dinner
They served lunch to their guests, but neither of them ate much. Before evening, they drove to the branch that Yang Zheng had mentioned was closer to Shen Anxia's house.
When we arrived at the restaurant, it wasn't yet dinner time, and the restaurant hadn't started serving customers yet.
The shop assistants saw Yang Zheng's car parked straight in front of the store through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and their expressions were a little excited. They passed on the message to each other one by one: "He's here, he's here, Manager Yang is here."
After seeing Yang Zheng get out of the car, he turned around and opened the passenger door. The moment Shen Anxia stepped out of the car, especially the group of female shop assistants, they were so excited that they held hands and screamed. They couldn't suppress the gossipy smiles on their faces, and their expressions seemed to say, "He's here! He's here! He's brought his girlfriend!"
Manager Liu, dressed in a suit and tie, had already received notification from Yang Zheng that he would be bringing Miss Shen to dinner that afternoon. He quickly led his staff to the door, opened it before Yang Zheng, and greeted them all: "Manager Yang."
Yang Zheng nodded slightly and gestured to Shen Anxia, introducing her as "Miss Shen."
The shop assistants were quick to notice and immediately greeted Shen Anxia, "Miss Shen."
Shen Anxia smiled and nodded to everyone.
Yang Zheng instructed Manager Liu: "For the Winter Snowfall Set Meal, the drink should be hot milk."
"Everything's ready. We've also reserved a private room upstairs with a view of the night." Manager Liu led the two to the elevator.
This branch must have been open for a short time. This was Shen Anxia's first time here. The decor was similar to the main store, but it had fewer lively elements and more elegance.
Yang Zheng asked Manager Liu to reserve a large private room, which had a karaoke table on one side. After they were seated, waiters filed in carrying food, and finally, Manager Liu personally poured a full glass of hot milk for Shen Anxia.
"Thank you," Shen Anxia said.
After the ingredients were prepared, everyone left, leaving only one waiter to set up the food rack and prepare to put the ingredients in.
Yang Zheng said, "Just put the grill aside, I'll grill it myself, you go and get busy!"
The waiter nodded and left.
As soon as I stepped outside, a group of waiters surrounded me, chattering amongst themselves—
"Sister Xinxin, did the manager ask you to come out? Is he personally grilling meat for his girlfriend?" A girl of about eighteen or nineteen asked the waiter.
The girl called Sister Xinxin said in an exaggerated tone: "The manager said he had to grill it himself—I'm so glad the manager kicked me out, I felt like I was brighter than the chandelier in the private room! It was so embarrassing!"
"My god, the manager's girlfriend is so beautiful! She looks like a celebrity! Look at her figure, I'm so envious!" another girl said.
"I heard she's a dancer!" A girl who seemed to have inside information shared her gossip generously.
"You can dance? No wonder you have such an elegant air about you." Xin Xin said with envy.
"My God, even though I'm a girl, I still like her so much!"
"Yes, I like it too. That's why the manager doesn't bother with that other woman!"
Which one are you referring to?
"You forgot! That career-oriented employee who followed us to our branch and camped out there for days!"
"Oh, right, right, I remember now, she doesn't know that the manager usually only comes here in the summer and during the Chinese New Year."
"How pitiful."
"The manager clearly stated that he didn't like her, but she insisted on coming after him. How is she pitiful?"
"The manager and this Miss Shen are such a perfect match!"
"Now that the manager has brought Miss Shen to our store, look how happy Brother Liu is! He'll be able to hold his head high at their middle management meeting this time."
"I just saw Brother Liu couldn't even smile anymore. He was all smiles like a greeter, showing eight teeth. Haha, have you ever seen him like that?"
"Who are you calling a greeter?" Manager Liu suddenly appeared behind the group of people and threatened them.
"..."
A large group of waiters immediately scattered like birds and beasts.
Inside the private room.
"There are only two of us, why reserve such a big private room?" Shen Anxia felt it was a waste.
"This room has the best view of the night." Yang Zheng started grilling the meat himself, and Shen Anxia helped by taking out the serving chopsticks.
"I just heard you say this set meal is called 'Snowflakes'?" Shen Anxia found it quite intriguing.
