CH 42

Ten days later, at the Imperial Palace Hotel

The waiter, who had been expecting Luo Lingsheng and others’ arrival at the entrance, recognized them immediately. He stepped forward and said respectfully, “Hello, Mr. Luo. The top-floor box that we arranged for you is all set. Please come with me.“

Little Goldfish curiously observed the splendid hotel lobby and shook Shi Yunnan’s hand, “Little uncle, aren’t we going home?”

“No. Today is Grandpa Qin’s birthday, so we’ll have dinner here.” Shi Yunnan simply picked Little Goldfish up.

Uncle Qin was very moved and said, “Patriarch and Mr. Shi don’t have to go through such trouble. I’ve already passed fifty years of age, so why should I celebrate my birthday? It’s a waste of time for all of you.“

“How can it be a waste of time to have a meal together as a family?” Shi Yunnan replied instead of Luo Lingsheng.

Butler Qin was originally an assistant who worked for Luo Lingsheng’s father. He only became the butler of the Luo house later. His wife died of cancer at an early age and failed to leave him any offspring.

Over the years, he has never found another wife.

In Uncle Qin’s heart, he had already treated Luo Lingsheng and Little Goldfish as his own children and grandchildren.

Luo Lingsheng always remembered his kindness, but it was difficult for him to express it verbally. The day before yesterday, Shi Yunnan proposed having a celebration dinner, and he agreed.

In addition to the four of them, assistant Qin Jian and bodyguard Yuan Meng were also there.

For Luo Lingsheng, these two were the people who accompanied him through the brutal power struggle, and they were also his most indispensable right-hand men.

The group took the elevator upstairs.

The private room of the Imperial Palace Hotel was on the highest floor. You can feast on a fine meal while enjoying a bird’s-eye view of the entire Imperial Capital at night.

There were a total of four private rooms on the entire top floor, which were relatively more private than an ordinary restaurant.

The group walked out of the elevator, and before they reached the door of the reserved box, they saw that the elevator door on the other side had also opened.

Coincidentally, they were acquaintances.

Yuan Rui walked in front, followed by a middle-aged couple, and finally Lu Zhao’an came out.

Shi Yunnan thought for a moment and understood that the middle-aged couple were Yuan Rui’s parents and Lu Zhao’an’s master.

Yuan Rui’s gaze met Shi Yunnan’s, then swept his gaze to Luo Lingsheng and the others, “What a coincidence?”

Due to the previous three or four contacts, Yuan Rui’s attitude towards Shi Yunnan was not as bad as it was at the beginning.

Shi Yunnan responded, “It’s quite a coincidence.”

According to common sense, Yuan Rui, the “second male lead,” should be close to the protagonist, Xie Keyue.

But these days, Shi Yunnan has never bumped into Xie Keyue. Instead, he met Yuan Rui again and again.

Lu Zhao’an came up from the back, and greeted them calmly and simply, “Mr. Shi, I heard about the accident in the warehouse last time. I’m sorry.“

“It’s okay, it’s over.“

Yuan Puguang’s eyes secretly swept across Luo Lingsheng, Shi Yunnan, and the others.

The Yuan family has always been striving hard in their own field. They only wanted to make good products, and never get involved in other business circles or among the gentry.

Yuan Puguang seemed to recognize Luo Lingsheng’s identity, but he didn’t dare to make a rash conclusion, so he could only ask the apprentice beside him in a low voice.

“Zhao An, who are they?”

“Master, this is Shi Yunnan, or Mr. Shi, who I mentioned to you before. He’s one of the designers who promised to cooperate with our Yuan family. As for the others…“

Lu Zhao’an paused and asked Shi Yunnan’s permission with his eyes.

Shi Yunnan responded with a smile, “Master Yuan, I have long admired you.”

He looked at Luo Lingsheng and the others, and calmly introduced, “This is my husband and family. We came here to celebrate our uncle’s birthday tonight, so please excuse me for now. I’ll visit you in person when I have time.“

Yuan Puguang’s first impression of Shi Yunnan was not bad. He nodded slightly, “Of course, please feel free.”

When Yuan Rui saw his father’s attitude, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he didn’t say anything more. He just asked the waiter to bring them to their box.

He was also full of confidence tonight. He has something serious to talk about with his family!

…

The boxes of the two families happened to be next to each other, but they had their own meals across the wall, so they wouldn’t disturb each other under normal circumstances.

The service of the hotel was very good.

After knowing that it was a birthday party, they specially prepared a very unique cake for Uncle Qin.

As soon as the candles were lit, Little Goldfish sang the loudest in the audience. His face was flushed red from the candlelight.

After the dishes were all served, Luo Lingsheng said to his assistant and bodyguard, “Qin Jian, Yuan Meng, you can have a day off tomorrow, so you can drink tonight. No need to avoid it.“

Qin Jian responded quickly, “Thank you, Patriarch.”

