"Honestly, did you plan ahead? How do you know I'm going to be available? What if I'm not available?" Mary Ann Stein, who was sitting in the back seat, wrinkled her nose as if she were interrogating a prisoner, asked Landing Li aggressively. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

Lu Li was not worried at all, and asked rhetorically, "There is a big meal to eat, do you want to refuse?"

Marianne was stunned, and the smile on the corner of her mouth suddenly bloomed, "No, how could I refuse! Yes! Of course! Definitely!"

Fred's expression fell into Marianne's eyes, but she didn't mind at all, and pushed her elbow against Fred's arm, "Why, haven't you seen a woman who loves food?"

Fred also came back to his senses at this time, "No, I haven't seen it, I love food, but I'm still such a slender woman." ”

A compliment made Marianne laugh heartily, and turned her head to look at Lu Li, "Fourteen, your friend is flamboyant, can't he be a playboy?"

Lu Li shrugged, "Then you need to judge it carefully, so that other women and compatriots will not suffer." ”

"Haha!" Marianne threw her head up and laughed, and Fred spread her hands helplessly, "I'm so kind and upright, and I'm actually framed as a playboy?

Looking at the happy Marianne and Fred playing treasure in front of him, Lu Li refocused his attention on driving.

Today, Lu Li plans to invite a few friends to get together, not the kind of celebration of a party, but a small gathering specially held to thank friends.

One is Marianne, it was with her help that Lu Li recognized Degas's painting, which led to the back story, and the next one is Alice, when she was in school, Alice has always been very friendly and gave Lu Li a lot of help, and in the past two months, Alice and Lu Li have been in contact by email. As for Fred, there is no need to say more, he was undoubtedly Lu Li's best partner during his time working in the olive garden.

Lu Li was ready to do both, if Marianne or Alice were not invited tonight, then he would hold a small banquet in the rented apartment another day and cook himself. There's always a solution anyway.

According to the instructions of the text message, when she arrived at the downstairs of Alice's apartment, after a while, Alice trotted down, she wore a bright yellow lace skirt today, holding a dark blue blazer in her hand, and her slightly curly long hair was combed into a fishbone braid, hanging on her right shoulder, and she was full of youth in her playfulness.

"Fourteen, when did you come back to New York? I emailed you last week, and you didn't mention it!" Alice trotted over with brisk steps.

Then Alice saw Fred in the passenger seat, and the brisk words paused slightly, "Oh, hey, stranger." I was a little surprised, but then I reacted, "Where are we going now? Can anyone explain it to me?" ”

"Fourteen invites us to a big dinner!" Marianne, who was sitting in the back seat, shouted excitedly, "Hello, I'm Marianne!"

Marianne wore a red bandeau tuxedo, her long black hair was tied into a high bun, elegant and wild, and a large string of gold and silver gestures with bells ringing in her right hand, which was a bit of bohemian exoticism, which was really eye-catching. The bright smile on her face makes it easy for people to feel good, and they can't help but want to be friends with her.

"Alice. Xiao Nizi also introduced herself, and shook hands with Marianne through the window of the passenger seat, so that Fred had to lower his head and look aggrieved, "Two girls, can you take care of me, a lonely old man? Fred's complaint caused both girls to burst out laughing.

Alice opened the door of the rear seat, looked at Marianne, and then at Fred, "What the hell are we going to and why is everyone dressed up?"

Fourteen refused to reveal, saying he wanted to keep the surprise. Fred began to complain, and before picking up Marianne, Lu Li took Fred home - Lu Li himself was also dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, so naturally he needed to change his clothes.

The two of them are now in suits, Fred is wearing a dark blue suit, with a navy blue flower pattern shirt, very coquettish, but under the background of that confident smile, it is indeed charming, Lu Li is a smoky gray cotton suit, which is an off-white shirt, clean and refreshing, but people can't help but look at it twice.

"Save some anticipation to make the night more meaningful. Lu Li said with a smile, then put down the handbrake and headed towards the destination.

Looking at the regressing scenery outside the window, everyone speculated wildly, guessing all the high-end restaurants in New York in their heads, but Lu Li had to keep his mouth shut and refused to reveal it, and the three of them hated Lu Li and formed an alliance, and in less than thirty minutes of driving, the three of them suddenly became "best friends".

