Almost a week has passed since the press conference, and the weather is getting hotter and hotter. Bright sunlight shines into the restaurant from all angles through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and everyone suddenly realizes that the restaurant has a big flaw. Because it is a structure with all glass on all sides, every angle of the restaurant is bathed in sunlight. Although the air conditioning is strong, too much sun exposure can easily make people tan.
The men were alright, not so afraid of the sun, but Xia Qing was so frightened that she hid in a gap between the refrigerator and the wall in the dessert room.
Xia Qing watched Du Xiaoruo walk back and forth in the sunlit dessert shop. Her skin was already very fair, and in the sunlight it looked almost translucent. Xia Qing wondered...
"Xiaoruo, you're in the sun every day, how come you don't get tanned?"
Du Xiaoru smiled and said, "I'm just not the type of person who gets tanned easily."
Xia Qing sighed enviously, raised her arm to look at it, and realized that even after applying sunscreen four or five times a day, she had still gotten a bit tanned.
Seeing Du Xiaoruo packing up a chicken salad, Xia Qing asked,
"Bringing food to Qiao An again?"
Du Xiaoruo nodded.
After Jinse completed the acquisition, Qiao An was so busy that he forgot to eat several times. Once, he even had a stomachache in the middle of the night. Since there was nothing much going on at the restaurant at noon, Du Xiaoruo packed some food from there and had lunch with him.
Lele poked her head in from outside.
"Mom, are you ready? The driver is here."
In the live stream room,
Xiaoruo brings food to Boss Ha every day, it's so sweet.
【Oh dear, we get to see Mr. Ha's rooftop office with its 360-degree unbeatable view again!】
[Hurry up, hurry up, get ready and leave quickly, I want to see Boss Ha, oops, I mean Boss Ha's big office.]
Xia Qing smiled and curled her lips. Qiao An remembered to send a driver to pick up Du Xiaoruo every day, but forgot to eat lunch. What a joke.
"Ready."
After packing the last portion of fruit and saying goodbye to Xia Qing, Du Xiaoruo left with Lele.
The cameraman who was filming them rode in the production crew's vehicle, while Du Xiaoruo and Lele rode in the car sent by Qiao An.
Joanne switched to a more dignified-looking black Rolls-Royce. It's said that Secretary Kim and the other two almost came to blows over the previous green Bentley. In the end, Joanne reassigned that car to the brand department, as the brand department employees also need to present a presentable image when going out to negotiate business.
With Secretary Jin's status elevated, they have more to do and can no longer run around every day like before. They don't even recognize the driver, Du Xiaoruo.
Once in the car, Lele greeted everyone politely.
Hello, Uncle.
"Hello, Madam. Hello, Xiao Le." The driver closed the car door for them before walking around to the driver's side to start the car.
Previously, Secretary Jin and the others got along quite casually with Qiao An, and Du Xiaoruo didn't really care much about being from a wealthy family. It wasn't until Qiao An became the chairman that she truly experienced the kind of life of the wealthy families depicted in TV dramas.
The car is always shiny and clean, with not a single stain on the tires. There is always a driver to pick you up and drop you off, and the driver is always impeccably dressed and polite.
Everyone she encountered at the company would stop a long way off, bow slightly, and only stand up again after Du Xiaoruo had passed.
Some people might enjoy this superior lifestyle, but Du Xiaoruo misses the more casual feeling she had before. The current social hierarchy is too obvious and puts a lot of pressure on her.
She even trended on social media for returning a bow from an employee. Although the comments praised her for being polite, Du Xiaoruo was genuinely afraid of this excessive attention.
The Rolls-Royce stopped at the group's main gate, and security guards immediately stepped forward to open the car doors for them.
After thanking her, Du Xiaoruo got out of the car with Lele.
The lobby on the first floor was piled with a lot of things, almost blocking the elevator entrance. Du Xiaoruo stood at the door and looked around, trying to find a gap to squeeze through.
Secretary Jin came down from Qiao An's private elevator and saw Du Xiaoruo and the others. She quickly helped protect the debris that could collapse at any moment and escorted them into the elevator that went directly to the chairman's office on the top floor.
This elevator is usually used by people going in and out of the chairman's office. It is more spacious and decorated in a more grand manner. Viewers in the live broadcast room always marvel at how luxurious the elevator is now that the chairman has become.
