Chapter 457: Chapter 457: The Ripple Subsides
Bai Jie stared into his eyes and questioned, "Do you think you’re handsome and that I like you?"
Zhang Dadan’s gaze flickered, but he couldn’t help retorting in his heart, "Big sis! Although I don’t think I’m particularly handsome, if you didn’t like me, why would you act like this?"
"N-no! How could you possibly like me?" Zhang Dadan swallowed and replied weakly.
Bai Jie slowly lifted her feet and pressed her body against his chest, whispering, "How do you know I might not like you~"
At that moment, Zhang Dadan’s mind went blank, and he felt a weight pressing on his chest, making it hard for him to breathe.
Just when he thought Bai Jie was going to force a kiss on him, his phone rang in his pocket, breaking the moment unexpectedly.
Instinctively, Zhang Dadan straightened up, pushing Bai Jie back a step. Her perched foot landed on the ground, creating some distance between them.
"I... I need to take this call..." Zhang Dadan swallowed again and hurriedly escaped from her.
Having attempted such a bold move for the first time, Bai Jie sighed in relief and relaxed her tense posture.
Stealing a glance at Zhang Dadan, Bai Jie blushed and scolded herself, "What’s wrong with you? This is so embarrassing!"
Although Bai Jie was born into a wealthy family, she lost her parents at a young age. Facing the heavy responsibilities of the family, she dedicated herself to her studies to become a qualified heir.
As a result, unlike other second-generation rich kids who partied and hung out with guys all day, her love life was completely empty.
When Zhang Dadan appeared, he sparked her interest in men for the first time. His surprising actions greatly attracted Bai Jie.
The time she spent with Zhang Dadan felt novel and comfortable, allowing her to drop her pretenses.
Unfortunately, this pleasant time was short-lived. Recently, Zhang Dadan had been deliberately distancing himself from her, as if trying to draw a line between them.
At first, Bai Jie suspected that her grandfather was behind it, but after many attempts to test him, she found that her grandfather wasn’t the mastermind and even seemed to support a match between her and Zhang Dadan.
With no other clues, Bai Jie started to doubt herself, wondering if she had done something wrong, lacked gentleness, or didn’t know how to flirt.
Never one to lack perseverance in learning, Bai Jie watched numerous TV shows and movies to catch up on romance knowledge.
Whether it was due to her brain or her personality, she found herself emulating some quite aggressive female leads, which led to her earlier actions.
But at such a crucial moment, Zhang Dadan’s phone call interrupted everything, plunging her back into embarrassment.
Watching Zhang Dadan talk endlessly on the phone, Bai Jie began to suspect he was stalling deliberately, and she questioned, "Are you done yet?"
"Almost... almost..." Zhang Dadan moved the phone slightly aside and apologized to Bai Jie, unsure why he felt the need to apologize.
After another two or three minutes, Zhang Dadan finally hung up. Just as Bai Jie was about to make another move, she saw his displeased expression and restrained herself.
"Zhang Dadan, what’s wrong? Did something happen? Do you need my help?" Bai Jie asked seriously.
Zhang Dadan gave a wry smile and said, "It’s nothing major! But I have to go now."
Hearing that he was leaving immediately, Bai Jie couldn’t help but feel suspicious again. She stared at Zhang Dadan and pressed, "You’re not trying to avoid me, are you?"
As she spoke, she moved closer to Zhang Dadan, preparing to corner him again and complete what she started earlier.
But Zhang Dadan was in a hurry to leave and had no time to tangle with her. He raised his hands in surrender and said, "Big sis! I really have to go, let’s meet another day!"
Another day? Bai Jie, having recently crammed romance knowledge, also read some risqué jokes and knew the hidden meaning behind "another day." So in this situation, did his "another day" have a special meaning?
"Stop right there! Do you think I’m too old for you?" Bai Jie asked bluntly, her face flushed.
Hearing this, Zhang Dadan froze, unsure of what to do. Although she was indeed a few years older than him, he really didn’t care about that!
But he didn’t want to tell Bai Jie the real reason, so he pretended to be anxious and said, "I really have something to do! How about we talk another day?"
Seeing the frantic look on Zhang Dadan’s face, Bai Jie couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or not, so she said, "Fine! We’ll talk another day! What are you going to do now? I’ll go with you!"
Before Zhang Dadan could respond, she took the lead and turned to walk downstairs. Reaching the staircase, she impatiently waved at Zhang Dadan, signaling him to hurry up.
When they got downstairs, Bai Jie headed straight for the door without paying. Zhang Dadan assumed Wu Zhi had paid the bill, so he went to the counter to settle up himself.
Already outside the Fuxing Tea House, Bai Jie waited impatiently as she couldn’t see Zhang Dadan. Turning back, she saw him talking with the tea house owner.
Bai Jie walked back and shouted at Zhang Dadan, "Don’t you have something urgent? Why are you dragging your feet? Just put it on my tab!"
Before Zhang Dadan could respond, the tea house owner smiled ingratiatingly at Bai Jie and said, "Miss Bai, he spent two thousand two hundred yuan in total. Shall I put it on your tab?"
Although Bai Jie was a rich second-generation, she wasn’t a fool. The average expense at the tea house was only about a hundred yuan. How could Zhang Dadan spend two thousand yuan alone?
Just as she was about to argue with the owner, Zhang Dadan gave an awkward smile and said, "I broke their table and need to compensate them two thousand yuan."
Broke the table? The tea house’s tables were solid wood. What were you doing in the private room?
"Alright! Are you going or not? No matter how much it is, put it on my tab!" Bai Jie said anxiously.
She didn’t care about the two thousand yuan but she did care if Zhang Dadan was using it as an excuse to ditch her.
Although Zhang Dadan didn’t like spending a woman’s money, he did feel indebted to the Bai Family, so he didn’t stand on ceremony with Bai Jie and left after patting his pockets.
Once they left the Fuxing Tea House, they walked a short distance and hailed a cab to the central square. During the ride, Bai Jie learned that Zhang Dadan was going to open a new branch.
Considering he only opened his restaurant in Stone Town a few months ago, opening a branch now seemed a bit rushed.
Just as Bai Jie was about to advise him, she swallowed her words because Zhang Dadan always managed to surprise people. Maybe his new branch could become a hit too?
There was no need to pour cold water on him and risk upsetting him. Even if the branch failed, given Zhang Dadan’s current financial strength, it wouldn’t hurt him too much!
Although the Fuxing Tea House was in a relatively remote area, the county wasn’t very big. In just over ten minutes, they arrived at the central square.
Zhang Dadan had previously visited the new location with Zhou Yong, so he easily found the new shop.
As soon as they entered, they felt a tense atmosphere. Zhou Yong seemed to be arguing with a middle-aged man.
Seeing Zhang Dadan, Zhou Yong immediately felt more confident. He smiled and said, "Dadan, you finally made it! Oh, Miss Bai, you’re here too?"
"Yes! I came to see the place with Zhang Dadan..." Bai Jie stood next to Zhang Dadan, trying her best to appear docile and submissive.