Seeing Hao Jian head to the bathroom, Tie Shan and the others didn't think much of it. They had already agreed to treat Hao Jian to a meal, and they trusted that Hao Jian was absolutely not that sort of person.
Hao Jian didn't know what was on Xiao Qiang's mind, and when he returned, he casually took his seat again.
Xiao Qiang chuckled to himself, thinking Hao Jian's plans had fallen through. He had returned so quickly, and they hadn't even started to pay the bill yet.
"Waiter, the bill, please!"
At this moment, Old Zhang shouted generously, pretending to be a big spender!
He knew they were going out to eat today, so he had purposely worn an old-fashioned suit, but because of its style and fabric, it looked like something from a street stall, which not only failed to give him a wealthy look but actually made him seem rather unsophisticated.
The waiter walked over, looking a bit confused, and asked,
"You want to pay the bill?"
"Yes, how much is it?" Old Zhang asked.
"But your bill has already been paid."
The waiter was even more puzzled, looking up at Hao Jian. He had just paid the bill; why are they paying again? Did these people have money to burn?
"Ah? It's paid? When was it paid?" Old Zhang and the others were stunned.
"It was this gentleman who just paid," the waiter said, pointing at Hao Jian.
Old Zhang and the others looked over and saw Hao Jian waving his hand, signaling them not to make too big a fuss.
"Hao Jian, that's not very honest of you. We clearly agreed that we would pay, and you went ahead and sneaked off to pay the bill," Tie Shan said, somewhat displeased. Hao Jian's actions made it seem like he wasn't treating them like brothers.
"Exactly, I was wondering why you came back from the bathroom so quickly. Turns out you didn't really go to the bathroom," Old Zhang also complained a bit.
"Next time, next time, I'll definitely let you guys treat," Hao Jian said with a laugh, brushing it off.
"That's settled then, next time it's definitely our turn to treat, or we'll be upset with you!" Heigui said, gesturing with his fist.
"Alright, alright," Hao Jian said, caught between laughter and tears.
"Since that's the case, let's keep the money with Old Zhang for now, and we can take it out when we need it," Tie Shan suggested.
"Sure, let's do that."
Everyone agreed, as Old Zhang was the most senior and it made the most sense for him to hold onto it. They all trusted Old Zhang to be honest and not to pocket the money for himself.
Xiao Qiang was also secretly surprised, realizing that Hao Jian had not used the bathroom as an excuse to slip away but had actually gone to pay the bill. She had misunderstood him.
Afterward, Xiao Qiang felt guilty for her previous thoughts, realizing she had suspected an honorable person with a villain's mind.
Everyone got up to leave when Xiao Qiang suddenly staggered, almost falling to the ground. Having drunk too much, she too was a bit dazed.
"Minister Xiao is drunk; who will take her home?"
Old Zhang was the first to notice Xiao Qiang's condition was poor, guessing that she wouldn't be able to get home by herself.
Heigui and several other bachelors all eagerly volunteered. Xiao Qiang had just broken up with her unfaithful boyfriend, creating the perfect opportunity for them to make a move.
For a beautiful woman like Minister Xiao, it would be a lie to say they weren't tempted.
Since they all knew she had a boyfriend before, they hadn't dared to make any moves, but now that Xiao Qiang was single again, they realized their chance had come.
"No need, I can get back on my own," Xiao Qiang said, somewhat embarrassed.
"No, you're too drunk to stand straight. If something happened on the way back, that would be trouble," Old Zhang insisted.
It's already not safe for a girl to go home alone, let alone when she's drunk. If she runs into some pervert or hooligan, that would be a real problem.
"Stop making a fuss, let Hao Jian take her home," Tie Shan spoke up and even winked at Hao Jian, obviously trying to give Hao Jian an opportunity on purpose.
Hao Jian, who was smoking on the side, pointed at his own nose, obviously not very willing. It was freezing cold, and he had had a few drinks; he was feeling sleepy and just wanted to go home to sleep.
"Of course you, the rest of us still have things to do later, you're the only idle one here," Tie Shan said with an entitled expression, then made a covert sign to Heigui and the others.
"Ah, that's right, I just remembered, I have something to do tonight, I need to watch a TV drama with my mom."
"I need to go home to do laundry."
"I've got a date with some friends to play Mahjong."
Xiao Qiang's cheeks were a bit rosy, it was hard to tell if it was from the cold or from embarrassment.
"Fine, I'll take Minister Xiao home," Hao Jian said helplessly.
He knew these guys meant well, even though he was not interested, but thinking about letting Xiao Qiang, a girl, go back alone late at night, it didn't seem right.
However, just then, a mocking laugh came from behind them!
"I'm sorry, but you're not going anywhere," the voice said.
The words made everyone pause, and as they turned to look, they saw Zhuang Yibin standing not far away with a menacing sneer on his face.
"Fuck your grandma, you dare to come back?" Tie Shan, who had a violent temper, couldn't hold back anymore. If Zhuang Yibin hadn't run away so fast before, he would have already taken action. Now that this piece of trash had the audacity to come back, did he really think Tie Shan wouldn't dare to beat him up?
But Hao Jian frowned, feeling a bad premonition, because he knew that Zhuang Yibin was definitely not as courageous as he appeared to be, otherwise he wouldn't have been scared off by them earlier.
Him coming back now, there was only one possibility: he had some backup.
"Why wouldn't I dare to come back? My girlfriend is still here, of course, I had to come back!" Zhuang Yibin burst into laughter, his eyes constantly on Xiao Qiang.
For some reason, hearing Zhuang Yibin say "girlfriend," Xiao Qiang suddenly felt disgusted and couldn't help but retort:
"I am not your girlfriend. We broke up just a few hours ago, so please stop pestering me."
"You hear that? Come again and I'll break your damn legs!" Heigui directly threatened with a cold voice.
"Yo, in just a few hours, you've hooked up with so many wild men? What, planning to have a gang bang tonight?" Zhuang Yibin sneered:
"You refuse to accompany my boss, but behind the scenes, you hook up with a bunch of gangsters so quickly; you really are cheap."
"You." Xiao Qiang's face turned crimson with anger. How could Zhuang Yibin insult her like that? No matter what, they had a history.
"Damn it, beat him to death!"
Heigui and Tie Shan were instantly enraged and roared as they charged forward.
But seeing them rush up, Zhuang Yibin's face did not show the slightest fear. Instead, he looked even more contemptuous and disdainful.
Suddenly, the roar of vehicles grew from a distance.