Lu Jingming looked up, giving her a meaningful glance before saying, "No need, I'll eat in the cafeteria. Are you going to Jiu Shan today?"
Xu Yanxia pretended not to see the faint grievance in his gaze and simply replied, "I'm fine with either. It depends on Mrs. Lu's plans for today."
Mrs. Lu, still savoring the delicious breakfast, immediately chimed in, "Mrs. Lou and Mrs. Yan invited me for tea this afternoon. You go ahead and tend to your work. I won't be home for dinner either tonight, so don't worry about us."
"Alright."
Xu Yanxia nodded.
Then, Mrs. Lu pointed at the bowl of sesame paste and said, "This is truly delicious! We should add it to the shop's menu later, along with that previous Almond Seven Whites Drink. The ladies would absolutely love it."
Xu Yanxia smiled again, "Okay, I'll add them today."
...
After breakfast, once Chairman Lu and his son Lu Jingming had left for work and Mrs. Lu had gone upstairs to rest, Xu Yanxia finished organizing the newly arrived ingredients for the day and began preparing the lunch dishes.
—She remembered Aunt Zhang mentioning that Mrs. Lu's hometown was in Jiangsu-Zhejiang region; she had moved to Rong City with her parents in her teens. Therefore, Old Master Shen was likely also from that region.
So, she specially prepared several Su-Zhe style dishes.
Elderly people usually eat earlier, so she made sure to finish lunch before 11:30. She first packed Old Master Shen's portion into an insulated bag and handed it to Uncle Li. Then, she returned to set Mrs. Lu's meal on the dining table.
Soon, Mrs. Lu came downstairs, drawn by the aroma, and asked curiously as she walked towards the table, "Xiao Xia, what did you make? It smells so wonderful!"
Xu Yanxia introduced the dishes on the table, "For lunch today, I made Shredded Dried Tofu in Broth, Stir-fried Eel Shreds, Braised Bamboo Shoots, and Lion's Head Meatballs with Crab Roe."
She added, "I sent the same dishes with Uncle Li just now."
"These are all dishes from my hometown!"
Mrs. Lu exclaimed with emotion, "You're so thoughtful, child! My old father will probably eat two extra bowls of rice today. He might just ask you to cook for him every day from now on."
Xu Yanxia laughed, "As long as the elder enjoys it, I don't mind cooking for him every day."
No sooner had she finished speaking than her phone rang in her pocket.
Mrs. Lu told her, "Go answer the phone. I'll be fine eating by myself."
"Okay."
Not wanting to disturb Mrs. Lu's meal, Xu Yanxia took her phone to the courtyard.
Answering with a "hello," she heard the voice of Manager Gao from the 4S dealership yesterday—
"Miss Xu? I'm pleased to inform you that the procedures for your car are complete. You can come pick it up anytime at your convenience."
She quickly thanked him and hung up.
Immediately after, she noticed a message from her brother received half an hour earlier, asking if she was free for a call.
She must have been busy cooking and missed the vibration.
Since she had a moment now, she called her brother back.
The call was quickly answered. Her brother told her, "Xiao Xia, the process for Mr. Lu's investment in us is finished. Manager Chen from the company just called me over to sign the contract. Are you free to come out now?"
—They had the meeting on Monday, and it was already Friday with the process completed. The efficiency was quite good.
Xu Yanxia said, "I'll go tell Mrs. Lu. I should be able to come. Do they take a lunch break?"
Xu Zhanpeng on the other end said, "Manager Chen said he'll wait for us anytime. We can sign as soon as we arrive."
"Alright then,"
Xu Yanxia nodded, "Let's meet directly at the Lu Corporation later."
With that, she hung up.
Checking the time on her screen, it wasn't even noon yet.
She casually sent a message to Lu Jingming, 【Have you eaten? I made some Su-Zhe dishes today. I'm heading to the company now. Do you want me to bring you some?】
Before she even walked back to the living room, she received Lu Jingming's reply, 【Yes.】
Then he asked, 【Coming to the company to sign?】
Xu Yanxia replied, 【Yes, with my brother.】
He then asked, 【So, how about having lunch with your brother?】
Xu Yanxia replied, 【No need to trouble yourself. He has to prep ingredients for the afternoon, so time is tight.】
Lu Jingming messaged back, 【Alright then. Just bring some for me.】
【By the way, if there's extra, you can bring a bit more.】
Xu Yanxia sent back an OK emoji, then returned to the dining room to inform Mrs. Lu.
Mrs. Lu, happily eating, readily agreed and even instructed her, "Uncle Li should be back soon. Have him drive you. I'm not meeting the ladies until three, so there's no rush."
