Client: “Yes.”
A dead silence fell across the dining table.
Wen Ming’s face was darker than the bottom of a pot. Needless to say, nobody else could pull off such a malicious trick other than Wen Qi.
Liang Ling was quite quick-witted as well, hurriedly pulling the waiter aside and asking anxiously, “What is going on? These are not the dishes I ordered earlier.”
The waiter was also somewhat baffled. “I am not sure either. After you left, someone came over and changed the menu. I thought you were together with them.”
Liang Ling was so furious he could hardly breathe, angrily demanding, “Is there surveillance footage? I want to see who is so malicious.”
Not daring to speak and knowing she had messed up, the waiter hurriedly tried to make amends: “I am sorry, it is my first day on the job, and I never expected this would happen. I will help you clear the dishes and reorder right away.”
Liang Ling nodded, then thought of something and added, “What about our wine? Why did it turn into cola?”
The waiter scratched her head sheepishly. “That was also what that person said, but please rest assured, we did not dare to throw it away. We will bottle it back up for you right now.”
Liang Ling speechlessly slapped his forehead, having no idea how to vent his frustration. Seeing that the waiter was on the verge of tears, he could not bear to scold her further. “Then hurry up, this client is extremely important to our general manager.”
The waiter nodded repeatedly, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, and hurried off to bring out fresh dishes.
Returning to the dining table, although the client’s face was still quite dark, fortunately, Wen Ming’s crowd-control skills were top-notch. First offering apologies, and then pulling out his private collection of aged cigars for the client to appreciate, he managed to coax the man into a better mood. Watching Wen Ming speak with effortless eloquence on every topic the client raised, Liang Ling felt a surge of secret admiration.
This person is truly amazing.
It was not until late at night that this meal finally came to a safe conclusion.
On the main street, Wen Ming dragged an intoxicated and completely unresponsive Liang Ling to stand by the roadside, saying with annoyance, “Look at you, did you not say you could hold your liquor? You were out cold before even half a glass.”
Liang Ling protested with muffled groans, his tongue unable to straighten out, yet still putting up a stubborn front: “I really can drink a lot. Back when I drank champagne, I could drink several glasses.”
Wen Ming rolled his eyes up to the heavens. Could champagne even be considered alcohol? He had thought the guy was invincible against a thousand cups, yet he had not even lasted half a glass, leaving Wen Ming to shoulder everything on his own.
The autumn night breeze was crisp. Wen Ming felt a burning pain in his stomach as if it were on fire, and he bent over in agony while still having to support Liang Ling, who was hanging entirely from his body, to keep him from falling, all while frantically searching his pockets for stomach medicine.
Sensing Wen Ming’s rapid breathing, Liang Ling forced his eyes open, looking at him with a hazy gaze: “President Wen, your face is so pale.”
Wen Ming was startled, glaring at him irritably: “Knowing that, why do you not get off me? You are heavy as lead.”
Obediently, Liang Ling climbed down, staggered a few steps to steady himself, and then reached out to support Wen Ming instead.
“Alright,” seeing him like this, Wen Ming managed to squeeze out a smile, “I cannot even stand properly myself. I am fine, just use your phone to call a designated driver.”
“Oh.” Fumbling clumsily with his phone, Liang Ling spent ages in a daze before successfully calling a driver, and turned back happily: “All done, President Wen, you are ready?”
Before he could finish, Liang Ling noticed that Wen Ming was already squatting on the ground in unbearable pain, clutching his stomach and trembling continuously as his teeth chattered.
“Wen Ming, what is wrong with you?” Liang Ling squatted down anxiously, wanting to help massage the area but afraid his clumsy hands would cause more pain, so he could only tug gently on Wen Ming’s sleeve.
“I am fine.” Wen Ming stubbornly turned his head away to avoid looking at him, hating himself for being so pathetic in front of Liang Ling. A few years ago, to secure more resources within Mingqi, he had worked himself to the bone drinking at business banquets. Once, during a drinking contest with a business owner, he drank himself into the hospital for stomach pumping, which was how he ended up with chronic stomach pains.
