11 The Gold Empire

"How do I look, Miaomiao?"

Ai Jing sat stock still as her little sister assessed her appearance. The middle schooler rubbed her chin, as if she were deep in thought.

"Just like the last fifteen times you asked, sis… you look fine. Why are you so nervous? It's not like this is a date, right?"

As she asked this, Ai Miao's eyes grew wide. Her face lit up.

"Wait… *Is* it a date?! But then why are you bringing me along?!"

"Um, no! I already told you, it isn't..."

Ai Jing felt her cheeks heat up. She quickly turned her gaze away from Miaomiao and looked out the window. Beads of rain pattered against the thick glass, and as the sights of the city whizzed past, Ai Jing questioned herself. She was asking a man out to dinner, sure. But this was nothing more than a way of saying thanks. Miaomiao had a point – Why was she feeling so nervous?

A short while later, the car pulled to a stop, and the chauffeur called back to them in his lilting voice.

"Madame. Miss. We're here."

Outside, muddled somewhat by the car's tinted windows, was the brightly colored facade of the Gold Empire. Lanterns, flashing lights, neon signs shaped like fireworks – it looked like a traditional Chinese festival, complete with animatronic dragons and dancers. Boasting two Michelin stars, the Gold Empire wasn't only a famous restaurant, but it was also one of the city's most iconic landmarks.

Ai Jing smiled as she took in the familiar sight. The front of the restaurant had always fascinated her, especially back when she was a child. She remembered thinking how the people who were rich enough to dine there were so far beyond her reach…

The rear door opened with a click. Bowing slightly, with an umbrella in hand, the chauffer invited Ai Jing and her sister to exit.

Four glittering heels tapped sharply against the pavement as Ai Jing and Ai Miao stepped out of the car. As they did so, one of the restaurant's guards rushed up to the chauffeur. The two men exchanged nods, and the chauffeur handed his umbrella to the guard.

"Madame. Miss. I'll be taking my leave, then. I will be waiting here at the arranged time. Please call me if you need me to return earlier."

"Thank you, Mr. Geng."

With that, the chauffeur turned to leave, and the guard led the two sisters out of the rain and under the awning of the Gold Empire. There was the purr of an engine as the chauffer reentered the black sedan and began to drive away. Ai Jing grimaced as she watched him merge into the traffic zooming by. It never ceased to amaze her how Mr. Geng was able to navigate these streets so easily. Or maybe he was just really good at making it look easy?

They stepped through the restaurant's doors, past the flashy festival display and potted bamboo.

"Ma'am, I'll be leaving your umbrella at the front desk. If you could please wait at the back of the line, we'll attend to you shortly."

"Okay, thank you."

The guard stepped away, leaving Ai Jing and Ai Miao to fend for themselves in the packed lobby. Though the Gold Empire was reservation only, peak dinner hours like this could still lead to a bit of a wait. So popular was this restaurant that it was virtually always seated to capacity. From past experience, Ai Jing guessed the wait would take around ten minutes or so. A small price to pay for the food they served here.

"Hey, sis. Did you finally manage to max out your Raphael yet?"

"Oh! Yeah, I forgot to tell you. I did, yesterday."

Ai Jing pulled her phone out of her purse and opened the game. She brought up Raphael's profile page and showed her sister the angel's stats. Ai Miao hummed in envy.

"What about the max level animation?"

"Here."

Ai Jing tapped the screen – Raphael folded his hands together and closed his eyes. For a few seconds, he appeared deep in prayer. Then, massive pillars of light erupted from the ground around him.

"Woah!"

The sisters continued to watch as they waited in line. A few minutes passed, with Ai Miao bringing out her own phone to compare her game progress with her sister. When it was their turn, they stepped up to one of the ladies at the reception desk. She was dressed in a red qipao, and she smiled widely at them.

"Welcome to the Gold Empire! Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes, of course."

"Wonderful. May I have your name?"

"Ai Jing."

"Ai Jing… let's see… Ah! Welcome back, ma'am! Please follow the waiter here, he will show you to your table."

"Thank you."

The receptionist gestured to a waiter who was standing by, and he bowed as the two sisters approached. Then, he began to lead the way, through a wooden gateway out of the lobby and into the main dining room. Though this was not the first time Ai Jing had been here, she still couldn't help but feel awed at the sight that greeted her. Intricate wooden carvings and beautiful silk tapestries lined the walls, while lantern-like lights hung from the ceiling.

Crimson cushions and gilded furnishings – It was an overwhelming explosion of red and gold. While it was still clearly a modern-day restaurant, the decor almost made it feel like they'd been transported back to ancient China, like they were about to dine in the presence of an emperor.

The music was icing on the cake; a live ensemble played in the back of the room, complete with an erhu and Chinese zither. Ai Jing took a deep breath, reveling in the smell of fine food. The atmosphere here at the Gold Empire was nothing short of perfect.

