Cook
For about forty minutes, Zhu Shiyi was scratching his head as he wrote.
My phone suddenly lit up; it was Pan Yue's familiar "Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies".
Zhu Shiyi answered the phone.
"Are you done writing?" A strange buzzing sound came from the other end of the phone.
"No." Overworking his brain, Zhu Shiyi was completely lost.
Have you eaten?
"No, there isn't any." With an empty stomach, Zhu Shiyi was completely lost.
"Come to my office," Pan Yue said gently.
Mysterious.
However, one can roughly guess that Pan Yue bought the food and asked her to pick it up.
"Thank you, boss!" Zhu Shiyi said bluntly, without any preamble.
"Hmm?" Pan Yue's voice rose at the end, as if he was puzzled.
Zhu Shiyi smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, boss."
The other person chuckled softly, "Mm."
“Come now.” His tone was slightly firm, leaving no room for argument.
Zhu Shiyi didn't hesitate: "I'm coming in one minute."
......
In front of Pan Yue's office.
Zhu Shiyi knocked on the door politely.
"Go straight in."
Zhu Shiyi pushed open the door.
This was her first time in her boss's private office.
A fragrant aroma wafted into my nostrils.
Zhu Shiyi looked toward the desk.
Pan Yue has disappeared without a trace.
But a cacophony of soft, fragmented sounds filled my ears.
Just like the sizzling sound of oil coming from a teppanyaki stall on a food street.
She looked to the other side.
Pan Yue took off his suit jacket, leaving him in only a gray shirt with the sleeves slightly rolled up, revealing his forearms.
He stood by the tea table, fiddling with a fork and tongs in his right hand.
Zhu Shiyi looked closely and saw that there was an induction cooker on the tea table.
"Here you are." Pan Yue raised his eyes and tilted his head.
Zhu Shiyi was shocked and stared blankly: "It smells so good."
She walked up to the tea table: "Are you... cooking?"
She glanced into the pot; it was steak.
Unbelievable.
Office transformed into a Western restaurant.
Pan Yue smiled slightly and hummed softly, "Please sit for a moment, it will be ready soon."
Zhu Shiyi sat honestly in front of the tea table: "I'm so sorry to trouble you so much. I can't accept this."
She glanced at the trash can; it contained Australian M9 Wagyu beef.
The logo on the packaging is from the members-only supermarket downstairs.
This doesn't look cheap.
“It’s alright,” Pan Yue said with practiced ease. “I haven’t eaten yet either.”
"Let's order takeout," Zhu Shiyi said, looking down at her phone. "Why did you end up cooking it yourself?"
“I’m used to it,” Pan Yue said, pressing a few buttons to adjust the heat. “Only by cooking it myself can I precisely control the nutritional intake.”
While they were talking, Zhu Shiyi quietly checked the price; this small piece of steak cost 199.
She took a shallow breath.
Pan Yue has spent money again.
But if she had to choose, she wouldn't choose to eat something so expensive.
"I feel a little unsure how to repay you," Zhu Shiyi chuckled dryly, straightening his posture somewhat awkwardly.
Pan Yue relaxed his stance: "Are you saying I didn't report enough?"
Zhu Shiyi stared blankly: "Huh?"
My cheeks flushed instantly.
Is it enough to hug me...?
Steam rose in a hazy mist, and Pan Yue's expression remained natural.
"Just make do with this, consider it payment for tonight," he said, as if feeling hot, raising his left hand and lightly tugging at his tie. "Thank you for your hard work. After all, there's no overtime pay for working on weekdays."
Oh, it's this newspaper.
His gaze couldn't help but drift to the forbidden area.
With the collar slightly open, her collarbone was prominent, and her tie hung loosely in front of her chest.
"Gulp."
Zhu Shiyi quietly swallowed.
"Can you get used to the taste of black pepper?" A gentle question interrupted Yi Ni.
Zhu Shiyi snapped out of her daze: "Okay."
She then remembered that she hadn't replied to Pan Yue's words: "This is hardly acceptable."
Zhu Shiyi joked, "I wish it were the weekend today, then I would get triple overtime pay."
Pan Yue chuckled softly: "So you love your job that much that you're even thinking about working overtime on weekends?"
Zhu Shiyi rubbed his fingers together: "If the money is in place, it's not impossible."
Pan Yue smiled and said, "Forced sale? Nobody's making you work overtime."
Zhu Shiyi: "It's because I'm too dedicated to my work."
"Shouldn't we give you an award at the annual meeting?" Pan Yue shook his head and changed the subject: "Could you please go and get the plate?"
