Chapter 56 Candlelit Dinner

After Xiao Bing had his breakfast alone, he went to work in the noodle house. The best choice for the expansion was to directly build it based on the original structure. If Xiao Bing had insisted, he could have acquired the transfer contract last night.

Su Xiaoxiao came over while she was having a lunch break. Xiao Bing thought she was still angry. But to his surprise, she seemed to be tepid as usual. She still talked to him. It turned out that she planned to have lunch here with her friends. But there were too many people, so she left soon after.

Xiao Bing was less busy till 2 pm and finally there were a few empty tables. Everyone could take a short break.

Zhu Liya appeared at the door, which did not surprise Xiao Bing. He just helped her today, so it was reasonable for her to come here to say thanks to him.

She was wearing a sexy black lace dress, black silk stockings and high heels, which made her look like a seductive but noble queen.

As soon as she walked in, she got quite a lot of attention. Li Hong and Zhang Jing even whispered, “Humph, what a whore.”

Some women were beautiful in a friendly way. But it was not the same with Zhu Liya. Her sexiness and beauty easily made other women hostile to her.

Seemingly accustomed to it, Zhu Liya ignored these men’s ogling eyes and walked up to Xiao Bing. “Thanks for helping me last night. Can I invite you to have dinner at my home tonight?”

Li Hong and Zhang Jing were eavesdropping. Dumbass just walked out of the kitchen and suddenly he shouted, “Jesus, you two are dating behind Yezi…”

Xiao Bing raised his leg and kicked him back. Dumbass rolled on the ground for a few seconds and murmured after he stood up, “My mother said it’s adultery when a man is dating another woman behind his wife’s back…”

Xiao Bing laughed, “This whelp… Mrs. Zhu, I hope you don’t mind.”

“It’s okay. If your girlfriend will misunderstand, then just forget it.”

“No, she won’t. She’s a reasonable person.” Xiao Bing contemplated for a while and smiled, “Your invitation is accepted. I remember where you live. When should I arrive?”

“Whenever you deem appropriate.”

“How about 5?”

“Good. Since you’re busy, I’ll leave first then.” Zhu Liya turned around and walked out slowly. Many male customers’ eyes followed her but finally they had to draw back their sights.

Zhang Jing snorted, “Brother Bing, how can you blame Dumbass for saying something right. He was speaking the truth. She looks exactly like a whore.”

“Yeah!” Li Hong asked curiously. “Isn’t she the new owner of the building next to our noodle house? Brother Bing, you have already hooked up with her?”

Xiao Bing cleared his throat, “Choose your words carefully. I just came to know her, we’re not hooking up…”

“From my point of view, Li Hong’s right. She’s flirting with you. She dresses like a whore but pretends to be an untouchable goddess. By the way, she said you helped her. What exactly did you do for her?”

Xiao Bing put up a bitter smile. “Just do your job now. I’ll tell you later.”

He was afraid that they would still ask questions if he told them he lent her money, so he decided not to tell them.

“Whatever. Don’t let her steal your heart.”

Looking indignant, the two girls were still grumbling. Xiao Bing ignored them and called Yezi and told her about the invitation. Since Yezi was a sensible woman, she did not forbid him from going. She just mocked him for a few seconds.

At half-past four, Xiao Bing left the noodle house. He was thinking of things he should buy as a guest. So he bought a few pounds of fruit. But when he arrived at her door, he was doubting if he should do this. After all, she was a married woman and he just beat up her husband.

But retreating was never his way of doing things, since he was already at her door. He was definitely not afraid of that ugly man.

Xiao Bing knocked on the door and soon it was answered. Zhu Liya was wearing the same dress, but she changed her high heels for slippers. She wiped off the sweat on her head upon seeing Xiao Bing. She put up an unusual smile and said, “Come on in. I just finished cooking. I don’t know if you will like it. But at least give it a try.”

“Haha, how can I refuse the food made by a beauty?” Xiao Bing regretted at once after he said that. “Damn, I was a man of righteousness in front of Zhang Gui yesterday. Why do I sound like a rascal now?”