Yuan Meng was stunned for a while, and hesitantly refused, “Patriarch, I’ll just drink water. I’m not a very good drinker. I’m afraid of getting drunk and delaying things because I’ll have to drive you back later. “

Shi Yunnan joked, “If you’re allowed to drink, then you should drink. With your patriarch’s status, how can he bring only one bodyguard around? And you’re afraid that no one will drive him home later?“

Needless to say, it could be assumed that there must be professional bodyguards in plainclothes who were secretly protecting both the lobby and the outside of the hotel.

Although this arrangement may sound exaggerated, it is just right for Luo Lingsheng.

Compared with Yuan Meng’s honesty towards his employer, Qin Jian’s was obviously much more flexible and comfortable.

Without saying a word, Qin Jian poured Yuan Mang a glass of wine, using his unique sarcastic tone.

“Can’t you see that the patriarch, Mr. Shi, and Uncle Qin are all happy today? Don’t be a wet blanket and just drink! I’ll carry you back if you’re drunk!“

When Yuan Meng heard Qin Jian’s last sentence, he gave the other party a skeptical glance and complained in his heart—

Can this weakling carry him back?

Yuan Meng returned to his senses and looked around, thinking that it would be difficult to refuse, “Okay, then I will drink less.“

They had lived under the same roof for a long time and were no strangers to each other. Since they let go of the so-called “identity” to eat and drink, they naturally have no worries.

After about an hour, just as they were being amused by Little Goldfish, there was a sudden outburst of anger from next door—

“Yuan Rui! Can you put away your temper?“

“You only know how to fuss about this and that all day long! Think for yourself if you have the ability!“

Listening to this voice, Yuan Puguang should be very angry.

Shi Yunan and Luo Lingsheng looked at each other. Little Goldfish on the side reacted, “Little uncle, is that your friend next door? Did they quarrel?“

“It’s okay. Let’s eat ours. “

Shi Yunnan put the small piece of meat in Little Goldfish’s mouth, and took the opportunity to educate him, “Every family has its own problems, and we, as outsiders, should be less concerned about things that are behind closed doors, understand?”

“Yes.”

Little Goldfish chewed the meat in its mouth and asked curiously, “But what if their quarrel is especially noisy?”

“That depends on whether you have the ability to take care of it yourself.” Luo Lingsheng replied aloud, “What is within your power, you can choose to do according to your heart.”

“If you don’t have the ability yourself, you can’t be too brave, so as not to hurt yourself, you know?”

Little Goldfish nodded thoughtfully. His little head was quickly digesting the meaning of this sentence.

Fortunately, the next door stopped after the angry rebuke, and then came a faint comforting sound.

Mrs. Yuan and Lu Zhao’an were probably trying to intervene and mediate the situation.

Shi Yunnan secretly guessed that if Yuan Puguang was angry, it would most likely be because of Yuan Rui. He wondered what the troublesome young master said that made the old man so angry.

The crowd ate for another half hour or so. When they were about to get up and leave, there was another round of squabbles next door—

“Just because I can’t learn jade carving well, in your eyes, everything I did when I was a child was wrong! Is that right?“

“No matter how hard I tried, I would still be beaten to death by you!“

“But what about yourself? You love jade carving so much. But our Yuan family is still going downhill!“

“That’s enough! Yuan Rui, you have to piss me off in front of outsiders, don’t you!“

Bang!

Shi Yunnan and the others had just walked out of the box when they heard the sound of cups and bowls being smashed.

The waiter stopped awkwardly at the door of the box and walked in and out with embarrassment on his face.

The door of the box next door was half-open, allowing people to easily see what was inside.

Yuan Puguang’s face flushed red, and he was stopped by his wife. Right next to him, Yuan Rui also showed an angry and hurt look.

Lu Zhao’an tried to stop him, but Yuan Rui pushed him away with force. He resisted, “Lu Zhaoan! Don’t touch me!“

Yuan Rui’s eyes returned to Yuan Puguang’s face. It seemed his emotions were suppressed to the extreme, “Dad, in your eyes, there’s only Lu Zhao’an. You only think of Lu Zhao’an for everything!“

“He’s right when he wants to start jade jewelry design! But when I mentioned it, you immediately rejected me!“

“Yes, he is in charge of the current Yuan family, and I’m just a piece of trash you don’t like! No wonder outsiders say that he’s your illegitimate child. Just leave everything to him! I no longer give a damn!“

—Pa!

“You unfilial son!”

Yuan Puguang slapped him hard, and the sound was very loud.

This time, not only the people in the box, but even Shi Yunnan and others who stayed outside for a short time were also shocked.

Yuan Rui stood stunned for a few seconds, and then lowered his head, letting out bean-sized tears.

