Chapter 160: The Tenth

Liu Yuyang said that they could help Li Yan look impressive in front of Yurong, and there was no need to wait here. In fact, everyone could tell he was mocking Li Yan for not having money to pay the bill, having to wait here for Zhang Yurong to show up.

Normally, he wouldn’t flaunt so directly, but last night left him feeling stifled, and his beloved car was still in for repairs! Seeing Li Yan, he maintained his usual calm exterior, but inside he felt uneasy and really wanted to put Li Yan down.

Upon hearing Liu Yuyang’s words, someone else chimed in: "Come on, eat whatever you want, it won’t cost much, this one’s on me."

Li Yan continued reading the newspaper, not bothering to pay attention to their performance.

Liu Yuyang and his group felt a bit bored. It’s only fun to embarrass someone if they feel awkward, but if the other person doesn’t care at all, then it’s pointless.

However, they thought that Li Yan was just pretending to be indifferent, unable to respond, so he had to act uninterested.

Seeing Liu Yuyang awkwardly standing around, another person suggested, "We’ve got a reservation, no rush, let’s sit over there for a bit."

Liu Yuyang and his friends immediately understood the intention. You’re acting indifferent alone, huh? Let’s see how you act when your girlfriend arrives and we mock you to your face! Let’s see her reaction!

They promptly went to sit in the lounge. Liu Yuyang planned to display good manners in front of Zhang Yurong, not ridicule Li Yan directly. But considering he’s already put in a disadvantageous position, he thought he’d let his friends do the mocking while he’d play the good guy by defending Li Yan. Of course, he also intended to casually mention the car collision Li Yan caused, to show Yurong Li Yan’s true colors!

After waiting for a while, Li Yan put down the newspaper and went to greet a few people who entered.

Liu Yuyang and his friends exchanged glances, originally thinking Li Yan was waiting for Zhang Yurong and she was bringing him to such a high-end restaurant, but it turned out to be two guys. One was slightly older, and one even younger than Li Yan, yet both dressed much more fashionably, clearly wearing designer brands.

Although they were a bit disappointed it wasn’t in front of Zhang Yurong to embarrass Li Yan, it seemed Li Yan wasn’t hosting; it was his two friends. They didn’t hesitate further; embarrassing him in front of his friends would do just fine.

...

Seeing the young and handsome guy coming over with Zheng Yixuan, Li Yan nodded with a smile. "Third Brother, is this the Tenth?"

"Correct, Tenth, Seventh!" Zheng Yixuan smiled and introduced them softly.

The Tenth eagerly shook Li Yan’s hand: "Seventh Brother, nice to finally meet you, been hearing your name for a long time, I’m Wang Jiaqi."

Since everyone had different relationships, the Tenth used his real name straight away.

"Haha, what’s there to hear, I’m almost retiring, but you’re young and promising."

Just as the three of them exchanged pleasantries, Liu Yuyang and his group came over.

"Li buddy, your friends are here? Haha, then someone else can pick up the tab, right? Let’s head in together!"

"Haha, exactly. Here, just having the money to pay doesn’t guarantee a table, but with us, even if there’s no table, we’ll make sure you’re seated."

Listening to these guys, Zheng Yixuan and Wang Jiaqi looked a bit surprised, then turned to Li Yan, as if questioning what kind of friends these were.

Li Yan shrugged and smiled, "Ignore them, just some boring people."

"Let’s go!" Zheng Yixuan took the lead. Having met all kinds of people, he quickly understood the issue and didn’t bother to argue with them. Li Yan and Wang Jiaqi followed him.

Still being ignored, and Li Yan seemingly unfazed, made Liu Yuyang and his friends a bit upset, silently cursing Li Yan as thick-skinned, they could only follow hoping to see Li Yan and his group without seats, to find some relief.

The restaurant was on the hotel’s second floor; they gathered at the elevator entrance. It was just one floor up, and with only their two groups there, one elevator was enough. None of them were in a hurry for the lift, whoever entered first wasn’t a big deal. But seeing Li Yan continuously ignoring them, one of Liu Yuyang’s group deliberately led the way, squeezing past them to rush into the elevator first.

In response to their jostling, Zheng Yixuan furrowed his brow slightly, not caring, and waited for them to go in first. Li Yan exchanged a glance with Wang Jiaqi, who gave him a smile in return.

In the elevator, no one spoke, and the second floor came quickly. They were the first to enter, naturally standing further back, with Li Yan and his two friends standing near the elevator doors. Although Liu Yuyang said nothing, a few of them looked at the silent forbearance of Li Yan and his friends and once again bumped into them.

Zheng Yixuan and Li Yan intentionally stepped aside, allowing them to exit first. In their eyes, this was childish behavior they couldn’t be bothered to care about.

In the restaurant, Liu Yuyang and his group were still waiting, only to find that Zheng Yixuan had successfully made a reservation. They had no choice but to leave first, whispering that anyway, Li Yan was depending on others to eat.

