Jian Yan didn't want to be followed, so she said to Xue Qiandai, "I don't have much empathy, and besides, you're not a handsome guy."
Xue Qiandai had some expectations of Jian Yan because that baby face was too deceptive, and she was indeed homeless. Clutching the 200 yuan in her hand, Xue Qiandai gritted her teeth, "You helped me today, can I treat you to a meal?"
"No need." Please don't follow me. Jian Yan still remembers how detached she was when she was delivering takeout.
"I'll just have a simple meal to express my gratitude."
That tone of voice was kind of cute.
Finally, Jian Yan couldn't resist and took her to a restaurant tucked away in an alley, a vibrant and down-to-earth spot in the CBD. Relatively speaking, the food here was affordable, with large portions and low prices.
The task of ordering food was handed over to Xue Qiandai, who could order according to her budget.
Xue Qiandai flipped through the menu, stopped on one page, swallowed hard, and said, "I want this big bone!"
Ha, that's really practical. Jian Yan thought of this rich girl with a sophisticated, world-weary face, living away from home, eating big bones from the black soil—the image was just too incongruous. Then she heard Xue Qiandai say, "Oh right, no salt, no chili, not even a little bit."
Not to mention Jian Yan, even the waiter was puzzled, "Are you sure you don't want to add salt? That would... um, have no flavor."
Xue Qiandai flipped through the pages again and explained, "My snow lion can't eat salt."
So this isn't for people to order? And what's a snow lion? A cute pet? Jian Yan was thunderstruck.
Xue Qiandai also ordered a "Five Grains Harvest" dish, a plate of herbs, and two servings of rice. She explained, "Light meals are all the rage now, and this dish looks pretty much like it. I'm on a diet, so I can't eat too much meat. Order whatever you want."
As he spoke, he generously handed the menu to Jian Yan.
Jian Yan was filled with regret. She must have been out of her mind to accept the invitation. Was even wanting some salt a luxury? If she ordered more, would this young lady be able to pay? "That's fine, let's serve the food first."
The food arrived, but Jian Yan ate it with no appetite. The so-called "abundant harvest of five grains" consisted of steamed sweet potatoes, corn, yams, and pumpkin, with "grass" being just vegetables for dipping sauce.
Xue Qiandai held a yam, eating it in small bites, very politely, her eyes sparkling.
"Is it... very bad?" Jian Yan noticed her unusual expression and asked cautiously.
Xue Qiandai put down the yam, took out a tissue to wipe her eyes, and said, "I used to go out to eat with my boyfriend. I was used to a life of pleasure and my weight fluctuated. I was afraid he would think I was fat, so I only ordered some vegetables. He thought I liked to eat, so every time we ate out, he would order 'Grain Harvest' and 'Five Grains Abundance' for me. One day I couldn't take it anymore and yelled at him that I never wanted to eat 'Grain Harvest' again in my next life."
What was originally a tragic misunderstanding sounded somewhat funny and endearing coming from the eldest daughter's perspective. Jian Yan asked, "How is your boyfriend doing now?"
“He’s my ex.” Xue Qiandai corrected Jian Yan, “He started his own business, an internet company, and he’s doing very well.”
Thinking of Xue Qiandai's exaggerated reaction at Chaoxun Technology today, Jian Yan, while biting into her corn, wondered, "Could it be that the technical director today was your ex?"
Thinking about it this way, it all makes sense. If it weren't for that, why would the company add afternoon tea? Ah, what a small world.
Xue Qiandai held up her little finger, peering through the gap in the needle, "My ex was the boss, he was just an employee."
Jian Yan found it laughable. You've become a wage earner yourself, yet you still have the nerve to look down on others! "I'd do it too if I were in your shoes, working my way up to technical director. Or, give me a dozen of those wage earners."
Xue Qiandai displayed an unfathomable demeanor, with an expression that said, "Even if I'm just a working woman, I'm the strongest working woman in history!"—the kind who could even acquire her boss.
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At an Italian restaurant near the Black Soil Restaurant, there was also a plate of vegetable salad on the table. Qin Shu sneezed, rubbed his nose, and said, "Damn it, who's talking about me!"
Across from Qin Shu, Huo Yunchao was holding a cherry tomato on a fork, examining it closely under the light. "You're a single dog, who's going to talk to you?"
"Damn, don't expose my struggles." Qin Shu retorted, "And what about you? You act all high and mighty, all coy and hesitant, yet you waited downstairs for so long. That was a really shady move!"
"Yes, it really is a dog." Huo Yunchao's peach blossom eyes were somewhat dazed and saddened.
Qin Shu couldn't stand his behavior and wanted to comfort him but wasn't good at it. "Tell me, why did you two break up back then? I remember you were completely infatuated with her."
"Why?" Huo Yunchao murmured to himself. Actually, there had been some clues back then. Rumors about the Xue family's situation were rampant. At that time, she was always very sensitive, with a spoiled young lady's temper, and jealousy was rampant. She never reflected on how many bad romantic entanglements she had. In short, the more beautiful the romance was, the worse that period was. "Maybe, she couldn't stand eating grass."
The abundance of crops, the plentiful harvest, the dipping sauce, and the vegetable salad all say, "It's clearly your relationship that's having problems, I'm not taking the blame for this!"
Qin Shu scoffed at this lame excuse. "But then again, I never thought you two were a good match. Her romantic history is too much. I heard that she didn't date the same person twice during her first two semesters of college. It's better that you broke up."
Huo Yunchao still remembers what Xue Qiandai said when she was pursuing him: "Before, I did indeed flirt with many women, but that was just for admiring. Since meeting you, of all the beauties in the world, I only choose you. From now on, no matter what rumors or misunderstandings we have, we will never leave each other, okay?"
He nodded and said okay. But why did we drift apart later?
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She was neither full from the food nor the wine. Xue Qiandai paid the bill and packed up the large pork bone. Her hands were full, and the day's exhaustion overwhelmed her; she barely moved with the pace of a snail.
Xue Qiandai was struggling internally, hesitating to speak several times. With innocent and naive eyes, she looked pitifully at Jian Yan, "Please take me in, please be my sugar daddy, please, Miss Jian Yan, take me away."
"I should go back now," Jian Yan said goodbye.
The city lights were on, the CBD was ablaze with neon, and skyscrapers put on a light show. The world remained dazzling, but it had nothing to do with her; the top floor of Yintai Mansion was no longer her home. Xue Qiandai stood at the intersection, watching Jian Yan's retreating figure.
After walking a dozen steps, Jian Yan finally turned around.
A flower blooms in an instant, reflecting a heart full of joy.
Jian Yan picked up the large bone that Xue Qiandai had packed and squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth, "Coco Chanel is my idol. I don't want to see someone wearing Chanel while carrying a large bone. Also, let's make it clear, just for one night."
If Big Bone could speak, he would probably argue, "Why should I, Brother Bone, be at the bottom of the hierarchy? What did I do to deserve this?"
Overjoyed, Xue Qiandai didn't move, but changed her address three times in a row, "Jian Yan, Jian, Miss, can my snow lion stay for one night?"
Jian Yan gritted her teeth, determined to see things through to the end, and took him in.
She naively thought the snow lion would be a small Samoyed or silver fox, until she saw it in person and was completely petrified. Holy crap, it was a Tibetan Mastiff!
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