It was about fifteen minutes later when Lu Jingming finally saw Xu Yanxia emerge from the fitting room.
This time, she was wearing a moon-white, modernized qipao. Embroidered with a pattern of blooming magnolias, it gave off an incredibly elegant and gentle aura.
The shop assistant had even helped pin her hair up into an elegant bun, adorned with an antique pearl hairpin. It made her look exactly like a classical beauty stepping straight out of a traditional ink painting.
Lu Jingming found it hard to tear his eyes away.
Walking over to the mirror, Xu Yanxia stared at her reflection, momentarily lost in a daze.
The hairstyle reminded her of her past life.
Back then, she had been born into a family of fifth-rank imperial chefs, making her a young lady of an official household.
When she came of age at fifteen, her father had gifted her a precious pearl hairpin just like this one.
In that deeply feudal society, it never should have been her place to enter the palace as an imperial chef. However, after her father suddenly passed away during a palace coup, she, as the eldest daughter, was forced to shoulder the family's burden and enter the imperial kitchens.
For ten years, she worked diligently, constantly treading on thin ice. Those grueling years transformed her from a naive seventeen-year-old girl into an independent woman, eventually becoming the palace's top imperial chef, receiving royal rewards year after year.
Just as her younger brother had finally come of age and was ready to enter the palace to take her place, she unexpectedly met her demise in yet another palace coup.
...
No one knew how overjoyed she was when she opened her eyes in this world again.
There was nothing better than being alive, breathing, and completely free.
...
"Oh my! This dress suits Miss Xu perfectly! Our master designer's haute couture is truly extraordinary!"
After showering Xu Yanxia with praise, the enthusiastic female manager quickly turned to Lu Jingming. "What do you think, Mr. Lu?"
Xu Yanxia snapped back to reality. Through the mirror, she caught Lu Jingming gazing at her with a gentle smile.
"Absolutely beautiful."
He nodded earnestly, making no effort to hide the admiration in his eyes.
He then asked her, "What do you think of it?"
Xu Yanxia nodded as well. "I think it's lovely too."
The manager quickly asked for their instructions. "In that case, if no alterations are needed, I will pack all three outfits for you, along with the three pairs of matching shoes. Mrs. Lu has already settled the bill through her VIP account."
"Alright."
Xu Yanxia nodded and was about to head back to the fitting room to change.
However, Lu Jingming spoke up. "I think you should just wear this out. It looks wonderful on you."
The shop assistant quickly chimed in, "Mr. Lu is absolutely right. This qipao is actually designed for everyday wear."
Is that so?
Xu Yanxia nodded in agreement. "That works."
After all, it was getting late, and they still had to head over to the private club. The shop assistant had spent quite some time styling her hair, and changing clothes would mean taking it all down. It was easier to just leave it as it was.
With that decided, once the assistant had packed up the remaining clothes, she followed Lu Jingming out of the boutique and got back into the car.
The car drove eastward, passing through the bustling city center before arriving at the Lu family's private club, situated by the shores of East Lake, a famous scenic spot in Rong City.
The club was built in the style of a traditional Song Dynasty garden.
Dark-tiled roofs and whitewashed walls were partially hidden among the lush green trees. Above the vermilion gates with their heavy bronze rings hung a plaque bearing the bold characters: Embracing the Moon and Listening to the Waves.
Although the visibility wasn't as clear as during the day, the strategic lighting gave the estate an even more magnificent and imposing presence at night.
This was the Lu family's private club. Aside from a select few elite members, it was entirely closed to the public.
The moment Lu Jingming's car pulled through the main gates, Manager Wei was notified. By the time Lu Jingming and Xu Yanxia stepped out of the vehicle, he was already waiting at the garden entrance to greet them.
"Mr. Lu, welcome."
Lu Jingming gave a brief nod and introduced Xu Yanxia. "This is Miss Xu, the head chef for the family banquet this Wednesday. I brought her over to take a look at the venue."
"Ah, hello, Miss Xu."
Manager Wei quickly offered his greetings. "I've heard so much about you. Welcome, welcome! My last name is Wei, but please, just call me Xiao Wei."
Even though Manager Wei was in his thirties and could tell at a glance that Xu Yanxia was quite young, he was an avid follower of trending news and gossip. He knew exactly what was going on. This beautiful woman might nominally be the Lu family's chef, but in reality, there was a very high chance she was Mr. Lu's girlfriend.
Naturally, he had to show the utmost respect.
Completely unaware of his inner thoughts, Xu Yanxia greeted him politely. "Hello, Manager Wei. I mainly came tonight to take a look at the kitchen."
"Of course. Please, follow me." Manager Wei immediately led the way inside.
