Judging from Fu Yanzhou's attitude, he can't avoid this cup of coffee. If he doesn't drink it today, he will have to drink it sooner or later.
Sheng Jianqi smiled faintly: "How can I let Mr. Fu spend money? I have to do my best to be a good host in my place."
He was familiar with the neighborhood. No cafe was open at seven o'clock, but there was a five-star hotel less than three hundred meters away. He had breakfast in the hotel buffet restaurant half a year out of the year. The coffee there was good, and it happened that he hadn't had breakfast yet.
The two moved to the hotel restaurant to chat.
The cars drove past one after another.
Fu Yanzhou was no stranger to this hotel. When he visited Min Xi in the past, if he had enough time, he would stay one more night and stay in this hotel.
There is a special buffet restaurant on the eighth floor, and seats by the window offer views of both sides of the Huangpu River.
After a long flight of more than ten hours, Fu Yanzhou had no appetite and only poured himself a cup of coffee.
Sheng Jianqi didn't treat himself badly and took coffee and breakfast.
The two wanted to have a low-key cup of coffee and chat about some private matters, but they still alarmed the catering manager.
Sheng Jianqi is a frequent customer of the hotel. He treats the hotel restaurant as his own back kitchen. Unless he is on a business trip, he visits the hotel almost every day. He is the only customer of the hotel's annual package.
Fu Yanzhou is a VIP guest of the hotel's presidential suite. No matter where he goes on business trips, he always stays in hotels under the group. Every time I stay, I have a very high demand for coffee.
The catering manager came over to say hello and said, "Boss Fu, can I grind another cup of coffee for you?"
"No need to bother." Fu Yanzhou was in a bad mood and all coffee tasted the same. He motioned for the manager to get busy.
"Then I won't bother you anymore. If you need anything, please let me know. Enjoy your meal, Mr. Fu and Mr. Sheng."
As soon as the restaurant manager turned around, Fu Yanzhou called him again: "I'll eat here at noon. Leave two seats. I'll write the menu for you."
"Okay, Mr. Fu, please wait a moment." The catering manager went to get paper and pen.
Other customers ordered according to the menu, but Fu Yanzhou ordered according to his own preferences.
While Fu Yanzhou was writing the menu, Sheng Jianqi had already finished his breakfast.
The catering manager took the note and quickly scanned it through. These dishes not only tested the cooking skills, but also had very high requirements for the freshness of the ingredients.
At the end of the menu, it is specifically noted which chef is responsible for preparing these dishes.
The surroundings became quiet only after the catering manager and his group left.
Sheng Jianqi put down his napkin and got straight to the point: "Boss Fu, did you hear that I love Min Xi so much that you rushed here?"
Fu Yanzhou sipped his coffee: "I came here to see Min Xi."
It has nothing to do with him.
"Inviting you for coffee was not part of my plan. We just happened to meet. I don't care whether you like Min Xi or not. Just because you don't like her now doesn't mean you won't like her in the future. There are so many people who like her, not just you."
Sheng Jianqi understood what Fu Yanzhou cared about and what he cared about. He cared about the fact that he could go on a blind date with Min Xi. What he cared about even more was that Min Xi did not directly refuse to go on a blind date with him after knowing about it.
Since he minded, he didn't say any more and just talked about the love rivals that Fu Yanzhou didn't care about.
"There are indeed many people who like Min Xi. I know three of them, and one of them flew back from Manhattan yesterday to attend the new car launch planned by Min Xi. He chased Min Xi from Manhattan to Paris, and then to China. My friend's family background is better than mine, and his personal conditions are not much worse than yours."
The only thing that is slightly inferior to Fu Yanzhou is his family background, but his overall conditions are already at the ceiling level of excellence.
"Mr. Fu, you have more rivals in love than you think."
Fu Yanzhou said coldly: "When we were playing basketball before, you didn't say much."
Sheng Jianqi laughed.
This implies that he talked too much nonsense today.
It seems that he still cares about his love rival.
Not to mention the unfamiliar rivals, as an outsider, he can see that Yu Chengtan treats Min Xi differently. He doesn't believe that as her ex-husband, Fu Yanzhou can't sense Yu Chengtan's subtle protection of his shortcomings.