Once inside the elevator, Du Xiaoruo asked Secretary Jin,
What's with all that stuff piled up outside?
Secretary Kim adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses. "Those are all materials needed for the bling-bling renovation."
"Bling bling?"
Secretary Jin further explained, "It's a brand that Qiao Qingmeng has just established. It's similar in nature to President Qiao's previous Yase brand. Both are brands under the group, but they are responsible for their own profits and losses."
Du Xiaoruo recalled the day she hid in the closet to eavesdrop, when Qiao An said that if Qiao Qingmeng had the ability, she should be like him and sit in the position of chairman of the group based on her own real ability.
Seeing Qiao Qingmeng making such a big show of it, Du Xiaoruo was a little worried about whether she really had the ability. Qiao An had lived a hard life before, and she really didn't want him to go through any more suffering.
"So do you think her brand is impressive?" Du Xiaoruo asked softly.
The viewers in the live stream were laughing so hard they were dying.
[Isn't my wife adorable? She's giving me this gossipy look, as if afraid someone will surpass her.]
[Qiao Qingmeng's stuff is all flashy and superficial, isn't it? It's nowhere near the level of our CEO Ha's stuff, okay? Anything from CEO Ha is guaranteed to be top-notch.]
[I swear on my life today that I will never buy anything bling-bling, just because Kim Hee-jin supports Qiao Qingmeng.]
[Don't worry, the lady upstairs, any fan of Beibei Restaurant wouldn't support bling bling.]
Secretary Kim knocked on the door, then pushed open the two heavy wooden doors, and Joan looked up from the pile of documents on the table.
Upon seeing Du Xiaoruo, he rubbed his temples and a smile appeared on his tired face.
There was a dedicated tea room in the office. Du Xiaoruo walked in with ease and took out the food she had brought, placing it on the coffee table.
Secretary Kim diligently helped set the table.
Qiao An leaned over and asked, "Mr. Jin, are you done with your work?"
"Yes, I'm done." Secretary Kim answered readily, her hands still busy, as she lifted the lid of the fruit salad, releasing the sweet aroma of chilled fruit mixed with yogurt.
"Go eat as soon as you're done with your work." Qiao An saw that Secretary Jin had no sense of propriety and directly told her to leave.
Secretary Kim looked at the food spread across the small table, then back at her boss's cold face, feeling a little wronged.
Xiaoruo chimed in, "There are so many dishes, Secretary Kim, why don't you eat them all?"
Qiao An didn't say anything, picked up her phone, pressed a few keys, and waved the phone at Secretary Jin, "I've booked a buffet lunch for you at the five-star hotel next door."
"Okay, I'm leaving now." Secretary Kim put down her chopsticks and bowl in a second and quickly disappeared from the camera's view.
The live stream audience burst into laughter, like geese squawking.
I love watching CEO Ha interact with his employees; it creates a bittersweet feeling of both dislike and affection.
Judging from Mr. Ha's eyes, I reasonably suspect he even wants to send Lele away so he can just be with Xiaoruo all the time, hahaha.
[I've already submitted my resume to Jinse. I really want to work for Boss Ha; he's a great boss who books buffet meals at star-rated hotels for his employees.]
If my boss were as handsome as Mr. Ha, I'd give my life for him.
[Don't go too far upstairs, why would Ha Zong want your life? Hahahaha...]
Xiaoruo was amused when she saw Secretary Jin run out. She smiled and looked at Qiao An.
"Wash your hands before eating." Then she turned back and said, "Lele, go wash your hands too."
Lele stood up and skipped into the bathroom.
He placed his hand on the pump of the hand sanitizer and pressed down. A plum blossom-shaped foam flower appeared in his palm. This was the hand sanitizer that Du Xiaoruo bought for him. Using it to wash his hands would make him happy.
Qiao An walked in, glanced at it, and muttered, "Childish."
Lele rubbed her soft, white hands together and retorted, "I'm only 9 years old. Isn't it normal to be childish? Besides, this is the same hand sanitizer Fan Baitong uses."
"Love-obsessed".
Lele: "...I'm going to sue my mom."
After rinsing her hands, Qiao An grabbed a tissue to wipe the water off them, then immediately changed her tune, "I meant Yu Pan is a love-obsessed guy; he's recently started dating someone."
Lele pouted, "Who would believe such nonsense?"
