Chapter 18 Reporting and Snacks
Actually, this is hardly a surprise.
She and her assistant were casually strolling around Central when they happened to pass by a high-end ready-to-wear store. They saw a black Cuban collar shirt in the window, which looked elegant and sophisticated, and immediately felt that it perfectly suited You Yue's temperament.
It took less than two minutes from taking a picture to swiping the card.
After making the purchase, Cheng Hexi even paused to consider her motivations. The most obvious motivation was that she liked seeing You Yue in a black shirt, and besides that, she could also consider it a return gift for the necklace she received on May 20th.
She wears ready-to-wear from fashion weeks and her own brand, which make up the majority of her wardrobe. Only her dresses and suits are haute couture; the rest are bought simply because she likes them.
But swimming is different.
You Yue's entire wardrobe is custom-made, with sizes and fabrics all according to his fixed preferences, without the slightest deviation.
I wonder if he'll wear it.
Once she bought it, she didn't think about it anymore. If he didn't wear it, she would never buy it again.
You Yue was surprised to find that there was actually a gift for her.
She brought gifts for the old lady out of respect and affection, but certainly not for him.
What is that?
He thanked him, took the shirt, and hung it in a conspicuous place.
You Yue does not wear ready-made clothes, but this one is made of high-quality fabric. The size is not as precise as those custom-made clothes, but it fits well nonetheless.
How did Cheng Hexi know his clothing size?
It couldn't have been discovered by touching him while I was holding him to sleep that night, could it?
Afterwards, Cheng Hexi went back to the dressing room to take off her jewelry.
Two minutes later, she took off all her earrings and bracelets, leaving only the ring on her left ring finger.
In Beijing, she keeps a low profile, yet everyone she attends knows her.
During this business trip to Hong Kong, Cheng Hexi had some rare free time. After shopping, she returned to the hotel and had a drink at the rooftop bar.
Within minutes, she was struck up a conversation by a boy who looked like a college student.
She was wearing the white suit she wore when she caught her flight, and her hair was pulled back, so she didn't look aggressive at first glance.
Cheng Hexi didn't say much, but she flashed her wedding ring at the boy.
-
Just as I was about to leave, I ran into You Yue, who was about to come in.
The man was holding two white boxes, which he placed in her hands when she came out.
"Here, take this."
Cheng Hexi looked down at him, then looked up at him again.
You Yue apologized for this and hasn't said anything more since.
They then fell silent for a few seconds.
She had become numb to and immune to the idea of "loss" since she was a teenager. She wasn't pretending to be magnanimous; she genuinely didn't care.
But the feeling of losing something and then getting it back seems pretty good.
-
The two met in the dressing room early the next morning.
You Yue, dressed in a suit and tie, was tying his tie in front of the mirror.
The burgundy striped tie made the simple black suit look very charming, and Cheng Hexi always felt that he was a rare man who suited brighter colors.
His presence completely overshadowed the bright colors.
Thinking this, You Yue slightly turned his head, his peach blossom eyes falling on her.
"Good morning," she said.
"Good morning." Seeing that she was already dressed, You Yue asked, "Have you had breakfast?"
Cheng Hexi hummed in agreement, walked to his side, and took out a watch from the cabinet.
She put on her watch and a pair of rather long platinum tassel earrings, which echoed the necklace You Yue had given her.
You Yue finished tidying himself up and asked Cheng Hexi to get him a pair of cufflinks.
Cheng Hexi glanced at his suit and shirt today, and took out the pair of rubies.
He switched to a black-strapped watch, understated yet elegant. The dazzling and precious ruby complemented it perfectly.
You Yue took it, said thank you, and slowly began to put on the cufflinks.
After leaving the dressing room, Cheng Hexi did not leave immediately as usual, but went into the study. Her driver was still waiting in the yard until You Yue finished eating and drove the cool silver McLaren 720s out of the garage.
I took my laptop downstairs and saw Aunt Yao tidying up in the kitchen.
After saying goodbye, Cheng Hexi said, "I'm not eating at home tonight, so you don't need to prepare my portion."
Youyue also said today that she won't be going home for dinner.
But Aunt Yao wasn't a talkative person and knew she shouldn't interfere with her employer, so she didn't say anything and saw her to the door.
Cheng Hexi suddenly remembered something and spoke up again: "Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival. You can rest for a day and we can eat out."
-
Although it's the Dragon Boat Festival tomorrow, Grandma Youyue went to visit friends in a neighboring city today and won't be able to come back for the holiday.
The task of pretending to be a loving couple has temporarily come to an end.
Cheng Hexi didn't go home for dinner that night, but she didn't seem to have the sense to tell You Yue.
He was unaware of it; it was a delicate balance.
Tonight is a gathering with Finn and a few friends from my time studying abroad.
Xu Zhumeng, who had disappeared for more than a month after joining the crew, has also returned to Beijing.
While her film crew is usually very busy, the biggest advantage is that she gets one day off on the weekend and holidays.
Xu Zhumeng was filming in Northeast China, not far from Beijing. The crew got off work a day earlier and finished work a day earlier, so she got home at noon today.
