super soldier
After working at the noodle restaurant for a while, Xiao Bing invited Zhang Yizhi for dinner. And it was exactly at the Su family’s noodle restaurant.
The noodle restaurant wasn’t spacious. There were seven or eight tables in the hall and two small private rooms for five or six people at the back. Xiao Bing reserved one of the private rooms for the dinner. He got Wang Guifang, who was in charge of the kitchen, to make two side dishes to go with drinks, a dish of peanuts and a pot of hot soup noodles. Right after the food was ready, Zhang Yizhi walked into the restaurant clutching his cane.
Zhang Yizhi took a look at the hall, which was already full of students in groups of two or three. Seeing Zhang Yizhi coming in, Xiao Bing immediately walked to greet him, “Mr. Zhang, I hope you don’t mind, here is not as good as those lavish restaurants in the capital.”
“Not bad.” From Zhang Yizhi’s attitude, he meant it. “This is a good place to dine. But it seems like there’s no tables available.”
Xiao Bing laughed and said, “I wouldn’t dare to let you eat while standing. I reserved a private room at the back.”
Zhang Yizhi nodded slightly and walked to the room with his cane, with Xiao Bing holding his arm.
It was almost impossible for even influential officials in the capital to invite Zhang Yizhi for dinner or a formal banquet. If they knew he had dinner with someone like Xiao Bing at a small noodle restaurant, their jaws would drop.
They entered the private room, and the dinner was already set. Xiao Bing closed the door, looked to Feuillet, and said with a smile, “Brother Feuillet, please have a seat. It is only us here.”
Zhang Yizhi laughed and said, “Leave him be. He’s not used to it.”
Xiao Bing took a look at Feuillet, and said helplessly, “You came out alive from the African Death Angel and should be considered a top-tier master there. Why are you so stiff?”
Feuillet didn’t say a word nor even took a look at Xiao Bing. It was as if he didn’t hear or see him. It was like Xiao Bing was transparent to him, like air.
Zhang Yizhi laughed and said, “Never mind him, even in Hua Xia… Especially for veterans, men unruly and uncontrollable like you are few.”
Xiao Bing corrected him with a serious look, “No, there are no others like me.”
Zhang Yizhi laughed and said, “That’s right, you are the only one… I know nothing of Kung Fu, but I have heard that people who practice Kung Fu seldom spend time with women. However, you were a famous casanova in Jing Du City, and had many affairs. The princess of Eagle Country, an American Hollywood actress, and the most beautiful woman in the whole of Jing Du…”
Xiao Bing interrupted him, “No… I’m not a playboy as you said. Though they chase me, I don’t reciprocate. It’s just that some men are so outstanding that women don’t forget them easily. Especially for a man handsome as me.”
Zhang Yizhi laughed and said, “You are still the same guy I knew before. Nothing about you has changed. I was worried that Peiya’s death would have hit you hard, but now I am relieved.”
Speaking of Peiya, Xiao Bing sighed and raised his glass. Zhang Yizhi took a sip, but Xiao Bing downed a whole glass of liquor. After he put his glass down, he suddenly had a coughing fit, turning his whole face red.
Zhang Yizhi looked at Xiao Bing and gave a slight frown. He looked worried and sighed, “You are still recovering…”
“I won’t die.” Xiao Bing put down his glass and laughed indifferently.
“You shouldn’t drink like that. You are supposed to drink with me, not drink to drown your sorrows.”
Xiao Bing’s face brightened, saying while laughing, “Don’t worry, Mr. Zhang. I am already getting over it.”
“Really?” Zhang Yizhi said, “Your relationship with her was always good.”
“Yes! I met someone the other day, a girl… After talking with her, I let go completely. It’s just that I need to do one last thing.”
“Take revenge?”
“Yes, take revenge.”
Zhang Yizhi said emotionally, “The girl who brought you to your senses must be really impressive.”
Thinking of Yezi, the playful smile on her face, the sly expression in her eyes, and the wisdom in her gaze, Xiao Bing’s heart warmed. Then he said in a softer voice, “She’s an intelligent, lovely, and pretty girl.”
Zhang Yizhi was surprised and said, “We have been friends for so long, and I have never seen you compliment a girl like this. I would like to meet her in person.”
While they spoke, someone knocked on the door. Xiao Bing looked to the door and said, “Please come in.”
Li Hong, the restaurant’s waiter, came in. Xiao Bing joked, “Surely you didn’t come in to eat with us, Sister Hong?”
Li Hong stuck her tongue out before saying, “Someone outside wants to order your noodles.”
Xiao Bing didn’t seem annoyed, but rather confused, “Didn’t I say that I won’t be making the special noodles tonight? Tell these people to come tomorrow.”
