Tang Li stood at the door, not following Fu Si into the private room right away, considering her identity to some extent, after all, she wasn’t anything to Song Baiyan, and couldn’t just stroll in like Fu Si did.
Many times, such card games are equal to social engagements.
She wanted to wait until Fu Si confirmed everything was fine before entering.
"Why not come in?" The partially closed door of the private room was suddenly pulled open, and Fu Si appeared at the doorway, noticing that Tang Li was indeed outside, he reached out, hesitated, and finally took Tang Li’s left wrist: "It’s just a few greasy middle-aged men, don’t be nervous."
Pulled by Fu Si, Tang Li took a few steps inside.
The private room was much larger than the one next door, with a color tone that was warmly white with a hint of softness, matched with the deeply textured dark wood. Such decor resonated with the grey tiles and black bricks outside the window, exuding Oriental antiquity everywhere.
The mahjong tiles landed on the table, making a dull sound.
Tang Li looked towards the source of the sound.
Behind a Chinese-style carved screen, through the hollowed patterns, she saw a few men playing cards, with others accompanying them; all of them seemed quite old, possibly steeped in officialdom for many years, and even if they didn’t appear distinguished in looks, their manner of speaking and demeanor were not something ordinary people could compare with.
From behind the screen, Tang Li heard a middle-aged man speaking in an official tone, his words watertight, yet not without a sense of humor.
Tang Li quickly found Song Baiyan.
His seat was right in front of that carved screen.
Tonight, Song Baiyan wore a shirt and sweater, not as formal as usual, and for this reason, Tang Li didn’t spot him the moment she walked in.
The private room was heated, and the temperature wasn’t low.
A white shirt paired with a black sweater, the collar of the shirt was exposed, with the top button undone, Song Baiyan’s features sharp, his facial contours leaning towards lean; with such attire, he didn’t seem effeminate, but rather carried a casually elegant and stable air.
Tang Li watched, and her mood, along with her body, warmed up.
"Don’t mind them, let’s have some food." Fu Si pulled Tang Li to the couch, on the long coffee table, several dishes were already arranged: "Feel free to say what you’d like to eat, we can order right now."
As soon as his voice trailed off, the waiter brought over a plate of steamed garlic lobster.
Fu Si sat on the couch and leaned over, pushing the lobster around with chopsticks, then picked up the lobster head and instructed the waiter: "Make us a pot of porridge with this."
Speaking, he had the waiter bring the menu.
Fu Si bowed his head flipping through the menu: "One plate of roast mutton skewers, a steamed eggs with clams, and also... two spring rolls."
Thinking of something, he turned to ask Tang Li: "Can you eat spicy food?"
Tang Li didn’t have many dietary restrictions.
Fu Si closed the menu, looked up at the waiter, and said: "Bring us a jug of soy milk first."
At this point, Song Baiyan’s steady voice came from behind the screen: "Don’t just order for yourself, ask about Tang Li’s opinion too, order something she likes."
Upon hearing this, Tang Li’s fingers pinching the water cup unconsciously curled up slightly.
This seemed to be the first time he called her by her name.
Fu Si had already leaned back to reply: "I did ask about Tang Li’s thoughts; the steamed clams with eggs and the spring rolls were ordered for Tang Li. Uncle, if you don’t believe me, I can bring over the order to show you."
This report elicited a burst of laughter from behind the screen.
Fu Si rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath: "Such poor taste in humor from a bunch of middle-aged men, it’s a wonder my uncle has such self-control, if it were me, I’d be tossing a gas canister their way!"