Fu Yanzhou obviously didn't want to talk about his love rival, and he didn't have the leisure time for that, so he left it at that.
Talking about the golf game two years ago, Sheng Jianqi was deeply impressed: "Boss Fu must have been unhappy with me since the first time we played golf."
Fu Yanzhou said frankly: "Yes."
That time he wanted to compete with Min Xi, but his arm was pillowed by Min Xi all night, so he couldn't swing the club. In the past, Sheng was unhappy with Qi because he made things difficult for Min Xi, but now it’s because he and Min Xi are too close.
Sheng Jianqi gave him a lowdown: "Boss Fu may be even more unhappy with me in the future. In addition to Min Ting, you will have to add me to your list of prejudices soon."
Fu Yanzhou just looked at him quietly without saying anything.
"Min Ting and I were not close at first, but we often drank coffee together during the first few months in Paris. We also had a New Year's Eve dinner together, and since then we have been able to talk about everything."
Sheng Jianqi raised his coffee cup and said, "I have to go to the company for a meeting. Excuse me." He took a sip symbolically and said, "I will go to Beijing on a business trip in the middle of next month. I will invite you and Min Ting to play basketball together. We can have a good exchange."
Fu Yanzhou: “…”
He smiled without reaching his eyes: "Anytime."
Sheng Jianqi asked the staff to record the bill for their coffee and breakfast, and he left first.
After drinking coffee, Fu Yanzhou signed the bill and left the hotel.
The staff was in a dilemma as to whose bill should be charged for today's breakfast. If they asked them to pay for their breakfast in person, they would offend the two distinguished guests.
The catering manager said that we should pay double the bill and give them other services for free.
The driver, Uncle Chen, drove the car to the hotel entrance, picked up Fu Yanzhou and returned to the downstairs of the apartment.
[Xixi, are you up? 】
Min Xi was still asleep and had her cell phone on silent mode. She had been chatting with her mother on the terrace last night. She had poured her mother half a glass of red wine, and they chatted while drinking, and before they knew it, it was 2:30 in the morning.
If her mother hadn't urged her to go to bed, she would have chatted all night.
Her mother talked about many things about her and her father when they were young, and also told her some interesting things from her childhood, which she had no memory of long ago.
I slept until half past ten. I went out to eat with my mother at noon. When I got up, I started to wash and put on makeup. I tried on a few skirts and only had time to look at my phone when I got to the elevator.
She held her mother with one hand and said to Fu Yanzhou with the other: [What's the matter? 】
Jiang Rui tilted her head and asked her daughter: "Does Sheng Jianqi really dislike you?"
"No, it's a misunderstanding. His mother thinks he likes me."
Turning back to Fu Yanzhou, Min Xi put the phone in her bag and said with a smile: "I was not drunk last night, and what I said was not drunken nonsense. Sheng Jianqi is very obsessed with his last relationship. He dated his ex-girlfriend for five years. The ex-girlfriend got over the breakup more than half a year ago, met the right person for her, and got married soon after they fell in love. I heard from Sheng Jianqi that the ex-girlfriend is doing well."
Sheng Jianqi has no intention of falling in love again, perhaps because he can't forget his ex-girlfriend, or perhaps because he is no longer young and doesn't have the passion to start a new relationship.
Jiang Rui asked her daughter tentatively: "What about you? Have you ever thought about trying it out with someone who likes you?"
"To be honest, I haven't thought about it. I've been busy with projects recently and haven't had time." Besides not having time, she has been adjusting her mindset and has no mood to think about anything else.
The elevator stops on the first floor.
Min Xi came out of the elevator holding her mother's arm. She continued, "I won't rule out giving it a try in the future. Sheng Jianqi also said he would introduce a blind date to me."
"You two..." Jiang Rui smiled weakly. What was going on?
She is open-minded: "It's good to have more friends."
The phone in Min Xi's bag vibrated. It should be Fu Yanzhou's call back.
Before she took out her phone, a voice came from the front: "Xixi."
Min Xi and Jiang Rui looked over at the same time.
