Chapter 9
Cooperation cancelled
Xu then took his seat, sitting directly opposite Jiang Fengyi.
When the two returned, some of the dishes were already on the table, and the red pot in the middle was bubbling and steaming, with a strong spicy and numbing aroma that wafted into their noses.
The strong aroma whetted their appetites.
"Children in the orphanage."
Xu answered without stopping, using serving chopsticks to put the food that takes longer to cook into the hot pot first.
“In the orphanage, the older children took care of the younger ones,” Xu recalled. “When I was little, I was also taken care of by older sisters, and later it was my turn to take care of the younger sisters.”
She said proudly, "So I'm very good at taking care of people."
Jiang Fengyi hadn't expected this reason. She glanced at Xu Que with a mixture of emotions in her eyes.
Unfortunately, the people opposite her were so busy serving the food that they didn't see the emotion on her face.
"So...did you go back later?"
"Go back!"
Xu replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"After all, this is where I grew up, and I will go back to visit whenever I have time."
Jiang Fengyi remained silent for a long time, then suddenly decided: "Next time you want to go back, I'll go with you."
Xu looked up in surprise, "But...but the location there is very remote."
She didn't understand why Jiang Fengyi suddenly became interested in the orphanage, and repeatedly reminded her, "Besides, the scenery isn't good, and there are no recreational facilities nearby. You'll find it very boring when you get there."
Jiang Fengyi had made up her mind: "I just want to see the place where you grew up."
She had a ready excuse: "After all, we are a couple in public now, and it's normal for a partner of many years to accompany you back to the place where you grew up."
"Okay... then I'll take you back with me next time I have a holiday."
Xu scooped the perfectly cooked beef rolls into Jiang Fengyi's small bowl, but his hands didn't stop; he continued to pile brisket, tripe, shrimp paste, seaweed sprouts, and other ingredients into her bowl...
She only stopped when the pile had grown into a small mountain.
"It tastes perfect now."
Xu swallowed a bite of beef roll, the spiciness of the red soup burning in her throat, and the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns on her tongue was addictive and she couldn't stop eating.
She had a great appetite and ate one bite after another. When she was so spicy, she hissed and gasped for breath. Fine beads of sweat appeared on the tip of her nose, and her lips turned red.
Conversely, Jiang Fengyi suddenly discovered that she had foods she didn't like. And there were quite a few kinds.
She pointed to the green cilantro on the beef slices and said to Xu Que, "This tastes weird, I don't want to eat it."
"I don't even want to eat the scallions."
"And garlic."
"These small red chilies are a bit spicy, and the broth is a bit spicy too." She asked the waiter, "I need a bowl of water to rinse them down."
"I don't eat duck blood either."
......
Xu looked at the large table of dishes, and found that Jiang Fengyi didn't like most of them.
She continued, "What's this green vegetable called?"
Xu Que: "Gongcai" (a type of preserved vegetable)
This time, it wasn't that she didn't like it. Jiang Fengyi picked up a piece and put it in her mouth: "This one is crispy and quite delicious."
Xu then prepared a new dipping sauce for Jiang Fengyi, this time without scallions, cilantro, or chili peppers.
"Thanks."
She watched as Jiang Fengyi scooped the food out of the hot pot, rinsed it in a bowl of water to remove the spiciness, then dipped it lightly in the bland sauce that Jiang Fengyi had just brought over, and finally put it in her mouth.
Is this really delicious?
*
The person who had been following Jiang Fengyi's car also entered the hot pot restaurant. She covered her nose and took a few deep breaths, seemingly not used to the smell in the restaurant.
I chose a spot where I could observe Jiang Fengyi but wouldn't be easily spotted.
Her eyes were fixed on where Jiang Yi was sitting, but her hand was dialing a phone.
"Are you here yet? If you don't come soon, they'll all be finished eating."
The voice on the other end of the phone was unhurried: "On my way, there's a bit of traffic."
"It's truly a case of the emperor not being worried, but the eunuch being anxious!"
She hurriedly hung up the phone, then, using the vases and ornaments in the shop as cover, quietly turned on her camera to take a candid photo.
He frowned and clicked his tongue: "Why is the image so blurry? I can't see anything clearly."
As she turned her phone around, she noticed that the lens was stuck to the back by a few drops of oil that had splattered on it. She quickly pulled out a tissue and wiped the lens clean.
