A few minutes ago, as Qin Tian and his companions arrived on the second floor of the restaurant and headed towards a private room, several young men and women were eating, drinking, and chatting merrily in a room opposite them.
If Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan had glanced inside, they would have recognized some of the people there.
A woman facing the private room door, upon inadvertently seeing Qin Tian and his group, suddenly froze.
“Baby, what’s wrong?” the young man beside her asked, confused.
“Just now… I think I saw Qin Tian and his girlfriend walk by.” the woman replied with a look of astonishment.
“Qin Tian? You saw him?”
“Yeah, with his girlfriend, and it looked like their parents too.”
“Really? What a coincidence!”
The young man glanced at the hallway outside the room with surprise, then turned his gaze to another young man sitting opposite him.
This young man was none other than Zheng Ji, a suitor of Lu Yaoyao.
The people dining in this private room today were also members of their social circle, though Lu Yaoyao was not present. Wang Chao was there, looking at Zheng Ji with a meaningful gaze.
“What’s up? What’s going on? Who is Qin Tian?” another woman asked, full of confusion. She hadn’t been present during the two previous incidents at the bar and internet cafe. Two other youths were equally bewildered.
“I told you, he’s the guy Yaoyao likes!” the woman replied.
“Oh, he’s eating here too?”
“With parents? Could it be a meeting of the parents?”
“Wow, I’m really curious about what kind of guy could reject Yaoyao. Should we go take a look?” The three who hadn’t met Qin Tian became excited as if they had been injected with energy.
“Don’t you guys mess around. He’s good friends with my cousin, and he’s a business partner with my aunt. Yaoyao wouldn’t want you interfering in her affairs either,” Wang Chao reminded them solemnly.
“Brother Chao, we’re just going to see what he looks like, why so serious?”
“Exactly, we know Yaoyao’s personality. If we interfere and cause trouble, she’d kill us. We’re just going to sneak a peek, we won’t cause any disruption!” the two youths chimed in, offering their assurances.
As they spoke, they kept glancing at Zheng Ji from time to time. Zheng Ji’s obsession with Lu Yaoyao was well-known within their circle. For families like theirs, finding romantic partners was never an issue. However, Zheng Ji had been without a female companion for years, dedicating himself to pursuing Lu Yaoyao, but with no progress.
It was fine before, as Lu Yaoyao hadn’t fancied any other guys. But after seeing Qin Tian at the bar that time, she had fallen for him as if enchanted. Even though he already had a girlfriend and had clearly rejected her, Lu Yaoyao still hadn’t given up.
In fact, Lu Yaoyao had been spending less time with friends in their circle recently, often hanging out with sisters who had rich romantic experiences, as if seeking advice on how to pursue a man. Naturally, Zheng Ji had been in a very bad mood lately, like a ticking time bomb ready to explode.
In the past few days, several people in their circle had argued with Zheng Ji. Now that they encountered Qin Tian, they were all curious to see if Zheng Ji would do something.
Qin Tian had no intentions towards Lu Yaoyao, and the situation today seemed to be a meeting of his girlfriend’s parents. Logically, this should be good news for Zheng Ji.
Suddenly, Zheng Ji picked up a glass of baijiu in front of him and downed it in one gulp. Even with his good tolerance for alcohol, his face turned unnaturally red after swallowing the glass of high-proof liquor. To the surprise of the others, he abruptly stood up.
“Zheng Ji, where are you going?” Wang Chao quickly asked.
Zheng Ji glared at him and spat out two words expressionlessly.
“To pee!”
With that, he turned and walked directly out of the private room. Wang Chao frowned slightly, about to say something, but seeing that Zheng Ji was indeed not heading towards Qin Tian’s room, he swallowed his words.
“Did he really go to pee?”
“Who knows? Forget about him, come on, let’s drink.”
“Should we go see that Qin Tian?”
“Let’s forget it. Let’s eat a bit longer. When they finish and leave, we can see him as they pass by.”
“Good idea!”
…
…
The restaurant chosen by Old Xia indeed had delicious food that suited everyone’s palate. At the dining table, the three parents chatted and laughed, while Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan quietly ate, occasionally adding a few words. Since Qin Tian had to drive later, Old Xia felt it was pointless to drink alone, so they all drank beverages, but the atmosphere was not affected, and the conversation was pleasant.
Tang Xiuxia had been a bit uncertain about meeting her future in-laws. Even though she was already familiar with her future mother-in-law and had a general understanding of Old Xia from her, it was hard to say before meeting him. Moreover, although their family’s conditions had improved significantly, Tang Xiuxia also knew from her son about the immense wealth of this future father-in-law, a boss she could not even imagine.
At this moment, Tang Xiuxia’s worries finally subsided. This future father-in-law was quite a good and down-to-earth person.
“Knock, knock!”
A knock on the door suddenly sounded. Their gazes turned towards the door, where a waitress in the restaurant’s uniform stood smiling brightly. Strangely, she was holding a large bouquet of vibrant roses and a small gift box. Qin Tian and the others looked at Old Xia in surprise, thinking he had prepared some surprise. However, Old Xia also wore a bewildered expression.
“Hello, may I ask which one is Mr. Qin?” the waitress asked.
Qin Tian blinked and replied, “That’s me. What is it?”
“This is a bouquet and a peace apple sent by a Ms. Lu, entrusted to me to deliver to you.” the waitress explained with a smile, then quickly walked up to Qin Tian and handed him the flowers and gift box.
At that moment, Qin Tian felt the death stares from the three parents. A chill ran down his spine, and cold sweat seemed to appear on his forehead. Beside him, Xia Nuannuan looked thoughtfully at the flowers and gift box in his hands, the image of the “strong enemy” mentioned by Shen Siqi flashing in her mind.
“Are you sure you have the right person? I don’t know any Ms. Lu,” Qin Tian said with a stiff expression, forcing himself to remain calm.
“Your surname is Qin, and your name is Qin Tian, right?” the waitress asked.
“Uh, yes, but…”
“Then it’s correct. The room number is also correct, it’s for you. Please accept it. I’ll be leaving now, sorry to have disturbed you.” The waitress finished speaking at a rapid pace and fled as if escaping, leaving in a hurry. The people and atmosphere at the dining table had likely made her realize she might have been deceived and had received an inappropriate tip, so it was best to leave quickly.
After the waitress left, the private room fell into a brief and eerie silence. Qin Tian mechanically turned his head slowly towards the three parents. What met his eyes were the murderous glares of his mother and Old Xia. His future mother-in-law, being slightly more rational, also looked at him with a shocked and questioning gaze.
“Bang!” Tang Xiuxia slammed her hand heavily on the dining table, startling everyone. Qin Tian shivered violently, looking at his mother with fear.
“Explain this to me clearly. What is going on? Otherwise, this is the last meal you’ll ever eat!” Tang Xiuxia said expressionlessly, word by word.