Chapter 229 Dinner
The gray mini skirt and leggings showed off her long, thin legs perfectly, and her white sandal boots looked simple, yet with an air of dignified elegance.
Her facial expression, however, was cold. Without any extra accessories, her black hair was pinned in a spiral knot at the back of her head, with a few strands hanging loosely past her ears. Her overall temperament seemed unpredictable, cold and haughty.
"Hello, President Wang, this is my bro...boyfriend, Ding Ning."
Mu Yanran felt a deep aversion when she saw Wang Xianghua’s face suddenly darken. She swallowed the word "brother" with a great effort, and changed it to "boyfriend". Subconsciously, she tightened her grip on Ding Ning’s arm.
Ding Ning was secretly delighted when he heard what she said, and his hatred of Wang Xianghua also lessened somewhat, at the same time. He clasped his hand around her slender waist, and while holding it, he could not help pressing a bit harder, when he came into contact with its soft and smooth feel.
Mu Yanran blushed and glared at him angrily, and when Wang Xianghua saw what he thought was their flirtation with each other, he became even more furious.
"Hello, President Wang, I have heard of your name before. You started your business from scratch, and you are such a young and capable man. So, after Yanran told me about your invitation to her, for dinner this evening, I boldly tagged along, even though I was not invited. I hope you don’t mind."
Ding Ning’s attitude seemed mild, but his words were filled with irony, both indirect and rather subtle.
Hearing what he said, Wang Xianghua became even unhappier because the phrase "started your business from scratch" was the biggest irony, for his climb to power was through following the powerful and the noble.
But being a shrewd man, he concealed his unhappy feelings instantly, reached out his hand and shook hands with Ding Ning. He faked a smile and said, "Of course I do not mind, why I should mind it?"
"Oh, that’s great. This is my first visit to such a fine restaurant, and I came, because of her."
Ding Ning grinned and looked around him, acting as if he was a man from the province, showing his admiration openly.
"Come, take a seat, there is no one else."
Ding Ning changed from being a guest to a host, greeting Wang Xianghuan, warmly. Unceremoniously, he pulled out the chair next to him, sat down beside Mu Yanran, crossed his legs, and hummed a tune.
Mu Yanran frowned as she was not happy with Ding Ning’s behavior. The education she had received since young, made her appreciate the manners of refined gentlemen, unlike Ding Ning, who paid no attention to these details. He was too informal, and his behavior was more like that of a punk.
Wang Xianghua, who had been observing him, revealed a slight disdain in his eyes. When he saw Ding Ning, who was so handsome, yet wore very ordinary attire, he thought Ding Ning came from a rich family, but pretended to be poor, in order to ridicule the rich.
After all, people often spoke highly about social relationships in the business world. Ninghai was a city in which many talented people lived, but kept a low profile, and he did not dare to make enemies. Therefore, no matter how unhappy he was, he still maintained a courteous front, in public.
But now when he noticed Ding Ning’s behavior was like the behavior of a man from the slums, he was instantly relieved, and thought, "He is nothing, but a gigolo relying on women, and I can easily trample on him."
Once he sat down, he smiled stiffly, and waved to the waiter standing at the table, saying, "Give us one more menu, my guest will use it to order food."
"President Wang, you are too kind. Guests should follow the host’s orders. You are the host and you should order the food."
Ding Ning pretended to be courteous.
"How could it be like that? I am treating Manager Mu to dinner, and how can I make it so casual? Manager Mu, just order whatever you like"
Wang Xianghua emphasized the fact that he had invited Mu Yanran to dinner, because his intention was to humiliate Ding Ning.
But Ding Ning was not bothered at all. He reached out for the menu, held Mu Yanran’s thin waist with his left hand, pulled her closer to him, and smiled slightly, as if proclaiming his sovereignty, "Since president Wang is so sincere, Yanran, my baby, we should not be so courteous."
