"Wow, that's bold! Strike when it's time to strike!"
Li Jing's habitual saying slipped out instinctively, leaving Wei Jia momentarily stunned, not expecting that kind of reaction from Li Jing.
But immediately, Wei Jia burst into hearty laughter, relieved, "Hahaha, yes, people like that deserve a beating!"
Then she looked at Li Jing with pleased surprise, "Honestly, since this incident happened, your reaction is the most satisfying and refreshing to hear.
Everyone else either thought it was too impulsive or unnecessary, some even thought I should apologize."
At this point, Wei Jia's face darkened, and she said coldly, "Including those people from the chamber, who feel my impulsiveness ruined this collaboration.
Even though they can't really blame me, they still try to persuade me to invite him over to minimize the negative impact."
Soon after, Wei Jia's expression improved slightly, and she sneered, "But just as I thought, that guy didn't even have the face to show up.
That's good, it also gives an explanation to the chamber of commerce, and there's no need to see that disgusting face again."
Hearing this, Li Jing was curious, "Aren't you afraid he'll retaliate for embarrassing him in public?"
"Hehe, if he doesn't cooperate with me in business in the future, I can totally bear that loss."
Wei Jia's eyes shone with confidence through her thin-framed glasses, "If he's thinking of some other means of revenge, having been in society for so long, who doesn't have some connections?
With his personality, he wouldn't make too big of a scene anyway, it's no good for anyone."
After hearing her words, Li Jing secretly clicked his tongue, this woman is indeed a formidable character.
Though strong and assertive, Li Jing still admired a woman who could make her way in this society.
Then, Li Jing picked up his cup, smiling, "Then I'll toast you with tea instead of wine, congratulations on your successful trip to Celestial Sea City."
"Success?" Wei Jia raised a willow eyebrow, puzzled.
"From what you said, that President Liu was originally going to cooperate with your chamber.
But you came to investigate on site this time, found out his character is bad, and decisively showed your stance, drawing the line and eliminating future hidden dangers. Isn't that considered success?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Jia blinked, understanding that he was trying to comfort her, but she still gave a gentle smile, looking at Li Jing with increasingly soft eyes, raising her tea cup, "Alright, cheers to my successful business trip!"
Tilting her head back, she drank the hot tea in one gulp, paying no mind to its heat, as if that sip of tea melted away all the depression and resentment of these past two days, bringing a sense of relief to her heart.
Then, she looked at Li Jing spiritedly, refilled her cup, and raised it with a smile, "Li Jing, I think the most successful part of this business trip isn't work, but meeting you..."
While she spoke, a rare hint of sincerity appeared in Wei Jia's eyes, "I feel very lucky to have made a friend like you. I hope you can consider me a friend too."
Watching as she drank the hot tea first, Li Jing knew she was genuine, and downed his own tea with a smile, "Of course, we are definitely friends."
Hearing Li Jing's firm response, Wei Jia felt even more at ease, and there was completely no longer any sense of distance from a stranger in her gaze towards him.
Their lunch went by quickly.
Most of the food ended up in Li Jing's stomach.
While Wei Jia only ate a little, then lit a lady's cigarette, crossed her legs, and silently watched Li Jing eat, without interrupting.
Previously, if someone had eaten as much as Li Jing at her dining table, Wei Jia would surely have been displeased.
But now, perhaps due to a preconceived notion, Wei Jia instead found Li Jing's behavior uniquely genuine, and even found watching him eat particularly interesting.
The waiter came in and saw Li Jing eating heartily in the private room, while Wei Jia sat by silently smoking, and felt an indescribable oddness at the scene.
But seeing Li Jing enjoying the food without any concern even in the presence of the imposing Wei Jia, the waiter couldn't help but secretly admire Li Jing's nerve.
"President Wei is also one of our regular customers, but it's the first time I've seen her like this."
The waiter was secretly surprised: Who knows what kind of relationship this sir has with President Wei, for her to watch him eat without getting angry. He must be something special.
...
Finally full and satisfied, Li Jing showed a look of contentment. Although Wei Jia praised this restaurant, Li Jing still felt a bit disappointed after eating.
This restaurant does indeed focus on Hunan cuisine, but the portion size of each dish is much less than that of food stalls on the street.
As if putting more dishes on the plate would lower their status or something.
And most importantly, while the taste of these dishes was alright, it didn't match their price.
After all, these dishes were expensive mainly because of the high-priced ingredients added to them.
For instance, adding abalone to a regular chili stir-fried meat dish raised the price from forty to four hundred and eighty.
Adding sea cucumber and fin to Anton chicken raised the price from eighty to eight hundred and eighty.
Adding morels to the stinky mandarin fish raised the price from sixty to six hundred and sixty.
In short, they focused on adding expensive ingredients to the original dishes, thus justifying the increased price.
As for whether these additions made the dishes taste better, well, opinions differ.
At least for Li Jing's taste, these so-called upscale Hunan dishes lacked the greatest feature of Hunan cuisine, which is the "wok energy" from stir-frying over high heat on-site.
Li Jing casually shared his thoughts after finishing eating.
At first, Wei Jia, who thought the taste was quite nice, was surprised by his insight.
She didn't expect someone who could easily spend tens of thousands would not like these exquisite dishes and instead prefer the street food vibe of food stalls.
This made her even more puzzled by him, and it's precisely for this reason she found Li Jing's difference intriguing.
Li Jing wiped his mouth and said, "Next time I find a good restaurant, I'll treat you to real Hunan cuisine so you can experience the soul of Hunan cuisine."
"The soul of Hunan cuisine?"
Wei Jia raised an eyebrow slightly, she, unlike Li Jing, only liked heavy flavors, which is why she liked Hunan cuisine, but she had never really gone to the local area to eat it.
However, she could see that Li Jing wasn't trying to brag or degrade on purpose and couldn't help but smile, "Sure, I'll wait for that meal, you better not stand me up."
"Of course!"
For someone not from his region to appreciate his hometown's food, he naturally felt a sense of pride, so he was eager for her to taste the authentic Hunan cuisine.
"Alright, thank you, Boss Wei, for treating me this time."
Then the two stood up, Wei Jia smiled as she heard this, "I'm still waiting for you to treat me next time. Alright, I have things to attend to later, so I won't return to the hotel with you."
Li Jing gave an OK gesture, didn't say much, and walked out.
Meanwhile, as Wei Jia walked towards the service counter to settle the bill, thinking about how many dishes Li Jing had ordered, she couldn't help but feel pained.
The meal originally meant for President Liu could be reimbursed by the chamber, but her private treat for Li Jing naturally couldn't be reimbursed.
"But for one meal, it's worth it to make an interesting friend."
Just as Wei Jia took out her bank card, she heard the counter staff respectfully say, "Miss Wei, your bill has already been settled."
"Settled?" Wei Jia frowned, puzzled.
"Yes, it was the gentleman who was with you."
The counter staff explained, "The gentleman said you treat, he pays, which makes perfect sense."
After hearing this, Wei Jia was stunned for a good while, then hurriedly turned and rushed out, only to find that he had already left by car.
"This guy, actually played this trick..."
Wei Jia's expression changed, but a trace of inexplicable happiness rose in her heart, causing the corners of her mouth to curl up slightly.
It wasn't just because of the saved money, but also that she felt this guy really suited her taste.
How could she not have met such an interesting guy sooner...
...