Chapter 20: Laughter from "Potato Killer"
20
"What are you laughing at..." Fang Huaixu looked at Meng Yao, who was laughing without warning, and felt a chill run down his spine. His eyes were full of pure hesitation and doubt.
Meng Yao hadn't planned to share her happiness with Fang Huaixu. At first, she was suppressing her laughter, but after being discovered, she simply went all out and laughed heartily in the elevator.
Fang Huaixu carried the incongruous insulated lunchbox in one hand, his posture still upright. Looking at the girl beside him who was laughing so hard she couldn't straighten up, he knew he wasn't a funny person, and he couldn't understand what he had missed. After thinking for a long time, he cautiously asked, "...What's wrong?"
Meng Yao finally managed to stop laughing, her voice still brimming with lingering excitement: "It's nothing serious, it's just that this is the first time I've experienced a plot from a domineering CEO novel in real life. Then it dawned on me that, according to the novel's setup, you're practically a top-tier domineering CEO! I don't know if you can understand this feeling, but it's just so exhilarating to be a dog relying on its master's power!"
“You seem to have misunderstood… I’m not the president,” Fang Huaixu thought for a long time, clearly not understanding at all: “I am the chairman and CEO of Tianmu. If you want to meet the president of Tianmu, I can introduce you to him.”
"..." Meng Yao paused, looking at him with a subtle expression.
Fang Huaixu, confused and feeling guilty, asked, "And why did you call yourself a dog?"
"..."
Meng Yao was speechless for a moment because of his serious manner. She looked at him helplessly and sighed: "Dog is not an insult... and it's just a self-deprecating metaphor... How come I only realized today that your sense of humor is truly amazing."
Although Fang Huaixu agreed with some of her points, he remained fixated on the root of the problem: "I really don't understand what the joke is."
She shook her head with a regretful expression, then sighed and explained with a profound look, "I was praising how cool you were just now. You were like a god descending to earth to protect your pitiful little wife who was locked out, upholding love and peace in the world. Didn't you feel any satisfaction at all?"
Fang Huaixu tried to understand: "...So you were trying to compliment me on how handsome I am?"
Meng Yao rolled her eyes inwardly and said bluntly, "With your way of thinking, life is bound to be very boring."
Fang Huaixu was unable to refute.
He didn't know when it started, but he had already gotten used to Meng Yao's offensive words and occasional narcissistic remarks. He just retorted unwillingly, "I don't understand how you came to this conclusion."
Seeing his eagerness to learn, Meng Yao patiently continued to guide him: "I think the severity of this incident wasn't enough. Aren't you the CEO? Shouldn't you be like those characters in novels, capricious and authoritative without being angry? You could just get upset and coldly tell someone to 'take everything and get out of Beijing forever.' You'd probably immediately feel that thrill of being in control."
Fang Huaixu still didn't understand the joke, but seeing her enthusiastic expression, he still smiled slightly, not forgetting his disclaimer: "Your perspective is... novel, perhaps because you have a wide range of interests. I don't have the habit of telling people to get lost anytime, anywhere. Apart from his bad attitude, that person didn't actually neglect his duties. That's the company's policy, and your problem will be resolved after the roster is updated... So I don't think it's necessary to use manpower and resources to prevent him from staying in Beijing."
...My God, what a stubborn person.
Looking at his serious expression, Meng Yao lost all interest and excitement, only feeling sorry for Fang Huaixu's dull and uninteresting thought process. So she volunteered, patting her chest, "Forget it, you must be missing a suitable audience. Here's what we'll do: next time you have the chance to say that classic line like 'Get out of here,' be sure to call me. I'll be the perfect atmosphere-setter, and when you're at your most handsome and charming, I'll fall weakly into your arms, my face full of adoration and endearing tenderness, and tell everyone around me in the most sincere tone, 'Our CEO Fang is so amazing!' I guarantee you'll be fully immersed in the joy of being flattered."
Her tone was sarcastic, but Fang Huaixu couldn't quite understand it. Moreover, his thoughts, which were originally out of the loop, suddenly began to conjure up the image of Meng Yao pretending to be weak as she fell into his arms, based on Meng Yao's words.
The thought of how this girl, who was clearly as cunning as a mischievous fox, would pretend to be a delicate little white flower and deceive everyone made him suddenly understand Meng Yao's sense of humor, and he chuckled softly along with her.
Meng Yao was also pleased that he finally had a sense of humor, and nodded approvingly at him with great satisfaction.
The elevator quickly reached the top floor, where two or three employees came to Fang Huaixu to confirm the contract. Their eyes all fell on the brightly colored insulated lunchbox next to him.
When only the two of them were left in the office, Fang Huaixu picked up a brand-new document and handed it to Meng Yao.
"The cooperation we discussed last night has been approved in a meeting today. Here is the contract."
He pushed the document over: "This is the framework agreement for your upcoming cooperation with Tianmu's charitable foundation. The revenue and operating procedures are all in there. Please take a look at the terms and see if there are any problems."
"So fast?" Meng Yao took the contract with some surprise and looked it over carefully. "Okay, hurry up and eat, it'll get cold."
"Have you thought it through?" Fang Huaixu sat opposite her, opening the lunchbox as he spoke. "Even after you've decided, I can't be 100% sure there won't be any unexpected problems. I can only guarantee that the worst-case scenario won't happen."
Meng Yao said with certainty, "After seeing my grandmother today, I'm even more determined. She has never backed down once, so what am I afraid of? I didn't even have a choice before, but now I finally have a chance to turn things around. I won't regret it."
