Chapter 19 Miss Qu, shall we have dinner together?
Zhuang Bieyan: [Miss Qu, I'm at the entrance of Baiyu Bay. Is it convenient for me to come in?]
Qu He stared at the line of text for a full ten seconds.
A farewell banquet for the estate?
Why would he come to Baiyu Bay?
She sat up instinctively, her fingers typing and deleting on the keyboard, then typing again.
Just as she was hesitating, another message popped up:
Zhuang Bieyan: [Last time, Zhuang Xi dirtied Miss Qu's dress, so I brought a new one along today.]
Qu He was taken aback.
It was just a few tears...
She quickly replied: "It's okay, the dress has already been washed."
The message was sent, and Zhuang Bieyan replied almost instantly: [The car has arrived. Which building is it in?]
Qu He was bewildered and dared not keep Zhuang Bieyan waiting any longer.
His hands moved faster than his brain, and he typed out the house number.
Five minutes later, the doorbell rang.
Qu He went over and opened the door.
Outside the door, Zhuang Bieyan wore gold-rimmed glasses, a simple white shirt tied around his waist, and a black patterned tie with a metal lapel pin, all neatly fastened around his neck.
In comparison, the two pink paper bags in his hand looked somewhat...out of place.
Qu He recognized one of them as having PADA's iconic logo.
Upon seeing her, Zhuang Bieyan nodded slightly. "Miss Qu, I apologize for disturbing you."
Qu He smiled politely, "President Zhuang is too kind, coming all the way here in person."
She stepped aside to make way, but Zhuang Bieyan remained standing still.
He stood outside the door, his gaze lingering for a moment on her slightly red and swollen eyes, his voice lower than usual: "Is this convenient?"
"Of course." Qu He paused, then added, "I live alone, and there are no men's slippers at home, so please feel free to come in."
Zhuang Bieyan's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.
As he stepped into the house, he brought with him a faint scent of cedar.
Qu He led him to the living room sofa.
Zhuang Bieyan kept his gaze fixed ahead, without looking around at the room's layout.
After stopping in front of the sofa, he handed her the bag he was carrying.
"The dress Ms. Qu wore last time was out of stock, so I could only buy a similar one. Please don't mind."
Qu He took it and glanced at the gold-stamped logo on the bag. This price could buy several of them.
"Mr. Zhuang, you're too kind." Her voice was strained.
Zhuang Bieyan's gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds before quickly shifting away. "Miss Qu would look very good in it."
He turned and took out a cake box from another bag. "I saw that Miss Qu liked PADA's bayberry cake last time. I brought one back on the way."
Qu He was stunned.
Is it on the way again?
However, PADA and Baiyu Bay are not in the same direction at all.
Zhuang Bieyan seemed to see through her doubts and explained calmly, "I went to Heyuefang first."
Qu He suddenly realized, and her tense shoulders relaxed slightly.
It turns out that I went to the store to find her first, but it happened to be closed, so I came to Baiyuwan instead.
Zhuang Bieyan placed the cake on the coffee table and said casually, "It's only my first time visiting, so I shouldn't come empty-handed."
As expected of a farewell banquet, the gentlemanly manners were impeccable.
Qu He thanked him again, put the cake in the refrigerator, and poured him a glass of water.
The two sat on the sofa, the atmosphere somewhat tense.
Zhuang Bieyan's presence was so strong that even though she was just sitting there, she instantly elevated her small 90-square-meter apartment to several levels.
“Miss Qu,” Zhuang Bieyan suddenly spoke, his voice startling her fingertips, “I actually came here today to ask you for a favor.”
Qu He: "?"
help?
she?
Countless possibilities flashed through Qu He's mind.
The host needs ceramic decorations for a banquet.
Zhuang Xi also wants to learn pottery?
It can't be that Assistant Tan resigned and he needed a secretary...
“A week ago, I left my watch at Heyuefang.” Zhuang Bieyan looked up at her, his eyes deep. “I wonder if Miss Qu has seen it?”
Qu He was stunned.
She did take off her watch when Zhuang Bieyan came to do pottery last time... but where exactly did she put it? She had no recollection of it.
It was indeed Heyuefang's fault for not discovering the customer's lost item in time.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Zhuang." She said apologetically. "I'll contact you as soon as I find it."
Zhuang Bieyan: "It was my own carelessness."
The conversation ended there, and the atmosphere returned to awkwardness.
Zhuang Bieyan took a sip of water and put down his cup. He glanced at his watch and said, "Then I won't bother you any longer."
Qu He breathed a sigh of relief and saw him to the door.
As they reached the entrance, Zhuang Bieyan suddenly turned around.
Qu He was caught off guard and almost bumped into his arms, but luckily she stopped just before she did.
A faint scent of cedar filled her breath, and her ears burned slightly, so she didn't notice that Zhuang Bieyan had withdrawn his half-outstretched hand.
"Miss Qu, do you have any other plans later?" His voice was a few decibels lower than before.
"ah?"
"Zhuang Xi's mother asked me to thank her for what happened last time."
Zhuang Bieyan's gaze fell on the top of her fluffy hair, and he clenched his fist in the air. "I wonder if you're free to have dinner together today?"
Have a meal?
A farewell banquet at Hezhuang?
Are there only the two of them?
No! Refuse!
The shock from Qian Zhaoye's outburst that morning hadn't completely subsided, and my emotions were affecting my stomach, leaving me with no appetite.
"Mrs. Xiaoxi is too kind." She smiled and politely declined, "It's really unfortunate, I'll wait a bit..."
Zhuang Bieyan seemed to have anticipated her refusal, and said calmly, "If it's inconvenient today, you can come to the Zhuang residence next time. Her mother just wanted to thank you in person."
He narrowed his eyes slightly behind his glasses. "The Zhuang family owes a favor for what happened with Zhuang Xi last time."
The last two words were pronounced with extreme emphasis.
Going to Zhuangzhai?
Human relationships?
Qu He quickly changed her mind before she could say no, saying, "I happen to be free today."
She forced a smile and pointed to the bedroom, "Wait a moment, I'll go change my clothes."
In the instant she turned around, she didn't see the fleeting smile in Zhuang Bieyan's eyes.
When Qu He came out again, she had changed into a sleeveless beige turtleneck top and a light brown high-waisted skirt. As she left, she picked up a black garbage bag from behind the door.
The opening of the trash bag was a little loose, and a shard of glass from the photo frame pierced the bag, causing a few petals to fall out.
Qu He then took another garbage bag, put it on, and tied a tight knot.
When she looked up and met Zhuang Bieyan's unfathomable gaze, she tried to cover it up by explaining, "I was doing a big cleaning this morning... and I accidentally broke a vase and a picture frame."
She chuckled dryly twice, "You still need to be careful about where you put these things at home..."
Zhuang Bieyan nodded slightly, then suddenly leaned closer.
Qu He's breath hitched.
He stretched out his long arm and pressed the down elevator button.
"You need to be careful when living alone."
His voice was so soft it was almost a whisper, and his warm breath brushed against her earlobe. "If necessary, you can choose to call the police."
The elevator went down to the first floor.
A black Maybach was parked quietly not far away.
Qu He instinctively walked to the back seat, but Zhuang Bieyan had already opened the passenger door and placed his arm across the door frame.
"Get in the car."
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