Zhan Jingrui realized he had been foolish again after speaking.
How could He Yao go out with him dressed like this?
He quickly changed his words, "Forget it, I'll go buy it for you. Tell me what you want to eat."
He Yao thought that with his taste, he definitely wouldn't go to any common restaurant. If he went to a high-end restaurant to buy a delicate meal, she didn't know how long it would take. "A packet of instant noodles, thank you."
Instant noodles?
Zhan Jingrui was speechless for two seconds, "Wait."
He drove his Porsche out for a spin and came back with two packets of instant noodles.
He Yao was lounging on the sofa, zoning out. He threw the instant noodles onto the coffee table in front of her and turned to boil water.
He Yao peeked her head out from behind the sofa.
"Why did you buy two packets? Are you eating too... I mean, are you eating instant noodles too?"
Zhan Jingrui, with his business elite back to her, said impatiently.
"Don't think of me as so out of touch. What's wrong with eating instant noodles? I ate at roadside stalls with you quite a bit before."
Uh, he remembered that?
This sentence was clearly superfluous and a bit ambiguous.
Zhan Jingrui regretted it as soon as he said it.
It made him seem like he was dwelling on the past.
He could only try to salvage the situation, "Just eat something simple. Rest quickly after eating. Don't I get tired?"
He Yao retracted her head and said no more.
The only sound in the spacious room was the gurgling of boiling water.
Soon, the water was ready.
Zhan Jingrui added water to his own instant noodles, covered it, and carried it upstairs.
Seeing his demeanor, He Yao couldn't help but be curious.
"What? You're not leaving tonight?"
Zhan Jingrui became even more impatient, "This is my house. Do I need your permission to leave?" m..oΓg
After eating the instant noodles, Zhan Jingrui did not come downstairs again.
One upstairs, one downstairs, they stayed like that all night.
At seven o'clock the next morning, He Yao heard movement in the living room. She came out in her bathrobe and saw a middle-aged woman, dressed neatly and looking capable, cleaning the house.
She assumed it was the cleaning lady Zhan Jingrui had hired and greeted her.
The auntie said that breakfast was ready and the clothes had also been brought.
Zhan Jingrui was quite efficient. He Yao had been worried all night about not having clothes to wear for work today.
She tried them on in the room, and they fit perfectly.
Wearing the clothes, she came out, and Zhan Jingrui also came downstairs.
The two of them tacitly did not mention last night's events and did not speak much. They ate breakfast in silence. The auntie finished cleaning and left first.
Zhan Jingrui pushed the tableware aside and said, "It's not raining today. You can take a taxi to the company yourself."
He Yao hadn't expected him to drive her anyway. She said thank you and, "Thank you for letting me stay last night," and left first.
During her lunch break, she went to get her phone repaired.
When the repairman told her it was not worth repairing, she bought a new one with a heavy heart.
As soon as she inserted the SIM card and turned it on, several WeChat messages came in.
They were all unimportant, but one was from the engineer surnamed Tang, whom she had added yesterday at Zhan's Group, inviting her to lunch.
Since he had helped her get an excellent rating for supplier qualifications, she felt indebted to him. He Yao quickly messaged him.
She explained the situation with her phone and said she would treat him to dinner tonight.
Engineer Tang was not bothered and agreed. They arranged to meet after work.
Engineer Tang was not old, only 28 years old this year. He was a tall and thin, bespectacled science and engineering man who was quite fond of He Yao.
For men and women of this age, arranging to eat together privately could signify something.
He Yao's agreement meant she was giving him a chance, and he had to seize it.
He specifically tidied himself up before going to dinner that evening.
When they met at the restaurant, they looked quite like a perfect match.
He Yao chose a high-end restaurant. Firstly, she wanted to thank him properly. Secondly, she couldn't appear weak and lose face for the company.
They talked about professional matters and had a lot to discuss. Although they weren't very familiar, the meal was very pleasant.
As the meal neared its end, He Yao excused herself to go to the restroom to pay the bill. The waiter told her the bill had already been paid.
"When was it paid?"
"As soon as you ordered, the gentleman came over and paid the bill."
He Yao felt quite embarrassed. She thanked Engineer Tang when she returned and could only ask him to meet again next time.
"Don't fight with me next time, or I'll feel too embarrassed."
The fact that there would be a next time indicated that He Yao had a good impression of him, which made Engineer Tang very happy.
As they walked out talking and laughing, they were about to reach the restaurant entrance when a waiter ushered in two tall, thin men in suits.
Engineer Tang stopped in his tracks and politely greeted them.
"Mr. Zhan, are you also dining here?"
He Yao looked up and saw it was Zhan Jingrui and Xu Zheng.
Was the restaurant she chose that good? Could they also come here?
Zhan Jingrui had some impression of Engineer Tang, not only from seeing him at the company but also because He Yao had eaten next to him at Zhan's yesterday.
These two were meeting privately for dinner. Could they be dating?
Although he already had Chu Xi, after so many years, He Yao should have a boyfriend.
But seeing her standing with another man, looking like a perfect match, still made him uncomfortable.
Zhan Jingrui nodded aloofly and brushed past them.
As he brushed past, he heard Engineer Tang say to He Yao.
"Then how about this Saturday? I'll pick you up. I just checked the weather forecast this morning, and Saturday is supposed to be quite nice. We can take a walk after dinner."
"Have you been to Universal Studios? Many people go there to check in. I heard it's quite fun..."
He didn't hear He Yao's reply, but imagining them having fun together at the amusement park made Zhan Jingrui's chest feel tight.
Xu Zheng enthusiastically led him to their seats. After sitting down, Zhan Jingrui said faintly.
"I missed the chess match last time. Mr. Fu said I missed a good show, and your special assistant is very impressive. Since that's the case, when can we arrange another match so I can broaden my horizons?"
Xu Zheng was just looking for an excuse to arrange another meeting with him and Mr. Fu. Zhan Jingrui had provided the opening.
He quickly said, "That's a piece of cake. As long as you and Mr. Fu have time, we'll be ready anytime."
"Then let's do it this Saturday. Please inform Mr. Fu as well."
Xu Zheng was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
When Xu Zheng returned to the company that afternoon and told He Yao the news, He Yao was furious.
"It rained yesterday, and the dormitory flooded. It was so dirty that all my belongings were soaked. I don't even know where I'm going to live tonight."
"I wanted to find a place to live during my break, but you've done this."
"Oh, compared to the company's future, these are minor issues. You just have to endure it. You can't falter at a crucial moment."
He Yao retorted, "Easy for you to say. You have a place to live, so you're not in pain. You can let me go, but I need a place to stay for these few days, right? Arrange something for me."
"Okay, okay. You stay in a hotel first. The room fee will be reimbursed. After the chess match, leave Sunday for you to find a place to live, how about that?"