"Oh, that's me."
Xu Yanxia nodded.
The young man then said with delight, "You're even more beautiful in person than in the videos! I'm a fan of your Douyin account and I've often been to your place to eat... Could we take a photo together?"
He even took out his phone.
Xu Yanxia, "..."
A photo together?
To be honest, she wasn't in the habit of taking photos with strangers.
But considering he was a fan of their family's business, she could only nod and say, "Sure."
"Great."
The young man happily switched his phone to selfie mode, stretched out his arm, and prepared to take a selfie with Xu Yanxia.
His body inevitably leaned closer to her.
He was about to touch her shoulder.
Just then, Lu Jingming spoke up, "Let me take the photo for you."
"Oh, thank you."
The young man switched his phone back to normal mode and handed it to him, finally able to stand up straight again.
Lu Jingming took the phone, stepped back a bit, and took the photo for them.
The young man took his phone back and asked Xu Yanxia, "When do you usually go to the teppanyaki stall? I didn't see you there yesterday when I went."
Xu Yanxia explained, "I usually have to work, so I can only go on my days off, generally after 8:30 PM on Mondays."
"Alright,"
the young man politely bid her farewell, "I look forward to seeing you next time. I won't disturb you further, goodbye."
"Goodbye."
Xu Yanxia nodded to him.
Just as she was about to continue into the restaurant, another mother with a little girl walked over and said, "Excuse me, I just heard you're the beauty from Xu's Teppanyaki, is that right?"
"...Uh, yes, that's me."
Xu Yanxia had to force a smile and nod again.
The woman then asked, "Could we also take a photo with you? We just watched the video yesterday and we really support you too."
How could Xu Yanxia refuse? She could only nod again and say, "Of course."
Lu Jingming once again took on the role of photographer and took the photo for them.
The four or five-year-old little girl looked up sweetly at Xu Yanxia and said, "Big sister, you're so pretty!"
Xu Yanxia smiled and said, "Thank you, you're very pretty too."
The little girl's mother seized the opportunity to tell her daughter, "Big sister isn't just pretty, she's also smart and brave. You should learn from her."
"You're too kind."
Xu Yanxia smiled modestly again, and the mother and daughter waved goodbye to her.
After these two encounters, the general manager of Jiu Shan finally caught on and quickly said to her, "So it's Miss Xu! I'm so sorry I didn't recognize you earlier. It's truly an honor that you and President Lu have graced us with your presence, despite any past misunderstandings..."
Fortunately, Lu Jingming cut him off in time, saying, "We're just here to eat. There's no need for all that. Let's go in."
"Of course, right this way, please."
The general manager promptly ushered the two into the restaurant.
Considering Xu Yanxia's current popularity and to avoid more requests for photos, Lu Jingming directly asked to be taken to a private room.
The elevator went straight to the fifth floor. Only then did Xu Yanxia realize that Jiu Shan, besides the main hall on the first floor, had four more floors of private rooms.
The higher the floor, the more luxurious the room's decor, which also meant higher prices.
For example, the Platinum VIP room they were in now had ceilings over six meters high, with ornate crystal chandeliers set into European-style relief ceilings. The huge floor-to-ceiling windows offered a commanding view of the surrounding neighborhood.
It was likely the ideal venue for local tycoons to host business banquets.
It was just a pity that Jiu Shan's business was currently dismal. Even at lunchtime, when she came in, the main hall was practically empty, let alone those private rooms that required minimum spends of tens of thousands.
In the center of the room stood a large round table that could seat ten. With only the two of them there today, sitting apart would have felt too awkward. Lu Jingming, in a very gentlemanly manner, pulled out a chair for Xu Yanxia and then sat down beside her.
The general manager stepped forward solicitously, brewed some top-grade Longjing tea for them, presented an exquisite menu, and cautiously asked, "What would you two like to order for lunch today?"
Lu Jingming handed the menu directly to Xu Yanxia. "You order."
Xu Yanxia opened the menu, looked through it, and then said to the general manager, "It's my first time here, so I'm not sure what your signature dishes are. Please bring us six of your most popular dishes."
—Actually, the two of them couldn't eat that much, but since they were here to evaluate the place today, they needed to try more dishes.
Of course, the restaurant's menu had over thirty dishes, but six should be enough to get a sense of their standard.
"Certainly, please wait a moment."
The general manager hurried off to place the order.
The room quieted down. Xu Yanxia said to Lu Jingming, "I think I understand now why such a large restaurant targeted our little street stall recently."
"Why?"
Lu Jingming asked, taking a sip of tea.
She stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and pointed in a certain direction outside. "That's the night market where we set up our stall. It's so close. They probably thought it would lower their hotel's standing."
"Is that so?"
Lu Jingming also walked over and looked out the window with her.
The view from this room was actually quite good.
Although nominally on the fifth floor, with such high ceilings on each level, it was practically equivalent to the tenth floor of a regular office building. The nearby park and buildings were all in view. While there was a night market, it was government-planned and managed, so it was actually quite clean and orderly.
He said, "If it were me, seeing the bustling, lively scene of the night market, I would only feel that the current economy is thriving and be filled with confidence. If they really think that way, it just shows a serious problem with their understanding."
Xu Yanxia nodded. "Exactly. Customers who normally spend tens of thousands on a meal here probably wouldn't even consider spending money at our street stall. We're not in any sort of competitive relationship."
"That's not necessarily true."
Lu Jingming suddenly smiled and said, "Seeing how popular you are today, I actually feel like trying your family's teppanyaki now."
"Really?"
Xu Yanxia immediately gave him a radiant smile. "Well, next time I'm off work, if you have time, I'll treat you to our teppanyaki."
—After all, today's meal would easily cost several thousand. Not treating him to a meal in return would feel rather inappropriate.
"Sure."
Lu Jingming agreed readily, his gaze instinctively returning to her.
He caught his own reflection in her bright eyes.
It seemed like a long time since he had seen such beautiful eyes.
Just then, a sound came from the doorway—
"Excuse me, your dishes are ready."
The door opened immediately, and servers entered carrying the food.
Xu Yanxia went back to sit down.
Lu Jingming paused for a moment, then also went and sat down.
