Leaving the audio shop, Rui Xiaodan headed to the Nan Village community. Her feelings were a mix of guilt for not being a good host and an inexplicable anger simmering inside her.
When she arrived at Ding Yuanying's door, she knocked harder than usual. The unusual knock perfectly conveyed her irritation.
When Ding Yuanying opened the door, Rui Xiaodan was about to say, "How could you…" but the words stuck in her throat. What did she mean by "how"? The question was too subtle, too much a matter of "you have to be there to understand."
Ding Yuanying wasn't surprised by her anger. Seeing that Rui Xiaodan had no intention of entering, he stood at the door and apologized, "I'm sorry, I..." He stopped halfway, unable to find the right words.
Rui Xiaodan's eyes poured out her emotions. She gave Ding Yuanying a hard look, turned around, and left without saying a word. It wasn't until she reached the third floor that she heard Ding Yuanying quietly close the door.
She returned to the Venus Hotel.
It was still early for dinner, and most of the parking spaces in front of the hotel were empty. Rui Xiaodan parked her car, walked into the hotel with the car keys in hand, and went straight to the second floor without encountering Ouyang Xue.
The second floor had six luxury private rooms. Further in was the general manager's office, with a door leading to Ouyang Xue's living quarters. At that moment, Ouyang Xue was in the office, scolding a duty manager. Rui Xiaodan didn't disturb them and went directly to Ouyang Xue's quarters. She dropped her bag, kicked off her high heels, and walked on the carpet to the refrigerator, where she grabbed a can of Coke. She then lounged on the sofa, casually tossing her car keys onto the coffee table.
After a few sips of the cold Coke, she felt much refreshed.
Not long after, Ouyang Xue came in, changing into slippers as she asked, "Did you settle the sound system issue?"
Rui Xiaodan sat up, placing the Coke on the coffee table. "It's settled, but I can't afford that system."
Ouyang Xue sat down on the sofa opposite her and asked, "Four thousand isn't enough?"
Rui Xiaodan lit a cigarette, grabbed an ashtray from under the coffee table, and recounted the afternoon's events to Ouyang Xue.
When she mentioned that the sound system cost over four hundred thousand, Ouyang Xue was outraged, "What's with this guy? That's just playing games! Who's going to account for the suspension, the docked pay, and the lost bonuses?"
Rui Xiaodan said, "It's not his fault. I brought it on myself."
When she talked about Ding Yuanying selling his CDs, Ouyang Xue was also surprised, "Really? Is it true?"
After everything was laid out, Rui Xiaodan apologized, "He's in such a tough spot, and I didn't even know. How will I explain this to Yawen?"
Ouyang Xue said, "Even if you knew, what could you do? At most, inform Xiao Yawen."
Rui Xiaodan said, "If he wanted help, he wouldn't need us to inform Yawen. Besides, Yawen was just his former employee. If he really needed help, he might not ask her."
Ouyang Xue asked, "So what do you suggest?"
Rui Xiaodan said, "I think we should start by inviting him to a meal. We can have some cultured people who can drink accompany him, so he doesn't feel slighted. We can mix our apologies and anger in one pot. We'll see what to do about the rest afterward."
Ouyang Xue laughed, "A drinking session to solve everything? Sounds good."