"Okay, thank you, Mrs. Lu."
Xu Yanxia also mentioned, "There are still dishes in the kitchen. I just asked Mr. Lu, and he asked me to bring them to him."
"Then he's in for a treat."
Mrs. Lu smiled kindly, "Go ahead."
"Mhm."
Xu Yanxia went to the kitchen to pack the dishes, then returned to her room to change clothes.
Just then, Uncle Li, who had delivered the meal to Old Master Shen, returned. She got into his car and they set off.
Back in the dining room, Mrs. Lu, savoring the delicious food, sighed to Housekeeper Zhang, "Thank heavens, Ah Qing. I'm finally about to see the light at the end of the tunnel."
The roads were clear at noon, and they soon arrived at the Lu Corporation building.
Xu Yanxia had specifically told Uncle Li on the way that she would go to Jiu Shan later. So after she got out of the car, Uncle Li drove back to the Lu mansion, ready to take Mrs. Lu to meet her friends for tea later.
She, carrying the insulated bag, entered the company lobby. After checking in at the front desk, she took the elevator to the 22nd floor, where the CEO's office was located.
Stepping out of the elevator, she didn't see Lu Jingming.
Xu Yanxia directly handed the insulated bag to the secretary, saying, "Hello, this is lunch for Mr. Lu."
"Oh,"
This time, the female secretary was quite enthusiastic and quickly said to her, "You must be Miss Xu. Mr. Lu is still in a meeting, but it should end soon. Would you like to wait for him?"
Xu Yanxia, "...No need, I have other matters. Please give this to Mr. Lu later."
Her brother should be arriving soon. Signing the contract was the priority.
However, the secretary nodded and added, "You're just as pretty in person as in your videos. To be honest, I follow your Douyin account and give you a like every day."
"Is that so,"
Xu Yanxia smiled at her, "Thank you for following and liking."
Just as she finished speaking, a sound came from behind, and the secretary called out, "Mr. Lu."
She turned around and indeed saw Lu Jingming emerging from a nearby conference room, followed by Wen Jiajun and several other colleagues.
Although everyone looked around the same age, at a glance, he was still the most striking one.
He had initially looked quite serious, but upon seeing her, he immediately smiled and said in a very familiar tone, "You got here so fast?"
Xu Yanxia nodded, "I came right after sending the message."
Lu Jingming glanced at the insulated bag on the secretary's desk and asked her, "Haven't you eaten either? Come, let's eat together."
He seemed about to lead her into his office.
The colleagues around them silently exchanged glances—
I'd heard this beauty was President Lu's girlfriend. Judging by his tone, it must be true!
Xu Yanxia, however, quickly waved her hand and said, "No need, my brother will be here soon. I have to go to Jiu Shan for a food tasting this afternoon, so I need to save some room."
Otherwise, I'd be too full to eat dinner later.
Lu Jingming immediately changed his tune, "Then I'll accompany you to meet him first."
"..."
Xu Yanxia could feel the unusual looks from everyone around them.
She politely declined at once, "You should eat first, or your food will get cold. We can just sign the contract with Manager Chen later."
With that, she prepared to bid him goodbye.
Who would have thought he'd promptly say, "Then I'll drive you to Jiu Shan later."
The astonishment in the eyes of the onlookers was barely containable now—
Tsk, so even the usually decisive and authoritative President Lu is no different when he's in love.
Willing to play chauffeur, running errands for his girlfriend!!!
But Xu Yanxia said, "There's no need for you to drive me. I plan to stop by Manager Gao's place later. They just called me, so I'll go to Jiu Shan directly from there on my own."
Once she picks up her car, she can drive herself; she doesn't need him as a driver.
—Out of caution, she didn't mention the name of the 4S dealership in front of so many people.
Yet Lu Jingming caught on immediately and told her, "Then I really should go with you. How about this: call me when you're done, and I'm at your disposal anytime."
Xu Yanxia, "...Alright."
The surrounding spectators were practically clicking their tongues in amazement.
President Lu actually said "at your disposal anytime"???
This utterly besotted look makes his girlfriend's status in his heart painfully obvious!!!
...
Watching Xu Yanxia leave by elevator, Lu Jingming also took his lunch and returned to his office.
Wen Jiajun followed him in, gave a light scoff, and said, "Not even bothering to hide it now, huh? So obvious?"
The utterly besotted President Lu, having washed his hands, sat on the sofa and opened the lids of the lunch boxes one by one. He picked up a piece of tender, fragrant, pinkish lion's head meatball, put it in his mouth, and said while eating, "Why should I hide it?"
When you like someone, it's simply impossible to hide it.
