Super Soldier in the City

Chapter 1840 - 1901: In the Spotlight

Half an hour later, Li Yifei and his family arrived at Jingtai Hotel, their second visit today,Li Yifei couldn’t help but feel emotional. Without that layer of identity, ordinary people might never get to come to a place like this in their lifetime. After all, having a meal here is ridiculously expensive. Just that lunch, including drinks, was about fifteen hundred.

The security guard at the door already recognized Li Yifei, and probably wouldn’t forget for a long time. Seeing Li Yifei bringing a large group over to dine, they quickly stepped forward to greet them while also reporting to Huang Zicong via phone, as per his previous instructions.

Huang Zicong was waiting by the bar. Upon receiving the message, he walked quickly to the door, stopping at the steps, flanked by the lobby manager and two selected, beautiful greeters.

"Mr. Li." Huang Zicong hurriedly greeted, while the security guards behind him gave a synchronized salute.

The scene still shocked those relatives from the Song family. They all knew that the eldest daughter’s son-in-law was remarkable, and that Li Yifei was quite wealthy, but they didn’t expect him to have such influence in Ying City too. The owner of Jingtai Hotel came to greet him personally, with such an attitude and such a lineup—really, people should not compare themselves to others!

After shaking hands with Huang Zicong, Li Yifei turned to introduce him, "This is my father-in-law."

"Hello, hello, welcome to Jingtai for a meal. I hope you enjoy." Huang Zicong quickly shook Song Lianyao’s father’s hand with both of his. The old man, never anticipating this level of respect in his lifetime, felt overwhelmed and flattered, saying, "Thank you, I’ve been to Jingtai Hotel several times, the quality is really high, and the food tastes great."

"Oh, thank you for your praise. You’re welcome to come often!" Huang Zicong, enjoying the compliment, had his facial features all scrunched up with a smile, then turned to the lobby manager and said, "Little Sunx, make sure to remember him. Whenever Mr. Li’s father-in-law dines here, no bill—give them the best private room, understand?"

Song Lianyao’s father was even happier, saying it wasn’t necessary, but he’d surely come more often. Inside, however, he felt a surge of pride, and Song Lianyao’s mother was also quite pleased.

Then Huang Zicong noticed the child in Song Lianyao’s arms, eyes lighting up, and said, "This must be your child, Mr. Li. So beautiful!"

"Yes, haha, my child." Li Yifei said, "Alright, shall we head inside? Have you arranged the place?"

"Of course, of course, please come in!" Huang Zicong nodded.

Leading everyone up to the top floor’s private room, Huang Zicong said to Li Yifei and others, "I’ve already instructed them to prepare some signature dishes. See if there’s anything else you’d like, and I’ll have them made."

Li Yifei chuckled and said, "Manager Huang, no need to go overboard, this is just fine. Today it’s a family gathering, so it can be more casual!"

"Please, don’t call me Manager Huang, I’m Huang Zicong, you can call me Old Huang." Huang Zicong nodded.

"Alright then, Brother Huang, since you’re older than me!" Li Yifei said.

Huang Zicong’s chubby face grew even happier, feeling lighter with every step. Having worked so hard today, he actually felt invigorated, as if he had endless energy.

"By the way, Mr. Li..."

"Yes, go ahead." Seeing Huang Zicong hesitate, Li Yifei signaled him to speak directly.

Lowering his voice, Huang Zicong said, "Well, it’s like this, those noon friends are also here, and once they heard you were coming, they all wanted to propose a toast to you, as a way of welcoming you and your wife to Ying City..."

"Are they downstairs? Oh, then give me the room number, I’ll go down and toast to them later. It’s better they don’t come up here, this is a family thing, not that convenient!" Li Yifei said.

Upon hearing this, Huang Zicong was overjoyed beyond expectation. He could have not mentioned it at all; since he’s already developing a good relationship with Li Yifei. However, he decided to bring it up, and to his surprise, Li Yifei was so gracious, offering to go downstairs himself to toast instead. Originally, those friends were planning to send one or two people on their behalf just to propose a toast.

"Alright, I’ll go to the kitchen to expedite the dishes. Mr. Li, and all the elders and friends, please enjoy your meal." After saying this, Huang Zicong bustled out.

This actually made the Song family members a bit uneasy. Originally, when Li Yifei was at home, he was so down-to-earth and respectful to the elders that they almost forgot about his actual identity, simply treating him as a junior. But now, with what Huang Zicong did, they realized once again that Li Yifei was indeed someone of great stature, making them feel somewhat uncomfortable sitting together with him.

At this moment, a seven or eight-year-old child from the Song Family suddenly spoke up. He called Li Yifei "Uncle," and during a moment when everyone was silent and slightly embarrassed, he said, "Uncle, when I grow up, I want to be as successful as you!"

"Children shouldn’t speak carelessly." An elder scolded, but Li Yifei just laughed and said, "Yangyang, you have ambition. From now on, you must study hard so you can succeed in the future, understand?"

