Tong An'an thought to herself, "Thanks, boss. You're quite good at giving people an out."
Then, on a sudden impulse, she asked Jiang Jingyu, "And you?"
Jiang Jingyu leaned back in his chair casually, like an ordinary friend. His long fingers twirled a teacup filled with gardenia water.
"Me what? How many people are in my family?"
Tong An'an regretted it so much she wanted to bite her tongue.
"Are you crazy? Are you this familiar with your boss? Asking about his family members."
"God, won't the boss think you're completely stupid, disrespectful, and have zero emotional intelligence?"
Jiang Jingyu, however, found it quite pleasant. Chatting about everyday matters seemed to bring them closer.
He disliked people who were overly deferential and afraid to speak their minds in front of him.
"My family is quite large."
After saying that, he smiled and began counting on his fingers, somewhat endearingly, for Tong An'an.
"My family has a gene for twins. My mother had quadruplets in her first pregnancy, two boys and two girls, and later had a boy and a girl."
Tong An'an hadn't thought about joining Zhan's company before and hadn't deliberately investigated Zhan's Group. It wasn't a public secret, but she was still shocked to hear it.
"You have six children? Your mother is amazing!"
Jiang Jingyu laughed. "Indeed, she's quite capable. However, more children mean more worries."
"Of our four, only one has settled their marriage. The other three are still not married. She wants to urge us but dares not. I don't even want to go home. Every time I see her hesitant expression, I feel sorry for her."
Tong An'an hadn't expected Jiang Jingyu to tell her so much, and all of it so honestly.
It was as if he weren't a CEO, but just an ordinary colleague.
Listening, she became very curious. "So you're still single?"
"Yes."
"But that shouldn't be the case."
"Shouldn't be what?"
She spoke truthfully. "With your looks, age, and social status, there should be many girls who like you."
Jiang Jingyu answered her seriously, "So I should like them all back?"
"No, that's not what I meant. I mean, you should easily find someone suitable for you."
Suitable for him.
Ever since Lu Jiaying was gone, Jiang Jingyu didn't know who in this world would be suitable for him.
He smiled. "Let's put this topic aside for now."
The waiter brought in the dishes, pushing two full trolleys. First, they placed the two complimentary desserts in front of them.
Jiang Jingyu looked at the small bowl. It was crystal clear and very cute, sprinkled with flower petals, but he wasn't interested.
"I don't like sweets. If you like it, you can take this one too."
There wasn't a girl who didn't love sweets.
Since he didn't like it, she might as well take it.
Tong An'an stood up to get the bowl. Jiang Jingyu helped push it towards her, and their fingers inevitably brushed.
The weather was still cold, and Tong An'an was wearing little. Her body temperature hadn't risen yet, so her hands were very cold.
In contrast, Jiang Jingyu was genuinely warm.
Tong An'an felt embarrassed again.
"I touched the boss's hand, what a sin, what a sin."
Returning to her seat, the boss hadn't started eating yet, so she dared not move.
She glanced back and forth between the two bowls of dessert and asked, "Can I take a picture?"
It seemed girls liked posting on social media. He was suddenly quite curious what someone like her would post.
"Of course."
Tong An'an stood up, changed angles, took photos of the desserts, and put her phone back in her bag.
"Aren't you posting on social media?"
Jiang Jingyu had just asked casually, and she felt a bit awkward.
Wasn't having dinner with the boss worth a social media post? Of course, it was.
She quickly took out her phone. "Yes, I am."
After uploading the pictures, she pondered the caption for a while before clicking send. It felt like completing a task, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Jingyu was curious about what she had posted, but if he asked for her WeChat now, it might scare her, so he could only hold back.
Soon, the soup base began to bubble. The waiter came to help them add the ingredients, and they started eating.
Tong An'an was too embarrassed to eat heartily and ate very elegantly and cautiously.
To make her feel more at ease, Jiang Jingyu deliberately took off his coat, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and ate heartily and unrestrainedly.
"Eat to your heart's content. I don't like eating with people who have poor appetites; it affects my mood."
Since it was a task assigned by the boss, to make the boss happy, she wouldn't be polite.
Tong An'an resumed her normal way of eating.
She wasn't picky and ate everything, meat or vegetables. Looking at the ingredients ordered, they were all gone as she ate.
Jiang Jingyu noticed her particular fondness for a plate of crispy pork. He called the waiter over and ordered two more plates. He also got her another serving of the dessert.
Tong An'an quickly stopped him. "No, no more. I can't eat anymore. I've already eaten so much today."
"If you can't finish it, we'll pack it. I haven't eaten hot pot in a long time, so I must eat my fill."
They ate for nearly two hours, finishing everything. Tong An'an was so full she felt like she needed to lean on the wall to walk.
Honestly, she hadn't eaten so heartily in a long time.
Ever since she returned home to help, her mother nagged her every day. Eating felt like a chore, and she'd just gobble down a few bites and escape. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so unrestrained today.
Seeing that they were full and it was time to leave, Tong An'an used the excuse of going to the restroom and rushed to pay the bill.
The waiter told her the bill had already been settled.
"Ah, when was it settled?"
"About half an hour ago. The gentleman paid."
The waiter smiled and teased her, "With a gentleman present, how could a lady be allowed to pay?"
Tong An'an thought to herself, "You don't know our relationship. With an employee present, how can the boss be allowed to pay?"
"How much was it?"
The waiter showed her the receipt: over 870 yuan.
The boss had returned the money she spent on buying things, and even added a hundred or two hundred more.
"Tong An'an, Tong An'an, you actually owe the boss a favor."
But she didn't know how to tell him. She felt they weren't familiar enough to talk about money so openly.
Returning to the private room, she didn't say much and just sat there foolishly for a while. Jiang Jingyu picked up his coat. "Are you full?"
"Yes, yes, I'm stuffed."
"If you're full, let's go back. Don't you still need to organize the interview materials?"
His words reminded her. Right, she would probably have to stay up late tonight.
They left the restaurant together. Jiang Jingyu unlocked his car from a distance. Tong An'an really couldn't bear to trouble the boss to drive her again, so she trotted a couple of steps to catch up.
"Mr. Jiang, I'm really sorry to have troubled you for so long today, and for letting you treat me to a meal..."
"It's alright, I ate too, didn't I? Besides, you paid for Zhang Yang's purchases just now."
Tong An'an didn't dare to say she'd treat him to a meal next time, as it would seem like she was trying to curry favor.
With a hesitant expression, she looked at him. "Well, it's getting late. You should go back and rest. I'll be going now."