“Okay, okay,” Zhu Shiyi jumped up, “Where is it?”
Pan Yue pointed to the desk: "The cabinet behind, the second drawer from the bottom."
Zhu Shiyi obeyed and took the plate to the tea table.
"Why are there these in the boss's office?" Zhu Shiyi asked, setting out the plates. "Do you often cook in your office?"
“Occasionally,” Pan Yue said, picking out a steak and adding a few florets of broccoli, halved cherry tomatoes, and kernels of golden corn. “I usually make this at home.”
"It's so relatable!" Zhu Shiyi exclaimed sincerely.
If she were living alone, the groceries she bought would definitely expire.
Pan Yue turned the heat down to low and squeezed black pepper sauce into the pot, the sauce sizzling instantly.
He gripped the handle, lifted the pot, and poured the black pepper sauce into the plate.
The steak steamed instantly, and the aroma of oil spread immediately.
Zhu Shiyi's stomach suddenly growled loudly; she was almost dizzy from the aroma.
Pan Yue put the pot down, pulled out a wet wipe to clean his hands, and said, "Sit down."
Zhu Shiyi sat down, took out his phone, turned on the camera, and excitedly started filming.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pan Yue walking behind her.
Zhu Shiyi turned around and opened the drawer of his desk.
Zhu Shiyi didn't pay attention and continued to find the right angle to shoot.
Once the perfect photo was taken, Pan Yue sat down beside him.
A pair of cutlery was handed to him: "Try it."
Zhu Shiyi thanked him and accepted it.
In the large office, on the tea table by the window, they faced the glass window.
At 8 p.m., high up in the office building, the buildings outside the window are brightly lit.
Is this the life of a modern urban woman?
It doesn't seem so.
This is the life of a CEO.
She usually lives the life of an urbanite.
I guess I benefited from this today.
Smelling the aroma of freshly cooked meat, Zhu Shiyi was in a great mood.
She raised her hand and lightly sliced the steak with great elegance.
...but it's not very easy to cut.
Zhu Shiyi silently exerted his strength like an ox.
The knife slammed against the bottom of the plate.
Great effort can produce miracles.
But my hand is also about to develop tenosynovitis.
Zhu Shiyi put down the knife and quietly shook his hand.
How can one skillfully dissect an ox like a master butcher?
Pan Yue shifted his gaze to the side, but remained silent.
He continued cutting his steak, oblivious to everything else.
Zhu Shiyi picked up the knife again.
"Have you been exercising regularly since then?" the person next to me suddenly asked.
Zhu Shiyi subconsciously stopped what he was doing: "Is there?"
She puffed out her cheeks: "But I've been doing an internship lately, and all I want to do when I get back is lie down, so I haven't moved at all."
Are you feeling any better?
Zhu Shiyi tilted his head, silently calculating in his mind.
"I'm not really sure," she said, tapping her chin without mincing words. "Maybe? The first two months were a bit irregular, but this month it's been on track."
Pan Yue's ears turned slightly red: "Mm."
He gripped the handle of the knife and fork with one hand and pushed it to the side with the other: "Exercise requires long-term persistence."
The whole plate of sliced steaks was placed closer to my hand.
Zhu Shiyi was taken aback, opened his mouth, unsure whether to accept or refuse.
Pan Yue reached out and pulled the plate in front of her: "If you rest for too long, you'll become lazy."
Zhu Shiyi glanced sideways, while Pan Yue continued cutting the steak.
He kept his head down, the steam from the Wagyu beef still rising slightly.
A sudden warmth filled my heart.
"Thank you," Zhu Shiyi said, acknowledging Pan Yue's kindness, "but after I get off work and go back to school, I don't want to do anything."
"Then go back after you've finished exercising," Pan Yue suggested.
Zhu Shiyi forked the steak and put it in his mouth. As his lips and teeth met, the juices of the meat burst onto his tongue. The lean meat was firm and bouncy, mixed with a little fat, and the aroma of oil filled his mouth. The black pepper sauce added a unique flavor to it.
She swallowed the beef before answering, "Back to the gym we used to go to?"
"Either is fine," Pan Yue said. "There are some downstairs in the company building."
Zhu Shiyi found it strange: "There's a gym downstairs? Then why did you go to the gym there before, which meant walking a few steps further?"
“There are many employees downstairs,” Pan Yue explained naturally.
Zhu Shiyi: ......
They're quite arrogant.
That makes sense; Pan Yue certainly wouldn't want his employees to see him grinning.
