Chapter 512: Show’s Over, Time to Wrap Up

Chapter 512: Show’s Over, Time to Wrap Up

Wu Chen no longer needed to make any arrangements. He’d already discussed everything with He Shiqin and Meng Junhao. All that remained was to begin the performance.

“This is the place. Xinxin, go book us a private room…” Wu Chen gestured, half joking.

“Hmph! Teacher Wu, didn’t you promise to treat us? Now you’re making me book the room.” He Xinxin skipped along as she spoke, even scrunching up her nose at him.

Naturally, she was joking too.

He Xinxin wasn’t short of money herself. A meal wouldn’t cost much.

“You don’t have to pay to book the room. We pay after the meal,” Wu Chen told her with a smile.

“Well, you’re paying anyway. I’m going to book the biggest one!” He Xinxin raised her chin a little.

Wu Chen deliberately slowed his steps and sent Xinxin ahead to arrange the room. Though she kept bantering with him, she willingly walked in front and climbed the steps first.

Children could be like that. It depended on their personalities, of course. Some liked showing what they could do; when adults gave them a task, they might complain about it but still eagerly take the initiative.

You could call it a kind of tsundere behavior.

That was just how He Xinxin was.

Wu Chen slowed down even more, apparently waiting for He Shiqin, who couldn’t walk as quickly in high heels. By the time Xinxin pushed through the revolving door, Wu Chen and He Shiqin had only just reached the foot of the steps.

“Don’t be nervous,” Wu Chen suddenly whispered, tilting his head toward He Shiqin. They stood very close together, and his hand briefly settled around her waist.

That moment would be photographed.

“I’m not nervous,” He Shiqin whispered back, tilting her head toward him.

The two completed that simple interaction outside the entrance.

Then they went inside!

As they entered the Sichuan restaurant’s lobby, Xinxin was already talking with a server a short distance away. It was the usual exchange about how many people there were and where they should sit.

When Wu Chen and He Shiqin approached, the server was saying, “…With only three of you, perhaps you shouldn’t take a private room. There’s a minimum spend…”

No wonder business here was only average.

The location was poor, and the servers couldn’t recognize wealthy customers when they saw them.

Xinxin’s clothes looked like the sort of outfit any young girl might wear, but every piece was from a luxury brand. Including her watch, the outfit cost no less than a hundred thousand yuan.

And that was nothing compared with what Wu Chen and He Shiqin, now approaching, were wearing.

“Give us your largest private room. Bring two bottles of Château Margaux to start…” Wu Chen said as he walked up. The server’s eyes immediately lit up.

Although Château Margaux wasn’t the most expensive red wine sold here, each bottle cost more than ten thousand yuan. Minimum spend? Wasting a private room on three people? As long as they were paying, none of that mattered!

“Certainly, sir!” The server responded loudly, his face even turning a little red. Servers here could earn commissions by recommending wines to customers.

His manner immediately became exceptionally polite and enthusiastic, and he personally led the three upstairs.

“You really are booking the biggest private room…” Xinxin was still talking to Wu Chen.

She was sensible enough to know that any private room would do and that there was no need for the largest. She’d only said it earlier while teasing Wu Chen.

“It’s nicer inside,” Wu Chen told her with a smile.

Up to the third floor.

They turned right and went all the way to the end of the corridor. The private room was called “Embracing All Rivers”!

The server opened the door, stepped aside, and gestured for the three to enter first. The room was indeed enormous—almost absurdly so. It was as large as four ordinary private dining rooms combined, with a single large round table in the center and so much space around it that it looked nearly empty.

The room was also at a corner of the building. Two large windows overlooked the main street, while another large window faced the side street.

It had an excellent view and plenty of natural light.

As Wu Chen knew, this room existed to give Fulaixi Sichuan Restaurant, whose business was otherwise mediocre, a more upscale image.

It was the only private room of its size in the building. Twenty people could dine there comfortably, and thirty would fit if they squeezed together.

