Chatting with Aunt Zhang, she finished a bowl of warm and savory porridge.
Xu Yanxia volunteered to wash the dishes, then returned to her dorm to rest.
The next morning, none of the Lu family members had returned yet. After breakfast, she headed to Jiushan as usual.
Thanks to yesterday's good start, today's lunch service saw an even higher volume of customers. The peak period for serving dishes lasted from eleven-thirty until past two o'clock before it finally subsided.
Only two or three tables of guests remained in the main dining hall, and just one or two in the private rooms. Seeing that the main courses had all been served, Xu Yanxia stepped out of the kitchen, planning to take a break.
Unexpectedly, she ran into an acquaintance.
It was Lu Jingyao's childhood friend, Chu Hao, who had once publicly confessed his feelings to her at the Lu residence.
It had been a while since they last saw each other. He had dyed his silver hair back to black and was wearing a white T-shirt and long pants, paired with a short-sleeved shirt on the outside. His style was quite different from before.
So much so that Xu Yanxia didn't even recognize him at first.
It wasn't until she was passing through the lobby that Chu Hao, who was about to head out, called out to her first, Hi, gorgeous.
She paused for a moment, her gaze sweeping over his face before she stopped in her tracks, nodded, and said, Hello, Mr. Chu.
To leave a neat impression on the customers, she had been wearing the restaurant's customized uniform for the past two days: a navy blue suit skirt with a white silk shirt underneath. Her medium-length hair was combed neatly back, and she wore light makeup.
It made her look elegant and capable.
Chu Hao glanced at the Senior Director title on her name tag, smiled, and said, It's been a while, you look even prettier now.
Xu Yanxia smiled politely. You too.
It seemed he had come to dine with his family, as there were several elders beside him chatting and saying their goodbyes.
Hearing Chu Hao speaking to her, a few of them cast their glances her way. One of the elders spoke up, Is this the new director of Jiushan? She really is young and beautiful!
Xu Yanxia politely nodded to them again. You flatter me. Thank you for coming.
She was about to leave after speaking, but Chu Hao took a few steps closer to her and said, I want to ask you a question.
Xu Yanxia had no choice but to say, Please go ahead.
Chu Hao looked at her. The boyfriend you mentioned back then, it's Jingyao's older brother, right?
Xu Yanxia, ...
What kind of question was that? Had he also seen the videos online shipping her and Lu Jingming?
As she was pondering how to answer, Chu Hao smiled bitterly and said, Actually, you should have just told me directly. It made me look like an idiot that day.
...
Xu Yanxia took a deep breath. Actually...
Before she could even finish her sentence, someone walked in through the door and called out to her, Xiao Xia.
She turned to look and saw none other than Lu Jingming.
He was still dressed in a shirt and suit, his jacket draped over one arm. The cuffs of his shirt were casually rolled up, revealing the muscular lines of his forearms.
In his other hand, he was pulling a suitcase, looking every bit like he had just stepped off a plane.
Because his appearance was so striking, he drew the attention of everyone nearby.
The front-of-house supervisor nearby quickly came over to greet him as Mr. Lu, and an elder from the Chu family also said hello, Jingming, you're here too?
Lu Jingming politely nodded to them. Just got back from a business trip, came over to take a look.
He then asked, How was the food for everyone? Was the taste alright?
Absolutely excellent!
The elder gave him a thumbs up. You really have a good eye. With this current standard, you're bound to make a fortune.
Thank you for the kind words.
Lu Jingming smiled and thanked them, before finally turning his gaze back to Xu Yanxia and Chu Hao.
Perhaps intimidated by his aura, Chu Hao called out, Big brother.
Lu Jingming nodded and asked him, Here for a meal with the family?
Chu Hao said yes, then smiled at him. Sorry, big brother, I didn't know you were her boyfriend back then. I must have made a fool of myself.
Saying that, without waiting for anyone else to speak, he looked at Xu Yanxia and said, If I ever have a chance one day, please let me know. I told you I was serious.
Xu Yanxia, ...
His family members were right next to them; how could he say such things so calmly?
She thought he had changed, but it seemed he was still the same as before.
Thank you for your support,
she tried her best to maintain a polite smile, But...
Lu Jingming suddenly cut in, smiled at Chu Hao, and said, Commendable courage, but the chances are probably slim.
Chu Hao just smiled again and said, Hard to say, I'm younger than you.
With that, he headed out the door first.
Soon after, the Chu family members who had finished their goodbyes also left the lobby one after another, and the surroundings finally quieted down.
Xu Yanxia, ...
Well, at least she could breathe a sigh of relief.
She looked at Lu Jingming and said, Why are you here? And looking like this, did you come straight from the airport? Didn't you go home?
CEO Lu nodded. I guessed you'd be here, how could I bother going home?
Xu Yanxia leaned in closer to him, smiled, and whispered, CEO, please act normal, otherwise it'll ruin your image.
In just this short amount of time, Manager Cui, Supervisor Yang, and all the other department heads of the restaurant had come over and were waiting on the side to greet him!
Alright, I'll listen to you.
Lu Jingming immediately put on a more serious expression, nodded to the crowd, and then asked her, Is there anything to eat? I haven't had lunch yet and I'm a bit hungry.
Xu Yanxia, ...Of course there is. What do you want to eat?
If a restaurant didn't have food, could it still be called a restaurant?
He was quite easygoing. Anything is fine, as long as it's not too much trouble.
It won't be.
She smiled and said, Then you chat with everyone first, it'll be ready soon.
With that, she returned to the kitchen.
Lu Jingming greeted Manager Cui and the others, then found a table by the window in the dining hall and sat down.
Soon, piping hot food was brought before him.
Crispy roasted pigeon, cold tossed three-shred salad, braised goose platter, and chicken broth noodles made personally for you by Director Xu.
The front-of-house supervisor introduced the dishes to him personally with a beaming smile.
After all, this was the big boss's first visit to their site since the brand upgrade. Even Director Xu had gone to cook personally, so they had to be even more attentive in their service.
Fortunately, the big boss was quite amiable. He thanked them and picked up his chopsticks to start eating.
When Xu Yanxia washed her hands and came over to Lu Jingming, he was eating with relish.
His favorite noodles went without saying—they were fresh, chewy, and full of flavor. Paired with the sweet and sour cold tossed three-shred salad, it was the perfect appetizer.
The braised goose platter was also very authentic. Whether it was the soft and glutinous goose webs, the firm goose wings, or the slightly chewy goose gizzards, all of them carried a savory braised aroma with a hint of sweetness, making it impossible to stop eating.
The most stunning dish was the crispy roasted pigeon.
Its rosy skin gleamed with an amber luster. The moment he bit into it, a crisp crunch could be heard, and immediately after, the juicy pigeon meat, carrying its unique aroma, coated his taste buds.
