"We're back," Selena Gomez's voice rang out as she pushed open the door to Jiang Hai's villa.
At the sound of her voice, Jiang Hai emerged from the kitchen, a whisk in his hand as he beat eggs.
His gaze fell on the four people. Just as he had suspected, Afra and the others had left.
Though Afra and the others had enjoyed their time with the women earlier, these women had proven to be very alert. It was clear from how quietly they had behaved in the presence of others. If anyone had invited them back for dinner, they wouldn't have come.
Therefore, only four people had returned that evening: Pra Walton, Selena Gomez, Qi Li, and Qi Li's assistant. Jiang Hai couldn't quite recall the assistant's name at the moment.
"Go take a shower in your room and come downstairs. Dinner will be ready soon." Looking at the group before him, it was clear they were in less-than-ideal shape. Pra Walton and Selena Gomez still had some fine sand clinging to them, and salt stains marked their skin where the seawater had dried in the sun. As for Qi Li and her assistant, though they looked tidier, the heat from the beach had left them sweating in their swimsuits. It was clear they were also feeling uncomfortable. The women didn't protest Jiang Hai's words this time.
Selena and Pra Walton headed upstairs, while Qi Li and her assistant hesitated briefly.
"Oh, I haven't asked yet. Would you like to stay here too?" Looking at them, Jiang Hai suddenly remembered that he hadn't arranged accommodations for the two.
"Of course, is that not possible?" Qi Li responded, lifting her head with a serious expression.
Seeing her attempt to maintain an air of arrogance despite not looking her best, Jiang Hai couldn't help but smile. This woman… sometimes, she was exactly what he missed. "Okay, I'll take you upstairs."
After handing the egg mixture to Darlene, Jiang Hai led the two women upstairs.
Jiang Hai sensed that the relationship between Qi Li and Pra Walton wasn't the best. So, following the principle of minimizing conflict, he arranged their rooms away from Pra Walton's.
For Jiang Hai, nothing was more exciting than watching the drama unfold!
"This is your room. Go take a shower, change, and come down to eat. I'm sure you're hungry too." Jiang Hai placed their luggage by the door and turned to leave.
"Jiang Hai, I think we should talk. Have a real conversation. Let me know when you have time," Qi Li said, reaching out to grab his wrist as he turned away. She met his gaze with a serious expression.
"Oh, since you're here, I think we'll have time to talk," Jiang Hai replied calmly without turning back. Qi Li hesitated for a moment, then released his hand.
Once she let go, Jiang Hai continued down the stairs, soon disappearing around the corner.
"Boss Qi, look at his attitude. He left us on the beach for half the day, and now he doesn't even give us time to talk?" Qi Li's assistant puffed out her cheeks in frustration. "I thought he was a waste of space, but now he's behaving like this. It's a bit much."
After arriving here, the assistant's opinion of Jiang Hai had started to shift. There was something interesting about him. She didn't know how he managed to afford this villa, but she was sure he didn't rely on Qi Li or her family's name to get it. Now, it seemed that he might be involved in some kind of business with Walmart, the world's largest retailer—something she hadn't expected.
She had always thought of him as useless, but now that he was showing some promise, she found herself confused. However, that didn't mean she would tolerate his arrogance. After all, they'd come all this way, and he still treated them like this.
"That guy…" Qi Li narrowed her eyes but didn't show any signs of anger. Instead, she grabbed her luggage and went into her room.
Seeing that Qi Li didn't speak, her assistant could only sigh and follow her into the next room.
As for Jiang Hai, he didn't seem to care about the matter at all. After going downstairs and entering the kitchen, he promptly forgot about it. It was clear that Jiang Hai wasn't one to dwell on things.
Around ten minutes later, the four women came downstairs, and Jiang Hai had already prepared dinner.
Tonight's meal consisted of eight dishes, a tradition in Chinese culture. The numbers six, eight, and ten are considered very auspicious—six for smooth sailing, eight for wealth, and ten for perfection.
Of course, there were other auspicious combinations, but Jiang Hai hadn't made those. So, he had stuck to eight dishes in total. The most eye-catching were two plates of lobsters—one steamed, and the other baked with cheese. The lobsters were huge, stretching a meter long, and looked impressive on the plates. The baked lobsters were made by Mrs. Philemon, a dish she had learned since coming here. Before, as cowboys, they couldn't afford such extravagant lobsters, but now, she had learned to cook them this way.
Around the two plates of lobsters were six other dishes: steamed abalone, scallion-fried sea cucumber, and fried grouper strips. The grouper, usually steamed for best flavor, was prepared in a way that suited Pra Walton and Selena Gomez, who weren't used to steamed dishes. There were also three more dishes: fried steak, served in two portions—one that could be eaten with a fork, and one like the kind served in Western restaurants, one portion per person. These were all specially selected beef, though not the highest quality. The best cuts were prepared as steaks, and in addition to the two steaks, there was a large bowl of vegetable and fruit salad.
To complete the meal, there was a large bowl of cheddar soup, a must-have, along with white bread as the staple.
When everything was laid out, Mrs. Philemon left, and the remaining seven people sat down to eat.
Jiang Hai took the main seat, with Darlene and Marian sitting beside him, as they were also considered the hosts. Pra Walton and Selena Gomez sat next to Darlene, while Qi Li and her assistant sat next to Marian. The assistant's earlier dissatisfaction had faded upon seeing the feast laid out before them.
"Since everyone's here, let's sit down and eat," Jiang Hai said with a smile as everyone took their seats. He wasn't concerned with ceremony or formality; comfort was the most important thing. Whether he was the one invited to dinner or hosting, he preferred to keep things casual.
"Jiang Hai, don't you want to introduce yourself first?" Qi Li asked, her voice light, as Jiang Hai picked up his fork to cut into his steak.
"What else is there to introduce? We just introduced ourselves earlier—Pra Walton, Selena Gomez," Jiang Hai replied, somewhat confused.
Qi Li rolled her eyes and gestured toward the people next to him.
It was then that Jiang Hai realized she wanted him to introduce Darlene and Marian.
"This is Darlene Evelyn, my adopted daughter, and her twin sister Marian Evelyn. This is Pra Walton, whom you met this morning. She's the one who brought money to your father. And this is Selena Gomez. Haven't you heard her songs? As for these two, this is Qi Li. She's…" Jiang Hai hesitated when it came to Qi Li. He hadn't really explained their relationship yet.
Before he could finish, Qi Li interrupted, saying, "I'm your mother, his wife. My name is Qi Li. You might have heard of me, or maybe not. Either way, I brought a gift from China, and I hope you like it."
Everyone in the room froze, surprised by Qi Li's perfect English. Walton, Selena, Darlene, Marian, and even the assistant were all taken aback. Their eyes were on her as she spoke.
(To be continued.)