Ruan Jiu Jiu has expressed that when it came to feasting, one couldn’t be stingy. She originally wanted to order a few dishes. But this looked good and that looked good. Before she knew it, she ordered a mountain of delicacies.

The waiter aerated the wine and poured Ruan Jiu Jiu a glass.

The restaurant atmosphere was splendid. The melodious violin struck just the right chord. The lights were dimmed, and the details of the interior were exquisite. Guests dressed to the occasion were talking in low voices and raising their glasses. There was very little noise.

From the window seat, she could see the view of a good half of the city. The restaurant bordered the river and had a good view. It was positioned so that no tall skyscrapers were blocking the scenery. The nightscape was like a snaking path of light, and the city lights twinkled hazy and bright. It was a stark contrast to the reserved nature of the city during day time.

The torrent of rain thundered onto the ground but she couldn’t hear a thing. For a moment, her mind drifted.

Cheng Jun should have already arrived home.

The waiter brought the dishes forth. Ruan Jiu Jiu had a whiff of the alluring smell of food and tossed the thought of Cheng Jun to the back of her mind. She had a guilty conscience and thought, “If the food tastes good, next time I’ll bring Cheng Jun along.”

She wasn’t used to dining alone. It’s just that this time she didn’t have a choice, okay?

……

At that time, Cheng Jun’s group was riding the elevator up.

Tu Nan looked very excited. It had been such a long time since the boss went out with them for a meal, causing their group of forever-alone bachelors to always feel like something was missing. All along the way, he chattered on and on. With deep concern, he asked what Sister-in-law was up to these days, and asked whether she thought the game fun, and very much hoped that Sister-in-law would be able to leave a review for the game. And on and on.

An Rou was very much aware that Cheng Jun had put on a show of “a hero defending a beauty” in the game, and her expression grew a bit unsightly. She couldn’t shake off the faint feeling of crisis that she had—a woman who could make Cheng Jun do something like that was definitely not simple.

What exactly had happened in these short few days? An Rou’s brow furrowed, looking less and less cheerful.

But even so….

Tonight presented a good opportunity that she definitely had the ability to take on.

She looked at the pouring rain outside the window. Her mouth hooked into a grin and she became more self-assured. Men were weak to the advances of beautiful women. Comparing her against his crude, gaudy wife, she looked all the more refined, elegant, and above the masses. Cheng Jun might be a little interested in her, but she didn’t mind taking the initiative.

Tu Nan coughed. “An Rou, exit the elevator. What are you standing there for?”

Jiao Fan was a dummy who had never dated before, and he had a blank look on his face. He wasn’t like Tu Nan, who had long noticed that An Rou only had eyes for their boss while on the way over. Her gaze was so soft that water could come out. Tu Nan felt awkward the entire way here. He really hoped that An Rou didn’t overstep her bounds. Just on the topic of work, if she triggered Cheng Jun she might not even be able to keep her job.

Tu Nan inwardly sighed. He had so much to worry about today.

They had already reserved seats in the restaurant. Fu Zi Cheng was busy and couldn’t make it. Originally, only three people were coming. With An Rou as an add on, they had to change tables.

“Sorry mister, as of now there are no five-person tables left.”

“Now what?”

Jiao Fan said, “I’ll just squeeze in then, and you can bring an extra chair.”

An Rou didn’t say much in the face of his warm, courteous demeanor. She just gave a slight smile and said a word of thanks.

Gu You had been sitting there, waiting for a while.

He looked at Ruan Jiu Jiu out of the corner of his eye. He saw her table piled with dishes and couldn’t help but smile. It seems like he always ran into interesting girls as of late, whether that be the woman in front of him or Jiu Jiu Jiu in the game… Once he thought of that IGN and his duel with Liszt, Gu You once again had a heavy heart.

Perhaps he had been too impulsive and now, as expected, his retribution had come.

Jiacheng’s boss gave him what on the surface was said to be the opportunity for further discussion, but his only hope was that there would be a chance to make up for things in the future.

Just as he sat there with his head lowered in thought, he noticed a group of people gradually coming closer towards him. Three men and one woman, each with a handsome countenance. They were led by Jiacheng’s boss, Tu Nan, who looked full of spirits and was wearing a beaming smile on his face. But Gu You’s gaze couldn’t help but drift over to a silhouette standing in the back. Then pausing briefly in surprise, he couldn’t help but admit that, from one man to another, the other’s appearance was truly extraordinary. Only, he looked a bit absentminded.

Cheng Jun’s entire face expressed a feeling of being worn out by boredom. With one hand in his pocket, he thought over what to eat. But when he turned around, his eyes immediately landed on the back of an extremely familiar figure.

Cheng Jun: “…”

The woman sitting at the table next to the window appeared to be in a fantastic mood, her whole face beaming in a smile.

The table in front of her was covered with seven or more dishes, there was an open bottle of red wine to the side, and in the center of the table was decorated with a single red rose in a vase, yet the woman appeared even more lovely than the flower. She was currently in the middle of leisurely savoring a plate of seafood pasta and hadn’t yet noticed that only a few meters away someone was giving her death stare.

Cheng Jun stared emotionlessly at “just scraping by” Ruan Jiu Jiu sitting there flamboyantly stuffing her face all by herself.

This was called scraping by?

He was speechless.

On the other side, Tu Nan and the others were exchanging courtesies with Gu You. But when it was Cheng Jun’s turn, seeing that he just sat there apparently zoning off, Tu Nan hurriedly joked, “He’s an employee at our company who tends to be a bit absent-minded. You’ll get used to it.”

