Xing Lixuan was taken aback by the question, quickly recalling the casual remark he had made.

“Haha.” Xing Lixuan laughed, unlike his usual reserved smile, this one was broad, indicating genuine joy.

Yu Antong has always claimed she's not that into him. But now, even such trivial matters upset her. Isn't this a clear sign she likes him?

Yu Antong nudged him with her foot, "Why are you laughing?"

"Honey, are you jealous?" Xing Lixuan teased.

Jealous? It dawned on Yu Antong that she was indeed feeling envious, especially after hearing Xing Lixuan speak about Shen Yunqing's age.

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"Stop laughing," Yu Antong commanded sternly. "It's perfectly normal for me to get jealous when my husband remembers another man's age!"

Moreover, that other man, Shen Yunqing, has shown interest in you.

Yu Antong pressed on, "Don't change the subject, just explain!"

Xing Lixuan moved closer, pulling her into an embrace, "Shen Yunqing is the heir to the Shen family. If I plan to deal with the Shens, I need to know about him. His age was just a minor detail I happened to remember from a report; I didn't pay much attention to it."

For the first time, Xing Lixuan realized that having a good memory could also be problematic.

Thankfully, Yu Antong isn't one to dwell. Her minor grievances are aired and then forgotten.

On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, the Xianren Banquet reopened, and Yu Antong went to have a look.

The restaurant had been cleaned before the New Year break, so only a bit of tidying up was needed.

The staff, having had a relaxing holiday, returned to work early with great enthusiasm. The kitchen was already bustling, with various broths simmering away.

At 11 am, the restaurant officially opened. Though fireworks were prohibited in Jiangcheng city, the branch manager cleverly played a recording of firecrackers.

Customers began to trickle in.

"Finally, you're open!" An old customer confidently placed his order, "During the New Year, we had relatives over, and I wanted to bring them here. But to my surprise, there was a notice about a holiday break and reopening on the sixth. Your boss really doesn’t know how to do business."

"Just a moment," the waiter took the menu, smiled without taking the bait, but felt even more grateful for their boss.

The boss surely knew that staying open during the New Year would have been profitable. Yet, he let the staff go home to celebrate. Such generosity is rare among employers.

His cousin from his hometown heard about his good job and pay in the city and was quite envious. He wanted to join him in working there. When he gets the chance, he plans to ask the store manager if they're still hiring.

The store gradually got busier. It's not suitable for a pregnant person to stay in crowded places for long, so Yu Antong decided to leave. Just then, his phone rang; it was a call from Han Lele.

"Hello, Lele?"

"Are you free now?" Han Lele asked. "It's been a while since we last met. How about we catch up over lunch?"

Yu Antong replied, "Sure, I'm at the store right now. Why don't you come here?"

"What a coincidence, I'm also in your store, at the one on Phoenix Street. Where are you?"

"I'm at that very branch. I haven't seen you; are you in a private room? I'll come find you."

When Yu Antong found the room Han Lele was in and entered, he asked, "When did you arrive? I took a tour around the kitchen earlier and didn't see you come in."

Han Lele pulled out a chair for him. "I just got here. I haven't even ordered yet."

Yu Antong said, "Order whatever you want, it's on me."

"Then I won't hold back." After ordering, Han Lele handed the menu to a nearby waiter and said to Yu Antong, "I saw the notice that you'd reopen on the sixth day of the lunar year. I've been eagerly waiting since the holidays, tired of the festive food. I wanted something different."

Yu Antong asked the waiter to bring a pot of sour plum juice. "Don't add hawthorn."

"Of course, boss."

Yu Antong called Xing Lixuan to inform him that he was having lunch with Han Lele at the restaurant. Only after ending the call did he remember that Xing Lixuan's company also resumed work today. "You're at the office, right? I completely forgot. I'll call home next."

Xing Lixuan advised, "Come home right after your meal. Don't stay out too long."

"Alright, I understand."

After hanging up, Yu Antong asked Han Lele, "Do you have any plans for this semester?"

In their last semester, they barely had to attend school. Internship spots were arranged for students during the winter break.

But that's for most students. Exceptional ones like Yu Antong, who successfully started a business, didn't need to intern elsewhere.

Affluent students like Han Lele could report their circumstances and intern at their family's companies.

Han Lele started to vent, "Don't get me started. My father wants me to report to our company in the next few days and work under my brother, overseeing a variety show project."

"Given the caliber of our company, I wonder what sort of quality show we can produce. It seems we haven't even finalized the cast yet."

Both the Han and Qi families were in the media industry. But unlike the established Qi family, the Han's enterprise was relatively new.

The Han family's business had grown in recent years, falling somewhere in between being small-scale and a major player.

Han Lele continued, "My brother saw the trend of variety shows and wanted to jump on the bandwagon. Have you ever watched the show 'Let's Charge Forward!'?"

Yu Antong shook his head, never having heard of it.

