Rui Xiaodan and Ouyang Xue returned to the dining room and sat down again. Two waitresses stood by, unsure whether to stay or leave, until Ouyang Xue dismissed them.
Ding Yuanying stood up and said to Rui Xiaodan, "Miss Rui, it's time for us to go."
Rui Xiaodan was about to respond, but Ouyang Xue stopped her with a firm gesture. Ouyang Xue calmly poured herself a glass of Coca-Cola, took a sip, and said coolly, "Pay the bill. It's 1,000 yuan."
Feng Shijie looked surprised and glanced between Ouyang Xue and Rui Xiaodan, then turned his gaze to Ding Yuanying. Rui Xiaodan was equally puzzled and looked at Ouyang Xue with confusion.
Ding Yuanying counted out 1,000 yuan and placed it on the table.
Ouyang Xue said, "It's gone up. 2,000."
Ding Yuanying added another 1,000 yuan from the money he hadn't yet put away.
Ouyang Xue said, "It's up again. 3,000."
Unable to tolerate it any longer, Feng Shijie said, "Boss, this is too much."
Rui Xiaodan, pondering what was happening, lit a cigarette from her bag.
Ignoring Feng Shijie, Ouyang Xue said, "Mr. Ding, to be clear, I am deliberately making things difficult for you. You can leave if you want, but you'll have the reputation of someone who doesn't pay for their meals."
Ding Yuanying replied, "Even if I have to crawl out through a dog hole, I'd need you to make an opening first."
Ouyang Xue said, "Say something nice, and you can leave. Just one sentence."
Ding Yuanying asked, "What counts as nice?"
Ouyang Xue retorted, "Do I need to teach you what women like to hear? Just one sentence, it's not difficult for you."
Everyone knew what that sentence might be, something like "Miss, you're beautiful." They all understood what it meant for a man's dignity to say such words in this context.
Rui Xiaodan silently watched Ding Yuanying, her eyes filled with an unusual mix of anxiety and a shared sense of honor and expectation, as if telling him: you've already lowered your head enough, now it's time to show some resistance.
Ding Yuanying didn't take such petty provocations seriously. He was about to say, "Miss Ouyang, you're beautiful..." but stopped short when he saw Rui Xiaodan's intense gaze. He hesitated, imagining how disappointed she would be if he said those words. She cared about his dignity, even if it was just the dignity of a stubborn man.
After a moment of contemplation, Ding Yuanying said, "This has nothing to do with Mr. Feng. You can let him leave."
Rui Xiaodan's heart began to race.
Ouyang Xue said, "Why hold back? If a woman can be vulgar, why can't a man be dignified?"
Ding Yuanying hesitated a bit longer before painfully saying, "Make some money, sound good?"
Ouyang Xue responded, "I like that, but where's the money?"
Ding Yuanying said, "Buy a specific stock and sell it in May next year. If you don't make more than double your investment, I'll owe you a meal. How much you make depends on your capital."
The room fell silent. Ouyang Xue and Rui Xiaodan finally understood why Ding Yuanying wanted Feng Shijie to leave first.
After a long pause, Ouyang Xue said coldly, "I don't have much money, but I can scrape together 500,000 yuan. I can't afford to lose it."
Ding Yuanying said, "I have that sound system worth about 200,000 yuan. By industry standards, a 10% guarantee is sufficient, but I'll offer 20% to make it 40%, so there's no risk for you."
Ouyang Xue said, "I'm not interested in playing with that kind of equipment. If you really mean what you say, provide a 200,000 yuan cash guarantee."
Ding Yuanying remained silent, thinking for a long time before asking, "Can I make a phone call?"
Ouyang Xue stood up, brought a phone from the cabinet, and placed it in front of Ding Yuanying, pressing the speaker button, indicating that there would be no privacy.
Ding Yuanying dialed a number, and the screen displayed a mobile number.
As soon as the phone started ringing, something unexpected happened. Rui Xiaodan suddenly stood up, pressed the speaker button to hang up the call, and calmly said to Ouyang Xue, "I'll provide the 200,000 yuan."
The sudden turn of events shocked Feng Shijie, who had never seen anything like it. Ding Yuanying was also taken aback, looking at Rui Xiaodan with a complex expression. Only Ouyang Xue showed no surprise, just a slight, indifferent smile.
Rui Xiaodan said to Feng Shijie, "I'm sorry, Mr. Feng. We need to discuss some private matters."
Feng Shijie had been waiting to drive Ding Yuanying home, but now he had no choice but to leave politely, nodding to Ouyang Xue and Rui Xiaodan as he exited.
With only the three of them left in the room, Ouyang Xue asked, "Xiaodan, are you using the restaurant's shares as collateral?"
Rui Xiaodan replied, "If you agree, I can use the shares."
Ouyang Xue said, "I don't agree."
Rui Xiaodan turned to Ding Yuanying, "I'll get you the money within five days. No need to use your sound system as collateral; I don't want to insult you. Whether this is a joke or a real commitment between you two is up to you."
Ouyang Xue said, "Mr. Ding, I'll gather 500,000 yuan within twenty days. Whether it's a joke or serious is up to you."
Ding Yuanying said, "I'll tell you which stock to buy before you trade, but there's a rule: you need to promise confidentiality."
Ouyang Xue said, "I promise."
Ding Yuanying asked, "Can I leave now?"
Ouyang Xue tidied the 2,000 yuan on the table and handed it back to Ding Yuanying, sincerely saying, "Mr. Ding, I apologize for today. Xiaodan and I will drive you home. Another time, I'll treat you to a proper meal to make amends."
Ding Yuanying intended to refuse, but when he stood up, he felt dizzy and unstable. Realizing he couldn't manage on his own, he kept silent.
With Rui Xiaodan and Ouyang Xue supporting him on either side, they helped him downstairs and placed him in the back seat of the car. Ouyang Xue drove towards the Southern Village, while Rui Xiaodan occasionally checked on him through the rearview mirror.