Joan teased him for a while, then peeked out to check the cameras outside. After confirming they weren't filming their area, Joan whispered to Lele,
"We're going to the Jin family's for dinner tonight. You know what to do, right?"
Lele nodded, then leaned close to Qiao An's ear like a spy making a rendezvous, "I know, I'll pull out Jin Jin's hair to do your DNA test."
Joan tapped him on the forehead. "Plucking gray hairs, not pulling hair, why are you making it sound like you're going to fight?"
Lele gave an embarrassed laugh.
Du Xiaoruo's voice came from outside, "You've been showering for too long."
"Hurry up and flush it," Joan urged Lele. "Don't keep my wife waiting too long."
Lele pouted and rolled her eyes. She still doesn't know who's love-struck, hmph!
After lunch, Qiao An had to go to the shop near Yinge to run some errands, and while she was at it, she would drop Xiao Ruo and Lele off at the restaurant.
The afternoon sun scorched the earth, and even the usually energetic Joan felt a little tired after driving to the restaurant.
Seeing him pinch his brow several times, Xiaoruo asked...
"If you have time, go in and have an iced coffee to wake yourself up."
"Um."
Joanne followed them into the restaurant.
There were no customers in the restaurant yet. Mu Hua and the others were gathered in a corner booth. A pile of ledgers were scattered on the coffee table, and Mu Hua was using a calculator to calculate the restaurant's revenue.
Seeing Lele return, Mu Hua breathed a sigh of relief; his savior had finally returned.
"Lele, come over here and settle the accounts. It's too hot, and my head isn't clear."
Qiao An sneered mercilessly, "This has nothing to do with the weather." After mocking Mu Hua, Qiao An went to the bar to make coffee herself.
Mu Hua was so angry that she threw a cushion at him.
Qiao An brought over a cup of coffee and sat down on the armrest of the sofa next to Du Xiaoruo. She sipped her coffee and watched Lele do the accounting with great interest.
Without a computer, Lele used a combination of handwriting and mental arithmetic to quickly calculate the revenue for the third phase of Beibei Restaurant.
Mu Hua pointed to a string of numbers on the ledger, "Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands... 528,698?"
Xia Qing blinked. "So, we've already completed the mission?"
A hush fell over the scene. The joy of completing the task last time was gone, because this was the final stage of Beibei Restaurant, and completing the task ahead of schedule meant the end of the live broadcast.
Because Mu Hua was too lazy to keep track of the accounts every day, everyone suddenly realized that they had to part ways.
The viewers in the live stream were also stunned.
【Huh? Is the live stream ending already? Why? I'm so reluctant to see it end.】
[How about we give them a new task? Who can accept this sudden change?]
[It's all Mr. Ha's fault. Jinse's press conference directly contributed 250,000 yuan to the restaurant, which is why the show has to end so early.]
[I didn't even see what they did, how did they meet the standard so easily?]
Xiaoruo's cakes are expensive. If you compare them to those in similar restaurants, they'd cost a fortune. And the key is, they're definitely worth the price.
[It's all the Ha couple's fault; they single-handedly ended the show.]
After a brief silence, Mu Hua cried out and rushed towards Qiao An, "President Ha, I have to say goodbye to you, my dear Ha~"
Joanne reached out and pressed her hand against his forehead, preventing him from getting close to her.
"Let it end now. Go back and rest for a few days. We'll have to move to the villa in Yingge after the renovations are finished." This was said to Du Xiaoruo.
Although she understood the saying that all good things must come to an end, the sudden farewell still left Du Xiaoru feeling somewhat lost. The group of people at Beibei Restaurant were the first group of people she had met since coming into this world.
From initial social anxiety and nervousness to now being able to get along well with everyone, it feels like we've just started to get to know each other and we're already parting ways.
Xiao Shu's chubby face scrunched up in sadness, and he grabbed Qiao An's leg tightly.
"Dad, please take me in. I don't want to be left alone at home."
Mu Hua had originally intended to lighten the mood of the show by joking with Qiao An, but upon hearing Xiao Shu's words, his nose suddenly stung with tears.
He scooped the little book up and held it in his arms, nuzzling his chin against the top of its head.
"Dad won't be going out to work all the time anymore; he'll stay home and spend more time with you."