Until Lu Li parked the car in the underground garage, they still didn't have a clue. There are so many fine restaurants here in New York that they can't remember them all. What's more, the four people in the car are not from wealthy families, and they rarely have the opportunity to dine in high-end restaurants, so their knowledge in this area is very poor.

followed Lu Li into the elevator, watched him press the floor, the three of them chattered all the way, but at this time it was quiet, and the tension of about to enter the high-end restaurant invaded, and I couldn't help but feel a little dry.

Marianne was a little uneasy, "Fourteen, forget it." You invite us to dinner, Burger King is enough, or we go to an Italian restaurant for pizza, and I know that Greenwich Village has recently opened a new restaurant from Naples that tastes very authentic. “

Although neither of them deliberately tries to test each other's privacy, and their understanding of each other's family background is very limited, Marianne knows that Lu Li has always been working and studying. Suddenly come to a high-end restaurant to spend, this is not something that a poor student can afford.

"yes, I think pizza is pretty good. I've always found Italian food to be good, and there are plenty of options besides pizza. Alice echoed it.

But Lu Li looked calm and said with a smile, "Don't worry, just follow me." "As a new multi-millionaire, there's nothing wrong with a haute cuisine.

The elevator door opened, Fred looked around, his jaw was directly dislocated, and he grabbed Lu Li's shoulder fiercely, "Fourteen, are you kidding me? This restaurant is too expensive, let's not go." He dragged Lu Li's shoulders and began to walk back, and Alice and Marianne were also a little flustered, and followed suit, "Are you crazy?" ”

"Among the flowers", this Italian restaurant is the choice of Lu Li. When they worked in the olive garden, they talked about it every day, but they never had the opportunity to visit the restaurant. In a Michelin-starred restaurant, the price of dinner is often 30 or even 50 percent more expensive than lunch, and a dinner set costs about 100 dollars, which is just a set meal, not including dessert or alcohol, not to mention, all restaurants in the United States must pay a tip, such as "In the Flowers", the tip for dinner generally starts at 25 percent - 25 percent of the total price of the meal.

In other words, even the cheapest set menu and then the cheapest drinks and desserts — a high-end restaurant can't afford to skip the process, and the four of them will have to eat a thousand dollars or more. That's a lot of money.

"Fourteen, I know you're generous, and you wish we could get together and have a good dinner, but it's outrageous here. Fred realized that his voice was a little loud, and he couldn't help but lower his voice, in such a high-class place, they couldn't even get up to talk, "To be honest, even if we go to the olive garden, we have no problem with our party, and I believe that we can have a very pleasant dinner." Right?"

The last sentence was said by looking at Marianne and Alice, and the two girls also nodded again and again, with a hint of panic in their expressions.

"Are you finished?" Lu Li chuckled, and then looked at the three friends in front of him, he could feel that they were sincerely expressing their worries, this sincerity was really too rare, "The reason why I invited you to come here to eat is because I have this confidence." Believe me, I'm not going to go bankrupt, just to treat you to a meal, I'm not that great. ”

No one reacted to this joke, Lu Li shook his head helplessly, "Not long ago, I inherited an inheritance, although it is not much, but at least it is a start. I just hope that I can share this joy with my good friends, and then hope that they will come to Texas to see me and not forget me in that ravine. I know how wonderful New York is, and I don't want to be left behind. ”

The three of them looked at each other, and Fred showed a look of surprise, "So that's why you went to Texas?" Fred stepped forward and punched Lu Li hard in the chest, "Man, congratulations! I mean, I'm sorry for the people who passed away, but it's great that you can win the opportunity and choose the life you want!"

"Oh my God, you actually hid such a big piece of news and didn't reveal it?" Marianne looked surprised, "I'm going to slaughter you tonight, I'm going to have a big meal! God, I'm going to have a big meal!"

Alice was also pleasantly surprised, "Texas, oh, spring break! Sorry, sorry, you were dealing with those regrettable things during spring break, and I kept asking you about the party." Alice covered her mouth in surprise, "So, how are you doing?

"Nice, everything. Alice stepped forward and gave Lu Li a big hug, which made Lu Li smile, nodded to the three friends, and expressed affirmation.

There is no excessive inquiry, no malicious jealousy, no suspicion and speculation, just sincere blessings and full of warmth. Lu Li was very fortunate that he had met this group of friends and was able to share such good news.