After lunch, it was time for work as usual.
Perhaps it was because his chaotic thoughts were tangled up, or perhaps it was because the lunch had been too exhausting and he had no time to rest, but Lu Zhe was in a state of extremely low efficiency all afternoon.
It's not that I intentionally wanted to slack off, it's just that I genuinely had no motivation to work.
What made it even harder for him to concentrate was that Xue Xiaodie was sitting right next to him. The girl was holding a digital pen, looking completely absorbed in her work and drawing...
Lu Zhe would occasionally glance at her, but most of the time, she didn't respond.
After peeking several times, Xue Xiaodie finally looked at him too. Their eyes met.
Xue Xiaodie smiled slightly. Besides the faint smile, there was a hint of shyness, but still no trace of resentment.
Lu Zhe immediately looked away and stared blankly at the computer screen.
What should we do next?
This question swirled in his mind. As for Xia Xiaobing, there was no question; things had progressed so far that there was no room for backing down. But what about Tang Qi? She'd already taken his first kiss, and their relationship was practically official; naturally, she couldn't back out either.
Logically speaking, Xue Xiaodie should be the easiest person to refuse. However, after lunch today, refusing her has become a very difficult decision.
Suddenly, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
Lu Zhe took out his phone and saw that it was a WeChat message from Tang Qi:
What should we eat tonight? I had instant noodles for lunch, but I didn't really feel like eating them and didn't finish them, so I'm a little hungry now.
Looking at the time, it's 5:30 PM, not far from when I'll be leaving get off work.
Lu Zhe replied: "[It will take me a while to cook when I get home. Otherwise, why don't you order takeout now?]"
Tang Qi: [Okay then... I'll order takeout now, you guys better be back soon!]
Then there's a meme of a cute, crying anime girl.
Lu Zhe replied with "OK," then put away his phone and continued to pretend to be working diligently.
————
Tang Qi arranged for everyone to have hamburgers for dinner.
There are many fast food options similar to KFC and McDonald's on food delivery platforms, and they're often cheaper, offering great value. Tang Qi ordered three hamburgers, and with the food delivery platform's coupons, it was significantly cheaper than eating at KFC. As for drinks to go with the hamburgers, she had some chilled beverages stocked up in the refrigerator.
As soon as Lu Zhe and Xue Xiaodie entered the living room, they saw Tang Qi sitting in the center of the sofa, along with takeout packaging and a large bottle of cola on the coffee table. The cola bottle was covered with many small water droplets, indicating that it had just been taken out of the refrigerator not long ago.
The large TV in the living room was no longer showing a game interface, but a variety show.
Xue Xiaodie sat down next to Tang Qi, while Lu Zhe sat on a separate sofa further away from the girls.
Tang Qi took three paper cups from the coffee table drawer and poured cola into them. As she poured, she said, "The three hamburgers are all different flavors: chicken, beef, and cod. You can choose whichever you want; I'm fine with anything."
Xue Xiaodie: "I'm fine with either."
Lu Zhe reached out his hand and then realized something was wrong. He stared at the three hamburgers for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, "Chicken, beef, cod, how do you tell them apart?"
Tang Qi: "What? How do you tell the difference?"
Lu Zhe: "The packaging looks exactly the same, how can we tell them apart?"
Then Tang Qi was also stunned.
She then realized that the three hamburgers had identical packaging and no labels, making them indistinguishable.
Xue Xiaodie casually picked up a hamburger, unwrapped it, glanced at the color of the meat sandwiched between two slices of bread, and said, "This should be beef. Does anyone here eat beef?"
Lu Zhe reached out and took the hamburger: "Thanks."
Then Xue Xiaodie looked at the remaining two hamburgers in the same way, handed the cod hamburger to Tang Qi, and kept the chicken hamburger for herself. But just as she was about to start eating, the doorbell suddenly rang.
The three looked at each other in bewilderment.
The food delivery has arrived, but there's been no order for housekeeping or assistance with housekeeping... So, who exactly is that person outside the door?
Lu Zhe realized a possibility, quickly stood up, and strode to the entrance.
Before opening the door, he glanced through the peephole—and sure enough, standing there was Xia Xiaobing!
As Lu Zhe opened the door, Xue Xiaodie and Tang Qi also came over.
Then, the three of them saw Xia Xiaobing appear at the door at the same time.
"Hi, I'm home alone and too lazy to cook. I don't know what to eat if I order takeout or go out, so I came to find you guys... You guys are eating burgers?"
Xia Xiaobing had a composed smile on her face, but halfway through her sentence, she noticed what Lu Zhe was holding, and her smile immediately became a little stiff.
Tang Qi blurted out, "Yeah, we're getting takeout tonight, three hamburgers."
Since it's three hamburgers, Xia Xiaobing's idea of getting a free meal is obviously not going to work.
Xue Xiaodie added, "How about Mr. Xia and I eat together? I haven't eaten my hamburger yet, and I have a small appetite, so I'll cut it in half..."
"Let's forget it," Xia Xiaobing's expression quickly returned to normal, "Then I won't bother you anymore."
Xue Xiaodie smiled and said, "If you come next time, please let us know in advance. That way we can prepare a more sumptuous meal."
Xia Xiaobing smiled and said, "Next time, definitely. You guys enjoy your meal, I'll be going now."
Tang Qi: "Why don't you sit here for a while..."
Xia Xiaobing shook her head: "I'm a little hungry, I'm going to eat now, bye-bye."
After saying that, she turned and left. The door closed, and the uninvited mature woman departed.
The three of them returned to the living room and sat back down on the sofa.
Xue Xiaodie suddenly said, "Little Rainbow Candy, the takeout you ordered..."
Hearing that only half of the sentence was spoken, Tang Qi stared blankly over, only to see Sister Xiaodie blink and secretly give a thumbs up.
Tang Qi suddenly realized that because her takeout was fast food and only included three hamburgers, Xia Xiaobing had no excuse to stay and freeload.
This is certainly a great thing.
However, Xue Xiaodie then added, "Let's prepare a proper dinner tomorrow and invite President Xia over for a meal. She's already treated us to two meals, so we should reciprocate in kind."
Tang Qi nodded: "Yes..."
While the two girls were chatting earnestly, Lu Zhe was looking down at his phone. Unbeknownst to them, his phone contained a message from Xia Xiaobing.
Come over at the same time tonight.
Lu Zhe looked up at the two smiling girls and sighed inwardly—they must be basking in the joy of getting rid of Xia Xiaobing right now.
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