"Yes, the new products launched this year are named according to the twenty-four solar terms, such as the 'Frost' set meal in autumn."
"Will there be similar creative designs for ingredients, like frost?" Shen Anxia asked, looking at the specially made snowflake pattern on the tray.
"Yes, there will be, and the set meal includes a brandy-infused drink that tastes amazing in the fall." Yang Zheng said as he grilled the steaks and put them into Chen Anxia's plate. "Try it."
Shen Anxia took a bite and praised, "Delicious! It truly lives up to its name, 'Shangshi of Fireworks'."
"Eat more." Yang Zheng picked up some more food and gave it to Shen Anxia.
"You should eat too! Let's grill and eat together." Shen Anxia quickly refused when she saw that he had put everything on her plate.
"I'll eat too." Yang Zheng added some more raw meat to the steamer before starting to eat.
"By the way, you just mentioned that the set meals are based on the twenty-four solar terms. What nice names are included in the summer set meals?" Shen Anxia asked curiously.
Yang Zheng smiled first, then turned the subject back on track: "Guess."
"I..." This person actually made her guess... Shen Anxia pondered, it was probably something like Grain in Ear or Grain Buds?
Before Shen Anxia could even guess, the door to the private room was pushed open, or rather, it was rammed open.
"Hahahaha, how about that? I told you these two were hiding here, right?" Jiang Fanxing barged in without any hesitation, accompanied by a string of people.
"I'm sorry, manager, I couldn't stop Brother Jiang." The waiter's voice was full of apology.
Yang Zheng glanced at Jiang Fanxing, who was grinning lewdly, with a headache, then waved to the waiter: "It's nothing, you can go out."
The waiter left, and Yang Zheng looked at the man who had put his arm around his shoulder and said helplessly, "Can't you just let me have some peace and quiet?"
"Hey, hey, hey, it has nothing to do with us. It was Lao Wu who insisted on finding you two. Besides, you were only in Yi'an on the first day of the Lunar New Year during your holiday. The brothers started talking about getting together on the second day, but you weren't there. You finally came back, but we still haven't seen you all day." A man spoke up. Shen Anxia remembered that Yang Zheng had told her that he was Jiang Fanxing's colleague.
Moreover, the man's words suddenly sparked a thought in Shen Anxia's mind, but before she could grasp it, it was interrupted.
“We haven’t seen Anxia for almost a year. She’s finally back, and you’re hiding her away and not letting her see her friends. That’s not fair, is it, Anxia?” Jiang Fanxing bypassed Yang Zheng and spoke directly to Anxia.
Shen Anxia stood up the moment the crowd surged in, and only now did she have a chance to speak: "Big Brother, Second Brother, Brother Dajing, Fifth Brother." She didn't quite remember how to address the other two, so she nodded politely to them.
Unexpectedly, the heavier man, seeing that Shen Anxia seemed to have forgotten about him, quickly introduced himself: "My name is Tian Lei."
Upon seeing this, another person introduced himself: "I am Qu Cheng."
Shen Anxia then said, "Brother Tian, Brother Qu."
“Anxia, it’s been a year since we last saw each other, hasn’t it? Let me tell you, when we heard you were coming back, we even picked out a restaurant and were just waiting to welcome you back. But Third Brother insisted on saying something like ‘let the two of you have some time alone,’ and wouldn’t let us see you. We don’t mean to bother you, but we can still have time to have a meal, right?”
Shen Anxia laughed, but before she could say anything, Yang Zheng pushed Jiang Fanxing's arm away and rubbed his forehead: "Anxia is leaving tomorrow. In the past six months, I've only seen her twice."
"Are you leaving tomorrow?" Ding Fei, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked.
Shen Anxia looked at him and said, "Yes, brother. Rehearsals for the Lantern Festival Gala will begin the day after tomorrow. We'll go back tomorrow afternoon."
Ding Fei nodded: "No wonder the third brother hid you so well. In that case, let's give them some space!"
As soon as Ding Fei spoke, everyone else echoed him. Shen Anxia quickly tried to persuade him to stay: "It's alright, brother. Yang Zheng and I will be able to see each other more often in the future, and I really haven't seen everyone for a long time. It's a rare opportunity, so why don't we all go together?"