Fu Yanzhou put on his suit as he walked, and when he approached, he greeted Jiang Rui: "Mom, are you taking a day off this week?"
Jiang Rui: “…Yes.” The smile on her face froze.
It has been half a year since the divorce, but he still calls me by my old name without any sense of unfamiliarity.
Because she was busy, she never paid attention to Fu Yanzhou's updates. After the cake on August 9, her son and daughter never mentioned Fu Yanzhou in front of her. Now she was a little confused about the situation.
"Are you on a business trip in Shanghai?"
"No." Fu Yanzhou said generously: "Come and see Xixi." He didn't look at Min Xi's expression, and focused on talking to his mother-in-law: "Mom, I have reserved a table at the hotel in front. Let's have lunch together at noon."
Jiang Rui also came from a young age and understood the psychology of young people. She declined: "You and Xixi go to eat. It's rare that I'm not in Shanghai on a business trip. Xixi has someone to eat with. I just want to meet up with some friends."
She said to her daughter, "Every time your Aunt Shao comes back to Beijing to ask me out, I'm going to go find her today."
Jiang Rui's car drove over, and Fu Yanzhou opened the door for his mother-in-law. "Let's have dinner together when we get back to Beijing. I'm flying to London tonight."
Min Xi looked at Fu Yanzhou in confusion. He treated himself as a son-in-law and even reported his itinerary to him.
The mother's car drove away, and there was a moment of silence between the two.
Fu Yanzhou looked straight at her, and she subconsciously wanted to avoid his sight, but her mind told her not to, so she forced herself to give up the idea and met his gaze.
"From now on, you should call my mom auntie. Any other name is inappropriate."
Fu Yanzhou: "I'm used to it. Be careful next time."
Just said pay attention.
"What do you want from me?" Min Xi found the right balance, being neither cold nor polite.
"Nothing." Fu Yanzhou repeated what he had just said: "I came to see you."
"I'm fine." I don't miss you as much as I did when we first got divorced. Her tone was natural and calm: "I've been busy with press conferences recently. I'm tired but fulfilled. I can sleep well and eat well."
Fu Yanzhou followed her words: "Then let's go eat."
“…”
Fu Yanzhou raised his chin towards the intersection ahead: "It's just after the traffic light. It's not far. Let's walk over."
Min Xi didn't want to walk alone with him. Walking on the road was her favorite thing to do before her divorce. She wanted to stick to him. He said several times along the way: Xixi, walk carefully.
She stopped thinking: "Drive over there."
Fu Yanzhou let her do whatever she wanted. If she asked him to drive, he would ask Uncle Chen to take them there.
They haven't been in the same car since Min Xi went to Paris last November. A year later, the two sat together again. Uncle Chen was filled with emotion. He didn't know why they divorced and didn't understand anything. Uncle Chen couldn't understand how two people who acted as drivers for each other and gave each other surprises could just get divorced.
After they sat down in the restaurant, the catering manager came over to say hello and told them that all the ingredients were ready.
Fu Yanzhou looked at the time on his phone: "The food will be served in twenty minutes." The meal was accompanied by white wine, which he brought with him.
As soon as he finished speaking, the chef came to the restaurant in person, holding the menu he had written by hand in the morning.
Min Xi was looking at the white roses in the vase on the table. When he heard a familiar voice, he turned around to look.
The chef smiled and said, "Mrs. Fu, it's an honor to meet you again."
Min Xi recognized the chef, the one who was invited to Fu Yanzhou's house for his birthday. There was also a kitchen helper with him at that time. Fu Yanzhou even shared the chef's WeChat with her that night.
But she never used it once.
Just a meal, but it brought back so many memories.
Min Xi suspected that this was Fu Yanzhou's deliberate arrangement.
The catering manager and his secretary were next to her. She did not explain in front of strangers that she and Fu Yanzhou were no longer husband and wife.
They were still having dinner together even after their divorce. The more I explain, the more people will think about it.
She smiled and greeted the chef, "Thank you for your hard work today."
“It should be.”
She had given the chef two bottles of red wine, and the chef had always remembered it. When he heard that the couple were coming to the hotel for dinner, he paid great attention to the menu.
