Engagement?
Feng Yiheng's eyes flashed with brief surprise, but then he quickly said to Lu Jingming and Xu Yanxia, "Congratulations to you both."
"Thank you."
Xu Yanxia smiled and thanked Feng Yiheng together with Lu Jingming.
Lu Jingming then asked him, "If it's convenient for you, my fiancée and I would like to invite you to our appreciation dinner next Sunday."
After all, the Lu family was a wealthy and influential one. Especially since Lu Jingming was the eldest son and the heir to the group, this engagement ceremony was unlike that of an ordinary family.
Besides the engagement ceremony at noon attended by relatives from both families, a special appreciation dinner was arranged for the evening, aimed at maintaining the Lu family's commercial network.
As a family member of an important business partner they were about to cooperate with, Feng Yiheng was naturally someone they could invite.
It just depended on whether his schedule would allow it.
However, calling her his "fiancée" right now...
Xu Yanxia silently glanced at a certain someone, unable to help but smile.
Feng Yiheng, who was standing in front of them, immediately smiled and nodded, saying, "It would be an absolute honor."
He added humorously, "Then I need to prepare a good congratulatory gift."
"You are too kind."
Xu Yanxia quickly smiled at him.
Lu Jingming also nodded and said, "It is our honor that you can attend."
"Then I'll see you next weekend."
Feng Yiheng politely shook hands with them again, then said goodbye and left the studio.
Lu Jingming naturally held his "fiancée's" hand and smilingly called out to their friends, "Let's go, time for some barbecue."
After this barbecue, he would be heading back to Rong City to prepare for his engagement with his Little Silly!!!
...
Since Lu Jingming and Wen Jiajun had to work the next day, and Xiaozhen had to rush home to see her baby, after eating and drinking to their hearts' content, everyone took a flight back to Rong City together.
Even though it was already late at night when they landed, after resting for a night, Xu Yanxia still got up on time the next morning to go to work.
First, she went to the company to discuss the cooperation with Meyer with her colleagues in the Investment and Expansion Department.
Then she went to the Teppanyaki restaurant to check the business operations over the past week, and took the opportunity to bring the souvenirs she bought for her sister-in-law in Xijing.
By the time she went to Nine Meals, the bustling lunch service had already ended.
"Director Xu, you're back!"
As soon as she stepped into the lobby, Xiao Zhong from the front hall service department happily called out to her.
Immediately after, other colleagues also gathered around to greet her, "Director Xu is finally back, we all missed you!"
"Did the show recording go smoothly this time, Director?"
"Very smoothly,"
Xu Yanxia smiled and handed out the souvenirs she brought for her colleagues, saying, "These are rabbit heads and beef I bought in Jincheng, and Zenggao and dried persimmons from Xijing. I brought them for everyone to try."
"Wow, thank you, Director!!!"
"Our Director is the best, always thinking of bringing us delicious food whenever she goes out!!!"
The female colleagues happily took the snacks and distributed them to everyone.
Manager Cui and Supervisor Yang quickly reported the business situation of the week to her.
"Over the past few days, our restaurant's business has remained stable. Moreover, because your show continues to be a hit, we experienced a minor boom over the past two weekend days. Many customers specifically asked to eat the signature dishes you made on the show, which brought our turnover last week up by five percent compared to last month."
"That's right, our official account is also continuously gaining followers. Currently, the restaurant has opened group meal reservations for New Year's Day and even the Spring Festival, and the current booking situation is quite good."
"Such a good trend is inseparable from everyone's hard work,"
Xu Yanxia took the opportunity to share the good news with her colleagues, "Due to the excellent performance of the two restaurants under our group, the European Meyer Group has extended an olive branch and wants to cooperate with us."
"The Meyer Group?"
"The company that exclusively supplies Michelin-starred restaurants?"
As soon as she finished speaking, her colleagues immediately let out gasps of exclamation.
Compared to others, most of the colleagues here at Nine Meals majored in hotel management, so they had naturally heard the great name of this high-end ingredient supplier.
"Yes,"
Xu Yanxia smiled and nodded, "It's the Meyer from Germany. Currently, the company headquarters is already drafting the cooperation proposal. Everyone should have heard about some of their rules. During this period, they might continue to come and inspect us, so we must stay alert, maintain our quality, and not slack off in any aspect."
"Understood!"
General Manager Cui immediately led the colleagues to express their stance to her, "Rest assured, Director Xu, we will definitely work hard and absolutely not hold the group back!"
As a practitioner in the high-end catering industry, Manager Cui knew all too well what kind of upgrade their group's brand would welcome once they successfully cooperated with the other party.
And correspondingly, the upgrade for everyone, whether in their resumes or their income, was even more foreseeable!
This was an absolutely great thing!
Thinking of this, Manager Cui assured Xu Yanxia again, "Next, we will go all out, and Director Xu, you can also rest assured to prepare for your big event."
The news about the President and the Director getting engaged over the weekend had already spread within the group. While Xu Yanxia was out recording the show, her colleagues had already enthusiastically discussed it.
Now, taking advantage of Manager Cui bringing it up, everyone started giving her their blessings in person.
"Yes, Director Xu, you can focus on preparing for your engagement next, no need to worry too much about us!"
"Oh right, we haven't said congratulations to Director Xu yet!"
"Congratulations, Director Xu! Wishing you and President Lu a long and happy life together!"
"May you have a harmonious and beautiful life, growing old together!"
"And have a precious baby soon!"
Pfft...
What a wish to have a baby soon. Xu Yanxia was so amused she laughed out loud. She had no choice but to thank her colleagues again, saying, "Thank you all for your blessings and support! I will prepare well for the major event of my life, but before that, I still have to finish some important work."
"This time we achieved good results in both the Jincheng and Xijing competitions, so I also plan to add a few of those new dishes to our menu. I also hope the colleagues in the back kitchen will brace themselves."
"Because judging from our recording situation, it's estimated that once the show is broadcast, the audience's response will still be very good. By then, the order volume is very likely to surge, so everyone must practice well in advance."
Not to mention anything else, just the Tang Palace Banquet set from yesterday's finals was enough to make people crave it badly. When they were eating barbecue, Wen Jiajun, Ye Shu, and the others strongly requested her to add it to the menu of Nine Meals or the Teppanyaki restaurant as soon as possible, clamoring to come and eat.
Of course, considering the preparation techniques for a few of the major dishes, such as the Camel Hoof Soup, Milk-Brewed Fish, and the Silk Road Ancient Method Roasted Steak, they all required a lot of time and effort.
So taking into account the ingredients and pricing, she decided to first add these dishes to Nine Meals.
As soon as her voice fell, her colleagues immediately agreed.
"No problem!"
"We will definitely work hard!"
...