The entire 50-story clubhouse in Lingjiang is under Finn's name, yet he insists on gathering on someone else's turf.
Cheng Hexi and Xu Zhumeng, these friends, naturally didn't care about the location.
She was still somewhat surprised when she learned that it was a traditional courtyard house restaurant serving home-style dishes.
This is where she and You Yue first officially met.
Xu Zhumeng gave her assistant a day off and flew back to Beijing. Cheng Hexi drove a detour to pick her up.
She drove a black G-Wagon today, which Xu Zhumeng likes.
This place is very private, and those who come here are all wealthy and powerful. Xu Zhumeng didn't even wear a mask and entered the courtyard with Cheng Hexi.
Upon entering the private room, Finn and his new mixed-race girlfriend were sitting at the table. When they saw them enter, Finn stood up to greet them.
Xu Zhumeng's older brother, Xu Chengyu, arrived one after the other.
Xu Zhumeng called out "Brother" and stood up to hug him first.
Xu Chengyu had just returned to China from Singapore a few days ago and had business dealings with Finn.
It may seem like a winding road, but everyone knows each other and it's rare for us to be in Beijing, so we came out to get together.
Xu Zhumeng and her brother lived in Beijing during their childhood. They moved to Singapore to live with their parents after they started school. After graduating from university, she returned to China to make movies, while her brother continued to work there.
The brother and sister had a very good relationship, and Cheng Hexi and Xu Chengyu were also somewhat acquainted with each other.
Xu Chengyu got married last October, and Xu Zhumeng and Cheng Hexi both flew to Singapore to attend the wedding.
Once everyone has arrived, the dishes will be served.
Cheng Hexi looked around.
The private room was similarly furnished to the one where You Yue and the other person had dinner last time, and she could even remember what they had talked about.
Just then, my phone vibrated with a message.
Everyone was chatting, she wasn't watching.
When the manager learned that Cheng Hexi was also there, he personally went to the private room to ask if they needed anything else, but Cheng Hexi waved her hand to indicate that they didn't.
Finn's girlfriend and Xu Zhumeng neither understood business matters, so the two men wouldn't discuss it at the dinner table, and Cheng Hexi would be even less likely to.
The dishes were served quickly.
We're all old friends, and we chat and laugh about everything.
When Finn asked Xu Chengyu why she didn't come with her family, Xu Chengyu smiled and said, "She was on a business trip in Shanghai, so I came back with her."
He added, "Let's meet again next time we're in New York."
-
You Yue's dinner party tonight is also here; their private rooms are not far apart.
After getting out of the car outside the courtyard, he immediately spotted Cheng Hexi's G-Class, which she didn't usually drive. He handed the keys to the manager to park the car and glanced at it a couple more times.
When Jingyao saw him stop, he assumed he was interested in cars and immediately asked, "Haven't you driven off-road vehicles in a long time? Have you fallen in love with them again?"
"..."
You Yue thought to himself that he had sent Cheng Hexi a message saying he wouldn't be home for dinner that night because he had a dinner party outside, but she didn't reply, so it turned out she wasn't home either.
You Yue's face showed no extra expression, but he didn't hide it from him: "Cheng Hexi's car."
Jingyao realized what was going on and blurted out, "You two went somewhere without telling each other?"
Among the four, You Yue and Ying Zeqing held high positions for many years and did not need to deliberately cultivate relationships with anyone, nor did Liang Xiao, but Jing Yao was different.
He grew up under the protection of his parents and older siblings, a truly carefree rich kid who thrived at the top of Beijing's social ladder. He had connections in various circles, possessed exceptional social skills, and had friends everywhere.
Such a person naturally has extremely high emotional intelligence.
He doesn't use his brain when you talk to him.
You Yue scoffed and said casually, "That's how it is for couples who have no feelings for each other."
Jingyao: "..."
Once inside their private room, which was reserved for the four of them, Ying Zeqing stood by the window, having just hung up the phone.
The kitchen staff here knew the four of them's dietary restrictions and preferences, and as usual, they didn't make any recommendations on the menu.
You Yue is allergic to seafood, but he is not picky about food and has no particular preference.
Jingyao and Liangxiao always order the food here.
As usual, Jingyao ordered the dishes that You Yue and Ying Zeqing usually picked the most, and then ordered the dishes that he and Liang Xiao liked to eat.
The manager had a good impression of this young master Jing and said that he had recently hired a pastry chef whose ancestors had worked in the Qing Palace at a high price, and asked Jingyao if he would like some pastries.
Jingyao was indeed very interested and told him to bring out a few dishes at random.
When ordering, You Yue didn't offer any suggestions. When the manager mentioned "dessert," he slightly raised his eyes, but only listened for a few seconds before continuing to chat with Ying Zeqing.
The food had already been ordered when Liang Xiao finally arrived. The three young masters were all difficult to please, so he smiled apologetically, explaining that he had been writing songs at home and had missed the time, and then asked the waiter to bring over the wine he had stored there.
On Jingyao's birthday, Liang Xiao was finishing his tour and couldn't make it back. The next morning, as soon as he returned to Beijing, he said he would organize a get-together that night.