There were two dishes on the menu that had different cooking methods, so he came over to ask Min Xi for her opinion on which cooking method she preferred.
The taste of the dish was decided and the chef went back to work.
Fu Yanzhou sent away all the waiters, poured a glass of warm water, and could judge the approximate temperature of the water by holding the glass in his hand, and placed the glass in front of Min Xi.
Min Xi didn't look at the water cup, but looked at him: "Are you coming from Beijing?"
Fu Yanzhou hesitated for a few seconds and finally said "hmm".
He flew so far here not to impress her, but just to see her.
"You don't have to make a special trip to see me in the future."
"I've been wanting to have dinner with you for a long time. You've been busy with the Shengshi Automobile project, and Yu Chengtan also asked me not to disturb you during the project."
Continuing the conversation on this topic would easily make the atmosphere awkward, so Fu Yanzhou changed the subject: "I heard you were going on a blind date."
"Who told you that?"
"You don't know him. A friend found out about this by chance and told me." Fu Yanzhou didn't mention Min Ting. This was probably the only secret between him and Min Ting.
He stated: “I didn’t investigate you.”
"That's not what I meant." Min Xi answered his previous question: "It's not a blind date, it's just a meal with Sheng Jianqi."
"Didn't you refuse directly?" Fu Yanzhou himself didn't realize that when he said this, he expected her not to even go to eat.
"Shengshi Group is a major client of Jiachen. I can afford to refuse, but Jiachen can't." She couldn't let her personal affairs affect Yu Chengtan.
Regarding blind dates, she also made it clear: "Sheng Jianqi and I are not suitable. I have never considered blind dates, but I will go if there is a suitable one in the future."
Hearing her say it herself, it was heartbreaking.
Fu Yanzhou looked at the white roses in the vase and paused for a while. He thought that winning her back would take time and step-by-step. Unexpectedly, blind dates became his biggest obstacle.
He looked at her: "Xixi, if you don't ask me, will you go on a blind date?"
"Of course."
"Won't."
He added another possibility: "If you go on a blind date one day, it will be after you get married and have children."
Min Xi felt a pang of sadness in his heart.
Fu Yanzhou continued to talk about himself: "Everyone thought that I didn't care about divorce and would just find another one after divorce. Only I knew how I got through it."
Min Xi was slightly stunned; he seldom showed his emotions.
She was not thirsty, but she picked up the water cup and took a sip to hide her fluctuating mood.
After she put down the cup of water, Fu Yanzhou reached out and felt the temperature of the glass. The temperature was low in late autumn, and water at around 40 degrees would cool down quickly. He poured another glass and replaced it for her, then took the cooler glass of water back to himself.
He didn't say more about his mental journey over the past six months. He was thinking about how to solve the trouble of blind dates and how to spend more time together.
In order to be able to contact her at work, he arranged for Xiao Chang to find her in his own name and try to get her to take over Bei Qingyu's case. At first he was worried that she would not take such a small project and it was for an unknown small company, but he didn't expect that she was particularly concerned about this case.
But just spending time together at work wasn't enough, he needed her to give him some of her private time.
"Xixi," Fu Yanzhou said after thinking seriously, "I haven't gotten over the divorce yet, so I need your help. I may have to trouble you often."
Min Xi did not refuse to help. To be fair, apart from the feelings, he worked hard for this marriage of convenience and was also indulgent towards her.
"How can I help?"
Fu Yanzhou said bluntly: "Don't go on blind dates for now, give me some time to adjust."
“It won’t take long,” he assured.
After a few seconds of pause, he said, "Since you left for Paris last November, I've been suffering from insomnia and waking up early. It's common to wake up at around 4 a.m. The sleeping pills I took didn't help. Please accompany me to the hospital some other day."
Min Xi: “…”
Fu Yanzhou made a temporary decision: "When I come back from my business trip to London, you will accompany me to the hospital."
Insomnia is real.
Accompanying her ex-husband to see a doctor is inconvenient, but she just promised to help him, and she can't go back on her word immediately. Min Xi discussed: "How about letting Min Ting accompany you to the hospital? He is better at taking care of people than me."
Fu Yanzhou: “…”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
