Liu Yifeng pretended not to understand, but still feigned ignorance and nodded, "Okay, let me know when you've made up your mind!"
At this moment, the waiter brought the dishes. The first dish was sweet and sour pork ribs, Hong Mei's favorite. She picked up a piece of rib and put it into Liu Yifeng's bowl, "Yifeng, do you remember when we used to eat out and I always ordered sweet and sour pork ribs?"
"Thank you, I can do it myself!" Liu Yifeng picked up his chopsticks. Hong Mei's sudden attentiveness made him very uncomfortable.
"Why are you being so polite with me? We've worked together for so many years, and we even watched movies together. If you have time another day, I'll treat you to a movie and we can relive those old times!"
As for Qiangzi, upon learning that the car wasn't his and that the company was also run by Liu Yifeng, with him merely being an investor, he lost all interest. It was only a pity about the cup of milk tea.
Lu Fei, upon hearing this, egged them on, "It sounds like you two had something going on before!"
Liu Yifeng immediately explained, "You little brat, don't spout nonsense. Hong Mei and I are just normal colleagues. After work, we're just ordinary friends."
After speaking, he looked at Hong Mei again and said, "No need for movies. I'm not interested in those things anymore!" This was his way of indirectly refusing Hong Mei.
Hong Mei also knew that matters of the heart couldn't be rushed. Since Yifeng's company was located upstairs, it meant they would have plenty of opportunities to meet in the future, so she didn't say anything more.
"Oh, Yifeng, I think your son is quite cute. My sister also has a son, about the same age as yours. He's in the nursery class. If you have time another day, I'll bring my nephew out to play with your son. That way, they'll have a companion and won't be so lonely when they're alone!" She changed the subject casually.
Just as Liu Yifeng was about to reply, a familiar voice suddenly rang out.
"Yifeng?"
Hearing the voice, Liu Yifeng looked up and saw Xu Muqing walking towards him, with several young people behind her.
"What are you doing here too?" He looked at the person who had arrived in surprise.
Xu Muqing first glanced at Hong Mei beside him, then smiled and explained, "I arranged a company dinner for my employees, and they booked this restaurant. As soon as I came in, I saw you. Who is this?"
Liu Yifeng saw that she was indeed looking at Hong Mei, so he stood up and introduced, "This is Hong Mei, my former colleague. I've just opened a new vegetable company, and my office is a few floors above my old company. We just happened to bump into each other, so we're having a meal together."
Hong Mei had never seen such a beautiful woman before. She had always thought she was outstandingly beautiful in the company, but compared to this woman, she finally understood what a true gap was.
Even though she was unwilling to admit it, she knew she couldn't compare to this woman.
In terms of appearance and temperament, she was several levels above her.
Therefore, this also gave her a strong sense of crisis. With this woman by Liu Yifeng's side, how could Liu Yifeng possibly notice her?
So she also stood up and, as if to declare her ownership, extended her hand, "Hello, I'm Hong Mei. Besides being Yifeng's former colleague, I'm also a very good friend. We were just talking about me bringing my nephew out to play with his son. I don't know if you have children, but if you do, we can bring the kids out to play together too!"
How could Xu Muqing not hear the implied meaning behind her words? However, she didn't mind. She smiled and shook the other woman's hand, "Hello, I'm Xu Muqing, and I'm also a friend of Yifeng. His son and my daughter attend the same kindergarten, and the two children are quite close. They often arrange to meet up on weekends, so there's no need for you to arrange it."
Upon hearing that Xu Muqing was married and already had children, Hong Mei secretly felt relieved.
Since she was a married woman, there was nothing for her to worry about.
She was single, so how could she be inferior to a woman with children? She had a natural advantage over her.
Lu Fei and Qiangzi smelled the strong scent of gunpowder. Watching the two women glare at each other over Yifeng, they prepared themselves to be spectators.
They wondered who Liu Yifeng would help if the two women were to fight.
But unfortunately, the two women showed no intention of fighting. "Yifeng, it looks like you've just started eating. Would you like to join us? I've booked three private rooms upstairs!" Xu Muqing invited.
Liu Yifeng shook his head, "No, it's not appropriate for us to join your company dinner!"
"Yes, yes, we won't disturb you. Ms. Xu, you should hurry and take them upstairs. It's not good to keep the employees waiting!" Hong Mei, clearly trying to get rid of her, acted as if she were Liu Yifeng's official girlfriend.
Although Xu Muqing was somewhat displeased, her upbringing did not allow her to behave inappropriately.
Suppressing her annoyance, she smiled at everyone, "Then I won't disturb your meal. I'll head upstairs first."
"Okay!" Liu Yifeng smiled and nodded.
Seeing that Liu Yifeng had no intention of asking her to stay for a meal, Xu Muqing felt a pang of disappointment, but she said nothing more and led her employees upstairs.
As soon as she left, Hong Mei couldn't help but ask, "Yifeng, Ms. Xu seems quite elegant. What does she do?"
"She runs a clothing company!"
"Then her husband must be even more impressive, right?" In her opinion, for a woman to be a boss, she must have the support of her partner.
However, Liu Yifeng's next words made her feel a sense of crisis again, "She's been divorced for two years, and her current career is something she built entirely on her own!"
"What, divorced?"
Liu Yifeng was confused, "Is there a problem with being divorced?"
Divorced people were everywhere these days, it was no longer a novelty.
Hong Mei repeatedly shook her head, "No problem. I just can't believe that such a beautiful woman's husband would bear to divorce her!"
"Every family has its own problems," Liu Yifeng said. Although he knew the reason for their divorce, he didn't elaborate.
Compared to Xu Muqing's divorce, Hong Mei actually wanted to ask a more important question: "Yifeng, are you and Ms. Xu very close?"
"We're okay. My son and her daughter are very close in kindergarten, so our families often get together!"
His answer completely unsettled Hong Mei. It seemed she had to put in more effort with Liu Yifeng, otherwise, she really stood no chance against Xu Muqing.
Lu Fei had been observing Hong Mei's expression, so he was fully aware of her little schemes.
If he thought it was a good match, it would be one thing, but this Hong Mei was simply not good enough for Yifeng. Thinking of this, he deliberately said, "Yifeng, she's divorced and has a child, and you also have a child. Moreover, you both have successful careers. I really think you two are quite a good match. A talented man and a beautiful woman, how perfect! Think carefully about what I said before. If you miss out on such an excellent woman, it'll be like missing the boat."
After speaking, he specifically looked at Hong Mei, "Ms. Hong, don't you think so? When the two of them stand together, they are a perfect match, a match made in heaven!"
Hong Mei didn't know if Lu Fei was genuinely foolish or pretending to be. Anyone with eyes could see that she had feelings for Liu Yifeng, yet he deliberately asked her such a question.
How was she supposed to answer? Saying yes would be wrong, and saying no would feel like lying against her conscience.
After a long pause, she finally managed to utter a sentence, "Actually, it all depends on what Yifeng thinks. No matter how good we think it is, if he doesn't like it, it's all in vain! Moreover, I think when it comes to relationships, it's best to let nature take its course. The most important thing when finding a wife is her inner qualities and compatible values!"