"Important matters cannot be discussed with others..."
Lu Zhe stared blankly at the message on his phone for a long time.
Finally, he came to his senses, got up from his workstation, took his phone, and went into the break room.
The lounge had sofas, dining tables and chairs, and even an unused foosball table. At this moment, the lounge was empty, making it the perfect time to make a phone call.
Lu Zhe walked to the window and dialed Tang Qi's number first.
"Little Rainbow, I can't have lunch with you today. Um, something came up at the company..."
Saying directly that he wanted to have dinner with President Xia felt a bit inappropriate, so Lu Zhe changed his approach. Anyway, he could attribute President Xia's request to "something at the company" to it, which wouldn't be considered a lie.
Tang Qi didn't think much of it and simply smiled, "Alright then, I'll invite Sister Xiaodie to lunch with me!"
"Okay, then let's do it this way."
After saying that, Lu Zhe hung up the phone and dialed another girl's number.
I waited a little longer than usual.
Nearly half a minute later, Xue Xiaodie answered the phone, her voice very low: "What's wrong?"
Lu Zhe: "Are you not available to speak right now?"
Xue Xiaodie: "I'm fine, what's wrong?"
Lu Zhe: "I just wanted to let you know that I have some things to do at noon today and I can't have lunch with you. You can have lunch with Miss Tang."
Xue Xiaodie paused for a moment, then asked in return, "Is it about the company?"
What else could Lu Zhe say but, of course, reply, "Yes."
Xue Xiaodie said softly, "Then... don't forget to eat lunch. Skipping meals will upset your stomach. Don't work too hard at overtime."
Lu Zhe pursed his lips: "I understand, you too. Don't work too hard on the drawings."
Xue Xiaodie chuckled softly, "Hehe, don't worry, I'm very careful about balancing work and rest. I'm going to have lunch with Xiaocaitang, see you tonight. By the way, are you working overtime tonight?"
Lu Zhe hesitated for two seconds before answering, "I don't know."
Xue Xiaodie: "Then it depends on your plans for tonight. We'll talk about it then."
"Okay, bye-bye."
Lu Zhe hung up the second phone call.
Then, as soon as he stepped out of the lounge, a familiar face came into view.
My direct supervisor is Mao Kai.
Mao Kai was holding Yuxi's box in one hand and a lighter in the other. His intentions were obvious and needed no further explanation.
"Ahem, Lu Zhe, you've been working pretty hard lately."
"Thank goodness, Brother Mao's guidance was excellent."
Mao Kai smiled, took out a cigarette and offered it to him: "Want one?"
Lu Zhe shook his head: "I don't smoke."
Mao Kai laughed and said, "It's good not to smoke. It's healthier and saves money. Keep it up!"
Lu Zhe scratched his head and simply agreed, "Yeah..."
Mao Kai reached out and placed his hand on his shoulder, then said, "This afternoon, let's discuss the recent work progress. I've been busy with something else lately and haven't paid much attention to you. I haven't fulfilled my responsibility as your direct supervisor."
Lu Zhe: "You're busy with company matters, which means you're very dedicated."
Mao Kai smiled and said, "Anyway, 2 PM, is that alright?"
Lu Zhe thought for a moment. Although he was going to have lunch with President Xia, the company's lunch break only lasted until 1 p.m., and he should be working at his desk by 2 p.m. no matter what.
So he replied, "Of course, no problem."
"That's good, you can continue with your work."
Mao Kai patted him on the shoulder twice more and went to smoke.
————
About twenty minutes before noon, Lu Zhe was summoned by a WeChat message from President Xia. He took the elevator to the underground parking lot and got into the passenger seat of her BMW.
The car slowly drove out of the software park, and Xia Xiaobing said, "I recently heard someone recommend a restaurant that serves Shandong cuisine. I heard it's pretty good, let's go try it."
Lu Zhe: "...Okay."
They've already decided where to eat, what else can he say?
After driving for about ten minutes, we arrived at the restaurant. It wasn't located inside a shopping mall, but rather in a storefront outside a residential complex—a rather quiet area. Despite the unremarkable location, the restaurant was almost full, a stark contrast to its deserted competitors nearby.
After parking the car, Xia Xiaobing said to the waiter as soon as she entered the room, "Hello, I made a reservation for a private room by phone."
The waiter immediately led the two inside—the private room wasn't large, just a round table that could probably seat five or six people. But at that moment, besides the waiter, there were only Lu Zhe and Xia Xiaobing in the room, making the space feel a bit luxurious.
Lu Zhe couldn't help but ask, "President Xia, is it really necessary to book a private room?"
Xia Xiaobing smiled and said, "I'm used to it."
Lu Zhe nodded and didn't say anything more.
Xia Xiaobing took the menu, ordered two dishes, and then pushed the menu in front of Lu Zhe.
"Look, what would you like to eat?"
Lu Zhe smiled and said, "Those two dishes you just ordered were ones I wanted to try, so I don't need to order any more, right?"
What he said wasn't untrue, because the two dishes that President Xia ordered were indeed the kind that he knew would suit his taste as soon as he heard them.
Xia Xiaobing: "Okay, let's add a cabbage and tofu soup, and that'll be it."
The waiter picked up the menu, turned around, and left.
Xia Xiaobing stood up, walked to the door, and slowly closed the door to the private room. Then, she returned to her seat, which was diagonally opposite Lu Zhe.
The distance between the two was neither far nor close—they couldn't reach each other by reaching out, but at the same time, they could touch each other's hands.
Lu Zhe stared at that beautiful face, secretly wondering what she would say next. He remembered that in the previous WeChat message, President Xia had said that she had something important to discuss with him.
So, what exactly is this 'important thing'?
He had considered the possibility of the next work arrangement, stock options, or even the possibility of President Xia directly confessing his feelings. But what the other party said next still greatly surprised him.
Xia Xiaobing said calmly, "My mother is coming to Rongdu in a couple of days, and her purpose is to urge me to get married. I really couldn't stand her nagging, so I lied and said I had a boyfriend. But as you know, I've been very busy and haven't had time to look for a boyfriend at all. I also can't find anyone to act as a shield for me in a short time. So, I thought of you."
Lu Zhe pointed to himself, astonished, and said, "You want me to... play the role of your boyfriend in front of your mother?"
Xia Xiaobing nodded: "That's right, is that okay?"
Lu Zhe took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to refuse, but the scene before him stunned him.
Xia Xiaobing gazed intently at him. A tear welled up in her beautiful, spirited eyes… What was going on? Why was President Xia showing such a pitiful expression?
For a moment, Lu Zhe was so shocked that he couldn't speak.
————
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