Its minimum spend was high as well: 8,888 yuan.

In this older part of the Central District, that was unusually expensive.

But Wu Chen also knew that almost no one ever booked this room. Even one party a month would be a decent showing. There was hardly any need to worry someone else might have reserved it first.

The chances were tiny.

The main reason Wu Chen had chosen it was the excellent visibility. There were three large windows on two sides… making it easy to photograph the occupants from outside.

And convenient for putting on their show.

They sat down.

They ordered.

He Xinxin was allowed to choose the dishes.

Wu Chen had barely settled into his seat when he got up again, walked over to one side of the room, and drew the curtains there.

“Teacher Wu, what are you doing?” He Xinxin turned to ask casually.

“The sunlight’s dazzling,” Wu Chen said with a smile as he came back.

It was true that the setting sun shone in from that direction and could be hard on the eyes. But they could just as easily have sat somewhere else and enjoyed the sunset.

Wu Chen simply wanted an excuse to close the curtains.

For authenticity.

Today, he was supposed to be meeting He Shiqin in secret—or rather, that was what he wanted Ding Ruilong to believe. The photographs Meng Junhao handed over couldn’t look staged, so certain gestures of privacy were necessary.

At least enough to give that impression.

Xinxin ordered the food. He Shiqin added a few milder dishes because Xinxin had chosen such spicy ones.

Eight dishes for three people was rather extravagant.

Wu Chen ordered none himself.

After the server withdrew, the three began chatting about this and that.

Xinxin couldn’t sit still. She got up to look out the windows, then wandered over to examine a huge potted plant in the corner.

Only a few minutes passed.

The server knocked and entered with the wine and some fruit to eat before the meal. The fruit selection was unusually lavish, with all sorts of varieties.

All because Wu Chen had ordered two expensive bottles of wine.

“Xinxin, come have some watermelon…” He Shiqin called to her.

Ring, ring…

A phone suddenly rang. Wu Chen’s!

Wu Chen picked it up and saw Li Ruobing’s name. After a brief pause, he stood and walked toward the door, answering as he went.

He could use the opportunity to tell Li Ruobing what was going on.

There were things He Xinxin couldn’t be allowed to hear.

“Hello, Ruobing…” Wu Chen left the private room and turned right. There was a window a few steps farther along.

“I’m off work. When will you be home?” Li Ruobing’s voice came through.

“A little later. I’m having dinner,” Wu Chen replied with a smile.

“Dinner again? With that bitch?” Li Ruobing asked. Despite the insult, her tone was casual; she was simply asking.

Li Ruobing was quite displeased with Wu Yurong at the moment, but she wasn’t in the mood to be jealous of her.

“No. With He Shiqin,” Wu Chen answered.

“Oh… Well, enjoy your dinner. I’ve already made plans with Qingying. Since you’re not coming back to eat, I’ll let her know and we’ll have dinner out, then go home afterward,” Li Ruobing said.

Her reaction to He Shiqin was even more indifferent than her reaction to Wu Yurong.

She actually thought it was good for Wu Chen to spend more time building a rapport with He Shiqin. After all, He Shiqin was the “key person” who could set everything off!

To Li Ruobing, He Shiqin was essentially a tool—a tool who posed absolutely no threat to her. So she genuinely didn’t mind Wu Chen seeing her more often.

“All right…” Wu Chen agreed. After a brief pause, he added, “Ding Ruilong will probably call you tomorrow. Be prepared.”

“Hm?” Li Ruobing was startled. “Him? How do you know he’ll call me?”

“Tonight, Ding Ruilong will find out that He Shiqin is in Donghai and that she’s with me. I’ll make sure he sees photographs tonight,” Wu Chen explained.

“What?” Li Ruobing sounded genuinely shocked.

The other end of the call fell silent.

It took her a moment to recover. Then she exclaimed, almost losing control of her voice, “Are you crazy? You’re letting Ding Ruilong find out this early? If he thinks of the Dong family affair, he’ll kill her to silence her! What are we supposed to do later without He Shiqin?”