Yangyang nodded vigorously and said, "Uncle, I remember. I will definitely study hard and learn from you!"

Children speak without reservation, and even if they say something wrong, adults just laugh it off. Moreover, what this child said was quite pleasing, which even made Li Yifei give a thumbs up. What Yangyang said wasn’t taught by his parents; it was improvised by the child himself. This cleverness was much stronger than when Li Yifei was a child. According to his mother, he was incredibly dull as a child, taking a long time to learn to count numbers under ten.

This little episode lightened up the atmosphere, and the relatives from the Song Family finally began to relax, no longer feeling so restrained.

As the dishes were brought out one after another, with Li Yifei and his family attending, Huang Zicong couldn’t wait to show his utmost hospitality. The dishes presented were made from the finest ingredients, full of delicacies. All the top dishes on the hotel’s menu were brought out, and even those not on the menu were managed to be arranged.

As they watched each dish of delicacies being placed on the table, the people from the Song Family experienced a mix of emotions, thinking how great it would be to have wealth. In their envy, they also yearned to be such people. But Liu Ming’s parents felt more distressed. If it weren’t for that incident, Liu Ming, after a few years of development, could have certainly lived such a life. Unfortunately, it was too late, but they couldn’t blame Li Yifei. His intentions were good; it was Liu Ming who strayed off the right path.

Halfway through the meal, Li Yifei excused himself and stepped out. As soon as he opened the door, he saw two ceremonial attendants waiting at the entrance. Upon seeing Li Yifei, the two young and inexperienced girls quickly put on smiling faces. Manager Huang had instructed them to be very polite to anyone in this private room, especially Li Yifei, who should be treated with utmost care and respect.

Actually, they didn’t need to be told as they didn’t dare be remiss. Even Manager Huang was so humbly courteous; how could they dare to exhibit a bad attitude?

Guiding Li Yifei downstairs to Manager Huang and others’ private room, when Li Yifei pushed the door open, the originally noisy room instantly quieted down. This scene left an indelible impression on the guiding waitress. From her viewpoint, the people inside this room were equally noble, all top-tier bosses with billion-worth fortunes, yet they suddenly sat upright like elementary school students, putting down their wine glasses. Those who were untidy hastily straightened themselves, and those wiping their mouths and hands with napkins appeared somewhat flustered...

This scene was unforgettable for her, which led her to resign shortly after and venture into entrepreneurship. Ten years later, she too became a millionaire. It was then she realized that if she continued as a waitress, though the salary wasn’t low and the work wasn’t tiring, she probably would remain a service staff for life, always serving others. On the other hand, if she strived hard, she might become part of the people being served. Of course, that success was not only due to hard work but also thanks to benefactors and opportunities.

Li Yifei thanked her and went in, closing the door behind him. He still held a wine glass, though it was empty. As he approached, those big bosses stood up one after another, some appearing quite restrained, others grinning sheepishly. People like Huang Zicong, who already knew Li Yifei, came up to welcome him.

"Mr. Li," everyone greeted.

Li Yifei smiled and made a pressing gesture, saying, "Everyone, please sit. No need to be so formal."

With those words, Li Yifei sat at the main seat next to Huang Zicong, who had saved it for him. Placing the wine glass down, Li Yifei glanced around. Naturally, he didn’t recognize anyone except for Huang Zicong. He hadn’t paid attention to these people earlier that day, so now, even their faces didn’t seem familiar.

Huang Zicong quickly grabbed a bottle of beer, since Li Yifei had mentioned earlier that he wanted a toast. But Li Yifei said, "Let’s switch to white spirit. Although I don’t know everyone here well, we all come from the same place. In the future, if anything comes up, we should help each other out. Let’s have a glass of white spirit."

This proposal was well-received. Even if someone had reached their limit, they still cheerfully finished their drink and switched to white spirit.

Li Yifei showed them respect, so how could they act reserved?

They filled their glasses with wine, and Li Yifei raised his. Those people quickly stood up, and Li Yifei said, "Sit down. We’re all on equal footing here. To be fair, I’m probably taking on too much since I’m younger. Calling you all ’brother’ wouldn’t be inappropriate."

"Not at all, Mr. Li. You’re certainly not taking on too much. We all respect you very much," one of the bosses quickly said, and the others nodded to express their agreement.

"Come on, everyone, let’s drink up!" Li Yifei shouted.

The big bosses behaved like young rookie kids, each opening their mouths wide and tossing back their heads, drinking up their white spirit with eagerness evident on their faces. As if not satisfied, Li Yifei poured another glass of white spirit, saying, "Have some food to keep it down. I’m not in a rush to leave, so you don’t need to drink too quickly."

Huang Zicong filled his glass, was the first to stand up, and said, "Welcome, Mr. Li, to our Ying City. On behalf of myself and the Jingtai Group, I extend the most enthusiastic welcome to Mr. Li. I’ll finish this glass, and Mr. Li, you don’t have to drink!"

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