Passing through the entrance, they were first greeted by a mountainous garden landscape. A winding path paved with bluestone slabs meandered through, flanked by ornamental Taihu stones stacked to resemble miniature mountains. Antique-style palace lanterns mounted on the walls cast a warm, hazy yellow glow.
Walking through a moon gate, they arrived at the club's central courtyard. A zigzagging bridge made of white marble spanned a large pond, and under the illumination of the lights, plump koi fish could be seen swimming leisurely in the water.
Directly across from the pond stood the club's main building. From Manager Wei's introduction, Xu Yanxia learned that the main building spanned six floors, housing banquet halls, conference rooms, a private cinema, a swimming pool, and an observation deck, among other amenities.
The kitchen she needed to inspect was located on the west wing of the second floor, right next to the banquet hall.
She followed Manager Wei up to the second-floor kitchen. The massive space, nearly two hundred square meters in size, was impeccably designed. The storage, food preparation, and cooking areas were all rationally partitioned, and it was fully equipped with both Chinese and Western culinary appliances.
She tested the stovetops and woks in the Chinese section, checked the ovens in the Western section, and inspected the pantry and tableware. Satisfied, she turned to Manager Wei. "Everything looks great so far. If it's convenient for you, could we add each other on WeChat? I'll likely come over tomorrow during the day to do some prep work, and it would be easier to contact you."
"Absolutely, no problem at all."
Manager Wei immediately pulled out his phone and added her on WeChat, his heart suddenly filled with motivation.
After all, he was very likely the first employee in the entire Lu Group to get the future boss's wife on his WeChat contacts. This was a day worth going down in history!
Once they had added each other, the CEO turned to him and instructed, "The family banquet on Wednesday is of utmost importance. If Miss Xu needs anything, I expect everyone to do their absolute best to accommodate her."
"Please rest assured, Mr. Lu,"
Manager Wei quickly replied. "Ever since we received the Madam's notice the week before last, the club has been making preparations. Starting today, we are closed to the public for the rest of the week so we can dedicate all our efforts to preparing for Wednesday's banquet."
He then turned and offered Xu Yanxia a firm guarantee. "Miss Xu, please feel free to ask for whatever you need. The entire staff of the club is at your disposal."
"Thank you all so much,"
Xu Yanxia said with a polite smile, before turning to Lu Jingming. "I think we can head back now."
Manager Wei immediately stepped forward to lead the way. "Let me walk you two out."
However, Lu Jingming stopped him. "We'll see ourselves out. You can go back to your work."
"...Oh, of course."
Manager Wei caught on immediately. Nodding quickly, he said, "Then I will take my leave. I won't disturb you two any further."
With that, he scurried off.
That was a close call! He had almost ended up being a third wheel.
Seeing how stunning Miss Xu looked tonight, alongside the dashing and handsome Mr. Lu, it was obvious the two of them had important plans. It would be foolish of him to intrude.
The surroundings fell quiet.
Lu Jingming turned to Xu Yanxia and asked, "The moon is beautiful tonight. Would you like to go see a nice view?"
A nice view?
Although slightly surprised, Xu Yanxia nodded. "Sure. Is it far?"
"Not at all,"
He smiled and walked ahead to lead the way. "Just follow me."
Xu Yanxia followed after him.
Leaving the restaurant, the two of them took the elevator up to the viewing terrace on the sixth floor.
A breathtaking scene instantly unfolded before Xu Yanxia's eyes.
A bright moon hung over the vast expanse of East Lake. The silvery moonlight reflected off the rippling water and the dense, distant woods, draping everything in a veil of silver.
Just as Manager Wei had mentioned earlier, the clubhouse was not open to the public today. At this hour, the staff had already left for the day, leaving the surroundings incredibly serene.
It was so peaceful that all that remained around them was the night breeze blowing from the lake and the faint, distant sound of the waves.
Xu Yanxia marveled, "So this is where the phrase 'Embracing the Moon and Listening to the Waves' comes from."
"It's been a long time since I've seen moonlight like this. It truly is beautiful."
Lu Jingming gave a soft hum of agreement.
"It is indeed beautiful."
But it wasn't just the moonlight.
He had accomplished a lot today, but the most important thing was still left undone.
He wanted to seize this moment to say what he hadn't been able to say while they were eating hot pot.
So, after a brief pause, he called out to her, "Xiaoxia."
Xu Yanxia, who had been standing ahead of him admiring the view, gave a soft response and turned to look at him.
The lights on the terrace were off, and the moonlight cast a gentle glow over everything, including his handsome face.
He was looking at her earnestly, as if he had something important to say.
Xu Yanxia paused, her heart suddenly fluttering with nerves.