She’d gone straight to the heart of the problem!

Li Ruobing’s reaction was exactly what Wu Chen expected.

That was because her understanding of the overall plan was still incomplete. At present, only Wu Chen himself, in the entire world, understood the full scope of his plans!

Even Li Maoren didn’t know everything. There were still things Wu Chen hadn’t told him.

Strictly speaking, He Shiqin was indeed important.

But!

Once Wu Chen completed his alliance, the momentum would become irresistible. Numerous powerful families would be poised to act, having made preparations in advance. Those who needed to withdraw would already have withdrawn; those who needed to join would already have joined.

By then, he might not even need He Shiqin to bring the Dong family into the conflict. All Wu Chen would have to do was personally tell the Dong family one fact. Whether they believed it or not, they would have reason enough to join of their own accord.

They could simply act as though they believed him!

Revenge wasn’t the only thing that could drive people to act.

Sufficient profit could do it too.

Of course, having He Shiqin would make matters simplest.

And Wu Chen certainly wouldn’t let Ding Ruilong discover what was really going on or allow anything to happen to He Shiqin.

“Ding Ruilong won’t find out,” Wu Chen said with a smile.

“How can you guarantee that? Ding Ruilong isn’t stupid. He Shiqin knows he killed that young man from the Dong family. How could he not think of it?” Li Ruobing spoke faster.

“He might think of that,” Wu Chen said calmly with a smile. “But why would he make the connection that I could use it against him?”

“Why wouldn’t he…” Li Ruobing was growing anxious.

Concern had clouded her judgment.

The last time she’d been this anxious was the day Old Dao cornered Wu Chen in an elevator.

She genuinely believed the risk was unimaginably great, possibly enough to ruin the entire undertaking. She couldn’t understand what Wu Chen was trying to accomplish.

Was it only to make Ding Ruilong angry?

Surely the risk was too great?!

“We’ll discuss it in detail when I get home. It’s not convenient here. I’ll have someone deliver the photographs to Ding Ruilong later, after we’ve talked…” Wu Chen said.

He casually steered Li Ruobing along with his words.

According to his original plan, the photographs were going to reach Ding Ruilong fairly late anyway. And Wu Chen had always intended to explain the details to Li Ruobing, since parts of the plan required her cooperation.

But the way he phrased it now made Li Ruobing feel that he was taking her worries and anxiety into consideration.

A few minutes later.

Wu Chen returned to the private room.

He chatted with He Shiqin for a while, teased Xinxin, then asked what movies and television dramas she’d watched recently. He had no trouble finding a subject they both enjoyed.

During his thousand years in the time loop, Wu Chen had watched an incredible number of films and television shows. Indeed, if a production was even moderately well known, whether Chinese or foreign, he’d probably seen it.

He’d watched obscure productions in lesser-known languages too.

He’d seen those while practicing foreign languages. Wu Chen knew more than a hundred languages. When he’d first begun learning languages he’d never encountered before, he’d found it quite difficult. But as time passed, he learned faster and faster.

Eventually, as his mental power increased, he’d developed a photographic memory. Many languages were related, with similar underlying logic. He could even master a new foreign language in two weeks, reaching genuine proficiency.

He Xinxin was at exactly the age when girls loved binge-watching dramas.

She soon discovered, to her astonishment, that no matter which show she mentioned, Wu Chen claimed to have seen it.

She quickly stopped believing him and began testing him, asking about storylines and discussing the four-way romantic entanglements in the dramas. Wu Chen got every answer right.

They had a wonderful time talking.

Before they knew it, the food arrived.

They ate as they chatted.

Wu Chen glanced at his watch. It was already 5:40 p.m. By now, Meng Junhao should have arrived outside and found an excellent vantage point for taking photographs.

“…The male lead is so ugly! The second male lead is the really handsome one…”

“And at the end the heroine even forgave that vicious woman! I was so angry I could hardly stand it.”