Preparing to revert to her old ways, the waiter, who had been watching her closely, quietly stepped in front of her camera.
After entering the store, she covered her nose, looking like she didn't like being there. After sitting down, she didn't order anything and wouldn't say how many people were in her party. It didn't seem like she was waiting for someone. Now she's even more outrageous, trying to secretly take pictures of another table of customers.
She absolutely will not allow it!
The person whose camera was blocked had to turn their phone around and readjust its position to ensure that Jiang Fengyi and the other person were in the frame.
But then that annoying waiter came over again.
She moved.
She blocked it.
*
This time, Xu thoroughly enjoyed her meal. After eating her fill, she leaned back comfortably in her seat, feeling lazy and unwilling to move.
She ate too much; Jiang Fengyi was too picky about food, so most of the food on the table ended up in her stomach. She needed to rest for a while before she could get up.
Jiang Fengyi explained to her, "I only discovered today that so many foods don't taste good; I've never eaten them before."
"You may not have eaten this before because the housekeeper at home only cooks the dishes you like."
Xu inadvertently revealed the truth.
"Hey!"
Xu stood up and saw several waiters gathered around another table not far from them, wondering what had happened.
"What happened over there?"
Jiang Fengyi followed her gaze and looked around, but couldn't see anything except for the crowded scene.
"Let's go now that we've rested."
She wasn't one to join in the fun, so she turned and walked away. Seeing this, Xu suppressed his curiosity and followed her.
As Jiang Fengyi walked out, Zhao Rufei, who had just arrived at her destination, strode inside, looking around for Zhao Ruxuan and Jiang Fengyi, but not looking directly ahead.
"careful!"
The two almost bumped into each other, but Xu reacted quickly and pulled Jiang Fengyi's arm back half a step.
Are you alright?
Xu stood in front of Jiang Fengyi, watching her warily.
The doorway is so wide, yet I almost bumped into someone; it's clear this person has eyes on the top of their head.
"Is this the girlfriend you found to reject blind dates?" Zhao Rufei glanced at Xu Que, her eyes revealing arrogance. "I can't see what you like about her."
Xu, however, hardened his fist.
Jiang Fengyi corrected: "Miss Zhao overestimates herself. She is not rejecting a new girlfriend she met through blind dates, but her stable partner whom I have been dating for many years."
"Furthermore, it's none of Miss Zhao's business to comment on my taste in girlfriends."
Xu Que's fist loosened again.
Before leaving, Jiang Fengyi turned back to look at Zhao Rufei and asked meaningfully, "When did Miss Zhao fall in love with hot pot?"
Xu Que glared at her fiercely, then followed Jiang Fengyi away.
After Zhao Rufei rescued Zhao Ruxuan, who was almost taken to the police station by the waiter, Xu had already returned home with Jiang Fengyi.
Xu asked blankly, "Aren't we going back to the company?"
"The person I just met was the blind date my mother arranged for me a while ago."
"Her?"
Xu's voice involuntarily grew louder.
"She's completely unworthy of you!"
Jiang Fengyi noticed that Xu always missed the point: "That's not what I wanted to say."
She rephrased her words: "Don't you think it's too much of a coincidence? She just happened to show up at the place where we were eating, and she recognized you as my girlfriend at a glance."
"It's like they came for the two of us."
"You mean, someone tipped her off?"
Jiang Fengyi nodded: "I suspect that someone has been following us since we left the company, so we might as well go home. Security here is tight, so we don't have to worry about anyone sneaking in."
But Xu still frowned, deep in thought.
Finally, I couldn't help but ask, "Does that guy surnamed Zhao have feelings for you?"
"She's not interested in me, she's interested in the Jiang family behind me."
Xu listened quietly.
“After the last blind date, I made it clear to her that I only attended the blind date because of the request of my elders in the family.”
Jiang Fengyi was somewhat troubled: "But she acted as if she hadn't heard my explanation and came to see me every few days."
“My mother thought I got along well with her, and even arranged for her sister to work in the company’s administrative department.”
“The Zhao family finally managed to latch onto a powerful patron, so they’re not going to let him go so easily,” Xu said, patting his chest. “Now you have me.”
"If she ever dares to show her face in front of you again, I'll make her feel disgusted to death."
Just as she was making a grand promise, her phone suddenly rang.
"Hey, Sangsang, what's up?"
"Don't rush, speak slowly."
