Chapter 172: Can I Wash Dishes?
by xennovel“You idiot! Why are you standing there? Hurry up and thank Mr. Xu for his mercy.”
Seeing that Li Shun was still distracted, Li Ming nearly lost his mind. This damn brat!
It was bad enough to cause trouble and hit a brick wall, but the least you could do is apologize obediently.
Fine, if my son won’t apologize, then as his father, I will. But now that Mr. Xu has spared you, couldn’t you at least express your gratitude?
But no, you didn’t say a single word from start to finish. How can you be so clueless?
Li Ming was now questioning whether this was really his son. How could someone be this stupid? “Th-thank you, Mr. Xu.”
Li Shun finally snapped out of it and stammered awkwardly, his face burning with embarrassment.
Just a moment ago, he had tried to use his father’s authority to pressure Xu Shaochen, only to be slapped down in the blink of an eye. He was utterly humiliated.
“Hmm, remember this next time. Once is enough to use your father’s status, any more than that and it won’t work anymore.”
Xu Shaochen nodded with a serious tone, but the threat behind his words was clear as day.
This was also a warning to Li Ming.
“Yes, I’ve got it.” Li Shun responded in a low voice.
“Mr. Xu… I was wrong. Please, I beg you to forgive me!”
Lili suddenly spoke up, trembling as she looked at Xu Shaochen, filled with regret.
If only she had known how powerful Xu Shaochen was, she wouldn’t have dared to provoke him even with a hundred times more courage.
Li Ming was taken aback. What’s going on?
Wasn’t the conflict between his son and Xu Shaochen? What does Lili have to do with this?
Xu Shaochen ignored Lili’s plea and glanced coolly at Li Ming, saying, “Teach her a lesson. With the rapid economic growth in China these past two years, some people have become so arrogant they’ve forgotten their own names.”
“Yes, Mr. Xu, rest assured,” Li Ming replied respectfully, though curiosity gnawed at him.
Of course, there was no way Xu Shaochen would explain his reasoning.
It’s no exaggeration to say that giving Li Ming something to do was almost a favor in itself. After all, if he didn’t do it, there were plenty of people in Jiangzhou who would jump at the chance to help Xu Shaochen.
What’s more, did Xu Shaochen even need a reason to do anything?
“Li Shun…” Lili looked anxiously at Li Shun, hoping he would speak up for her.
But Li Shun just kept his head down and stayed silent. While he was indeed a loyal follower, even he knew when to back down.
Lili was completely devastated. Her face drained of all color as she collapsed to the ground, sobbing.
“Mr. Xu, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my son and leave.” Li Ming spoke respectfully as he looked at Xu Shaochen.
After Xu Shaochen nodded, Li Ming led Li Shun out.
Once outside the restaurant, both father and son let out long sighs of relief.
“When we get home, I’ll deal with you properly. From now on, you’re not to leave the house without my permission,” Li Ming said through clenched teeth as he looked at Li Shun.
Li Shun asked reluctantly, “Dad, who is he? Why are you so afraid of him?”
“Afraid of him? Do you think it’s fear?” Li Ming scoffed and shook his head.
“If it’s not fear, then why…”
Li Shun trailed off, but the meaning was clear. If it wasn’t fear, then why was he so deferential toward Xu Shaochen?
“Because in front of him, our Li Family is so insignificant that we don’t even have the right to be afraid. Crushing us would be as easy as squashing a fly. Whether we fear him or not wouldn’t change a thing.”
Li Ming said self-mockingly, then ignored Li Shun and got into the car.
Li Shun stood there for a while before coming back to his senses, feeling rather dazed.
………
“Finished? Let’s settle the bill.”
Xu Shaochen wiped his mouth and looked at Mei Liangxin.
“Wait a moment, I need to use the restroom.”
As soon as Mei Liangxin finished speaking, he dashed off to the restroom before Xu Shaochen could respond.
Xu Shaochen smirked, then said to the waiter, “Bill it to the guy who just left.”
With that, Xu Shaochen walked out of the restaurant.
Mei Liangxin still dared to play this trick on him? Too naive.
The waiter didn’t dare to stop Xu Shaochen, so he simply nodded in understanding.
“Young Master Xu, please spare our family! I beg you, Xu Shao, I’ll do anything—anything at all! I’m willing to be your woman.”
Just as Xu Shaochen took a few steps, Lili suddenly clung to his leg in a panic.
The other customers in the restaurant shook their heads as they witnessed this scene.
Earlier, Lili had been so arrogant when facing Xu Shaochen.
But now? Frankly, she looked no different from a woman begging for sex.
“You’re not qualified.”
Xu Shaochen casually shook her off and walked away without looking back.
Lili collapsed weakly to the ground, crying uncontrollably, her heart filled with regret.
After leaving the restaurant, Xu Shaochen got into his car and drove home.
Meanwhile, in the restaurant’s restroom, Mei Liangxin, thinking enough time had passed, finally came out.
The food was so expensive that he could only freeload. Asking him to pay the bill was like asking for his flesh! He’d help Xu Shaochen with tasks, but paying from his own pocket? Dream on.
Once outside, he glanced at the spot where they had been sitting. Noticing that Xu Shaochen had already left, a broad smile spread across his face as he hummed a tune and walked towards the exit.
“Sir, excuse me, but could you please settle the bill?”
Just as he reached the door, Mei Liangxin was stopped by a waiter.
His smile froze, and he awkwardly asked, “Where’s the person who was with me?”
“That gentleman left earlier. He asked you to settle the bill.” The waiter smiled politely and was very courteous.
A thousand curses went through Mei Liangxin’s mind. How could he not have anticipated this move? Mei Liangxin, a professional at freeloading for twenty years, had finally run into trouble today! The waiter urged, “Sir, would you like to pay in cash or by card?”
“Can I… Can I wash…wash dishes instead?” Mei Liangxin’s face turned all sorts of colors, struggling to say the words as if he was constipated.
Who could’ve imagined that even old Mei would one day be reduced to washing dishes to cover his bill? What a sad story!
The waiter smiled kindly and said, “Sir, we don’t need anyone to wash dishes, but you could try something else.”
“Really?” Mei Liangxin’s eyes lit up. If he could avoid washing dishes, that would be the best.
A few minutes later, holding a toilet brush, Mei Liangxin looked at the huge restroom and silently wept.
He suddenly thought that washing dishes might not be so bad after all.
No matter what the task was, it had to be better than scrubbing toilets. And to make matters worse, they wouldn’t even let him clean the ladies’ restroom. Isn’t that gender discrimination?