Esteemed Meals was not in the downtown area; compared to Haishi’s bustling and noisy district, it was very quiet and empty here. The decorative arrangements were particularly elegant, the structure was mostly made of wood, and the glazed roof tiles made it all the more luxuriant and impressive.
In addition to the three-story main building, there was also a large back garden with a variety of trees in different shades of green, and a long pathway running through it.
Every ten steps or so on both sides of the pathway, there was a wooden cabin. Looking around, there were at least a dozen of them.
With the changes of the time, Esteemed Meals was no longer the former noisy and crowded small restaurant. Those who entered and left here were either rich and powerful, or influential celebrities. It was less and less common to see ordinary people who worked from dawn to dusk, struggling for life every day.
It really changed.
Therefore, when Liu Yanbo, a taxi driver in his work clothes, appeared here, he actually attracted a lot of attention. He was like a pebble that came out of nowhere, causing ripples on the calm lake.
He was way too ordinary.
On the long pathway were waiters passing by, in the woods, VIPs drinking tea in Chinese pavilions, and even a kid who was playing on a tree… At that time, every single one with no exception looked at the ordinary taxi driver.
They weren’t looks of contempt, but rather curiosity.
They were very curious, why could this guy come here?
Hei San didn’t come in with him, so Liu Yanbo had to follow the welcoming lady, who was walking quite fast, on the long brick pathway.
He had a bright smile on his face, looking around from time to time, he enjoyed the beautiful scenery and ignored the pairs of eyes following him.
Occasionally, he would nod his head in politeness when met with someone’s gaze.
It really seemed like he was a kind and polite ordinary citizen.
The welcoming lady led Liu Yanbo to the front of a small wooden cabin, and said: “Mr. Liu, Ji Ruyan’s group is waiting for you inside.”
“Thank you.” Liu Yanbo smiled lightly and stepped forward, knocking on the cabin’s door.
“You’re welcome, Mr. Liu.” The welcoming lady sneaked a look at Liu Yanbo and found that his smile was particularly charming, so much so that it felt unreal.
It was Ji Ruyan who came to open the door. She first gave the welcoming lady a generous tip and told her she could leave, then she looked at Liu Yanbo tenderly, "Go on in."
The room inside was very spacious. A tough-looking old man was sitting at a round table. He had an intimidating air and wasn’t shy to look Liu Yanbo up and down when he entered the cabin.
"Uncle Li, this is Liu Yanbo." Ji Ruyan introduced.
Uncle Li. His real name was Li Liang, the executive deputy mayor of the city, a senior member of the government.
Liu Yanbo had seen him in both newspapers and TV. He greeted: “Hello, Deputy Mayor Li.”
Li Liang nodded, and said kindly: “Mr Liu, come sit down here.”
"Deputy Mayor Li, no need to be so polite, you can just call me Liu." Liu Yanbo sat opposite Li Liang.
“Alright.” Li Liang smiled, “Then, Liu, instead of calling me Deputy Mayor Li, just call me Uncle Li, okay?”
Liu Yanbo didn’t refuse, and called out: “Uncle Li.”
‘Knock knock…’
At this time, knocks on the door sounded, and after receiving an answer, the door was pushed open by a waiter, and a series of delicious dishes were brought in.
Waiting for the waiter to finish putting the dishes and leave, Li Liang said: “Liu, you just left the police station, you must be hungry aren’t you?”
The fact that Liu Yanbo was arrested was no secret to those who paid close attention to him, and besides, Zhou Ming had done it in a way to make sure that many people would know.
Liu Yanbo sniffed and nodded, "I'm really hungry."
Li Liang laughed and said: “Then let’s eat, then talk.”
Eating was important.
Not to mention, it was said that the food served in Esteemed Meals was of such high quality that it was even fit for the emperors and nobles of ancient times. The taste was really good.
Liu Yanbo agreed and quickly began eating, every now and then clinking glasses with Li Liang and then returning his attention to the food. Although it would be too much to say he was wolfing down on his food, compared to how Ji Ruyan was eating, it wasn’t proper at all.
A big appetite had always been one of Liu Yanbo’s most distinctive features.
The serious matters were waiting to be discussed after eating. Li Liang lit up a cigarette and asked: “Liu, did the food suit your taste? I heard from Ruyan that you love spicy food, so I asked the kitchen to add some more chili.”
At this time, Li Liang didn’t seem like a powerful and intimidating leader, but more like a kind elder.
Of course, this was definitely not because of how likable Liu Yanbo was, but solely because of his relationship with Ji Ruyan. Just as the saying went, ‘love the house, love the crow’*.
*The idiom is then used to mean that if you are close to someone, you'll want to become close to the people and things relative to that someone as well.
It seems that the relationship between the two was quite superficial, Li Liang most probably being the supporter behind Ji Ruyan.
Liu Yanbo even suspected that Ji Ruyan had told Li Liang everything about the mistress matter. The way he looked at Liu Yanbo was very similar to the way Mother Yin looked at him; the same way they would look at a son-in-law.
Liu Yanbo wiped his mouth with a napkin and withdrew his wandering thoughts that had drifted a little far away. He lightly smiled: “Uncle Li, these dishes were delicious. Honestly, I haven't had such a delicious meal in a long time."
After saying so, Liu Yanbo didn’t intend to keep talking about the topic of eating, so he lighted a cigarette and went straight to the point: “Uncle Li, Ji Ruyan told me you wanted to meet me. Is there something you wanted to say?”
Liu Yanbo tended to keep everything simple, and naturally, he didn’t like the detour of having small talk before talking about business.
The food at Esteemed Meals did live up to its reputation, but the reason he came here was not just to eat and drink.
Liu Yanbo was willing to come for Ji Ruyan, but it didn’t mean that he was willing to accompany Li Liang here for a long time without getting into the topic.
Although he knew it was rude, he didn't want to waste too much time.
Li Liang was not displeased. He was very friendly today: "Liu, I heard that you’ve been fired by your company. What do you plan on doing next?"
"I have no plans yet, I don't know what else to do now." Liu Yanbo said rather helplessly.
He was still a bit depressed about losing his job.
Netizens were increasingly questioning the cause of Jiu Ye's death, and various speculations emerged one after another. Among them, the one that pointed at Liu Yanbo as the real murderer was the most popular, and his real name had even appeared on the Internet.
Although neither the police nor the brainstorming netizens had any actual evidence, how many companies would ever want to hire him amidst all the negative gossip?
Even so, it wasn’t that Liu Yanbo couldn't find a job, but he couldn't think of where to find one that satisfied him.
What satisfied him was different than what satisfied others.
As long as the salary was enough to cover his living expenses, he didn't mind if it was dirty or tiring. He wanted to have some freedom and didn’t want to take on too much responsibility.
A driver under a state-owned company like Yuntong Taxi Company was the most suitable for him, receiving a relatively stable salary and not having to worry about various work problems, as long as he drove well.
To put it bluntly, he just wanted a job where he didn’t need to think much.
Life wasn’t easy, and Liu Yanbo didn’t think that his shoulders were wider than others.
Liu Yanbo rubbed his eyebrows and said with a bitter smile, "Maybe I’ll go to a construction site and move bricks."
This wasn’t a joke; it was the only job he could think of that met his personal requirements.
Why was finding a job so hard!
Thanks for the chapter!
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