"I see," he said. "If you can tame Xiao Xi, then you truly have some skill. You don't know her..."
"Fatty, talking about me behind my back again. You've been caught red-handed!"
"Oh, little aunt, how did your ears get so long? I didn't say anything about you!"
"Didn't say anything? I heard it all."
Li Minxi, hands on her hips, pointed a finger at Pi Xiaoqian's nose. "Tell me honestly, did you or didn't you?"
Seeing there was no escape, Pi Xiaoqian could only nod. "I really didn't speak ill of you. Why don't you ask President Guo, see if I did?"
"President Pi was just praising you," Guo Xuyang said with a smile.
"Hmph, that's more like it. Take a look for me, is this real?"
The question almost made Pi Xiaoqian fall to the ground.
"My dear little aunt, please don't say that outside. Aren't you ruining my reputation?"
"I'm just asking. Look at you, tsk, such a small perspective." Li Minxi extended the bracelet in her hand to Guo Xuyang.
One had to admit the girl had a sharp eye. A bangle of imperial green jade would cost no less than eight million.
Li Minxi then pulled out a pendant from beneath her collar and showed it to Guo Xuyang.
Though the girl was slender, she had all the right accessories, leaving Guo Xuyang momentarily stunned.
Seeing Guo Xuyang’s prolonged silence, Li Minxi looked up and realized he was staring at her chest.
Her face flushed, and she pulled herself back.
Her movement snapped Guo Xuyang out of his daze. He quickly said, "Very good, very good."
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized they were wrong and quickly amended, "This pendant is truly excellent, almost as good as imperial green. You've really cleaned out President Pi's inventory."
The remark made Pi Xiaoqian's heart clench, wishing he could spit blood.
The two girls had chosen four sets of items today, easily costing more than half of his fortune.
I'm rich, I won't get angry, I brought this upon myself. He could only console himself repeatedly.
"Fatty, I want to eat abalone today. Shall we go for abalone rice? We haven't eaten since we were sending President Guo off this morning!"
"Let's go. We'll go right now. We can't let you girls go hungry. Even an emperor doesn't starve his soldiers."
Pi Xiaoqian couldn't wait for the two girls to leave. Who knew what else they might fancy if they stayed any longer?
The group arrived at a seafood restaurant. The elegantly decorated hall had about a dozen hostesses.
"Hello! Welcome to Yushi Seafood Restaurant." The hostesses' voices were clear and pleasant, making Guo Xuyang glance at them a few extra times.
The hostesses were all dressed in qipaos, with long hair cascading down their shoulders. They had bright eyes and white teeth, and were all about the same height, around 1.7 meters. Wearing high heels, they formed a stunning spectacle.
Putting aside the quality of the restaurant's cuisine, the hostesses alone were enough to catch one's eye.
One had to admit, this seafood restaurant had captured the essence of human nature.
This was what a proper storefront looked like, this was the way to make money.
People go to a restaurant to eat, they might not remember the names or tastes of the dishes, but they would definitely remember the restaurant's distinguishing features.
And the distinguishing feature of this restaurant was its hostesses. It was highly likely this restaurant had many repeat customers.
The group was led to a private room. A waiter handed them the menus.
"I'll have abalone rice, and a king crab. Please serve the king crab as a platter. Also, a bowl of sea cucumber porridge. I'll order these first. Uncle Cheng, what else do you want to order?" Li Minxi said, holding the menu and ordering a few dishes.
"Let's get one of the restaurant's signature dishes, the Sizzling Crab. We won't drink today, as I have to visit a few elders after the meal. It wouldn't be right to come to the capital and not pay them a visit," Cheng Xiuping said.
"Alright. Let's also have some prawns, turbot, mango clams, and steamed sea urchin. What else would you guys like?" Pi Xiaoqian said.
"Is that enough? Let's start with this, and we can order more if needed," Guo Xuyang said.
"Certainly, sirs. Abalone rice, sea cucumber porridge, and steamed sea urchin will be per person. The rest will be served directly. Is that acceptable?" the waiter asked.
"No problem, hurry up. We're all hungry," Pi Xiaoqian said.
"Certainly, please wait a moment." The waiter then left.
"President Wu, after we finish eating, please accompany me to buy a mobile phone. It's really inconvenient without one," Guo Xuyang said.
"I'll go too. I lost my phone as well," Li Minxi added.
"Why are you tagging along? Are you planning to form a shopping team?" Pi Xiaoqian asked.
"Teaming up is cheaper. Are you going? I didn't bring any money." Li Minxi said.
"Haven't you exploited me enough in the past? I'm not going. If I go, you'll make me pay again." Pi Xiaoqian knew himself well.
"It's settled then. You're sure you're not coming? Yesterday, the handsome guy gave us a million that we haven't spent yet. Later, Ran Ran and I will go shopping with the handsome guy for some clothes." Li Minxi said.
"Yes, handsome guy, what kind of clothes do you want? We'll buy them together."
"Thank you for your kind offer, I'm very grateful for your help today," Guo Xuyang said. "I won't trouble you with buying clothes."
"Hahaha, did you flatter the wrong person?" Pi Xiaoqian said with a mischievous grin.
"It's none of your business. I like it, so what?" Li Minxi retorted, not backing down.
As the two were bickering, the dishes arrived.
"Alright, let's quiet down for a bit. Let's eat," Cheng Xiuping said.
The abalone rice was indeed delicious, and everyone praised the tender steamed abalone.
The sizzling crab was brought out in a metal trough that occupied half the table.
No wonder it was a signature dish. Not only was the portion generous, but the crabs were large and full of roe, making everyone's mouths glisten with oil.
The king crab was expertly cut by the waiter with a steak knife, revealing all its succulent meat, presented elegantly on a platter.
Li Minxi consumed nearly a third of the king crab meat herself.
She then downed the sea cucumber porridge and let out a satisfied burp.
"So comfortable. I haven't eaten this much in days."
"My dear little aunt, please eat slowly. This portion is ample, enough for you," Pi Xiaoqian said, watching Li Minxi pat her stomach unceremoniously.
"I'm full. I'm not eating anymore. I'll come find you again next time I want to eat."
"Agreed. As long as you come, I'll make sure you're full." If he had to treat this future sister-in-law to a meal, two or three times was affordable.
But he feared his affections would be unrequited, as Li Minyu showed no interest in him.
"Has everyone finished eating? If so, let's head back," Cheng Xiuping asked, wiping his hands with a wet wipe.
"Let's go," Guo Xuyang said, seeing that everyone had put down their chopsticks.
The group emerged and went their separate ways.
Guo Xuyang, along with Wu Youzhi, asked Wu Bing to help them find a place to buy mobile phones.
Pi Xiaoqian returned to his shop to deal with the nineteen raw stones.
Cheng Xiuping took a taxi and left. He had mentioned before the meal that he needed to visit some elders, but it was unclear who they were.
Li Minxi and Su Ran followed Guo Xuyang, saying they wanted to go buy phones with them.
Thus, five people in two cars went to buy mobile phones.