"See? That's a project from our family's company," Han Lele said with an exasperated gesture, criticizing their own show with fervor. "Online comments are all about how broke the production team is. They joke that they're not watching a variety show but a depiction of urban youth sent to the countryside!"

"Hahaha, is it really that exaggerated?" Yu Antong chuckled, amused by Han Lele's over-the-top description.

In reality, the show had its highlights and turned out quite profitable in the end. Otherwise, Han Lele's brother wouldn't consider doing another season.

The main issue was the lack of sponsors during the early stages. The crew was clearly on a tight budget, and netizens commented relentlessly, watching the show with a mix of amusement and criticism.

The waiter brought over the sour plum juice. Yu Antong poured a glass for himself, and Han Lele slid his glass forward for a serving as well.

The sour plum juice of Xianren Banquet was brewed authentically using black plums and rock sugar. The flavor was genuine and rich.

"Hiss!" After taking a sip, Han Lele, not having eaten anything, found it particularly sour. "Antong, eat something before you drink this. It's super tangy."

Yu Antong replied, "It's fine. I like sour things."

Saying this, Yu Antong drank a couple of gulps, making Han Lele's teeth feel sour just watching.

As the dishes arrived, they ate and chatted. Han Lele said, "The variety show I'm taking over is about gourmet food. Fancy joining?"

Yu Antong replied, "I'll pass." He still had occasional morning sickness, lacking the stamina and energy. If it weren’t for his pregnancy, he might have considered.

Han Lele nodded, it was just an offhand remark anyway. "Once I understand the quality of the show, and if it’s good, maybe you can join for an episode to promote Xianren Banquet."

"Sounds good," Yu Antong said, raising his glass to clink with Han Lele’s. "Here’s to Mr. Han, thanks for the opportunity."

Playing along, Han Lele replied, "No need for formalities. We hope for more support from Mr. Yu."

"Hahaha."

The two burst into laughter after their exchange.

Nearing the end of the meal, Han Lele said regretfully, "I might not have the time to frequent your restaurant once I start at the company. It’s a pity you don’t do deliveries. I would order every day if you did."

Han Lele’s expression turned sullen. He glanced sneakily at Yu Antong, trying to gauge his reaction.

Yu Antong responded, "Delivery service is in the works. It should be available soon."

"That's fantastic news!" Han Lele's face immediately brightened up, he had been hoping to hear that.

After bidding farewell to Han Lele and checking the time, Yu Antong realized it was just noon. Han Lele had come early, and they hadn’t taken long to eat.

Yu Antong made another call, "Honey, have you had lunch?"

Xin Lixuan replied, "Not yet, why?"

Yu Antong asked, "Want me to bring some food over?"

A smile played on Xin Lixuan’s lips, "Would I be so fortunate? Thanks, darling."

“Give me half an hour.”

Yu Antong went to the kitchen and had the head chef prioritize a few dishes that Xing Lixuan particularly enjoyed. He then went to a nearby mall to purchase a large thermal box.

“Director Xing, your lunch has arrived.” Xing Lixuan's assistant brought in the lunch that was ordered for him.

Xing Lixuan looked up with a playful smile, “You can have that. My wife will be bringing me lunch shortly.”

The CEO's wife is coming?

The assistant's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Being new, she had heard that Director Xing was married but had never seen his spouse. Was this her chance?

Trying to contain her excitement, she responded with a smile, “Thank you, Director Xing.”

After closing the door behind her, she hurried back to her desk on her tall heels and eagerly told her colleagues, “Breaking news! The CEO's wife is coming to bring him lunch!”

“Really? Oh my, I can't wait to see the man who managed to capture the heart of the mighty and aloof Director Xing!”

“Can't wait!”

A slightly overweight male colleague asked, “Xiao Ping, is that the lunch Director Xing ordered?”

“Yes, Director Xing mentioned his wife would bring his lunch and said we could share this one. And just for the record, you should've seen the warm smile he had when he spoke of his wife!”

Imagining that scene sent the colleagues into a frenzy of chatter.

The male colleague said, “While you all are curious about Director Xing's spouse, I'm just here for the food. If you aren't going to eat it, I'll take it all.”

The rest continued their discussion, ignoring him.

“If Director Xing ever smiled warmly at me, it’d be straight out of a drama. I’d die!”

“I wish he'd smile at me like that too.”

“I can’t even imagine it,” one employee grumbled, “All I remember is the time I messed up the proposal and how he smirked coldly while scolding me. That man's words can be piercing. I wouldn’t dare daydream about him.”

Author's note:

Harrowed Employee: Dreaming of Director Xing smiling at you? Are you courting death?

Thanks to the angels who supported me with king votes or nutrient solutions from 2020-01-15 19:43:18 to 2020-01-16 19:51:06~

Thanks to the angel who dropped a landmine: asura, 1;

And to those who provided nutrient solutions: genie_cj with 10 bottles; and many others with varying amounts.

I'm deeply grateful for all your support. I'll continue to work hard!

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