The next day, Xu Yanxia still got up early for work.
Considering that Chairman Lu and his wife were departing for Europe today, she specially added a dish of three-delicacy dumplings to the breakfast menu.
The shrimp in the filling were freshly shelled, the blanched cabbage was crisp and sweet, and the tofu was even pre-fried to a fragrant crispiness. Each bite was tender and juicy, winning praise from the whole family as soon as it was served.
After breakfast, university student Lu Jingyao returned to school, while Lu Jingming personally drove his parents to the airport.
After their flight took off, he returned to the company to work.
Thursday morning was still busy. He signed five reports and attended two meetings in a row before finally catching his breath and returning to his office to rest.
Wen Jiajun brought over a freshly brewed coffee and casually asked him, "There are no outsiders here. For the sake of our many years of friendship, be honest, are you dating Xiao Xu?"
"Date what?"
Lu Jingming took a sip of coffee, not quite catching on.
"Hah, playing dumb?"
Wen Jiajun pulled out a Douyin video on his phone to show him. "You two have been edited into a video for people to ship as a CP! If you're dating, just say so, why hide it from me? Not cool!"
"CP?"
Lu Jingming frowned and looked at the phone screen. He then discovered that someone had taken a few photos of him and Xu Yanxia going out to eat together yesterday, set them to music to make a video, and added captions like "domineering CEO," "girlfriend," and such.
"That's not the case."
He averted his gaze, took another sip of coffee, and leaned back in his chair to rest.
"That's not the case?"
Wen Jiajun raised an eyebrow. "If it's really not true, then I'm going to pursue Xiao Xu!"
"You like her?"
Lu Jingming glanced over again, his gaze carrying a hint of seriousness.
Wen Jiajun nodded. "Quite fond of her. And being with her, food safety is absolutely guaranteed. Could live many more years!"
—After yesterday's cafeteria inspection, he now had a deep aversion to junk food and had cooked two meals for himself in a row.
Although the taste wasn't great, at least he felt more at ease.
Lu Jingming, however, scoffed and said, "Then why pursue her? Just find any girl who studied food science, wouldn't that do?"
Wen Jiajun immediately retorted, "It's not about the major! Someone as beautiful, good at cooking, and capable as Xiao Xu is hard to come by!"
Suddenly remembering something, he quickly added, "The Chairman and his wife are in Europe. Will Xiao Xu bring you lunch today? If she does, can she make a bit more? I didn't get enough last time."
"Forget it, just give me her WeChat. I'll ask her myself."
"Wishful thinking,"
Lu Jingming cut off his daydream in one sentence. "There's no lunch delivery. We're going out for lunch today."
What?
Wen Jiajun immediately said, "Where to? Take me along!"
—Although the cafeteria had been rectified, the psychological shadow in his heart was hard to shake off!
Unfortunately, President Lu still ruthlessly refused him. "We have serious matters to discuss. It's not convenient."
Wen Jiajun persisted, "If you're not dating, what serious matters could you discuss? If it's about work, I can listen too..."
"I said it's not convenient."
Lu Jingming stood up, took his coffee, and walked out, even with a hint of a smug smile at the corner of his lips.
...
The Lu Family Mansion.
The clock had passed eleven, and Xu Yanxia was still busy in the kitchen.
Housekeeper Zhang couldn't help but come to remind her, "Xia Xia, aren't you going out for lunch with President Lu? What are you still busy with here?"
Xu Yanxia, holding a box of beef to be sliced, said, "The Madam and the Chairman are away, but everyone still needs to eat. I wanted to finish preparing the dishes before I leave."
Housekeeper Zhang said with a smile, "Our meals don't necessarily have to be made by you. It's getting late, you should go get ready so you can head out soon."
"There's not much for me to prepare either."
Xu Yanxia smiled, wiped her hands with a paper towel, and said, "Just need to change clothes. It'll be quick."
"Change into something nicer,"
Housekeeper Zhang earnestly advised her. "This is a meal with a young man. Don't just go out in a random t-shirt and jeans."
"...Auntie, you might have misunderstood,"
Xu Yanxia hurriedly explained. "President Lu and I are going out because of the Jiushan shares matter."
"It's still a meal."
Housekeeper Zhang said seriously. "Jiushan is currently in the spotlight, and you are one of their victims. Giving them face by going to the meal, of course you need to look sharp and spirited. Wear your prettiest clothes, so they won't dare look down on you."
Hmm.
That made sense too.
Xu Yanxia finally nodded and went back to change into a French-style belted maxi dress.
—This was her favorite dress, making her legs look long, her waist slim, and her stature tall. In short, it showcased all her best features.
Housekeeper Zhang was also very satisfied upon seeing it, even helped her fix her hair a bit. She also applied some light makeup, and indeed looked much more spirited.
Just as she finished getting ready, President Lu's Maybach drove into the courtyard. She said goodbye to Housekeeper Zhang, opened the passenger door, and got in.
"Hello, President Lu."
She greeted him with a smile.
Lu Jingming gave an "mm" of acknowledgment and also glanced at her sideways, his gaze involuntarily lingering on her for a moment.
A flash of admiration passed through his eyes.
Unfortunately, Xu Yanxia was looking back at the rear seat and didn't notice.
"President Lu, is it just the two of us today?" She was a bit surprised.
Lu Jingming was also surprised by her question. "Should there be others?"
"Ah,"
Xu Yanxia smiled awkwardly. "I thought there might be other company executives, since we're going for an inspection."
Lu Jingming smiled. "For this amount of money, I can make the decision myself."
Seeing that she had fastened her seatbelt, he turned the car around and drove out of the gate.
Half an hour later, the car arrived at Jiushan.
After parking, the two got out and walked towards the main hall of Jiushan.
Just as they reached the entrance, a slightly plump man in his forties, with a "General Manager" badge on his chest, hurried out from inside and greeted Lu Jingming with great enthusiasm.
"President Lu! My apologies, I just saw you. Sorry for the delay."
"It's fine,"
Lu Jingming said calmly. "We're just here for a meal. No need to be so formal."
"Welcome, welcome!"
The general manager nodded vigorously with a smile, then looked at Xu Yanxia and said, "This young lady... looks familiar. Are you a celebrity?"
"..."
Xu Yanxia felt a bit awkward and had to say, "Not a celebrity, just an ordinary person. My surname is Xu."
"Oh, Ms. Xu. Welcome to both of you."
The general manager ushered them further into the restaurant.
Just then, a young man passing by suddenly came up to them and asked Xu Yanxia, "Excuse me, are you the beauty from Xu's Teppanyaki?"