“Xiao Rui!” Mrs. Yuan panicked.

“Master!” Lu Zhao’an shouted, and quickly checked Yuan Rui’s situation, “Don’t move, let your brother see…”

Yuan Rui took half a step back to avoid him. His eyes were terribly red and despairing, “See? As long as you’re still in this family, in his heart, I can’t even be compared to a strand of your hair.“

There was no shouting and yelling, but such a calm statement made people feel inexplicably distressed.

Lu Zhao’an’s hand froze in midair, “…”

Yuan Rui walked out of the box in silence.

He pushed the door and bumped into Shi Yunnan and the others who had not had time to leave. As if trying to maintain his dignity, he wiped away tears and left quickly.

In the room, Yuan Puguang’s voice came again, “Zhao’an! Mr. Xie! You don’t have to go after him! Let me see what capital he had when he left the Yuan family!“

“Especially Zhao’an! Did you hear him talking nonsense? If you go to him again tonight, I’ll punish you with family rules!“

When Shi Yunnan heard the words, he turned slightly to the side. Sure enough, he found Xie Keyue’s figure.

There was a shimmer in Shi Yunnan’s eyes, and he thought to himself—

When did this person come? His good friend, Yuan Rui, was slapped by his father, and he actually didn’t go after him because Yuan Rui’s dad said not to?

For some reason, Shi Yunnan suddenly felt a pang of sadness for Yuan Rui, with whom he had “inadvertently” made friends.

Knowing that it was not good for them to stay here, Luo Lingsheng took the lead in maneuvering the wheelchair, “Let’s go.”

Uncle Qin and the others had no objection, and they followed Luo Lingsheng away.

Shi Yunnan put away his thoughts and went downstairs with everyone, but when they reached the hotel lobby, he still couldn’t set aside the untuned worry in his heart and stopped his pace.

“Wait, you go back first.”

Shi Yunnan sighed, always feeling that he shouldn’t be the one to worry,”… I don’t feel right. I’ll go find Yuan Rui.“

Yuan Rui’s look after being slapped was too sad. The other party was an awkward person. Shi Yunnan always felt that there was something hidden in this dispute.

Moreover, Yuan Rui helped him in the jade shop last time, so Shi Yunnan shouldn’t just sit back and ignore it.

Luo Lingsheng raised his eyes and looked at Shi Yunnan, finally giving enough space for his lover, “I’ll send someone to secretly protect you. Try to go home early.”

Shi Yunnan looked at Luo Lingsheng’s deep gaze, and suddenly, his heart moved.

He bent down and covered Little Goldfish’s eyes while kissing Luo Lingsheng unabashedly in front of everyone, “Okay, wait for me to come home.”

The sudden dog food smashed everyone into a daze, and even the passing waiter couldn’t help but take a second glance.

Qin Jian and Yuan Meng looked at each other…

Compared with the others, they knew that Mr. Shi was always unrestrained in front of the patriarch, but this seemed to be the first time the other party kissed in front of them.

They really did it out here!

When everyone around him was shocked and speechless, only Luo Lingsheng curved his lips calmly in a good mood, “Ok.”

Shi Yunnan smiled again, let go of Little Goldfish and got up. He turned back and walked towards the front desk of the hotel—

He wanted to ask the front desk if they saw Yuan Rui come downstairs.

Little Goldfish stared at Shi Yunnan’s back for a while, as if he had discovered some big secret, and smiled at Luo Lingsheng in the wheelchair.

“Uncle! I know what you were doing just now!“

Luo Lingsheng held his little nephew on his lap, maintaining his good mood, “What do you know?”

“You and Little Uncle must have been smooching!”

“…..”

When Uncle Qin and the others heard this, they felt helpless and amused. They couldn’t do anything about this “shrewd child.”

Luo Lingsheng didn’t deny it, but he didn’t forget to teach him, “Yes, but you are still young. You can’t learn these things randomly. Your little uncle and I are…”

Little Goldfish interrupted, “I know! Little Uncle told me stories before!“

Luo Lingsheng asked, “What did he tell you?”

“When I’m old enough to know for sure that I like someone, the most I can do is smooch! I can’t do this to anyone, then I won’t be a good man!“

Luo Lingsheng saw that he was right and agreed, “Well, that’s right. Our Jinyu is very amazing.“

Little Goldfish got a rare compliment from Luo Lingsheng and became more and more enthusiastic, “Uncle, I also know one more thing!”

Luo Lingsheng continued to follow him, “What else?”

Little Goldfish shook his head, “Little uncle and uncle are smooching. That means you’re his favorite, and he’s your favorite too. “

“Uncle, am I right?“

Luo Lingsheng was amused by his little nephew and finally let out a short laugh. He answered without perfunctory words, “Yes, you’re right.”