護花近衛 - 第2020章 還在等候 - 清風書屋

"Very well, sir, one moment please..." said the waiter, and withdrew to fetch the cup.

"Let me see, let me see!" Shen Yushu snatched the cup right out of Zhang Duopan's hand.

"Wow, Brother Arrow, you look so handsome in this one—you're the best-looking one in it!" Shen Yushu said.

"Xiaoshu! Mind your manners a little!" Gu Mengyao said, rather helplessly.

When the photo had been taken, Xiaoshu had insisted on wedging Wei Zhao between the two of them, leaving Wang Xinyan no opening at all. There was nothing for it—Wang Xinyan had to stand at Shen Yushu's side, which made Shen Yushu very pleased with herself.

Before long the waiter brought over the finished crystal cups—one apiece this time, no more, no less.

By now everyone had eaten their fill, so Zhang Duopan said to the waiter, "Waiter, the bill, please. How much?"

"Sir, your total comes to two hundred thousand and nine hundred; rounding off the odd change, that's a flat two hundred thousand," the waiter said.

"Oh, card, then..." Zhang Duopan handed over a card with a flourish, then suddenly sensed something was off: "Wait, how is it two hundred thousand? It should be one hundred thirty or forty thousand, surely?"

Zhang Duopan had run the prices through his head earlier: the dishes alone came to just over one hundred thirty thousand, and even with the drinks it was only a bit over one hundred forty thousand. How could it possibly be over two hundred thousand?

"There's no mistake, sir. This is your itemized bill; please have a look." The waiter showed not the slightest contempt, but politely produced a bill and handed it to Zhang Duopan.

"This is... what? Crystal photo frames, five thousand apiece?" Zhang Duopan's eyes went wide. There were more than ten of them in his party; the frames alone came to sixty thousand—no wonder it was over two hundred thousand!

"Yes, sir. These crystal frames are made of genuine crystal, not glass," the waiter explained. "Each one has collectible value, and every one comes with an expert's certificate of authentication."

"I see..." Zhang Duopan stared at the heap of crystal cups, wanting to weep but unable to. The photos were already printed on them; there was no way out of buying them now. He could only say with a mournful face, "Fine, card..."

But now he did not have enough left for Cheng Yiyi's fee—after all this, only a bit over a hundred thousand remained on the card. Zhang Duopan turned it over in his mind: what excuse could he use to wheedle a little more money out of his old man...

After the meal, Wei Zhao first drove Wang Xinyan, He Meiyue, and Chai Xiaoling back to school. He was just about to head back to the villa with Feng Sanmang when he happened to notice two pitiful figures standing in the pitch-dark parking lot.

Looking closer, who else could it be but Han Jingyi and Han Xiaochao?

"Han Jingyi?" Wei Zhao stopped the car and looked at her in some surprise. "What are you two doing standing in the parking lot?"

"Brother Wei Zhao, we were waiting for you to take us home..." Han Jingyi said pitifully. "I thought you'd forgotten all about us. Thank goodness you finally remembered and came back..."

"Uh, you mean you've been standing here this whole time, waiting for me to drive you home?" Wei Zhao's eyes went wide.

"Yes!" Han Jingyi nodded.

"Isn't your X5M parked right over there? Can't you drive yourself?" Wei Zhao glanced in astonishment at the X5M not far off in the lot.

"The key was too heavy, so you didn't bring it?" Wei Zhao was thunderstruck—Han Jingyi had truly defeated him. "Then why didn't you call me?"

"I did, but it was off..." Han Jingyi said, aggrieved.

Wei Zhao suddenly remembered: before going onstage earlier, afraid someone might try to reach him, he had switched his phone off, and afterward he had forgotten to turn it back on.

"All right, get in..." Wei Zhao said with a wry smile. "Next time you can't find me, just take a taxi home—and it's not far to walk, either..."