Zhu Shiyi didn't want her colleagues to see her huffing and puffing.
“Forget it,” Zhu Shiyi quickly found a way out. “It would be so awkward to run into a colleague at the gym when we’re not even acquainted.”
"Let's go to another one," Pan Yue urged.
Zhu Shiyi made an excuse: "I can't keep going alone, I'm too lazy to go."
"Find a partner." Pan Yue put a piece of steak into his mouth.
“I don’t know anyone who works out nearby,” Zhu Shiyi turned her head and casually added, “except for you.”
Pan Yue turned his head to the side, his lips pursed into a slight curve as he chewed.
Zhu Shiyi suddenly realized something was wrong.
The way she said it made it sound like she was extending an invitation to him to be friends.
Zhu Shiyi quickly chimed in to cover up, "Of course, you definitely work out with Brother Chang, right?"
To put it mildly, she didn't mean anything by it.
Pan Yue swallowed: "I'm all alone."
Zhu Shiyi was surprised and opened his mouth slightly.
“He’s inconsistent in his efforts, sometimes going and sometimes not, maybe even once a week,” Pan Yue explained.
Zhu Shiyi said "Oh" and silently forked his steak to eat.
Pan Yue, there shouldn't be any other meaning behind it, right?
He was simply stating the facts.
Zhu Shiyi, you can't be so narcissistic as to think that someone is inviting you to work out together, can you?
Pan Yue did not say anything further.
The two chatted for a few minutes and then finished their meal.
Zhu Shiyi stretched, feeling refreshed, as if he had found something again.
She belatedly realized that they had only ever been friends, not in a superior-subordinate relationship.
Pan Yue got up, took out a tissue, and wiped the table.
Zhu Shiyi volunteered: "I'll wash the dishes."
He was about to serve the plate.
“No need,” Pan Yue pressed down on her arm, “Go and work overtime.”
Zhu Shiyi was instantly jolted back to reality.
What a vicious statement.
......
Zhu Shiyi returned to his workstation and continued his hard work.
The moon shines even brighter, a lone firefly glows.
After putting down the last period, Zhu Shiyi turned his head and stretched his neck and shoulders, going on a tirade.
Ah! How wonderful!
This is my Queen's domain!
Ha ha!
Amidst her sighs, she glanced at the bottom right corner of the screen.
The shouts abruptly ceased.
"Damn it!" Zhu Shiyi jumped up and grabbed his bag.
It's 10 o'clock!
She ran outside.
There's no time to catch the subway, so I have to take a taxi.
Zhu Shiyi cried himself to death.
I have to work overtime and then pay an extra 50 yuan for a taxi.
The school has an 11:00 AM curfew, so taking a taxi back, including other factors, takes about 40 minutes.
There's still time.
Zhu Shiyi frantically slammed the elevator door open.
This elevator is so slow, doesn't it know to climb up sooner?
It will take some time to wait.
Zhu Shiyi launched an indiscriminate attack.
A little over half a minute later, the elevator doors opened.
His tall figure came into view.
Zhu Shiyi was taken aback: "Pan Yue?"
Pan Yue tilted his head slightly.
"Why are you here so late?" Zhu Shiyi asked, a slight smile playing on her lips, her expression puzzled.
"There's something I forgot to take," Pan Yue said calmly.
"Oh, oh." Zhu Shiyi understood.
Like discontent caught in the middle, the elevator doors resisted, unexpectedly closing their mouths with a loud bang.
Zhu Shiyi quickly pressed the elevator button.
A hand also rushed straight across the middle of the doorway.
Zhu Shiyi was startled.
The elevator doors opened again.
Zhu Shiyi quickly stepped inside: "Don't block the elevator door with your hand, what if it's not very smart..."
She trembled dramatically: "Just thinking about it makes me shudder."
Pan Yue's chest and shoulders trembled slightly.
He seemed amused: "Is the door not smart?"
“Yes, that’s right.” Zhu Shiyi said bluntly and confidently.
The elderly don't understand her abstract concepts.
Pan Yue let out a breath, his voice low and soft, as if he were helpless: "Alright then."
Zhu Shiyi felt a heat on the back of his neck.
The elevator doors closed again.
Pan Yue reached forward and pressed the button for the basement level.
"Wait!" Zhu Shiyi quickly pressed the start button. "Didn't you want to get something?"
Pan Yue paused in mid-air: "...Yes."
The elevator doors opened once again.
Pan Yue stepped outwards.
"I'll be going now," Zhu Shiyi waved goodbye.
"Wait a minute." Pan Yue turned around.
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