Chapter 680: Cross-Cup Wine

Xue Bing stayed at a five-star hotel. When we found her room, she was on the phone. Seeing us enter, she hung up in a panic and smiled, "Why do you have time to come?"

Li Mei looked at her and said, "Sister, who are you calling? Could it be my brother-in-law? Missing him?"

The brother-in-law Li Mei mentioned was naturally Xu Mengda. The little girl said it to Xue Bing, but faced me, winking and blinking.

I pretended not to see, scanned the layout of her room, and praised, "A five-star hotel is indeed extraordinary, luxurious."

Xue Bing curled her lips and said, "Luxurious? It's not like I didn't let you come over to stay."

"Can't afford it," I sighed, "We don't have money."

"Did I ask you to pay?" Her eyebrows jumped, "Nagging, love to come or not."

Li Mei dragged her arm, raised her face, and said, "Sister, I'll come. I'll stay with you, okay?"

Xue Bing smiled shallowly, "I have no problem, welcome to come. But will your leader agree?"

I laughed sheepishly, "It's okay, Xiao Li can stay wherever she wants, as long as it doesn't delay work."

Li Mei shouted happily, "You said it yourself, as a leader, you can't go back on your word."

I waved my hand, "Did I go back on my word?"

Li Mei hesitated, shook her head, thought for a while, and said, "I'd better not come to stay. The leader is staying at the Beijing Office, how can I run out to enjoy it alone? I want to share weal and woe with the leader."

The three of us laughed for a while. Just in time for mealtime, I suggested inviting them to eat roast duck.

Not eating roast duck in Beijing is like not visiting the gardens in Suzhou, which will be a lifelong regret. A person will have many regrets in life, and any regret will be a memory on the road of life. Just like us coming to Beijing; although life is long, the opportunity to come to Beijing is not always available.

Wandering around Beijing for no reason, either you are idle, or you are horny.

My suggestion received a warm response from the two women. Xue Bing picked up her handbag and followed us downstairs.

There was a roast duck restaurant downstairs, a branch of Quanjude. The restaurant was crowded with people, and voices from all over the world were rising and falling. We looked for a long time but couldn't find a table to sit down, so we had to learn from others, ordered a few things to pack, and prepared to take them to the room to eat.

Xue Bing also bought a bottle of red wine, saying that drinking red wine with roast duck is a combination of local and foreign, wanting to eat roast duck with exotic style.

Returning to the room and getting ready, the three wine glasses clinked with a ding, and the roast duck feast officially began.

For me, red wine is no different from a beverage. But facing two delicate girls, I couldn't drink white wine alone while talking to them. Not to mention the now-sentimental Xue Bing, who wanted to eat roast duck with exotic style. I generally don't do things that spoil the scenery, especially in front of women.

Xue Bing could drink; I knew that ten years ago. Women from Suxi, there isn't one who can't drink.

But Li Mei couldn't. This girl who grew up in the city since childhood hadn't even drunk much beer. After a few glasses of red wine, her face was flushed like a blooming flower.

Xue Bing held the wine glass, elegant and calm. Li Mei held the wine glass with one fist, her face flying, speaking incoherently.

"Leader, you two should drink cross-cup wine," Li Mei said with a grin.

"Nonsense!" I deliberately darkened my face and scolded her.

"If you don't drink with my sister, drink with me, okay?" She was still grinning, looking heartless.

Li Mei was obviously drunk; her eyes began to drift, and her speech had no gatekeeper.

"Don't drink!" I refused her, "Xiao Li, if you're drunk, lie down for a while."

"I won't!" She shouted, "I just want to drink cross-cup wine with you."

Xue Bing on the side covered her mouth and giggled. Her laughter made me feel embarrassed.

One shouldn't be too serious with Li Mei; after all, she's a little girl and it's her first time traveling far with me. A girl who dares to travel far with a man, either she trusts him absolutely, or she has other intentions.

"Drink," Xue Bing persuaded me, "Xiao Li wants to taste the flavor of cross-cup wine, right?"

Li Mei nodded repeatedly and said, "Sister understands me. It's just a glass of wine, will it kill anyone?"

"It won't kill anyone, but drinking cross-cup wine means you have to enter the bridal chamber," Xue Bing said gently, looking at Li Mei, hesitating for a moment, and saying, "Do you understand?"

Li Mei seemed to be frightened and stammered, "What does this have to do with the bridal chamber?"

"Of course it has to do with it. This is a tradition left by our ancestors. Drinking cross-cup wine means you are husband and wife," Xue Bing smiled, "Xiao Li, are you still drinking?"

Li Mei held the wine glass, hesitated for a long time, and said, "I won't drink, you two drink."

"What should we drink?" Xue Bing asked strangely.

"Cross-cup wine!" Li Mei said in surprise, "You two should drink cross-cup wine. After drinking, you go into the bridal chamber."

