Tong An'an thought to herself: Thank you, boss. You're quite good at finding an out for people.
Then, on impulse, she asked Jiang Jingyu, "And you?"
Jiang Jingyu didn't put on airs. He leaned back in his chair like an ordinary friend, his long fingers twirling a teacup filled with gardenia water.
"Me what? How many people are in my family?"
Tong An'an regretted it so much she wanted to bite her tongue.
What's wrong with you? Are you this close to your boss? You're actually asking about his family members.
God, won't your boss think you're incredibly stupid, disrespectful, and completely lack emotional intelligence?
Jiang Jingyu, however, felt this was good. Chatting about everyday matters seemed to bring them closer.
He didn't like it when everyone in front of him was obsequious and afraid to say anything.
"There are many people in my family."
After speaking, he smiled and, with his fingers, began counting for Tong An'an in a rather cute way.
"We have a gene for having twins. My mother had quadruplets in her first pregnancy, two boys and two girls. Then she had another boy and a girl."
Tong An'an hadn't thought about joining the Zhan Corporation before, nor had she specifically investigated the Zhan Group. It wasn't exactly a secret to the outside world, but she was still shocked to hear it.
"You have six children? Your mother is amazing!"
Jiang Jingyu smiled, "Indeed, she's quite capable. However, more children mean more worries."
"Among our four, only one has settled their marriage. The other three are still unattached. She wants to urge them, but she doesn't dare. I don't even want to go home. Every time I see her hesitating to speak, I feel sorry for her."
Tong An'an hadn't expected Jiang Jingyu to share so much with her, and all of it seemed like the honest truth.
It was as if he wasn't a CEO, but just an ordinary colleague.
Listening, she became extremely curious. "So, you're still single?"
"Yes."
"But it shouldn't be like that."
"Shouldn't be what?"
She answered truthfully, "Given your looks, age, and social status, there should be many girls who like you."
Jiang Jingyu replied seriously, "So, should I like all of them back?"
"No, that's not what I meant. I mean, you should easily meet someone suitable for you."
Suitable for him.
Ever since Lu Jiaying was gone, Jiang Jingyu hadn't known who in this world would be suitable for him.
He smiled, "Let's end this topic for now."
The waiter brought in the dishes, pushing two full carts. First, they presented the two complimentary desserts to them.
Jiang Jingyu looked at the small bowl. It was crystal clear, made in a very cute way, and sprinkled with flower petals, but he wasn't interested.
"I don't like sweet things. If you like it, you can take this one too."
There wasn't a girl who didn't love sweets.
Since he didn't like it, she might as well take it.
Tong An'an stood up to fetch it. Jiang Jingyu helped push it towards her, and their fingers inevitably brushed.
The weather was still cold, and Tong An'an was wearing little, her body temperature hadn't risen yet, so her hands were very cold.
In comparison, Jiang Jingyu was genuinely warm.
Tong An'an felt embarrassed again.
She actually touched her boss's hand. What a sin, what a sin.
Back at her seat, her boss hadn't started eating yet, so she dared not move.
She looked back and forth between the two dessert bowls and asked, "May I take a photo?"
It seemed girls liked posting on social media. He was suddenly quite curious about what someone like her would post.
"Of course."
Tong An'an stood up, changed the angle twice, took pictures of the desserts, and put her phone back in her bag.
"Aren't you posting it on social media?"
Jiang Jingyu asked casually, and she felt a little awkward.
Wouldn't eating with the boss be worth posting on social media? Of course, it would.
She quickly took out her phone, "I will."
After uploading the pictures, she pondered for a good while before composing the caption and clicked send, as if she had completed a task, letting out a sigh of relief.
Jiang Jingyu was curious about what she had posted, but if he asked for her WeChat now, it might scare her, so he could only endure.
Soon, the soup base began to bubble. The waiter came to help with the dishes, and the two started eating.
Tong An'an was too embarrassed to eat heartily and ate very delicately and cautiously.
To make her more comfortable, Jiang Jingyu deliberately took off his coat, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and ate very freely.
"Eat as much as you want. I don't like eating with people who have very poor appetites; it affects my mood."
Since it was a task assigned by the boss, to make the boss happy, she wouldn't be polite anymore.
Tong An'an resumed her normal eating habits.
She wasn't picky and ate both meat and vegetables. Looking at the ingredients she had ordered, she surprisingly finished everything.
Jiang Jingyu noticed she was particularly fond of a plate of crispy pork and called the waiter to add two more plates. He then served her another portion of the dessert.
Tong An'an quickly stopped him, "No, don't add any more. I can't eat anymore. I've already eaten a lot today."
"If you can't finish it, we'll pack it. I haven't eaten hot pot in a long time, so I must eat my fill."
They ate for nearly two hours, finishing every last bit of everything. Tong An'an was so full she felt like she needed to lean on the wall to walk.
To be honest, she hadn't eaten so satisfyingly in a long time.
Since returning home to help out, her mother nagged her every day. Meals felt like a chore, she'd just quickly stuff a few bites down and escape the scene. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so ravenous today.
Seeing that they were full and about to leave, Tong An'an used the excuse of going to the restroom and ran to pay the bill.
The waiter told her the bill had already been settled.
"Ah, when was it settled?"
"About half an hour ago. The gentleman paid."
The waiter smiled and teased her, "With a gentleman present, how could they let a lady pay?"
Tong An'an thought to herself: You don't know our relationship. With an employee present, how could the boss pay the bill?
"How much was it?"
The waiter showed her the receipt: over 870 yuan.
The boss had essentially returned the money she spent on buying things, and even added a hundred or two hundred more.
Tong An'an, Tong An'an, you actually owe your boss a favor.
But she didn't know how to tell him about it. She felt they weren't that familiar, and it felt awkward to talk about money.
Back in the private room, she didn't say much, just sat there blankly for a while. Jiang Jingyu picked up his coat. "Are you full?"
"Yes, yes, I'm stuffed."
"If you're full, let's go back. Don't you still need to organize the interview materials?"
His words reminded her. Right, she'd probably have to pull an all-nighter tonight.
They left the restaurant together. Jiang Jingyu unlocked his car from a distance. Tong An'an felt too embarrassed to ask the boss to give her a ride again and trotted a couple of steps to catch up.
"Mr. Jiang, I'm really sorry to have troubled you for so long today, and for letting you treat me to this meal..."
"It's alright, I ate too, didn't I? Besides, you paid for Zhang Yang's shopping earlier."
Tong An'an didn't dare to say she'd treat him to a meal next time, as it would make her seem like she was trying too hard to get close to him.
She stared at him with a hesitant expression. "Well, it's getting late. You should go back and rest. I'll be leaving then."