Shan Shan proudly explained to Zhang Ming behind her, "Did you know? My friend told me that cabbage is made of jade, more expensive than this restaurant, and priceless."
At this moment, a girl in a floral dress, heavily made up, with a dark red small satchel slung over her shoulder, slowly walked towards them.
Her legs were bare, without even a pair of stockings. With winter approaching, it was unclear if she was cold.
She whispered to Shan Shan, "Why do you invite just anyone? They look so boring. Don't spoil my appetite later."
Shan Shan suggested, "Then why don't we call Li San and Chen Yun?"
Her best friend pouted, "Hurry up and call them. Eating with these two blockheads is worse than being bored to death."
Shan Shan didn't even greet Zhang Ming. She directly made a phone call to invite two others, as if she were treating them.
Xiao Xun frowned. What was this supposed to mean?
They still wanted to invite others to eat? Did they really think her old classmate was a pushover?
Zhang Ming, oblivious, cheerfully led everyone upstairs.
It was dinnertime, and the lobby was already full. A waitress led Zhang Ming to a private room.
As they passed the office on the second floor, the lobby manager came out. Seeing Xiao Xun, she was about to greet him enthusiastically, but he shook his head and signaled her not to approach.
Although the lobby manager didn't understand what Xiao Xun wanted, she complied. She smiled, nodded, and watched them enter the private room.
As soon as they sat down, Shan Shan unceremoniously ordered two king crabs, two Australian lobsters, one Boston lobster, and two portions each of sea cucumber and abalone. Zhang Ming, despite his smiling facade, was bleeding financially.
Even so, Shan Shan wasn't done. She chose a bottle of Bordeaux Grand Cru red wine, priced at eighteen hundred.
Xiao Xun couldn't stand it any longer, "Isn't that enough?"
Her best friend retorted sarcastically, "You're not paying for it, so why are you butting in?"
Zhang Ming quickly said, "It's fine, it's fine. Order whatever you like, just don't waste it."
"Let's start with this. We can order more if needed."
Shan Shan handed the menu to the waitress.
While waiting for the food, Shan Shan didn't talk to Zhang Ming. She just looked down at her phone or exchanged a few perfunctory words with her friend beside her, completely ignoring the two men in front of them.
Xiao Xun was extremely displeased, but to reveal the true nature of this woman to his old classmate, he decided to endure it for now.
Zhang Ming himself felt a bit lost, but since he was treating, he forced a smile and said, "Shan Shan, it's been a while. Haven't you introduced your friend yet?"
"Her name is Li Yu."
Shan Shan, looking down and chatting animatedly with someone else, casually replied.
"There's nothing to get acquainted with. We probably won't see each other again after this meal, so let's skip the formalities on the table."
Li Yu's fingers quickly tapped on her phone screen, chatting enthusiastically with a man.
Zhang Ming cast an apologetic glance at Xiao Xun.
Before long, the dishes they ordered were served. The two women, without any regard for their image, reached out and grabbed.
Those dishes were barely enough for the two of them.
Zhang Ming and Xiao Xun hadn't touched their chopsticks, and the dishes on the table were almost gone.
It was impossible to fill one's stomach at a place like this without spending a fortune.
Just then, two well-dressed young men walked into the private room with smiles, "Two beautiful ladies, the meal looks good."
As soon as Li Yu saw the two men enter, she changed her previously gloomy expression, pulled one of the men to sit beside her, and said with a smile, "That's why I was thinking of you two!"
Shan Shan also wore a smile, acting as the hostess, "What do you want to eat? Officer Zhang is treating today, so eat whatever you want."
The young man sitting closer to Shan Shan chuckled, "Oh, there's Boston lobster too. We should have a few of these today."
The two were completely uninhibited and ordered over eight thousand yuan worth of dishes in a short time.
Xiao Xun could no longer bear it. He stood up and said to Zhang Ming, "Come out. I need to talk to you about something."
Zhang Ming's expression was already strained. This meal might max out one of his credit cards.
Outside the door, Xiao Xun sighed, "Old second, you saw the situation just now. She can't even spare you a smile, but she's so eager to please other men. What's the point of you persisting like this? This isn't persistence, it's self-deception!"
"I know, old classmate."
Zhang Ming's eyes turned red. The beauty he had harbored in his heart was finally shattered tonight.
This incident also made Zhang Ming see through the woman named Shan Shan completely, and he no longer held any illusions.
Xiao Xun had intended to take Zhang Ming away directly, but he insisted on returning to the private room and said to Shan Shan, "Shan Shan, my friend and I have something else to do, so we're leaving. Enjoy your meal."
Shan Shan replied indifferently without looking up, "Mm, then go settle the bill."
Zhang Ming felt a chill to the bone. He mustered his courage and said, "My classmate and I haven't touched any of the dishes today... so, I won't be paying for this. You guys eat at your leisure."
Li Yu looked at him with disdain, "What do you mean by that? If you don't have money, why are you treating?"
Zhang Ming had long been displeased with Li Yu, who had been giving his old classmate a hard time. He immediately retorted, "I only invited Shan Shan and you, I didn't say I was inviting others. Since you are so generous, I suppose I don't need to pay for this meal, do I!"
Shan Shan also started to get anxious. The dishes on the table added up to over ten thousand yuan, and she couldn't afford it.
Seeing Zhang Ming, who usually doted on her, now giving her the cold shoulder, she exploded, "You begged me to come eat, and now you want to back out. Zhang Ming, you better go settle the bill now, or I'll lose the last shred of good impression I have of you."
"I'm sorry, I was blind to have been fawning over you all this time, but thank you for waking me up. Since we're no longer together, these dishes were ordered by you, and you ate them. You look down on me, so why should you ask me to pay?"
Xiao Xun was very pleased. His old classmate had finally stood up for himself.
Shan Shan was momentarily speechless, standing there stunned.
She thought she had found a fool to treat her to a meal, but why did he suddenly come to his senses?
Then who would pay for this over ten thousand yuan meal?
Li Yu, on the side, sneered, "What a disgrace. Still a police officer? Can't afford to chase women. Did you really think all women are cabbages, easily won over with a meal? You can't even afford ten thousand yuan. I doubt you'll ever win over a woman, and even if you do, it'll be a used one that no one else wants."
Xiao Xun slapped the table, "Let's go. We'll find another place to have a good drink. Seeing these two sluts is disgusting."
"You can't leave. What about it, being a police officer? Can police officers eat and not pay? Also, I heard you're not a police officer anymore."
Shan Shan quickly signaled to the two young men beside her.
The two young men were a bit hesitant when they first heard Zhang Ming was a police officer. Now that they heard he was no longer one, they immediately stood up and blocked the doorway. "You punk, we agreed today to treat our beautiful Shan Shan to a meal, and now you want to bail. That doesn't seem right, does it?"
"It's already good that Shan Shan and Li Yu can dine with cheap losers like you without asking you to pay. What, now you're reluctant to pay for a meal?"
Xiao Xun said coldly, "Get lost!"
"Who do you think you are, yelling at me? If you don't pay the bill now, you're not leaving this room."
Seeing that the two were about to make a move, Zhang Ming didn't want Xiao Xun to get hurt. "I can pay for the previous meal, but I won't be responsible for what you ordered later."
The other party, seeing him falter a bit, became even more arrogant, "Have you ever seen someone ask their guests to pay half the bill when they're treating? Either you go pay the bill now, or leave the money with me."