Ye Sangsang leaned against her door, her breathing a little rapid. She paused for a moment before continuing, "I was having lunch at home when I suddenly heard a noise upstairs."
“I thought you had moved back from your boss’s place and was about to go upstairs to find you, but as soon as I stepped out of the room, I saw several unfamiliar faces coming downstairs.”
Ye Sangsang abruptly changed direction, going downstairs instead of upstairs.
There weren't many residents in the old neighborhood, and even fewer on the top floor. Ye Sangsang clearly remembered that only Xu Que lived upstairs.
Xu's expression turned serious: "There are no residents next door to me; they've come to see me."
Ye Sangsang's voice was trembling: "If you can, you should stay with your boss for a few more days. It's not safe for you to be home alone if those people come back."
As she spoke, she began packing her things: "I'll go to the company to hide for a few days too."
Ye Sangsang asked softly, "Did you offend someone outside?"
"It's not that I offended anyone, it's that I got in the way of certain people."
Jiang Fengyi's expression wasn't good, but Xu had the phone on speakerphone, and she could clearly hear the voice on the other end.
Were the people who went to Xu Que's house from her mother's side or from the Zhao family?
After Xu hung up Ye Sangsang's call, she said, "You should continue living here..."
Before he could finish speaking, his phone rang again.
Xu glanced at the caller ID and saw another familiar name.
"Hey, Dean Su, what's wrong?"
"Someone's looking for me? They say they're my friend?"
Xu feigned concern: "Could it be a scam? Scams are rampant these days. Don't trust strangers."
"Yes, don't trust anyone except me."
"Okay, I'll be careful. I'll come back to see you all during my next vacation."
After hanging up the phone, Xu looked at Jiang Fengyi.
“This group of people not only went to my house, but also to the orphanage where I grew up.” Her expression was no longer calm. “They tried to subtly inquire about me from the director.”
Dean Su Mei is just old, not senile. Having served as dean for decades, she has seen all kinds of people. This group of people claiming to be Xu Que's friends came with ill intentions and kept asking her about Xu Que's deeds.
After she finished dealing with the group, she immediately called Xu Que to remind him.
From childhood to adulthood, Dean Su had always taken care of him, and Xu found it hard not to be moved.
"I don't want them to get hurt."
"Don't worry, I guarantee they'll be fine."
Jiang Fengyi naturally wouldn't sit idly by and wait for her fate. She immediately made a phone call, and her subordinates immediately began to get busy.
It was quickly discovered who was instructing this group.
"President Jiang, he's from the Zhao family!"
"It's the Zhao family again..."
Jiang Fengyi said coldly, "The Zhao family's reach is far too far."
*
The next day,
For the first time in her life, Zhao Ruxuan arrived at the company on time. She had been scolded by Zhao Rufei for half a day yesterday and dared not cause any more trouble.
But today, the company's access control seemed to be deliberately working against her, delaying her passage.
It was rush hour, and many ordinary employees passed by her. Faced with the probing gazes that seemed to be sweeping over her, Zhao Ruxuan couldn't help but ignore them.
She ran to the side in a fit of rage and loudly questioned the security guard about what was going on.
The security guard retorted, "You're asking me? I'd like to ask you the same thing. You're not an employee of our company, are you? Are you trying to sneak in and steal company secrets?"
It's no wonder the security guard didn't recognize her; Zhao Ruxuan hadn't actually worked a regular job for more than a few days.
Miss Zhao had never been wronged like this before, and she immediately started arguing with the security guard.
Chaos reigned here, and her sister Zhao Rufei wasn't much better off, overwhelmed by a mountain of things to deal with early in the morning.
Since the news broke that the Zhao family was about to form a marriage alliance with the Jiang family, the Zhao family's company has also seen a surge in popularity.
Not only did they take over several large orders from the Jiang family, but many sycophantic business partners also came to them.
But today, for some reason, as if by prior agreement, the Jiang family's cooperation was cancelled, and other suppliers also demanded to terminate their cooperation.
"President Song, why...?"
Beep beep beep—
"Mr. He, you..."
Beep beep beep—
......
Half of them hung up as soon as they heard her voice, and the other half couldn't even get through on the phone.
Zhao Rufei slumped into the sofa, already guessing who was behind it.
The blacked-out computer screen cast a shadow on her face, and her bloodshot eyes were filled with gloom: "Jiang Fengyi, if you won't let me live, I won't let you live either!"
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