Chapter 126: Dining

With Fan Yunting’s approval of the office interior design, the renovation company immediately began work on the office building. I, too, threw myself into the hectic preparations for the company.

A week later, Fan Yunting finalized the registration procedures, and the Ye Jianxiang Company was officially established. Through recruitment advertisements and job fairs, I managed to bring on a few specialized personnel. After several days of busy work, I had also managed to procure most of the essential office supplies.

Although these days were exhausting, they felt deeply fulfilling. It is truly having a career that gives a man a sense of purpose. Ever since that night, Hua Jingjing had effectively taken on the role of my future girlfriend. I deeply regretted succumbing to her temptations that morning, which had nearly led me to act like a beast. Therefore, for these past few days, I had kept things strictly professional and had not breached our three-point agreement again.

However, I was serious about my feelings for her. I knew I was truly lucky to have Hua Jingjing’s selfless love, so I forced myself to stop longing for Xu Shu and committed to treating Jingjing well and cherishing her. Though it was difficult, I was making a sincere effort.

During this time, the little witch Xu Xin would occasionally call me, pouring out her longing and sharing amusing anecdotes from her life. I did not overreact to her budding affection; I firmly believed that as time passed and she matured, she would eventually come to her senses and forget me. Thus, I neither encouraged nor rejected her, mostly just reminding her to focus on her studies and stay out of trouble.

Qiu Jieqin, however, seemed to have vanished into thin air. I had not seen her or heard from her since. Her good friend, Qian Xiaolei, worked with me every day, but since I had warned her not to bring up Jieqin in my presence, I remained ignorant of her current situation. Whenever I thought of her, my heart felt heavy, burdened by the sense that I owed her too much. Several times I wanted to call her to ask how she was, but for the sake of avoiding unnecessary trouble, I ultimately refrained.

Gu Ruoyan had also gone silent. Through some subtle inquiries with Hua Jingjing, I gathered that she seemed to be doing fine, with nothing to worry about. My mind was slightly put at ease; I truly hoped she would find a good place for herself.

As for Xu Shu, I lacked the courage to even ask about her. The longing for her persisted, and I constantly saw her beautiful image in television commercials and on roadside billboards. Forgetting her was easier said than done.

Days slipped by, the office renovation neared completion, and the 2002 Spring Festival was fast approaching.

Three days before Chinese New Year's Eve—the twenty-eighth day of the first lunar month—I went to a supermarket to stock up on festival goods after work. The store was packed with people shopping for the holidays.

I grabbed a chaotic assortment of items, filling a shopping cart to the brim, and joined the queue. The lines were incredibly long. With only five cashiers, each line stretched endlessly. I glanced at my watch with a bitter smile and picked the shortest one, grumbling to myself: "So long, how long will it take to reach the front? I should have come earlier instead of joining this madness."

Suddenly, I heard someone call out to me happily: "Tang Qian?" I turned and was delighted to see Cheng Jia, whom I hadn't seen in ages, pushing a cart behind me. "Cheng Jia! Long time no see!"

"It has been! Shopping for the New Year?"

"Of course. Why else would I join this crowd? Look at this line; we're in for a long wait."

"Haha! I heard you and Fan Yunting started a company together and that you're the vice general manager. Is that true?"

"Oh, just a title! I'm really just a hired hand, nothing different."

"That's great! You've really made something of yourself. No need to be so modest! I supported you when you quit your job, and it seems I wasn't wrong about you."

"Heh, you're going to make me blush with all that praise!"

"By the way, if I may ask, is your company still hiring?"

"Oh? Looking to switch jobs? We'd welcome you!"

"No, it's my younger brother. He graduated six months ago and hasn't found work yet. As his sister, I'm worried. Could you do me a favor and find a spot for him?"

Cheng Jia was a great benefactor to me; I had to help her. Since our team wasn't full yet, hiring her brother shouldn't be a problem.

"No problem! Since you asked, I’ll certainly do my best. What was his major?"

"Really? That's wonderful! He's a chemistry major, just like you. But he's a bit immature, so you'll have to guide him."

"Oh? Does he have any experience in researching liquid beverage ingredients?"