“But… but she said she’s your friend. She said her name was Yezi.”
Unexpectedly, she had come. Yezi’s lovely face surfaced in Xiao Bing’s mind. He felt an urge to see her right away, but Mr. Zhang was still here…
Xiao Bing pretended to clear his throat, and said in an embarrassed voice, “She’s my friend, and it’s not easy for her to come this far… But I am still having dinner with Mr. Zhang. It’s not proper for me to see her now…”
Even a fool could tell Xiao Bing’s mind was on Yezi. Zhang Yizhi shook his head and said with a wry smile, “It’s alright, go and attend to your friend first. I will stay here and continue eating…”
“Oh, okay. I will back soon!” Xiao Bing didn’t hesitate and left like the wind.
The three people left in the room only looked at each other, flabbergasted. In the whole of Hua Xia, only Xiao Bing would have dared leave Zhang Yizhi aside for a girl.
Zhang Yizhi said helplessly, “Before, he would have never chosen a girl over his friends. Let me finish eating, and then I will go see what kind of girl would make him so excited.”
When Xiao Bing walked out of the room, he saw Yezi sitting at a table with two girls with several drinks.
Apart from Yezi, the other girls looked like students around twenty years old. One of them was wearing jeans and had an oval face while the other was wearing a white floral skirt and had a doll-like face. Their looks were above average – they were young, bright and beautiful.
As for Yezi, she was in a long dress and a pair of white glass slippers. Her beauty shined even when she just stood casually. She wasn’t breathtakingly beautiful, but her bright eyes and shiny teeth would make anyone’s heart skip a beat.
When Xiao Bing came out, the girl with the round doll-like face was grumbling to Yezi, “Yezi, we didn’t eat anything tonight to wait for your treat. And in the end it’s just noodles?”
Yezi smiled and said, “Many classmates have came here before, and I’ve heard that the noodles here are good.”
The girl with the oval face who wore jeans said with a smile, “The noodles here is indeed very good. I’ve been here twice before. It was a middle-aged woman who made the noodles, but they said it’s not available now. We’ve waited hungrily for quite some time, maybe we should order something else or go to another restaurant.”
Yezi grinned and said, “No matter what he’s doing now, I promise he’ll arrive in two minutes.”
Xiao Bing touched his nose and wondered why she was so sure of it. But when he thought back about himself walking out of the room hurriedly and leaving someone as noble as Mr. Zhang alone in the room, he felt a bit awkward. While he hesitating if he should go to her right away, he got caught by Yezi. The sly smile on her face made her look like a fox who had caught a rabbit. And there was no way to escape from her grasp.
Yezi waved her small pink hand and said, “Brother Bing, over here.”
The other girls’ eyes lit up when they saw Xiao Bing. The girl with the oval face looked at Yezi and said with a smile, “No wonder you have to wait for noodles, the maker is this handsome man. What did you call him? Big Brother Bing? Say no more: he has the air of a soldier, and also looks handsome and mature. Honestly, how did you get to know each other?”
Yezi rolled her eyes at her and said angrily, “What do you mean by Big Brother Bing? His name is Xiao Bing and I called him Brother Bing.”
The oval-faced girl laughed and said, “You even know his surname. Hmm, I guess we are being third wheels here.”
The round-faced girl also joked along, “It’s better that we leave.”
“No, you can’t leave. Dinner is on me.” Xiao Bing laughed, walking to them. He reached out his hand, and said, “Hello, I am Xiao Bing.”
The oval-faced girl stood up to shake hands with him and said, “Hello, I am Xu Wenting, you can call me Tingting.”
The round-faced girl also shook hands with Xiao Bing. Her hand was small and chubby. She looked at Xiao Bing curiously and said, “I am Chen Yuanyuan.”
“Bloody hell… The Chen Yuanyuan who brought forth a calamity to the country?” Xiao Bing got stunned. What kind of parents would give her such a name?
Xu Wenting laughed and said, “She is not like that. She’s just chubby.”
“Xu Wenting, you bitch. I knew you were going to make fun of me. I’m clearly just cute. You are the one who’s chubby. I’ll rip your tongue out…”
Huffing, Chen Yuanyuan pounced at her. Xu Wenting hurriedly ran to the door, trying to hide. A chase broke out between the girls.
Xiao Bing and Yezi looked to each other and laughed. Yezi pretended to look helpless with a headache, and said, “They are both my classmates and best friends. They’re just young and childish.”
“Do you want to eat some noodles?”
“Yeah.” Yezi blinked and said, “I said I would visit you. I want to try the noodles you make.”
Her big eyes made Xiao Bing space out, and he felt as if he entered a trance. When they met each others’ eyes, it seemed as if there were sparks flying.
Xiao Bing smiled and said, “I’ll make some for you.”