“Hahaha! Teacher Wu, you’ve seen this one too? Did you spend every day at university watching dramas?”

Everyone was enjoying themselves.

An hour later.

Outside, dusk was almost over and the sky had grown very dark. The private room’s lights were on, and dinner was drawing to a close.

For He Xinxin, the meal had been an absolute delight.

She was almost reluctant for it to end. She felt she got along with Wu Chen incredibly well. Although he was eight years older than she was, they’d actually watched all the same television shows!

Wu Chen had even watched Little Magic Fairy. Xinxin hadn’t expected that. She teased him for being childish, saying she herself hadn’t watched it since she was ten.

“I’m going to the bathroom…” He Xinxin suddenly stood.

She’d drunk too much cola. She hurried outside. The private room had its own restroom, but she didn’t know that and went looking for one in the corridor.

Wu Chen didn’t tell her, either.

After Xinxin went out.

He Shiqin, whose face was slightly flushed from drinking a bottle of red wine, turned toward Wu Chen. She was a little tipsy and had grown bolder. After meeting his eyes, she leaned over of her own accord and kissed the corner of his mouth.

One kiss wasn’t enough. She kissed him again.

Whether she was entirely acting or genuinely wanted to do it was hard to say.

Naturally, this would be photographed from outside.

Before long, He Xinxin returned.

The three chatted for a few more minutes, then went downstairs, paid, and left.

Outside the Sichuan restaurant, Xinxin was still skipping along. She even took Wu Chen’s arm of her own accord and pulled him into conversation. Children’s thinking was simple. Xinxin felt more and more that she and Wu Chen were like friends.

The three stood beside the road chatting for a while.

Talking and laughing.

Gradually, it approached seven in the evening.

Wu Chen glanced at his watch, then said, “All right, time to go back. You two take a taxi.”

“Teacher Wu, you’re not taking us home?” Xinxin shook his arm.

“I’ve been drinking,” Wu Chen answered with a smile.

“Xinxin, don’t make a fuss. We’ll take a taxi home,” He Shiqin said, giving her daughter a gentle pull. But Xinxin was still reluctant to part from Wu Chen.

She hadn’t had anything to drink. She’d simply become so absorbed in talking with him.

Wu Chen understood the power of language better than anyone.

He Shiqin hailed a taxi, and mother and daughter got in. Xinxin even waved to Wu Chen.

Wu Chen watched the taxi drive off. Then his brow suddenly furrowed, as though he’d noticed something. He took his phone from his pocket, tapped and swiped at it, then held it to his ear.

He pretended to make a call.

In fact, Wu Chen hadn’t noticed anything at all. He was merely acting as if he had. He needed this moment to appear in the photographs.

Show’s over. Time to wrap up!

Wu Chen returned to his own car. Drinking and driving were a bad combination… though in reality, alcohol didn’t affect Wu Chen’s driving. His mind was far too strong for his awareness to be impaired.

He’d simply used drinking as an excuse not to take He Shiqin and He Xinxin home. It also set a good example for Xinxin.

Wu Chen sat in the Mercedes for several minutes.

A man came running out of a hotel across the street, crossed the road, and quickly reached the Mercedes. He opened the door and got into the front passenger seat.

It was Meng Junhao.

“Mr. Wu… take a look…” Meng Junhao got straight to the point. He pulled out his phone and handed it to Wu Chen, showing him the photo album and other pictures his subordinates had sent over Weixun.

All of today’s photographs had been taken on phones.

That made them look authentic!

Phone cameras were powerful enough these days. As long as artistic beauty wasn’t the goal, they were more than capable of taking the needed pictures, and the images were extremely clear!

Wu Chen scrolled through the pictures on Meng Junhao’s phone, the smile on his face growing increasingly subtle.

Meng Junhao, in the passenger seat, was uneasy and even somewhat frightened.

At last, he couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Mr. Wu… you…”