After finishing their meal, Xiao Xun drove Mu Jiahe to the underground garage of St. Roman Group. This time, Mu Jiahe sat in the passenger seat, and before getting out of the car, she gave Xiao Xun a kiss. She said smugly, "I never imagined my driver would be the president of Longtan Group. No one would believe me if I said it." Xiao Xun smiled, "Not only would no one believe it, but if I said I was the president of Longtan Group, they'd probably think I was crazy!"
They arrived at the outskirts of the former Jingjidao Group building. It lacked its former prosperity, with only construction crews coming and going, Longtan Group security guards, and staff installing and debugging equipment. Xiao Xun's hope of going inside was dashed by the security guard at the entrance, who wouldn't let him in. However, Xiao Xun didn't reveal his identity. Even if he had, it was unlikely the middle-aged guard would have believed him.
Xiao Xun sat in the car, lost in thought, with nowhere to go. When he didn't have a job before, he'd spend his days at home playing games. Now that he was unemployed, he didn't have much interest in gaming anymore. Glancing at the time, he realized it was time for lunch. He didn't drive and casually found a restaurant to eat something.
He entered a small restaurant that looked quite clean. There was only a woman there, who happily greeted Xiao Xun, scratching her backside. "Here you are, what would you like to eat?" Since it was cold and the heating hadn't been turned on, Xiao Xun chose a spot further inside to sit. Seeing the woman still scratching, he couldn't help but ask, "Do you have hemorrhoids?" The woman replied with a smile, "Whatever is on the menu, I can make. If it's not on the menu, I can't."
Xiao Xun maintained a straight face. Since there were no other restaurants nearby, he decided to make do. "What are your specialties?" "Squirrel-shaped Mandarin fish." "One order, please." Seeing Xiao Xun still looking at the menu, the woman asked, "Do you want rice?" "No, do you have ramen?" The woman took a pen and wrote on the order slip, "Do you want a large portion, or..." Xiao Xun quickly said, "Small." "Coming right up!" The woman finished writing and started to walk towards the kitchen. After a couple of steps, she turned back. "For an extra yuan, we include a can of Coke. Would you like that?" "Yes!" The woman brought over a can of Coke. "Are you packing this or eating here?" Xiao Xun was speechless. Seeing Xiao Xun's silence, the woman asked again. Xiao Xun, with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, said, "Ma'am, can I eat here before I leave?" The woman chuckled, "Of course, of course."
Before long, she brought out the noodles. "Just made, eat it while it's hot!" Xiao Xun immediately lost his appetite, no matter how delicious the noodles looked. "Ma'am, am I supposed to eat this with my hands?" This was a question, but the woman directly took some disposable gloves from the counter and placed them in front of Xiao Xun. "Couldn't you just give me cutlery? This is going to burn me!" The woman suddenly realized, "Oh, I'm sorry! I'll get them for you right away."
A moment later, a steamed Mandarin fish was brought out. "Wait." Xiao Xun stopped the woman. The woman became impatient, thinking, "Why is this person so fussy about their meal?" "What is it now?" Xiao Xun reminded her, "When I came in, I asked you what your specialty was." The woman stated righteously, "Yes! I said squirrel-shaped Mandarin fish!" Xiao Xun slammed the table, "What do you mean? Are you mocking me for never having eaten it before? Your squirrel-shaped Mandarin fish is steamed?" The woman patted her chest, "Oh! You scared me. Our Uncle Sun's Mandarin fish is just steamed." Xiao Xun was dumbfounded, "Uncle Sun? Mandarin fish..." "Yes!" Xiao Xun pointed towards the kitchen, "Call your boss." "Why call him? He's also Uncle Sun, he can't become Uncle Li." Xiao Xun ate a couple of bites. The taste was quite good, and the noodles were excellent, but the waitress, this woman, was too exasperating. "The bill, please." "That will be seventy-nine."
Xiao Xun scanned the code to pay and walked out. To his surprise, the waitress bowed to him and said, "Have a good day." Whether it was intentional or habitual, Xiao Xun thought to himself: there's a reason this business isn't doing well. If his restaurant had a waitress like this, his mother would have cursed her out long ago. Xiao Xun looked back, thinking that this restaurant wasn't far from closing down.
He got back in the car and drove off, not knowing where to go. He had never felt so bored. Suddenly, his phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was Zhang Ming calling. "Let's have lunch together. I haven't thanked you for the job yet." Xiao Xun looked around nearby. "We're old classmates from the same dorm, no need to be so polite. I've already eaten." "Um... are you free now?" "Do you need something from me? No problem, just tell me if you need anything." "Nothing, I just genuinely want to see you." "Alright, where should I meet you?" "The central commercial street." "Okay, wait for me."
Upon arriving at the central street, they contacted each other by phone. Xiao Xun saw Zhang Ming and waved at him, only to realize there was a girl with him. After they greeted each other, Zhang Ming smiled and said, "I'd like to formally introduce you to Xiao Xun, our third roommate from university." "Okay, I see." Shanshan, seeing Xiao Xun's lack of fashion sense and his unbranded clothes, didn't pay him any mind. Zhang Ming smiled awkwardly at Xiao Xun.
Seeing that the girl's attention was entirely on the mannequins in the display windows and she wasn't even looking at them, he quietly asked, "Is this your girlfriend or your wife?" Zhang Ming smiled, "Her name is Shanshan, and I'm pursuing her." Xiao Xun teased, "So, am I going to be a third wheel?" Zhang Ming said straightforwardly, "Of course not. She's bringing a friend along too, so it'll be perfect for us to have one each. What do you think, am I loyal enough?" "I already have a family, I don't mess around." Xiao Xun, however, had a feeling that this woman might be taking advantage of his old classmate, or perhaps seeing him as a long-term sugar daddy.
Xiao Xun thought for a moment and said earnestly, "Actually, I don't think this Shanshan is suitable for you. Even if you win her over, finding someone who loves you would make your life much easier." Zhang Ming was taken aback, not expecting Xiao Xun to say that. "Love is sometimes about not seeking consequences. As long as she likes me for a day, half a day, an hour, or even a minute, I'll be content." Xiao Xun thought, "Brother, this isn't pursuing someone, this is groveling!" Being a sycophant is destined to have no good ending. The more you act like this, the less chance you have.
Xiao Xun shook his head helplessly, knowing that further words would be useless and might even damage their friendship. He then asked, "Where are we eating lunch?" At this moment, Shanshan walked over. "I saw online that there's a Fengming Tower in front, it's newly opened and very popular. Let's go there to eat!" Zhang Ming readily agreed, "Okay, no problem." Xiao Xun's expression turned odd, and he felt somewhat speechless. This woman seemed to be looking for a sucker. For this meal to go well, four people would surely cost at least seven or eight thousand. So he reminded Zhang Ming, "The dishes at this restaurant are very expensive."
Zhang Ming had just started working at St. Roman, and he didn't know his salary and benefits yet. However, having just started, his previous monthly salary was likely only around four or five thousand. He also knew that Mingfeng Restaurant was not cheap, but he smiled and said, "It's okay, just these one or two times. As long as she likes it, it's worth it for me." If it were any other time, Xiao Xun wouldn't mind treating his old classmate to a big meal. But today, he wanted to see just how demanding the woman named Shanshan was. As soon as they entered, Shanshan was attracted to the jade cabbage displayed in a glass cabinet behind the counter.