As they followed the waiter to their seats, before ordering, Wang Jiaqi mentioned that he needed to use the restroom and asked the waiter for directions.

With the waiter nearby, it wasn’t convenient to speak. Zheng Yixuan and Li Yan both looked at the menu and ordered some drinks. Wang Jiaqi came back quickly, and after he placed his order, the waiter left, giving them a chance to talk.

"Old Ten, did you make a move just now?" Li Yan asked with a low chuckle.

Zheng Yixuan and Li Yan couldn’t be bothered with Liu Yuyang’s provocations, but Wang Jiaqi was different. Young and impulsive, this was his first meeting with Li Yan. He thought it was normal for the big lawyer, Old Three, to ignore it; if the Assassin got serious, someone would die; and Old Seven’s indifference was also normal. But as a master thief, taking action to teach a lesson was just up his alley. So, during their exits and entrances, he made several moves, in the squeezed and brushed moments, he had felt everyone up—not people, but things.

With Li Yan’s alertness and keen eye, if someone made a move nearby, it couldn’t escape his notice. So when he noticed, he glanced at Wang Jiaqi, who responded with a knowing smile.

"Hehe, they kept provoking us, offending Old Seven also meant offending us. You and Old Three are gracious, not stooping to their level, while I’m young and impatient," Wang Jiaqi said, explaining that he had just gone to the restroom to dispose of the stolen items. "All of their wallets, car keys, and phones are now in the restroom trash bin. Let’s see how they pay the bill later!"

Zheng Yixuan smiled and shook his head; to him, this was child’s play.

Li Yan also chuckled; Old Ten truly lived up to being a master thief, cleaning them out with just brief contact! Although it’s just to cause them some trouble, it shouldn’t be too big a problem. Didn’t Liu Yuyang say one of them had family shares in the hotel? Just making a call could settle the bill. However, losing all their essentials at once would annoy them for a while.

"Thanks."

"You’re welcome," Wang Jiaqi said, pulling out a box and handing it to Li Yan. "This is a gift for your wife, no need for formalities among us."

Inside, Li Yan found a string of pearls. Although he couldn’t gauge its value, since Old Ten gave it as a meeting gift, it must be valuable. "This..."

Zheng Yixuan, knowing what he was thinking, interrupted with a smile, "We didn’t give you a wedding gift since you didn’t inform us. Old Ten just wanted to show his appreciation; don’t overthink it."

Li Yan smiled wryly, "Didn’t I tell you we were just pretending initially? To comfort the elders."

"Haha, but it seems it’s become real now," Zheng Yixuan said, having once seen Li Yan with Zhang Yurong. At that time, he was with He Zhengyuan and Zheng Yuzun dining out and had coincidentally encountered Li Yan, Zhang Yurong, and Yue Yao. However, Zhang assumed they were just Li Yan’s usual friends.

"Uh..." Li Yan didn’t deny it, as the once fake marriage had indeed turned real.

"Haha, whether fake or real, she’s your wife now. If you ever replace her... haha, not that you would," Wang Jiaqi started to say something about a new wife but quickly stopped himself, realizing people hope for a lasting marriage. "Actually," he added, "while I do swipe things often, I bought this legitimately, so it won’t cause any trouble for your wife."

Li Yan nodded with a smile, reassuring him. Such an official gift couldn’t possibly be ill-gotten. "I graciously accept, and thank you. But... how do you carry so many things unnoticed? Do you hide them in a bag or something? Can I have a bag so I can carry them later?"

Indeed, Wang Jiaqi had just taken several wallets, phones, car keys... which must have added up, yet no one could tell. Even the necklace gift box was hidden without notice.

"Haha, professional skills; if you had a knife hidden on you, most wouldn’t notice either," Wang Jiaqi smiled and indeed pulled out a bag for Li Yan.

They chatted happily, but Li Yan still had something on his mind. As the waiter served wine, he raised his glass, "Old Three, Old Ten, about the other day... I’m sorry I couldn’t fully support you."

Zheng Yixuan and Wang Jiaqi exchanged a glance and smiled. "Old Seven, you’re overthinking it; we didn’t give it any thought. We hadn’t informed you initially, and who would’ve guessed someone had already booked you?"

"Yes, if not for you mediating, facing them head-on would’ve definitely put my people at a disadvantage. You actually helped me, and even when some punk arrogantly tossed a bomb at you, you didn’t take him down, giving me a lot of face. If you say more, I’ll feel guilty and drink three cups to make up," Wang Jiaqi earnestly explained.

Li Yan was quite pleased; this was the outcome he hoped for, not wanting such issues to disrupt their relationships.

(Just watched the men’s basketball game, aiming to update Chapter five before midnight!) (To be continued, for what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, more Chapters are there, support the author, support official reading!)