Mu Yanran knew Ding Ning was doing this on purpose, but being so close to him, in front of another man, made her feel very shy. So, she secretly slipped her hand to his waist, and pinched him hard.
The corner of Ding Ning’s mouth twitched and he nearly screamed aloud, because of the pain. He continued to maintain the hypocritical smile on his face. In his heart, however, he secretly cursed, "This little girl is so deadly!"
It was unfair if he did not fight back. Ding Ning discreetly slipped his hand down to her perfectly round buttocks, and squeezed hard. Then he smiled and shouted,
"One dish of white mushrooms with abalone juice, three glutinous rice chicken wings, cooked using the old method, three dishes of tokay gecko powder with shark fins, and three black pepper, lemongrass fried steak. Oh, in addition, could you please prepare one dish of apricot juice with stewed papaya. My baby Yanran needs it."
Yanran felt shy and blushed. "He is a rogue! He called me baby and also grabbed my buttocks at the same time. That was acceptable, but why would I need the juice? My breasts are already big enough, and I don’t need it!"
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Thereafter, she pinched Ding Ning’s waist, time and again.
Ding Ning grimaced in pain. Ignoring her fiery eyes, he continued placing his hand on her plump buttocks and caressed them.
Mu Yanran had never been harassed like this before. She felt shy, and blushed furiously, but Ding Ning’s hands seemed to have a magic touch, and made her feel twitchy from head to foot. Later, she felt a small stream of unusual warmth gathering in her lower belly, and her breath became even more rapid.
Wang Xianghua couldn’t see their petty actions, because the dining table blocked his view, but he could feel a change coming over Mu Yanran.
At the moment, her pupils were glazed, her eyes looked very alluring and her cheeks were flushed. She looked extremely attractive and beautiful, but he thought they were flirting with each other before him on purpose, so he became envious and hated them for this.
He worked hard to contain his fury, his face turning dark, and said, "Have you two finished choosing the dishes?"
"Let’s start with these dishes. What’s wrong, president Wang? You do not look well. Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
Knowing that Mu Yanran was really angry, Ding Ning didn’t dare to harass her anymore. He released her instantly and handed back the menu to the waitress. With concern showing on his face, he turned to Wang Xianghua.
"No, I’m fine."
The corner of Wang Xianghua’s mouth twitched slightly, and he reluctantly forced a smile, and replied.
"Oh, that’s good. I thought president Wang might feel that the dishes I ordered are too expensive, and is not happy about that."
Ding Ning pretended to look relieved, and nearly caused the beautiful waitress to break out in laugher. She immediately turned back, but her shoulders did not stop shaking.
She did not have a good impression of Wang Xianghua. Before Mu Yanran came, this gentleman-like rogue had harassed her, and she was very disgusted with him.
Ding Ning did not leave a good impression on her, too, but she felt happy when she saw Wang Xianghua becoming so angry.
Wang Xianghua’s face turned darker and his eyes twitched constantly. "I am the vice president of Tianfu Company and have so much money to squander. How could they think I am mean?"
He wanted to turn over the table, wrap his disgusting face with the table cloth, and give him a good beating. He was a shrewd man, though and knew he should not do such things, and had to maintain his manners, all the time.
Mu Yanran also tried hard not to laugh, rolled her eyes at Ding Ning as she coyly grumbled. Her previous anger seemed to have disappeared, and she played the role of the middle-woman, saying, "Ding Ning, you idiot! Do you think president Wang is such a mean person?"
"Yes, yes, it is my fault to have such a narrow view of President Wang. President Wang is a wealthy boss, how could he not afford such a little amount?"
Ding Ning spoke anxiously and this made Wang Xianghua feel a little better. Then Mr. Wang generously said, "Since it is my treat, please order whatever you want."
"President Wang is really generous. Yanran, my baby, I’ve heard that red wines are good for the skin. Since president Wang is so generous, let’s drink a little wine this evening."