Looking at Wen Ming’s pale face, Liang Ling wanted to offer comforting words, but had no idea where to begin.
“The driver is here, get in the car.” Seeing the designated driver hurry over and start the engine, Wen Ming forced himself to stand up and pulled Liang Ling into the vehicle.
The car’s air conditioning was on, shielding them from the cold wind, which made Wen Ming feel slightly better. Glancing down, he saw Liang Ling looking at him with deep concern, and offered a faint smile: “It is fine, it will pass in a moment.”
Liang Ling was taken aback, lowering his head in embarrassment as self-reproach hit him: “I am sorry, I ruined everything today.”
Wen Ming smiled, reaching out to pat his soft hair: “It is alright, things like this happen all the time at Mingqi. It is not your fault.”
Because of his stomachache, his hands were freezing cold, yet Liang Ling still felt a warm glow in his heart, whispering a soft acknowledgment.
The car quickly returned to the riverside residential complex. Liang Ling followed Wen Ming all the way upstairs, and just as they reached the door, Wen Ming turned back to look at him with a strange expression: “Why are you following me?”
To make it convenient for Liang Ling to tend to the plants and solve his living arrangements, Wen Ming had also purchased the neighboring apartment. Though modest in size, it was fully furnished and extremely cozy, more than enough for Liang Ling to live alone.
Standing in place, Liang Ling looked at him with wide, pleading eyes: “President Wen, can I stay in your place tonight?”
Hearing this, Wen Ming felt as though he were facing a formidable enemy: “Do not tell me your heat cycle has come again, and you need me to hold you while you sleep.”
“No, no, no.” Liang Ling hurriedly defended himself, scratching his head with embarrassment: “I checked the weather forecast, there is going to be a thunderstorm tonight, and I am scared to sleep alone.”
Wen Ming had truly never seen someone this old still afraid of thunderstorms. With a dark expression, he unlocked the door: “Do as you please. Remember to wash your hair twice, use the disposable toiletries in my cabinet, fold your blanket yourself tomorrow morning, and do not expect me to clean up after you again.”
Seeing that Wen Ming had agreed, Liang Ling flashed two small tiger teeth in a bright smile: “Okay! I promise to keep the room spotless.”
“Come in, take your shoes off outside.” Wen Ming reminded him before stepping inside.
After taking a shower in the bathroom, Wen Ming felt the alcohol surging upward under the catalysis of the hot water. A wave of dizziness washed over him, and nausea churned in his stomach. Yet after squatting by the toilet for ages without managing to vomit anything, he collapsed onto the floor in discomfort.
After a long while, he weakly covered his face, letting out a low moan like a wounded beast.
It hurts so much.
A good night’s sleep will fix it, Wen Ming comforted himself. Today’s negotiation with the client went reasonably well, and barring any accidents, tomorrow would bring them to the contract-signing stage, meaning another grueling battle awaited him.
He sat there a while longer, feeling his strength gradually return, before forcing himself up, wrapping himself in a bathrobe, and walking out.
Just as he crawled into bed ready to sleep, two crisp knocks sounded at the door, followed immediately by a nervous voice: “President Wen, are you asleep?”
Frowning, Wen Ming replied indifferently, “No, just about to sleep. Is something the matter?”
There was a brief silence from the other side, followed by a hesitant and cautious inquiry: “Can I come in?”
Not understanding what the guy wanted at this late hour, Wen Ming asked curiously, “Sure, come in.”
The next second, Liang Ling appeared at the doorway holding a bowl of hangover soup. His eyes shone like stars, gazing at him with deer-like shyness as he said excitedly, “President Wen, I made some hangover soup! I just tasted it, it is sweet and not bitter at all! If your stomach feels uncomfortable, you should drink some before going to sleep.”