"He should be fine with that!"

"Good! Tell him to bring his ID, diploma, and resume to our office tomorrow."

"Thank you, Tang Qian! I'm so grateful! Let me treat you to dinner later!"

I laughed: "No need for that. You’ve helped me a lot in the past, so this is just returning the favor. Don't be so formal!"

"That won't do! You've treated me to dinner to thank me before, so I must treat you this time. You can't refuse!"

I actually quite liked this sweet girl and didn't really want to reject her. However, I pointed at our two overflowing carts: "Look, we’ve bought so much stuff. How can we go to dinner with all these bags? Let's skip it."

Cheng Jia’s eyes twinkled as she smiled: "That’s easy! We'll take our things home and then come back out to eat! To be honest, I'm bribing you so you can't go back on your word! No matter what you say, you have to accept!"

Seeing her cute, smiling face, my mood lifted. It had been a long time, and chatting would be nice. Whether she treated me or not didn't matter; I was going to help her regardless.

I laughed: "Fine, since you insist on bribing me, I suppose I’ll have to be corrupt. Where are we eating?"

Cheng Jia giggled at my wit: "Let's go to that place where you took me last time! Don't complain if it's not good enough!"

"Deal! That's the spot!"

After checking out, we parted ways at the supermarket entrance, agreeing to meet in an hour at the restaurant.

I rushed home, dropped off my groceries, and told my family I’d be out. One hour later, I arrived at the restaurant on time. Cheng Jia was already waiting at our usual table. Seeing me, she stood up with a beam: "Tang Qian, you're here! You can't save me any money tonight; order whatever you want."

I had already decided to pay for the meal myself—she was my benefactor, a lifesaver—how could I let her spend her money? "Alright then, I won't be polite!"

Once seated, I took the menu and ordered five or six expensive dishes in one breath. Cheng Jia stuck out her tongue, laughing: "You really aren't being polite!"

I laughed heartily, not revealing my true intentions. As we ate and chatted, she told me her brother’s name was Cheng Gong. He had just graduated from Southwest University and had been idling at home. Her mother kept pestering her to find him a good job, but in this climate, good jobs were hard to come by. Plus, her brother was notoriously lazy and indifferent about his future. She asked me to keep a tight leash on him so he wouldn't slack off.

I agreed with a smile. Halfway through the meal, my phone rang. Seeing it was Fan Yunting, I said to Cheng Jia: "Sorry, I have to take this."

I pressed the button: "Hello, Ms. Fan?"

"Tang Qian, where are you?"

"I'm out for dinner, what's wrong?"

"I need some money, but the banks are closed and I don't have enough on me. Do you still have that card I gave you?"

I patted my pocket: "I do! Is it urgent? I can bring it to you. Where are you?"

"I'll come to you instead. Which restaurant are you at?" After giving her the address, I hung up and smiled at Cheng Jia: "That was Ms. Fan, your former boss. She's coming over, so I can talk to her about your brother then!"

Cheng Jia had a good impression of Fan Yunting: "Manager Fan is very capable. I’m sure you’ll achieve great things working with her!"

I smiled: "I hope so! Come, let's keep eating!"

Just as I picked up a shrimp to eat, my phone rang again. I apologized to Cheng Jia with a wry smile and pulled it out.

It was a call from Hua Jingjing.

"Hello? What's up?"

"Where are you?"

"Out for dinner."

"Dinner? With whom? A man or a woman?"

"Well..."

"Hmph! Can't answer? It must be a woman! No way! I'm coming over! Where are you?"

"Don't be ridiculous! I'm here on business."

"Who's being ridiculous? If you don't let me come, it just proves you've got something to hide!"

"Please, don't jump to conclusions. I really am on business; our boss, Ms. Fan, is coming over soon. You wouldn't want to run into her, would you?"

"Fan Yunting? Hmph! I've been wanting to meet her! Tang Qian, if you don't let me come, I'll suspect you're having an affair! If you let me come, I promise to behave and won't make a scene, okay? Please! Otherwise, I'll worry myself to death!"

I was truly at a loss. An affair? You’re not even my wife, so how does that apply? Why was having a simple dinner causing so much trouble?