Duan Lixing also joked, "Anxia said we can get together, what's your opinion, Third Brother?"
Yang Zheng laughed speechlessly: "How dare I have any objections?" Then he walked to the side and pressed the call button: "□□, ask the waiter to bring the tableware and take our order."
A group of people sat down around the table, and soon several waiters came in and set up a large oven, grilling the food while serving it to the guests.
Ding Fei asked, "An Xia, are you adjusting well to the dance troupe?"
Shen Anxia replied politely, "Big brother, the dance troupe is great, I'm adapting quite well."
“Your sister-in-law often talks about you. We were thinking that after we finished our busy work in a couple of days, when the women had some free time, we could have a proper get-together. But I didn’t expect you to be going back tomorrow,” Ding Fei said.
Shen Anxia apologized: "I miss you very much, sister-in-law. It's just that the dance troupe gets busier during holidays. If I have the chance next time I come back, I'll treat the sisters to a meal again."
Duan Lixing also said, "The last time we got together, your second sister-in-law was away on a business trip. She regretted not being able to meet you. I never thought that regret would last for a year."
Shen Anxia: "I'm also quite disappointed. I heard that my second sister-in-law is a writer. I really want to meet her." Then Shen Anxia turned to Xu Qingjing: "The days when my sister-in-law gave birth happened to coincide with the dance troupe's tour in the county, so I couldn't come back to give my little niece my blessings."
Xu Qingjing smiled and said, "I know you've had a tough year. Even Uncle Chen and Aunt Zhao went to Xinfeng to spend the New Year with you. I understand. Also, your third brother made up for your gift."
Shen Anxia looked at Yang Zheng, and Yang Zheng smiled and looked back at her.
Shen Anxia thought of Rong Yi again and asked Jiang Fanxing, "How is Rong Yi?"
Seeing that the topic had turned to her, Jiang Fanxing said excitedly, "Rong Yi is doing so well. She's asked Third Brother for your WeChat several times, but he just won't give it to her. We even asked him to add you to the group chat, but he still won't."
Yang Zheng sneered at Jiang Fanxing: "Get lost. I don't even bother An Xia's work often, and you still want to bother her?"
Shen Anxia quickly replied, "It's alright, it's alright. My phone is always with me when I'm not performing."
Duan Lixing chimed in, "Third brother, An Xia said she didn't bother you."
Yang Zheng pressed his temples: "Okay, I'll add An Xia to the group later."
Shen Anxia asked Jiang Fanxing with a smile, "Why didn't she come today?"
“A class reunion, the kind that lasts three days and three nights,” Jiang Fanxing said, her voice becoming weak. “If she hadn’t abandoned me, I wouldn’t be able to drag a bunch of buddies along to hang out.”
"Hey, Fifth Brother, that's going too far!" Qu Cheng protested. "Are you implying that you only came to find your buddy because you couldn't see your wife?"
"That's right, he's a womanizer who neglects his friends, brothers, let's get him!" Tian Lei cheered.
Then the group of people ganged up on Jiang Fanxing and gave her a good beating.
"I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong!" Jiang Fanxing covered her head.
The atmosphere started to liven up, and Yang Zheng whispered in Shen Anxia's ear: "Eat more, you didn't eat much earlier."
Shen Anxia also whispered, "Actually, we've eaten enough. With my job, I especially have to eat less at night, otherwise, you'll only be able to watch me dance 'The Drunken Concubine' in the dance troupe from now on."
Yang Zheng smiled indulgently upon hearing this: "Then drink more milk. The milk prepared by the *** is skim milk."
□□ should be the manager who was in the lobby just now.
Shen Anxia nodded, picked up the cup, and took a sip.
“Hey, Third Brother, Anxia has to go back tomorrow. How about we stay up all night tonight? Let’s go to the Sea and Sky Romance Park later!” Jiang Fanxing suggested, her hair styled like a bird’s nest.
"No, I need to take Anxia back before ten o'clock." Yang Zheng refused without any hesitation.
“Third Brother’s principle is to never cross the line,” Xu Qingjing said with a smile.
Shen Anxia felt the same way.
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