Chapter 2 — 118,800 Yuan Meal: 10 People Ran, I Called the Police

The door to the private room was pushed open again, and Truong Vy's husband, Chu Hao, walked in, covered in designer clothes and wearing a large gold necklace around his neck.

“Oh, is it crowded yet?”

He glanced at the dining table and then sat straight down next to Truong Vy, looking natural as if this were a banquet table he was hosting. Soon after, Luu Thien's husband, Tran Loi, also arrived. He held the car key in his hand and deliberately turned it around on the table as if he was afraid that others wouldn't see it.

“This place is okay, normally I don't go to places like this.”

The last person to arrive was Vuong Dao's boyfriend, Trieu Vu. As soon as he entered, he smiled and apologized.

“I'm so embarrassed, there's traffic on the road.”

Eleven people, finally full. Truong Vy clapped her hands, smiled and said: "If you have enough people, then continue ordering." The waiter brought another menu, and as soon as he put it down, Chu Hao grabbed it first. He just glanced at it and said: "Order two more king crabs, it wasn't enough to eat just now." Tran Loi also immediately continued, his tone was not polite at all.

“Open another bottle of sake, this one is fine to drink.”

Trieu Vu laughed, his eyes turned straight to me, his words carried a bit of sarcasm that was hard to hide.

"It's very difficult to gather once. Don't save money for Thien Thien anymore."

I also laughed, my voice so calm that I even felt cold.

“It's okay, everyone can call freely.”

Luu Thien leaned closer and spoke to me in a low voice. It sounded like a compliment, but it made people feel uncomfortable for no reason.

“Thien Thien, you are really good.”

I didn't answer, just bowed my head and adjusted the teacup in front of me. Trieu Tieu Manh sat opposite her boyfriend, the two of them leaned their heads together and whispered something. I glanced over from the corner of my eye and just saw her boyfriend Ly Hao typing on the phone. Trieu Tieu Manh glanced at the screen, his face immediately looked a bit unnatural. She raised her head to look at me, her eyes briefly panicked, then quickly looked down again, as if afraid that I would discover something. I pretended not to see and continued to sit still. Truong Vy started adding dishes again, speaking fluently, with an extremely excited attitude.

“Get another portion of sea urchin, the one before wasn't fresh enough, change to a better one.”

Luu Thien picked up her chopsticks and tapped the bowl lightly, then immediately continued as if she had been waiting for a long time.

“Order another round of wagyu beef, this portion is too small, not enough to share.”

Vuong Dao looked at the menu for a while then spoke, his face full of anticipation.

“I see they have a hidden menu, truffle fried rice costs 1,800 yuan a portion, how about ordering it?”

Tran Vu Dong also spoke, but halfway through his sentence he suddenly stopped.

“Okay, anyway…”

She glanced at Truong Vy, but Truong Vy just shook her head slightly. Tran Vu Dong immediately corrected his mouth: "After all, everyone eats together." I picked up the cup of tea, slowly took a sip, my eyes glanced over each person on the table. Every face, every expression, I see clearly. Truong Vy ordered food without blinking once, as if the money was completely unrelated to her. Luu Thien was so engrossed in taking pictures that she even had to hold up the menu to take pictures. Vuong Dao sat next to her boyfriend, her tone was coy, and said she would definitely come back next time. Tran Vu Dong lowered his head to scroll through his phone, not knowing he was watching something. Trieu Tieu Manh and her boyfriend kept exchanging glances, as if they were secretly confirming something. I reopened my friends' group chat, then sent another message.

"Let's confirm a bit, this meal is really AA, right? I see quite a few people have ordered it."

I stared at the screen, not missing any response. The person who answered the fastest was still Truong Vy, her tone through her words was still a bit impatient.

“Of course Thien Thien, you asked three times already.”

Liu Qian sent an emoji laughing to tears, as if I was making too much of a fuss over a trivial matter.

“Thien Thien, are you afraid we will run away?”

Vuong Dao also immediately texted, seemingly generous but sounding very harsh.

“Don't worry, it's not like you can't pay.”

Tran Vu Dong sent a word "um", and Trieu Tieu Manh replied with two words "um um". I looked at those answers, didn't say anything, just quietly took a screenshot. After that, I put the phone back in my pocket, and the recording mode has been on since the beginning. Things are getting more and more interesting. The dishes were brought up one by one, and when the king crab was just placed on the table, Chu Hao was the first person to reach out and pick it up.

“This leg is delicious, leave it to my girlfriend.”

He picked up the biggest crab leg and put it in Truong Vy's bowl, a move so intimate that it was ostentatious. Truong Vy smiled brightly, her voice cooing: "My husband is the best." Tran Loi also picked one for himself, eating it until his mouth was full of grease, completely without any sense. Trieu Vu was even more exaggerated, he alone ate three crab legs, I counted clearly. Luu Thien stood up holding a glass of wine, smiling and talking enthusiastically as if she really considered this a fun meeting.

“Come on, ladies, finish your glasses.”

Everyone raised their glasses. I also raised my glass, but did not drink. I just watched them drink, watched them eat, watched them laugh and talk happily, as if someone had already taken care of this meal. The more I looked, the colder my heart became little by little. After Truong Vy drank two glasses of sake, her face turned red and her voice began to get louder.

“Thien Thien, you are really amazing now, your annual salary is over 1,000,000 yuan, you drive a luxury car, you live in a nice house.”

Luu Thien immediately continued, her tone half flattering and half jealous.

“That's right, among us, you are the one who has lived the best.”

Vuong Dao also laughed, his expression both ingratiating and calculating.

“From now on, Thien Thien must support us.”

I just smiled faintly, put down my chopsticks, my voice was neither high nor low.

“It's just luck.”

Truong Vy waved her hand, as if I was being too modest.

“No more modesty, you clearly have courage.”

Having said this, she paused slightly, then smiled brightly again. It sounded like a joke but in fact, it wasn't a joke at all.

“So today, you have to eat a lot for this meal.”

I looked at her, her expression still very calm.

“Everyone in AA, no matter how much I eat, it's my own money.”

Truong Vy paused for a moment, the smile on her face seemed to stiffen in an instant. But very quickly, she laughed again.

“Yes, yes, AA, AA.”

After speaking, she turned her head to look at Liu Thien. Luu Thien also laughed, but that smile made me feel extremely uncomfortable. It was more like some kind of silent signal than a normal response. Trieu Tieu Manh said almost nothing from beginning to end, just bowed his head to eat, looking uncomfortable. Her boyfriend, Ly Hao, sat next to him, scrolling through his phone, occasionally looking up at me. I accidentally saw Ly Hao's phone screen, which was the transfer interface. Who is he transferring money to? I pretended not to know and continued eating, but inside I began to quietly remember every little detail. After eating half, I got up and went to the bathroom. While passing through the hallway, I heard the sound of talking in the private room, the volume was turned down very low. It's Truong Vy's voice.