"Your table, ma'am."

The waiter had come to a stop, and he gestured at a small, four-chair table bordering the wall, right next to the gate. It was immaculately set, as expected, and Ai Jing grinned as she sat down. The napkins on the table were all folded into little swans.

"Just to double check, Ma'am. There are three people in your party?"

The waiter was looking at her expectantly.

"Yes."

"Great. Would you like to order now, or wait until the third member arrives?"

"I'd like to wait, please."

"Alright. Are there any drinks I could get you two ladies in the meantime? Other than tea?"

"No, I'm fine."

Ai Jing turned to Miaomiao, her eyebrow raised in a question.

"Could I get a soda, please?"

"Of course, little miss. What kind would you like?"

Miaomiao hummed as she thought about her answer, and Ai Jing turned her attention away, looking out at the rest of the room. There were dozens of tables, all surrounded with people, all covered in delicious food served on fancy platters. And perhaps the most impressive part of all was the way the various wait staff went about their tasks with the utmost precision, communicating wordlessly with each other. It was all like a well-oiled machine.

As she watched a waiter step out of the kitchen in the back of the room, carrying upwards of five plates of food on just one arm, she glanced at the time. She had arrived around half an hour early, knowing that there would be a wait. And just as well – for something like this, it wouldn't do to be late. In any case, he would be arriving soon…

She heard the door of the restaurant open from behind the wooden wall. The rain outside had picked up considerably, and the wind howled as it whipped into the lobby. When the door had closed again and the sound of the storm stopped, so too had most of the idle chatter.

"Hey, isn't that Gao Ming?"

"Really?"

"Wow, it is!"

Ai Jing found it hard not to laugh as she listened to this familiar scene play out. Did he have to deal with this kind of reaction everywhere he went? Surely, it would get really old after a while.

"Mr. Gao! Welcome to Gold Empire! If you could please wait in line…"

Now that the lobby was pretty much silent otherwise, it was easy for Ai Jing to hear the exchange.

"There should already be a table waiting for me."

"Um…"

The guard hesitated.

"I'm… I'm so sorry. Of course, I'll find a table for you right away."

"Oh... no. Sorry. I didn't mean it that way. I'm actually meeting someone. I meant she's probably already here."

"Oh…"

Again, Ai Jing found it difficult to keep herself from laughing. The conversation was so awkward, she was almost turning red herself.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to take a quick look into the dining room."

"Of course, Mr. Gao. Of course."

Gao Ming strolled through the gateway, moving into Ai Jing's view. He swept his eyes across the room, and it only took him a few seconds to find Ai Jing's table.

"Ah, that table."

"The girl in the white dress?"

"Yes."

Ai Jing waved shyly to confirm that she was with him. As Gao Ming made his way over, the tables around Ai Jing erupted in whispers.

"Gao Ming's meeting a woman?"

"Isn't he well-known for being a bachelor?

"Maybe it's just a business meeting?"

Gao Ming ignored them as he walked up.

"Good evening, Miss Ai."

"Evening, Mr. Gao."

"May I?"

Ai Jing nodded, and Gao Ming removed his suit jacket, hanging it over the chair directly across from Ai Jing. He must not have been able to completely stay out of the rain, as his tousled hair and the top of his jacket were a little wet. Ai Jing's heart sped up, ever so slightly.

"That was a regrettable exchange," he said as he sat down, motioning with his head towards the lobby behind him.

"Well, um..."

She chuckled nervously. What was she supposed to say in response? Affirm what he said? Say it wasn't that bad?

She thought back to when she met him, back in the police station. Their conversation had been very brief, and she had barely been able to thank him and invite him to dinner before Officer Ma led him away. Indeed, their respective butlers probably knew each other far better than they did, as their butlers had been responsible for getting the details of this meal ironed out – time, location, and so on.

And now that they were sitting together, in a situation like this, one that any onlooker would think was a date of some kind…

Neither of them seemed to know what to say next, and it took Miaomiao to break the silence.

"Soooo… are we going to eat?"

"Oh, yeah."

Flustered, Ai Jing grabbed the leather cover of the menu before her and flipped it open. Page after page, all filled with pictures of delicious food. Her eyes scanned the names of dozens of dishes – lobster tail, pork belly, steamed buns – but she wasn't really processing any of it. Her mind was too focused on figuring out what they could talk about during the meal. Maybe food could make for a good first topic?

As she looked up from her menu, their waiter returned, setting down a soda in front of Ai Miao.

"Are you ready to order, ma'am? Sir?"

"Um, Mr. Gao. Is there anything you would like?"

She looked up from her menu, straight into Gao Ming's deep blue eyes.

"I've never been here before."

He smiled and folded his hands over his unopened menu.

"I trust you have good taste, Miss Ai."