She laughed out loud, appearing somewhat unscrupulous.

I laughed embarrassedly, "Drunk, right? Talking nonsense."

"Do you think I'm drunk?" Li Mei looked at me sideways, suddenly leaned into my ear and whispered, "You just peeked at me changing clothes just now."

I immediately wished I could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. This little girl Li Mei really had no filter!

I looked up at Xue Bing. She didn't seem to hear what Li Mei said clearly and asked, "What secret are you whispering? Talking bad about me, right?"

Li Mei looked aggrieved and said, "Do I dare, Sister?"

"What do you not dare?" Xue Bing put down the wine glass and said, "Alright, no more jokes, let's talk about business."

"What business?" Li Mei had a foolish and ignorant look. The innocence of a girl was fully displayed.

"You're here on a business trip, don't you remember?" Xue Bing asked with a smile.

"I remember. But I'm just here to learn. You and my leader are handling the business, I'm not worried, and I don't care."

"Heartless," Xue Bing scolded with a smile, "How can there be such a subordinate, pushing everything to the leader."

"I'm willing," Li Mei said coquettishly, her slightly drunk eyes looking at me in a daze.

"Alright, alright, Xiao Li, you're drunk, go lie down on the side, I have something to say to your Sister Xue Bing," I urged Li Mei.

Li Mei swayed and stood up, looked at us, and said, "I'll go lie down for a while?"

I nodded affirmatively and watched her enter the inner bedroom.

Once Li Mei left, Xue Bing smiled shallowly and whispered, "Chen Feng, you are still the same as before, loved by everyone."

"Who loves me?" I said dissatisfied, "Talking nonsense."

"Her!" She pouted her lips and gestured toward the inner room.

"How is that possible?" I said seriously, "I'm already a father, how can a little girl love me?"

"A man at thirty is like a flower," Xue Bing pursed her lips and smiled. After laughing, she seemed a bit lost and muttered, "If we were still together, I would be a mother too."

I looked at her in surprise. She dodged my gaze, and a red glow flew onto her face.

After a moment of silence, Xue Bing sighed, "What have you been busy with these days?"

I couldn't tell her my idea of walking on two legs; after all, she was now Xu Mengda's person. I had to fob her off, "Organizing materials, waiting for news from your side."

I kicked the ball to her, probing her reaction.

She hesitated and said, "I contacted someone, but he said he went down to the province to inspect work and won't be back for a few days."

"A few days?"

"I can't be sure either."

I suddenly felt frustrated. Who has the leisure to stay in Beijing for a few days? This place is not for playing; leisure in Beijing seems top-heavy. This is a place to handle business; once handled, leave quickly. Staying one more day, my heart can't balance for one more day.

Xue Bing seemed to see my frustration and persuaded softly, "It's just a few more days. How about we go to the Great Wall together tomorrow?"

"No mood," I refused her, feeling a bit unbearable, so I said, "How about you and Xiao Li go play?"

"If you don't go, will she go?" Xue Bing sneered, "Chen Feng, what do you mean? Avoiding me?"

"No," I shook my head, "I don't need to avoid you."

"You are avoiding me," she suddenly had teary eyes, making one feel pity.

"Teacher Xue, you also know, things are different now," I sighed.

"Call me Bing'er," she corrected me, "This name is only called by you, no one else can call it." Xue Bing got up and walked to my side, staring into my eyes and saying word by word, "Chen Feng, I tell you now, in my life, except for you, there is no other man."

I was startled. What did she mean by this? Could it be that Xu Mengda wasn't her man? She lived with Xu Mengda day and night; could they be innocent?

She was amused by my panicked look and whispered, "Believe it or not."

I was speechless.

Whether she had a man or not didn't seem to have much to do with me. I was a married man with a certain social status; I wouldn't hide a mistress, let alone have a family outside. I was afraid of letting Huang Weiwei down, letting my conscience down. Even more, a Sword of Damocles hung over my head, ready to fall and cut my neck at any time.

"What to do?" I murmured to myself.

"Wait. Wait patiently," Xue Bing comforted me, "As long as he comes back, we will go over immediately, okay?"

I sighed long and said, "Other than that, I can't think of any other good way, let's wait."

Although I said so, I had already started calculating in my heart. Before Xu Mengda's people returned to Beijing, I had to take advantage of this time to visit the person Gan Lu introduced to me.

In case Xu Mengda's road was blocked, the road of Gan Lu, which I opened up, might lead to another village.

The wine was finished, the talk was over, and I got up to say goodbye.

Xue Bing pointed to the inner bedroom and said, "Let her stay, it's not good to go back like this."

"It's okay," I said, "How can I let her disturb you."

I got up to call Li Mei in the bedroom. As soon as I pushed the door open, I was immediately fascinated by the spring scenery before my eyes. ===== CHAPTER 681 =====