"good."
Fang Huaixu withdrew his admiring gaze and focused his attention on the lunchbox.
Apart from the stir-fried vegetables and ribs, the golden-yellow and fragrant potato stew rice stood out.
Rice wrapped around tender stewed potatoes and minced meat, mixed with the broth, creates a very warm and homey dish.
Fang Huaixu was taken aback. Meng Yao wasn't entirely focused on the contract either, but instead showed her beautiful eyes, anticipating his reaction when he saw the lunchbox: "This is our family's signature dish. My grandmother asked me to make it for her right after her first surgery."
Her tone was full of pride: "I rushed home from the hospital today to make this for you. It took a lot of effort. If you're grateful, just eat every last grain."
Fang Huaixu stared at the box of potato stew in silence for a long time. When his gaze fell on her bright eyes, he nodded steadily and said, "Okay."
She was very satisfied and finally focused her attention on the contract.
Fang Huaixu didn't start eating right away. Instead, he got up and went to the refrigerator in the corner of the office to get a bottle of water. After taking a sip, he returned to his desk and casually started a conversation: "Did you go to film today?"
"Yes, I went there a few days ago."
Meng Yao didn't notice anything amiss and responded mechanically without giving it much thought.
Fang Huaixu stood there for a while before returning to the table. He still didn't eat much, his chopsticks only touching the vegetables and ribs. After a few bites, he put down his spoon and drank water.
The second time, he spoke up again, seemingly casually: "Actually, the group's marketing department has a professional filming team with good equipment and technology. If needed, why don't you go and coordinate with them first?"
"It's okay, our filming team consists of experienced people who are used to each other's rhythm, so there's no need for that."
Meng Yao didn't even look up, continuing to flip through the contract, completely unaware of Fang Huaixu's hesitant expression: "The original contract is still with Chen Jie. He's on the first floor right now. Why don't you go ask him for it so we can look at it together?"
Meng Yao's attention was completely drawn to the contract: "It's okay, I'll read this version first, and we can deal with any problems later."
Fang Huaixu watched her profile as she was completely absorbed in the contract. Her long, slender fingers awkwardly traced patterns on the spoon handle. Her gaze shifted between the lunchbox and Meng Yao. Several times she looked at the lunchbox in front of her, hesitant to speak, but finally, as if she had made up her mind, she ate the food spoonful by spoonful.
He ate very slowly and gracefully, as if he were doing some kind of mental preparation, taking a long time to savor each bite before slowly putting it into the next.
Just as the rice was less than halfway down the plate, Fang Huaixu suddenly picked up the phone, got up, walked a short distance away, said something, and then turned to Meng Yao: "It's Chen Jie on the phone. He said if it's convenient for you now, you can go downstairs to record some details."
Meng Yao had almost finished reading the contents, and readily put down the documents and stood up: "Okay, I'll go now."
Without thinking much, she got up and went out, unaware that Fang Huaixu behind her was secretly relieved.
Not long after they entered the elevator, it stopped on the middle floor. Chen Jie suddenly appeared at the elevator door. Meng Yao was a little surprised, but still greeted him naturally: "Assistant Chen, are we going down to record now?"
A rare look of disbelief crossed Chen Jie's handsome face: "Um...Mr. Meng, would you like to come with me?"
Meng Yao frowned: "Didn't you just call President Fang and ask me to come downstairs to record some information if it was convenient for me?"
After a few seconds of pause, Chen Jie seemed to remember something and clapped his hands in sudden realization, almost immediately trying to smooth things over: "Look at my mouth, I made a mistake in expressing myself. I need to go downstairs to get something now. The people who record information are on this floor. So, please wait in the lounge for a moment, I'll be right back."
Meng Yao looked at him blankly. Chen Jie quickly called over a few employees and took Meng Yao to rest. He then hurriedly went downstairs.
Meng Yao vaguely sensed something was wrong, turned around and went back into the elevator: "I left something in the office, I'll come back after I get it."
After saying that, he quickly pressed the close button and returned to the top floor.
It was this unexpected turn of events that finally allowed her to see Fang Huaixu's true purpose in sending her away through the office glass.
When she tiptoed over, Fang Huaixu was looking at the box of potato stew with a troubled expression. He then sighed and used a spoon to scoop the still-cooked potatoes into the trash can next to the coffee table.
Meng Yao opened her eyes wide, confirming that the person in front of her was Fang Huaixu, who was usually meticulous.
However, in those few seconds of hesitation, Fang Huaixu quickly dumped another lump of potatoes into the trash can, then closed the lunchbox with a look of considerable regret, as if trying to convince herself: just throw away these few pieces.
This set of movements was fluid and graceful, yet it carried a sense of...guilt that was completely out of character for his usual calm and composed demeanor.
Meng Yao was so surprised that she couldn't react and laughed at his disheveled state. She tried to cover up her mistake by knocking on the open door to get his attention.
Fang Huaixu, like a student caught cheating, swiftly swept the trash can into his blind spot with his long legs.
He looked up, their eyes met, and the air froze.
Fang Huaixu's movements were stiff, and a clear crack appeared on his usually cold and stern face. A trace of embarrassment and helplessness flashed across his eyes, clearly indicating that he knew everything he had just done had been exposed.
Meng Yao stood at the door, blinked, looked at the lunchbox, then at him, and belatedly realized that a complex expression, a mixture of surprise, realization, and amusement, slowly appeared on her face.
"You...you hate potatoes that much?"
Author's Note: I had a blast on the first day of the National Day holiday, hehe. Back to updating regularly now.
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