Ding Ning looked at Mu Yanran questioningly, but before she could answer, he waved his hand and made the decision, turning to Wang Xianghua, with a face filled with anticipation. "Let’s drink a little red wine. President Wang, you don’t mind, right?"
Wang Xianghua felt a sense of superiority, and pretending to be generous, he smiled and said, "I said, eat and drink whatever you want. It’s all my treat."
"Wow, president Wang is so generous. So, let me enjoy some foreign luxuries this evening, and also enjoy being treated like nobility. Let’s drink La Romanee Conti. I’ve heard that this wine is really good, but I have not drunk it yet."
Ding Ning’s mouth watered in anticipation.
"Okay, no problem. Beautiful waitress, please give us a bottle of 1999 La Romanee Conti!"
In his mind, Wang Xianghua sneered. "A bottle of 1999 La Romanee Conti costs only 200,000 yuan." It was a piece of cake.
"Ah, President Wang, you are not mean, are you? How can one bottle be enough? I can drink a lot."
Ding Ning looked sad, his eyes were filled with suspicion, surprise, and incredulity as if someone had tried to cheat him.
Mu Yanran looked at Ding Ning in confusion, and did not know what he was about to do.
Wang Xianghua became nervous, then relaxed again. On the contrary, he was secretly happy, thinking, "How many bottles can he drink even, though he can drink a lot? Two bottles? Three bottles? Five bottles at most."
"Five bottles only cost one million. With one million, I will make him drunk and take Mu Yanran to bed. The price is fair."
Immediately, he laughed and said, "No problem. Mr. Ding, no matter how much you drink, just drink. As long as you don’t take away anything, it’s all on me, no matter how much you drink."
"Wow, president Wang is great. You deserve to be my idol. You are generous indeed!"
Ding Ning was delighted, and he generously flattered Wang Xianghua, making his vanity reach its highest peak, momentarily. Mr. Wang smiled in a reserved manner.
"Beautiful waitress, please give us two boxes of 1999 La Romanee Conti now. We may ask for more if need be."
Ding Ning spoke to the waitress happily.
The waitress was shocked. She looked at Wang Xianghua, and her heartbeat increased instantly. "Two boxes of 1999 La Romanee Conti! There are six bottles in one box. It is 12 bottles in two boxes. They are worth 2,400,000 yuan!"
She had met guests who ordered 1999 La Romanee Conti, but they usually drank two bottles at most. She had never met any guest who ordered two boxes at one go, like Ding Ning. The commission earned, after selling the wine, would be as much as her salary for two years.
Wang Xianghua’s face darkened, and he felt sad because he had to fork out so much money. 2,400,000 was not a lot of money for him, but he was not happy, because he had to pay so much money for the bill of the man, whom he hated.
Certainly, he didn’t think Ding Ning could drink so much, so he must be bluffing. He tentatively asked, "Mr. Ding, are you sure you want two boxes, and not two bottles?"
"What? Are you looking down on me? Or you can’t afford to pay for two boxes? Yanran, my baby, I think president Wang is being insincere. So, let me take you to eat at Malatang."
With righteous indignation, Ding Ning took Yanran’s hand, ready to leave. She was speechless, but she didn’t want to face Wang Xianghua at all. If they could leave, that would be very good. So, she meekly stood up.
Wang Xianghua’s mouth twitched, and he hurriedly stopped them, "Sit, sit, Mr. Ding, you misunderstood me. Just now I said, as long as it is in this room, no matter how much you can drink, just drink. Two boxes or 20 boxes that is not a problem."
"Haha, I know president Wang is not stingy. Come, come, come, beautiful waitress, please fetch us the wine. I cannot wait to taste the flavor of 1999 La Romanee Conti."
Ding Ning didn’t want to leave, but he pretended to, and this strategy worked. Immediately, he went back to his seat, sat down, and asked the waitress to bring him wine, with a smile.
Mu Yanran had a helpless expression, and whispered in his ear, "What do you want? Red wines don’t have a high alcohol content, but their after-effect is strong. Can you handle that?"