The adults were just a little reluctant to part, but the children's eyes were red, and they didn't want to separate so soon. For a moment, everyone on and off the screen was caught in a feeling similar to heartbreak.
Qiao An calmly glanced at her watch, took the empty coffee cup to the bar to rinse it clean, walked back to her booth, and said to Du Xiaoruo,
"I'm going to work first. I'm going to my uncle's house for dinner tonight. I'll come pick you and Lele up around six o'clock."
In the live stream room,
[...That cold-blooded bastard!]
To be fair, highly successful people are generally not too emotional; once they finish one task, they quickly move on to the next.
[But...is the second season of Beibei Restaurant really ending? No way!]
The director jogged over from the monitor, squatted down in front of the coffee table, and discussed things with everyone.
"Because you completed the tasks ahead of schedule at every stage, the live broadcast was much earlier than originally planned. Please be patient, the production team will discuss the next steps and then notify you."
Mu Hua asked, "So, can we just give up now?"
Director Kang glanced at the glaring sunlight outside. It was so hot, and he didn't want to make things difficult for them.
"Lie down first."
Du Xiaoruo thought "lying flat" was an adjective describing a relaxed and carefree lifestyle, but she never expected it to be... literally "lying flat."
Mu Hua led the three little ones to lie down on the cool ground. Just as the children were starting to feel better, Mu Hua, being cheeky, said something else.
"Cherish the last moments you spend lying together."
The three little ones instantly became emo again...
In the live stream room,
[Hahaha, Mu Hua's mouth is so cheeky.]
[Ugh, the thought of Beibei Restaurant closing down really makes me unhappy.]
The production team is discussing strategies, so it shouldn't end so soon. Even if it does end, there's no need to be sad; all good things must come to an end.
Xia Qing and Du Xiaoruo sat on the sofa and chatted casually.
"Xiao Ruo, what are your plans after the show is over?" Xia Qing asked.
Xiaoru shook her head. "I haven't thought about that yet. What about you?"
Xia Qing also sighed.
“I have to go home and inherit the family business. My dad has been urging me to come back several times. I see you don’t have many friends. You should spend more time with me in the future. Don’t stay cooped up at home alone. Being a full-time housewife for too long can easily lead to depression.”
Du Xiaoruo wanted to say that she was happy staying at home alone, but she didn't want Xia Qing to think that she was rebellious, so she nodded in agreement.
Time always flies when you're just lounging around; you can lie down and it's already past 6 a.m.
Director Kang was originally going to announce the program's upcoming live broadcast plans, but when he saw Qiao An come to pick up Du Xiaoruo and the others, he kept it a secret and said he would announce it after Du Xiaoruo and the others returned.
Because Zhang Yanshu is a very low-key person, the live stream camera did not follow him, and Du Xiaoruo's live stream ended there.
The comments section was filled with, "May you rest in peace."
It looks weird.
The car drove all the way to the city center and stopped in front of the Jin family's old house.
Compared to the Qiao family's enormous manor that practically occupies half a mountain, the Jin family's residence is excessively understated, making it impossible to tell that it belongs to the richest family.
The gate was old; the paint on the heavy door panels was peeling and faded.
Joanne knocked on the door, and someone quickly came to open it.
"Is this Mr. Qiao and his family? His wife has already given us our greetings. Please come in."
Upon entering the gate, opposite is a screen wall carved with dragons and phoenixes. It is also very old, with streaks of water washed across its surface by rain. Below the screen wall, there is a pond full of lively koi carp.
Passing the screen wall, one comes into view a two-story courtyard house. The courtyard is paved with thick bluestone slabs, without any complicated decorations. Some weeds, such as dandelions, grow in the gaps between the slabs.
Du Xiaoruo originally thought that wealth should not be flaunted, and that this house might just be unremarkable on the outside but actually have a lot of secrets inside. She didn't expect that even the interior decoration was very simple, but it was clear that sturdy and durable materials were used.
Zhang Yanshu was leading Jin Xingming in skipping rope in the courtyard when he saw them come in. He told the housekeeper to take away the rope and bring out tea and fruit to entertain the guests.
Jin Jin hasn't returned from the company yet; only Zhang Yanshu is at home.
She invited them to sit on the stone benches in the courtyard, and chatted casually with them while smiling.
Du Xiaoruo placed a small cake she had brought on the table and sat down next to Qiao An.
