Today is Monday, and each member of the Lu family has their own things to do. After Xu Yanxia packed up the char siu buns and beef pies, Lu Jingming took them to the company.
After finishing breakfast, Chairman Lu also went out, while Mrs. Lu returned to the second floor to rest.
After having breakfast with her colleagues and tidying up the kitchen, Xu Yanxia overheard the cleaners, Sister Wang and Sister Sun, gossiping again—
Sister Wang, "Is Young Master Lu dating someone at the company? He even brought food for them."
Sister Sun, "No way, that's Young Master Lu's classmate, and it's a guy. They both studied in the UK before."
Sister Sun has been with the Lu family longer and knows more about the situation than Sister Wang.
Sister Wang, however, didn't think much of it, "So what if it's a guy? Society is so open nowadays, plenty of men are together with other men."
Pfft...
Xu Yanxia, who was fiddling with the dishwasher, almost laughed out loud. She never would have guessed Sister Wang's views were so modern.
But she thought President Lu was probably straight, given how straightforward his WeChat name and profile picture were.
After sending the message last night, she had secretly browsed his Moments and found that he rarely posted anything, and when he did, it was mostly company updates.
In short... he seemed to have no personal flair whatsoever, so it was unlikely any guy would be interested in him.
Of course, she just listened to this gossip and wouldn't easily offer any opinions.
Just as the cleaning in the living room was finished and the cleaning ladies had moved to the garden, today's groceries were delivered.
Xu Yanxia checked the list with the delivery guy and then took out her phone, saying, "Next Wednesday, we're hosting a family banquet at East Lake. We might need to prepare some less common ingredients in advance. Let's add each other on WeChat. I'll make a list and let you know ahead of time."
"No problem."
The guy readily pulled up his QR code for her to scan, joking, "I've wanted to add you for a long time, but was afraid you'd look down on me."
"How could I?"
Xu Yanxia also smiled and casually asked, "By the way, besides these premium fresh ingredients, do you sell affordable or discounted vegetables?"
"Of course we do," the guy said. "We have over a dozen affordable fresh produce warehouses in Rong City. The harvesting follows unified standards, and the quality is absolutely reliable. For bulk purchases, there are even discounts."
"That's good,"
Xu Yanxia said with a smile, "I happen to know someone in the catering business. I'll contact you if there's a need in the future."
"Sure thing."
The guy patted his chest, "Just come straight to me, guaranteed to get you a discount."
After their conversation, the guy pulled his delivery cart out of the mansion, and Xu Yanxia put away the newly arrived meat and vegetables in the refrigerator.
She had just finished when she heard Mrs. Lu calling her in the living room.
"Xiao Xu, come here for a moment."
"Yes, ma'am."
She hurried upstairs to the second floor, where Mrs. Lu said, "Our Old Lu has been drinking a bit too much lately. Make lunch early and deliver it to his company, so he doesn't go out to drink at noon. Oh, and take a portion for Jingming too, so he doesn't say I'm playing favorites."
"Alright."
Xu Yanxia nodded readily and returned to the kitchen to prepare.
She actually understood Chairman Lu quite well. Drinking is indeed harmful to health, but socializing is unavoidable in business. Caught between a rock and a hard place, the best approach is to focus on dietary nourishment.
At 11:30, she finished lunch early. After setting aside portions for Mrs. Lu and her colleagues, she packed the two delivery meals into insulated bags and got into Uncle Li's car to go to the Lu Group.
After a twenty-minute drive, as they approached the group's building, Uncle Li headed towards the underground garage and explained to Xu Yanxia, "Chairman Lu's office is on the 26th floor, and Young Master Lu is on the 22nd. If they're in meetings, just hand it to the secretary. I'll wait for you here."
Xu Yanxia quickly said, "Uncle Li, please go back for lunch first. What if Mrs. Lu needs to go out and requires you to drive? It's rare for me to come here; I'd like to check out the company cafeteria."
Uncle Li was a bit puzzled, "What's so interesting about the cafeteria?"
Xu Yanxia smiled and said, "The Lu Group cafeteria is quite famous. I heard it has a wide variety, good quality, and cheap prices. It was trending online a while ago. I want to see it for myself and maybe pick up some ideas."
"Well then,"
Uncle Li, worried she might get lost, specifically told her, "Later, when you go out from the first-floor lobby, the subway station is about a hundred meters to the left."
"Okay, I got it."
Carrying the lunch boxes, she got out of the car, waved goodbye to Uncle Li, and entered the elevator.
After checking in at the front desk in the first-floor lobby, the receptionist quickly verified her identity using her registered information in the company system and escorted her to the elevator, pressing the floor button for her.
When she reached the 26th floor, a meeting had just ended. Chairman Lu walked out of the conference room, followed by several similarly aged men in suits who all seemed quite imposing, likely top executives of the group.
They were chatting and laughing, seemingly discussing where to go for lunch.
Not wanting to fail Mrs. Lu's request, Xu Yanxia quickly stepped forward to greet him, "Hello, Chairman Lu. Mrs. Lu asked me to deliver your lunch."
Chairman Lu gave an "oh" and promptly had someone take the insulated bag. He said to everyone with a smile, "Look, the boss's concern has been delivered right to me. I'm afraid I can't join you all. Better to obediently eat a home-cooked meal."
Everyone expressed envy while teasing him—
"Your wife is so thoughtful, sending someone with lunch. So envious!"
"Those of us with no one to care for us have to find our own food."
"Your wife should have sent more, so we could have a taste of home cooking too!"
Chairman Lu laughed heartily, "She didn't know we had a meeting today. Next time, I'll tell her in advance to prepare more."
He then introduced Xu Yanxia to everyone, "This is the new young lady at our home. Very capable, cooks with great skill. I'll invite you all over to try her food someday."
Xu Yanxia politely bowed to the executives and bid farewell to Chairman Lu, "There's another portion for President Lu. I'll head over now."
"Go ahead."
Chairman Lu, concerned she might not know the way, specifically told her, "He's on the 22nd floor."
"Alright."
Xu Yanxia took the remaining insulated bag and entered the elevator again. When she reached the 22nd floor, President Lu was not in his office.
So, she handed the insulated bag to the secretary on duty, "Hello, this is lunch prepared for President Lu. Please let him know when he returns."
"Oh... okay."
The female secretary took the bag, looked at her, and asked, "May I ask who you are..."
—Last time, someone said President Lu was dating, and his girlfriend was very young and beautiful...
Could it be this lady?
Xu Yanxia had no idea what the other person was thinking. Just as she was about to state her identity, the sound of the elevator door opening and people talking came from behind.
"The R&D department did well this time. Breaking through this technical bottleneck means things will go smoothly from here on..."
She then turned around and called out, "President Lu." Lu Jingming was a bit surprised, "What are you doing here?"
Xu Yanxia said, "I just delivered your lunch and was about to leave."
Before Lu Jingming could say anything else, a young man of similar age beside him, wearing black-framed glasses and looking fair and clean, immediately asked curiously, "And this is... Xiao Xu?"
Oh, so he actually knows her surname?
Xu Yanxia quickly nodded in response, "Hello, I'm Xu Yanxia."
"My, she really is a beauty!"
The man immediately extended his hand to shake hers, smiling warmly. "A pleasure to meet you. I just had the char siu bao and beef pancakes you made this morning—they were absolutely delicious! You can't find that flavor anywhere else."
Oh...
Xu Yanxia realized this must be Wen Jiajun, the male classmate and colleague rumored to be involved with President Lu.