Soon the smile on his face faded and was replaced by a stern look. He then asked, “Where’s your husband?”

“He’s not home. It’s just me and you tonight.”

Xiao Bing smiled, “The food smells better when it’s made by a beauty. I can’t wait to eat.”

Xiao Bing threw his seriousness away upon hearing that her husband was not home.

Then Xiao Bing followed her to the dining room. The dining room was not very big, but it was quite clear and bright. Lying on the table were 4 courses, 1 soup, a bottle of wine, and two goblets. Then the two seated themselves. It was almost a candlelit dinner if there were candles, based on the romantic vibe. The atmosphere was heating up.

Though Zhu Liya was still aloof as usual, somehow Xiao Bing thought she was making eyes at him. Maybe it was because of the atmosphere.

“Brother Bing, what are you thinking right now?”

“No… nothing. I just felt moved…”

“Moved?”

“Yeah. Few men on earth are lucky enough to have the honor to enjoy your cooking. They will do anything to fight for the opportunity.”

Zhu Liya put on a light smile, “Brother Bing, I have always regarded you as an honest ordinary man!”

“I am!” Xiao Bing cleared his throat and grinned, “Just kidding.”

“I changed my opinion of you last night. No ordinary man can do the things you did in that casino. To be honest, I was still terrified upon thinking of it later that night.”

“I just cannot stand any injustice.”

Zhu Liya opened a bottle of wine and filled the goblets with it. She picked up a goblet and smiled, “Brother Bing, here’s to your sense of justice.”

“That’s something every Chinese ought to do.” Xiao Bing raised his goblet and they clinked glasses. They both drank half of their wine.

“Brother Bing, time to taste my cooking.”

“My pleasure.” Zhu Liya still did not mention that Zhang Gui was beaten, which made Xiao Bing confused. He assumed that he didn’t tell her about it. But at least she could tell from his appearance, since Xiao Bing had beat him so hard.

Xiao Bing had a bite and it was really delicious, which made him more puzzled at the fact that she was married to Zhang Gui. “How can she be married to such a loser? Was he rich and handsome before? But for some reason he became what he is today? Wait… There is no way he could be handsome before. So, was he short but rich?”

Xiao deliberately asked her in a casual tone, “Your husband’s not home. Is he gambling again?”

“I don’t know.” Zhu Liya sighed when Xiao Bing mentioned her husband. There was bitterness hidden in her eyes, which softened Xiao Bing’s heart.

Zhu Liya was good at managing her emotions. Seeming to have realized that she should not behave like this in front of a man she just met, she restored her aloofness and said, “He didn’t come home after he said that he was going to run after you. Later he called me, saying that he was living with one of his friends.”

Xiao Bing inwardly laughed. He was sure that Zhang Gui was afraid of being asked about how he got injured. Otherwise if she knew that Zhang Gui intended to sell her for money, he would have to suffer. So he simply did not come home. Actually, Zhang Gui was doing Xiao Bing a favor. Though he beat him for a good reason, he would still be awkward if Zhu Liya knew.

The vibe was good and the dinner was specially made for him, so Xiao Bing regretted bringing it up. But Zhu Liya went on with it. She looked at Xiao Bing with her sentimental eyes and asked, “Do you want to know why I’m married to such a man?”

“She seems to be unhappy about her husband for a long time, otherwise she would not have used ‘such a man’. But it’s absolutely normal. It would be weird if any woman could be satisfied with him. It’s not about appearance or money. He’s morally degenerated. He’s not worthy of anyone at all,” Xiao Bing thought to himself.

Seeming to know that Xiao Bing didn’t know the answer, she picked her goblet and drank the rest of the wine. Then she filled both of their goblets. Xiao Bing noticed that she was feeling melancholy. He worriedly urged, “Don’t think too much. Sorrows won’t simply go away by drinking!”

Zhu Liya stared at Xiao Bing and suddenly burst into laughter, “You’re afraid of things I might do with you after I’m drunk, right?”

Xiao Bing’s heart suddenly bumped fast. Though she was not coquettish and she did not mean to seduce anyone when speaking, he still found these words so tempting when they were from an aloof queen’s mouth.