After Pei Shi Yu left,

once the door closed, Manager Li immediately praised Xiao Wu, "Xiao Wu, well done. You've paved a broad path for your Brother Lin."

"You flatter me. The main credit still goes to you. I'll toast you for that."

I kept my eyes on the door. She hadn't come back in since she left. More than ten minutes had already passed. If her bag hadn't been left in the private room, I would have guessed she had already left.

I asked Manager Li with some curiosity, "You two have a good relationship. Have you been working together for a long time?"

"We've known each other since we were kids. She used to visit her grandfather's house often when she was little. We happened to be neighbors."

I smiled. "No wonder you keep calling her by her name."

"It's a habit. She was very cute when she was little, and very gentle. All the kids around liked to play with her back then."

"You were the oldest, right?"

"Yes, I'm eight years older than her. She was only five or six years old back then. I often looked after her. I was the big brother next door."

"How old are you this year?" I asked curiously.

"I'm old, thirty-seven."

For some reason, a math problem immediately popped into my head: 37-8, so she's already twenty-nine years old. She doesn't seem to have changed much from three years ago.

Just as I was thinking about this, the door of the private room was pushed open again. Almost all the dishes were there. Maybe it was thanks to Pei Shi Yu. The dishes that were ordered were all top-notch.

I picked up my chopsticks and then put them down again. The important person hadn't returned. It wasn't appropriate to start eating, right?

After waiting for a while like this, Pei Shi Yu came in with a foreigner. He wasn't very old, and he spoke Chinese as soon as he opened his mouth. Moreover, he spoke it very fluently, but he used English when communicating with Pei Shi Yu.

This kind of atmosphere made people feel very uncomfortable. Everything we said was transparent, but we couldn't understand what they were saying.

I ate in silence the whole time. Xiao Wu didn't say anything either, perhaps because he had been told to keep quiet before coming.

Halfway through the meal, the foreigner said, "I have some requirements for this project. The quality must be guaranteed one hundred percent."

"Don't worry. We all have professional teams. The management of each环节 (huan jie - link, sector) is very strict. We will never be careless."

He understood Manager Li's very Chinese words and showed a satisfied expression.

During the conversation, I learned that the developed building was a commercial area, mainly composed of hotels and shopping malls. It was a joint venture with Pei Shi Yu. The construction part was handed over to Manager Li. This project was indeed huge. As for me, I could only be said to be doing a small, insignificant task, the simplest part.

So, I remained silent during their conversation. Besides, I couldn't interrupt anyway. Pei Shi Yu's speech was very logical. It was not difficult to see that she was a very intelligent woman, and every sentence she said was to the point, without any unnecessary formalities. She cooperated very well with the foreigner.

Although we had reconciled on the surface, her behavior didn't take Xiao Wu and me seriously at all. She didn't even exchange glances with us throughout the entire process.

I stood up and wanted to go outside for a cigarette. Xiao Wu asked in a very soft voice, "Where are you going?"

I just gestured outside with my hand. Xiao Wu also stood up immediately and came to the lobby with me.

In front of superior people, one appears even more humble. This kind of occasion made me a little restless. I sat directly on the sofa outside.

"That Pei Shi Yu is quite impressive. Her speech is very high-level," Xiao Wu said, looking at me.

From today's interaction, I also felt that she was quite cultivated. When speaking with Manager Li, she would make eye contact and listen very politely, and she would correct him very tactfully when she had different opinions.

"Brother Lin, do you want to pay for this meal?"

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"Cast a long line to catch a big fish. Express your sincerity."

"When did you become so materialistic?"

"We can't miss opportunities. We have to climb up step by step. Only with money can we fulfill your promise."

"Whose promise?"

Xiao Wu showed a confident tone again, "Mine! I haven't married a wife yet, and all my hopes are pinned on you."

"Do I have this obligation?" I asked coldly.

"If I follow you, of course I have to share when you make money."

"The project hasn't even started yet, and you're already eyeing my pockets. This kind of thinking is very bad. First dispel this idea and think about how to wholeheartedly help me work together. Only with effort will there be rewards."

"Of course I will put in the effort. I have plenty of strength."

"What's lacking is brains, is that what you mean!"

At this time, the hotel lobby seemed a little noisy. There were three people at the front desk. Perhaps this time was a peak period. There were people checking out, checking in, and the front desk phone kept ringing non-stop, but they were all carrying out their respective duties in an orderly manner.

At this moment, a couple came in. They looked very fashionable. The woman's high heels stepped on the floor tiles, making rhythmic sounds, and she was holding the man's arm, looking very happy.

I seemed to have never experienced this kind of thing before. I had been emotionally blank for many years. I had been hooking up with disreputable women, and I seemed to have forgotten the taste of love and the ability to love.

I wondered if I could find my ideal partner in my future life, the kind of love that I could give myself to without hesitation. So, I deliberately imagined what kind of woman I would like in my mind.

The answer I came up with was a coexistence of intellect and beauty. I ridiculed myself a little sarcastically. Was I worthy of such a woman? A thirty-year-old man had passed the age of hormone bursts and should face a woman who matched him in a down-to-earth manner.

"Let's go in!" I said to Xiao Wu as I stood up.

Xiao Wu's eyes were also fixed on the couple who had just come in. He asked me with a lot of emotion, "Brother Lin, how about we open a room here tonight? It's been a long time since I enjoyed such treatment."

"Sure, you book the room and wait for me."

He quickly followed up. Maybe I had been too generous with him before. I used to spend money lavishly together. I would basically satisfy the demands he made, but now it was different. I wanted to settle down and yearned for a career achievement.

Whether I could succeed or not depended on my mindset. I was very clear about this. I couldn't rely on my parents, only my own abilities. It was better to have or not have a father like Lin Hai.

The contact he gave me three years ago, he may still regret it now, even my grandparents would be affected because it ruined Lin Yang's marriage.

I still can't figure out today how a woman like Pei Shi Yu could have taken a liking to the Lin Hai family. Although Lin Yang wasn't as vicious as him, how good could he be coming from such a family? Even if he wasn't influenced, he would still have stereotypical ideas left in his subconscious.

Before pushing open the door of the private room, I paused for a moment, then turned and walked towards the bathroom. What appeared in the mirror was a "狰狞 (zheng ning - hideous)" face. I just looked at myself quietly like that.