Lu Jingming frowned. "Does it hurt a lot? I'll be gentler."
"No, it's not the pain,"
Xu Yanxia's face felt a little hot. She simply said, "Thank you."
The staff member who had brought the ice quietly slipped out of the room.
Lu Jingming's attention remained on her sprained ankle. His face was full of guilt as he applied the ice pack, saying, "Tonight was really my fault. I shouldn't have suggested you wear this dress, nor should I have taken you to the rooftop."
Xu Yanxia could only smile and comfort him. "If you put it that way, I shouldn't have walked over that spot, so I bear the most responsibility. Tonight was just an accident. You really don't need to be so hard on yourself."
As soon as her voice faded, Manager Wei hurried over. With a solemn expression, he bowed and apologized to them. "I am so sorry, Mr. Lu, Miss Xu. I just went to check the terrace. A piece of the wooden decking had rotted, and Miss Xu happened to step right on it. This is indeed my dereliction of duty. I've already notified the maintenance department to replace it."
As he spoke, he handed Xu Yanxia the shoe that had gotten stuck earlier.
Xu Yanxia accepted it with a word of thanks.
Lu Jingming, however, said sternly, "Don't just check the terrace. Have someone inspect all areas of the club immediately. We must ensure there are absolutely no safety hazards."
"Yes, right away."
Manager Wei nodded vigorously beside them. "This was indeed an oversight on our part. We will rectify it immediately."
He then turned to Xu Yanxia. "Miss Xu, how is your foot? Is there anything we can do for you?"
"I'm fine here,"
Xu Yanxia thought for a moment, then said to Lu Jingming, "Considering my situation, I think I'll just stay here for the night. I have to start cooking tomorrow anyway, so it will save me the hassle of commuting back and forth."
To her surprise, Lu Jingming replied, "Given your current condition, you shouldn't do the cooking anymore. There are already chefs here, or we can hire someone from outside. I will explain it to my mother."
Xu Yanxia immediately objected. "You don't need to find anyone else. I only sprained my ankle; my hands and arms are perfectly fine."
"But cooking requires you to stand and move around."
Lu Jingming looked at her earnestly. "The most important thing for you right now is to rest, so the swelling doesn't get worse."
Xu Yanxia remained stubborn. "I can rest tonight and start cooking by tomorrow noon at the latest. Besides, it's only Monday night. There are still over forty hours until the family banquet officially begins. I will be completely fine."
"No,"
Lu Jingming was equally insistent. "An injury like this requires at least a week of rest. Listen to me, don't push yourself."
"I'd like to ask you to listen to me."
Xu Yanxia's expression grew solemn, and she told him earnestly, "First of all, I would never treat my own health as a joke. Secondly, Madam trusts me so much and has made so many preparations for this family dinner. I don't want to let her down over a minor injury."
"Furthermore, this is my job, and it is a reflection of my worth. I want to live a life of value."
Lu Jingming paused.
He knew that her last sentence likely wasn't just about the family banquet.
...
Manager Wei had already tactfully slipped out of the room.
He even silently closed the door behind him.
Amidst the quiet, Lu Jingming took a deep breath and quickly apologized to Xu Yanxia. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. I was just afraid of it affecting your health."
Xu Yanxia also smiled and said, "I understand. I just wanted to let you know my own wishes."
Looking at him, she continued, "First and foremost, I am a chef in the Lu family, and I ought to fulfill my duties."
Lu Jingming paused for a moment, then nodded and said okay.
"I respect your decision."
He smiled and asked her, "Is there anything you need me to do? I'll fully cooperate."
Xu Yanxia also smiled and said, "My bag and clothes are still in your car. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to fetch them for me."
"No problem."
He added, "Is there anything else?"
Xu Yanxia thought for a moment, then told him, "When you go back later, if it's convenient, could you please tell Aunt Zhang, Sister Wang, or Sister Sun to help feed the stray kittens in the yard for the next few days?"
"Alright."
Lu Jingming nodded obediently, "Anything else?"
Xu Yanxia shook her head, "No, that's it."
After saying that, she paused for a second before telling him, "Drive safely on your way back."
"I will."
Lu Jingming also smiled, "If you need anything, just ask them to help you. I'll be going now."
...
It was past ten in the evening, and the roads were no longer congested. It only took Lu Jingming twenty minutes to drive back to the mid-mountain mansion.
Aunt Zhang was still waiting for him at the door. Seeing him get out of the car alone, she couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Didn't Xiao Xia come back with you?"
"She sprained her ankle at the clubhouse, so she will be staying there for the next few days," Lu Jingming replied.
Aunt Zhang quickly asked, "Is it serious? Does she need to go to the hospital?"
"It shouldn't have hurt the bone,"
Lu Jingming said. "Xiao Xia asked you to feed the cats in the yard when you have time."
"I know,"
Aunt Zhang nodded, then asked him, "Since Xiao Xia is injured, what about the family banquet on Wednesday..."
Lu Jingming smiled and said, "She insisted on doing it herself. Let's respect her decision. She should be able to handle it."
"Alright,"
Aunt Zhang sighed with admiration, "She really isn't your average young girl."
"Mhm."
Lu Jingming nodded and headed upstairs.
...
Spraining an ankle was indeed somewhat inconvenient.
But Xu Yanxia was a strong person who was good at solving problems.
After Lu Jingming left, she applied an ice pack to her ankle for a while. When it felt about right, she hopped on one foot to the bathroom to take a shower and brush her teeth, then lay down on the bed.
It was almost eleven at night, but she wasn't sleepy yet, so she unlocked her phone to browse.
Luo Jiajia had sent her a few photos of the bustling teppanyaki scene tonight. Even though it was already Monday, the crowd was no smaller than the previous night's.
She replied with a cheering emoji sticker, then went to check the backend of her Douyin account.
Only then did she realize that the new video she posted today was also widely praised. In particular, Queen Xixi had helped drive another wave of traffic to her and even left a comment, which made her followers surge by over a hundred thousand in an instant.
She replied to Lu Jingxi's comment and answered some questions from her fans.
When she returned to the WeChat interface, she scrolled through her Moments.
Sure enough, she saw the photo of the hotpot meal that Lu Jingming posted earlier that evening.
Although it was just a picture without any caption, seeing it under his name and his profile picture featuring the corporate logo made it truly eye-catching.
The only mutual contacts they shared—the second and third siblings of the Lu family, as well as Aunt Zhang—had all liked the post.
So, she gave it a like as well.
Just as she was about to lock her screen and go to sleep, she suddenly received a new message.
It was sent by Lu Jingming.
[Not asleep yet?]
So he was still awake too?
Xu Yanxia smiled and replied, "Yes."
Almost immediately, she received a new message from him: "I'm in the room next door. Want to have breakfast together tomorrow morning?"
