The call ended, and she apologized to Jiang Jingyu.
"My best friend is a bit lively, did she bother you?"
Jiang Jingyu thought to himself: Her voice is indeed quite loud. It's a miracle you, who seem so introverted and refined, could be friends with such a fiery one. It's even more of a miracle that she asks you to transfer money when visiting a patient.
Zhang Yang had bought a nice apartment in a good area of the city. Jiang Jingyu knew the address but was genuinely visiting for the first time.
Knowing Tong An'an would feel awkward if he didn't bring a gift, he parked the car by the roadside before entering the complex.
Tong An'an felt too embarrassed for her boss to wait for her.
"Perhaps you could go in first? I'm afraid buying gifts will take some time."
Jiang Jingyu said calmly, "No rush, I need to buy something too. Let's go together."
He opened the car door and got out, walking ahead with Tong An'an following behind.
Looking at his young, tall figure, she felt as if she had been blessed by the god of fortune today.
Why was she so lucky to be so close to him?
It was a small supermarket. Besides fruits, there weren't many daily necessities available.
Tong An'an picked out some fruits. Jiang Jingyu hadn't originally intended to buy anything for Zhang Yang, but now that he had put himself in this position, he wasn't sure what to get. He casually browsed around, picked out a few appliances that men might use, and waited for her to check out together.
Tong An'an stood in front of Jiang Jingyu. As the cashier scanned the items, she turned and said to him,
"Mr. Jiang, should we pay together?"
She was only being polite, not expecting Jiang Jingyu to agree so readily.
"That's fine too."
She shamelessly piled her items onto the counter.
Honestly, the moment he agreed, Tong An'an's heart was filled with anxiety.
Her initial balance was over 300 yuan. Adding the 2000 yuan transferred by Ma Weiwei, she had 2400 yuan.
Heaven knew what the boss's taste in gifts was, whether it was enough to cover the cost, and she still needed to eat later...
But with things at this point, she could only brace herself.
Fortunately, the prices at this supermarket weren't very high. The total came to just over 800 yuan.
After paying, Jiang Jingyu let her carry the items and walk ahead while he watched her from behind.
He thought: A master's graduate, in her twenties, how can she still be so honest and naive?
After parking the car, Jiang Jingyu called Zhang Yang and asked for the apartment number.
Upon hearing that his boss and Tong An'an were coming to see him, Zhang Yang was stunned. He quickly tidied himself up and waited at the door.
Seeing the two of them arrive together, looking like a perfect match, he instantly had a bad premonition.
But it was only speculation.
The president had never been close to women for so many years, so his standards must be very high, or perhaps he had a girlfriend in secret.
Although Tong An'an was beautiful, she was just a modest girl. She might be suitable to marry someone from a working-class family like his, but entering a wealthy family like the Zhan Corporation was still worlds apart.
Mr. Zhan probably wouldn't have any interest in her.
Upon entering, Zhang Yang poured them water and washed fruits, trying to liven up the atmosphere.
Tong An'an offered her condolences, but Jiang Jingyu said nothing.
As the awkwardness lingered, Tong An'an asked him if he had eaten. The takeout boxes were still in the trash can, so Zhang Yang couldn't lie.
"I've eaten, just finished. If I had known you were coming, I wouldn't have eaten so early. I ordered takeout and had a can of fizzy drink."
Honestly, he regretted it.
But changing the subject, he said, "I can still eat a bit more. Why don't I treat you to a meal?"
"No, thank you. Since you've already eaten, it probably won't taste as good if you eat again. Let's reschedule for another day."
Tong An'an spoke sincerely. Jiang Jingyu, who hadn't said a word since entering, picked up her sentence.
"Alright. Since he has eaten, you should rest well at home. We'll go eat. I'm still hungry."
We?
Just her and Mr. Jiang?
Tong An'an was stunned.
Mr. Jiang was being too casual, how could he have so little sense of personal space with an intern like her?
But since the boss had already spoken, she couldn't refuse.
"It's all my fault for delaying the time so late. What would you like to eat, Mr. Jiang?"
"Hot pot. Can you handle spicy food?"
A part of Tong An'an's good skin was attributed to chili peppers.
She had loved spicy food since childhood; the spicier it was, the more she sweated, and the better her skin became.
She had expected the boss to want steak or a French restaurant, so she was a little happy that he wanted hot pot.
"Yes, I can. If not, we can order a 'yuanyang' pot to have a variety of flavors."
"Let's go then." Jiang Jingyu gave Zhang Yang a meaningful look.
At this point, Zhang Yang finally understood his boss's intentions.
He had taken a liking to Tong An'an.
Although he couldn't figure out why Tong An'an had caught his eye, as an assistant, how could he compete with his boss?
He recommended a chain hot pot restaurant not too far away and saw them off. Zhang Yang felt a pang of disappointment.
He had thought he might find a solution to his single status, but who would have thought... alas.
They navigated to the hot pot restaurant mentioned by Zhang Yang and arrived in about ten minutes.
Jiang Jingyu parked the car, and Tong An'an went in with him.
A waiter approached and asked if they preferred to sit outside or in a private room. Jiang Jingyu said "private room" as they walked.
"Certainly, sir. Please follow me this way."
After they were seated, the waiter respectfully took their order and then asked if they would like to have some drinks.
Jiang Jingyu asked her if she wanted a drink. Tong An'an quickly waved her hands, "I don't drink."
Then, realizing it might be inappropriate, she added, "Would you like a drink?"
She thought to herself that if he wanted a drink, she would have a little with him.
"I need to drive you back later, so no drinks. Please bring the dishes directly."
The waiter went to prepare, leaving the two of them in the private room. Jiang Jingyu maintained his professional elite demeanor, making Tong An'an feel uneasy.
Especially since Jiang Jingyu had ticked off many ingredients on the menu, and the prices of those meats were not ordinary.
In this kind of hot pot restaurant, including the service charge, the meal would be quite expensive, and she was going to have to spend a lot of money today.
Seeing her looking restrained and lowering her eyes without speaking, Jiang Jingyu paused and initiated a conversation.
"Who else is in your family besides you?"
When the boss asked, Tong An'an honestly replied, "My parents and my brother."
"You have a brother? How old is he?"
"Two years older than me."
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-five."
"Same age as me."
Tong An'an's ears turned red with embarrassment.
They were both people, yet he, at 25, managed a large group of over a hundred thousand employees and was worth billions, while she had almost failed to find a job.
Seeing that she was embarrassed by his questions, Jiang Jingyu changed the topic.
"Is your brother married?"
"No."
If he were married, her mother would have a grandchild to dote on and wouldn't be scolding one person after another every day.
"What does he do for work now?"
"He drives a taxi." After saying this, Tong An'an became somewhat resigned and frank.
"My brother was mischievous since childhood and didn't like studying much."
Jiang Jingyu, however, was very understanding, "That's good. At least he has freedom. It's better than sitting in a cubicle."