While Qiao An and Zhang Yanshu were talking, she secretly observed from the side, trying to find any clues that Qiao An and Zhang Yanshu resembled each other.
Zhang Yanshu is quite ordinary-looking, quite different from the image of the richest woman that Du Xiaoruo portrays.
Judging from their appearances alone, Zhang Yanshu and Qiao An really don't look like mother and son. Zhang Yanshu has an average appearance, while Qiao An is incredibly handsome from every angle.
However, Zhang Yanshu possesses a tranquil and detached temperament, which is somewhat similar to the relaxed and lazy feeling of Qiao An. If they are indeed mother and son, then Qiao An's personality should be inherited from his mother.
Thinking of this, Du Xiaoruo felt sorry for Qiao An again. He could have had a wealthy and happy family and would have been a child who was cherished by his parents. But he had to go through all this messy and tragic things.
On second thought, if Jin Jin and Zhang Yanshu knew that Qiao An was their biological child, they would be furious. With Jin Jin's methods, they would probably dig Qiao Rukun out of his grave and whip his corpse to vent their anger.
While Du Xiaoruo was lost in thought, the sound of high heels came from behind the screen wall again.
Zhang Yanshu raised his voice and asked, "Who is it?"
The butler replied, "Madam, she is Mr. Qiao's sister."
Qiao An and her group had just arrived when Qiao Qingmeng showed up. Since Qiao Qingmeng was Qiao An's publicly acknowledged twin sister, the housekeeper naturally assumed they were together.
Qiao Qingmeng, dressed in a beige suit that elders would like, carrying a grapefruit bag, walked in with a smile.
The voice came before the person even arrived.
"Hello Aunt, I'm Qingmeng. I should have come to visit you and Uncle a long time ago, but I haven't had the time. Please don't scold me."
Qiao Qingmeng came uninvited, and her overly friendly manner made it clear to everyone that she was intentionally trying to curry favor with the Jin family.
Qiao An calmly sipped her tea, thinking that Qiao Qingmeng was smarter than her poison-loving brother, and knew to win over the Jin family as soon as she arrived.
"Are your brother and sister-in-law here too?"
Qiao Qingmeng still had that same smiling face, as if she had a really close relationship with Qiao An's family. She waved the packaging bag in her hand.
"Lele, Xingming, your aunt brought you a cake!"
Jin Xingming was still foolishly happy and wanted to eat cake.
Lele ran straight to the table, picked up the cake Du Xiaoruo had brought, and walked over to Zhang Yanshu, obediently saying...
"Grandma, this is a cake my mom made herself. It smells delicious. Would you like to try some?"
Zhang Yanshu gave Qiao Qingmeng a meaningful look, then smiled as he sized up Lele. This little fool was quite protective of his mother.
"Okay, let's try the cake your mom made."
Upon hearing Zhang Yanshu's words, the housekeeper immediately took the cake that Du Xiaoruo had brought to the kitchen, cut it, and then served it on a small square plate.
This cake is clearly the result of a lot of effort, just by looking at it. Zhang Yanshu had eaten Du Xiaoruo's cakes before and thought they were sweet but not cloying. Now, eating this one, he realized that the mousse he had a few days ago was not even a tenth as good as this.
Zhang Yanshu loved sweets. After taking a bite, he couldn't help but start chatting with Du Xiaoruo.
"Xiaoruo, what kind of cake is this? I've never tasted this before."
Du Xiaoruo's only skill in chatting was about desserts. She quickly put down her fork and replied earnestly,
"This is my own recipe, a specially made lemon basil cream with fennel added, and the filling is green apple jelly and green apple pulp."
Zhang Yanshu nodded. "The taste is very refreshing."
“Yes, it’s suitable for summer,” Du Xiaoruo replied.
After talking with Du Xiaoruo for a while, Zhang Yanshu looked at Qiao Qingmeng as if waking from a dream.
"Oh dear, look at me, I forget Qingmeng is still here as soon as I start eating something delicious. Come over and have a taste."
After speaking, she turned to the housekeeper and said, "I'm tired of the desserts from Xiyou's shop. You can take them away and share them. Don't waste them."
"yes."
The housekeeper agreed and stepped forward to take the grapefruit bag from Qiao Qingmeng's hand.
Qiao Qingmeng looked as if she had been slapped in the face, and her embarrassed smile almost disappeared.
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