried and childless—a dog lady with no kids, raising three dogs: a Border Collie, a Beagle, and a Husky.
A woman even a ninja would bow down to.
When Sister Qiao saw Huang Ling arrive, she handed her the list of applicants for the housekeeping department.
"Here, I've already done a first round of screening for you as you requested. Ten are left this time—pick whichever ones you like from them."
"Thanks, Sister Qiao."
Qiao Yun smiled. "Don't mention it. I heard that a few days ago, when Young Master Lu came back to the hotel, he didn't stay in a guest room—he slept in your office."
The tone was inquiring, but Sister Qiao was utterly certain of the truth of this matter.
"Young Master Lu is dedicated to his work." Huang Ling flattered him—she couldn't very well say that Lu Yunli was an idiot who insisted on suffering needlessly, could she?
Qiao Yun, however, wore an expression of someone who understood perfectly well without further explanation. Just as she was about to speak, she noticed a young woman walking over with a resume in hand. "What's the matter?"
Huang Ling turned around as well, and a familiar-looking girl entered her line of sight.
"Sister."
Huang Ling looked at the girl before her. Her long hair nearly reached her waist, and her exquisite bone structure gave her features a somewhat striking, heroic quality. Huang Ling quickly realized who she was looking at. She had to admit that Liang Wenpei's family genes were truly exceptional—three years had passed and the girl had changed dramatically, but that face, like her brother's, was unforgettable at first sight.
"Wenliang?"
Pei Wenliang nodded. "I never thought I'd run into you here."