Ying Zeqing is going on a business trip away from Beijing the day after tomorrow, so all four of us are here.
After today's meeting, I don't know how long it will be before we see each other again.
Ying Zeqing is allergic to alcohol and cannot drink. Liang Xiao has a moderate alcohol tolerance, while You Yue and Jing Yao can be considered to be able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk.
They don't usually drink, so they made an exception today.
-
The group walked out of the private room and through the corridor and fishpond.
Cheng Hexi lagged behind by two steps and took out her phone to check the messages.
Paying excessive attention to news can disrupt order.
For her, truly important messages are only alerted by her assistant via phone. If no call comes in, it means the message is not a high priority and there's no need to check it immediately.
This is her principle for handling information.
But she never expected that today's message would be sent by You Yue.
He told her around six o'clock that he had a dinner party that evening and would be home late.
Cheng Hexi was genuinely surprised and didn't understand why this person had suddenly started doing this kind of "reporting" thing.
Don't they assume they won't interfere with each other?
Xu Zhumeng noticed that she had stopped and turned to look at her.
Cheng Hexi locked her phone, smiled, and walked out of the yard.
Everyone said their goodbyes.
The city was shrouded in darkness, but the private restaurant behind them was brightly lit and dazzling.
Xu Chengyu and Xu Zhumeng's apartments are very close; she said she would go back with her brother when she arrived.
After seeing Finn and his girlfriend off, footsteps suddenly sounded behind them.
Xu Zhumeng turned around with a hint of curiosity.
She was wearing a mask, only one eye was visible. You Yue didn't recognize her, but he could make out Cheng Hexi's silhouette from behind.
Xu Chengyu was the first to speak.
Before studying music, Liang Xiao studied art history at the most famous school in Singapore, where he was an alumnus.
Cheng Hexi turned around and realized that You Yue was also there.
The man was wearing only a gray silk shirt, with the top button undone and the cuffs casually rolled up.
His black, tousled hair fell across his forehead, making him look even more disheveled than usual.
Cheng Hexi could ignore his messages, but she couldn't remain silent in front of so many people.
The group greeted each other, and Cheng Hexi and You Yue stood together quite naturally.
She smelled a faint scent of alcohol on the man.
She turned her head to look at him, but the man's expression remained unchanged.
"You've been drinking."
This was her first sentence.
You Yue said, "Yeah, I didn't drink much."
Cheng Hexi smiled and introduced him to Xu Chengyu.
"My husband, You Yue."
She touched You Yue's hand, curved her lips into a smile, and said, "This is President Xu Chengyu, Zhu Meng's brother. I don't need to introduce Zhu Meng, do I?"
You Yue was polite and courteous, even extending his right hand before Xu Chengyu. He chuckled lightly: "Nice to meet you."
"Mr. You, I've long admired you."
He then shook hands with Xu Zhumeng.
Cheng Hexi felt a little strange seeing this scene.
Now Youyue has also met her friends.
Ying Zeqing's car was a silver-gray Aston Martin, spacious and comfortable.
Since he doesn't drink, he's responsible for taking other people home.
However, the rear seat space of many sports cars is particularly narrow. Although people can sit there, it will be very uncomfortable.
But the opportunity to have General Ying as a "driver" is rare, and the three of them were all eager to join in the fun.
At the last minute, You Yue suddenly changed his mind.
He took Cheng Hexi's hand, his wedding ring on his ring finger pressed against her skin, and asked, "Have you been drinking?"
"No," she replied, "I didn't touch a drop of alcohol."
You Yue asked in a low voice, "Give me a ride home?"
"Otherwise what? With me here, do you think I'd let Mr. You go back by himself?"
Cheng Hexi twirled the car keys to the G-Class and smiled at him: "Let's go, I'll be your driver."
The streetlights shone brightly, and the shadows of the trees swayed gently.
Looking at her, You Yue silently gave in.
If you don't want to reply to his messages, then don't.
Cheng Hexi looked back at him and saw what he was carrying. She wondered what it was that made the young master want to carry it away after finishing his meal.
After everyone said their goodbyes and left, Cheng Hexi opened the driver's side door of the G-Class, and You Yue first put the food box in his hand on the back seat and got into the passenger seat.
With its high chassis, the off-road vehicle offered a better view than a sports car. Cheng Hexi fastened her seatbelt, started the engine, and after driving the car a few meters from the parking space, she turned the steering wheel with one hand.
You Yue hasn't driven off-road vehicles since he turned eighteen, but watching Cheng Hexi drive a G-Class is a real treat for him.
He turned the ring on his ring finger.
While waiting at a red light, Cheng Hexi glanced at the back seat through the rearview mirror and casually asked the man in the passenger seat, "What did you pack?"
You Yue closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, replying, "The snacks I brought for you, Jingyao said they tasted very good."
Cheng Hexi paused her light tapping on the steering wheel and turned her head to look at him.
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Author's Note: This is what a "fishing-type" girl and a high-attack, low-defense guy are like.
I'm exhausted from this business trip and so sleepy, so I'll post this now and fix it tomorrow! Thanks again everyone for following and commenting, thank you! [doge emoji with rose in hand]
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