Gu You was a bit flabbergasted, but he didn’t show it. They all politely motioned for the others to take a seat first. An Rou made a conscious decision to sit across from Gu You. She had already calculated it. Cheng Jun definitely wouldn’t sit next to Gu You. He didn’t like sitting next to strangers. Thus, if he had to choose he would definitely sit next to her.

Tu Nan’s eyelids twitched. He thought Cheng Jun would sit on the extra chair that was brought over. But unexpectedly, he ignored Gu You’s shocked expression and sat directly next to him.

Everyone else: “…”

This was so strange! Did the boss take a liking towards Gu You? Or was he warning them to not let their mouths run while talking to Gu You?

In that moment, many people were dumbstruck. They didn’t know what Cheng Jun had meant to imply.

They didn’t know that Cheng Jun chose this spot because when he looked up, Ruan Jiu Jiu fell in his line of vision.

Gu You said, “Erm… uh, is something wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing.”

An Rou quickly said, “Then I’ll take the extra chair. I’m just here for show. It’ll be easier for you guys to talk business.”

In a flash, she scooched to the extra chair, and with that she was technically sitting “next to” Cheng Jun.

At this moment, the people were arranged like so:

An Rou sat up straight, as if deliberately trying to show off her beautiful figure. She subtly felt Cheng Jun look in her direction and then avert his gaze. Through the slight curve of An Rou’s brow, one could tell that the bashful maiden was secretly delighted.

An Rou didn’t know that her position just so happened to block Ruan Jiu Jiu from Cheng Jun’s line of vision. He was a bit annoyed. He decided he might as well lazily lean back in his seat. He poked at his phone.

When she heard her phone ding, Ruan Jiu Jiu wiped her mouth and picked up the phone. It turned out to be a text from Cheng Jun.

Cheng Jun: What are you eating? Want me to bring you dinner?

Ruan Jiu Jiu looked at her phone with a guilty conscience and embarrassment. The piece of steak hung in her mouth. “…”

Now this was awkward. Cheng Jun was eating dinner and even thought of bringing her some food. Yet here she was feasting alone. It seemed a little… outrageous.

But at this time, she couldn’t give herself away. She could only thicken her skin and reply: “Just a fruit salad or whatever. Don’t worry about me. I’m dieting these days. I’m not hungry.”

Ding! Cheng Jun got the text and looked down at his phone. He looked in Ruan Jiu Jiu’s direction out of the corner of his eye.

Dieting? Not hungry? Of course she wasn’t hungry. She had ordered pasta, steak, lava cake…. A display of high-calorie dishes were splayed across the table, and she had even finished half of her glass of wine. She’d probably be stuffed and have digestion problems once she got home.

Right now, Ruan Jiu Jiu had her head in the food. She had no way of noticing Cheng Jun’s faint gaze.

She started eating faster. She wanted to finish early and go home. She still had to air out the smell of food on her, just in case Cheng Jun got a whiff.

“Bo- …erp, B-Bro, what are you getting?”

Tu Nan looked at Cheng Jun. His heart seemed elsewhere. Tu Nan had almost called him “Boss” but quickly held it back. He passed the menu to Cheng Jun. Weirdly, the man who normally only cared about food and work now didn’t have the last bit of interest in the menu. Tu Nan thought this was a serious problem.

But at this moment, he could only suppress his curiosity and wait for Cheng Jun to order.

Cheng Jun’s long, slender fingers tapped a few items on the digital menu screen. They were all things Ruan Jiu Jiu had ordered. His eyes fluttered slightly. He looked in Ruan Jiu Jiu’s direction out of the corner of his eyes. What else was missing?

An Rou thought he was looking at her. In a very ladylike fashion, she tucked her loose hairs behind her ear. With her lift of the arm, Cheng Jun once again was blocked from being able to see that crook hoarding a table of food all to herself.

Annoyed, he turned his head and said, “Hurry up and order.”

If it dragged on too long, the crook would get away.

Gu You was very sensitive to others’ emotions. He quickly realized that this quiet, taciturn “bro” had a pretty high rank.

He pumped his spirits and sat up straight. He spoke respectfully and cordially said, “To be honest, my target has always been Jiacheng. I hope you can take a chance on me. I believe that whatever others can do, I can too.”

Tu Nan’s impression of Gu You wasn’t too bad, but figuring that Cheng Jun had the final say, as long as Cheng Jun hadn’t nodded to indicate his approval, he could only haphazardly dodge the topic.

“Mr. Gu, you’ve recently encountered some controversies in Dreamy Chant. It wouldn’t look very good for you to join the company at this time. We hope that you can make some new accomplishments.

Gu You’s heart dropped, but he didn’t show anything on the surface. “I understand. I’ve already signed up to compete in the team recruitment tournament for Jiacheng. I will do my best.”

Tu Nan was truly very satisfied.

He secretly took a glance at Cheng Jun, hoping for Cheng Jun to give him some pointers. This little seedling, Gu You, had already been under their observation for quite some time. He was very satisfactory in all aspects and would definitely leave his mark in Esports.

Tu Nan suddenly paused in shock.

Cheng Jun seemed to be staring absent-mindedly at something. When he took a look in the same direction, he saw, to his surprise, an extraordinarily gorgeous woman sitting alone at a table. She was ravenously stuffing her face with shocking speed. Right when Tu Nan looked over, she hiccupped, then immediately took a gulp of wine to conceal her little gaffe.

What a cute girl. Tu Nan’s heart skipped, but he immediately realized—Hold up, something’s wrong with this situation. Why would the boss be staring at an unknown woman?

“What are you looking at?” Jiao Fan asked somewhat curiously.

At that, An Rou’s lips curled into a little smile and she said somewhat bashfully, “It’s nothing.”

Tu Nan: “?” Miss An, are you assuming something here?

Cheng Jun still looked like his mind was elsewhere. Trying to keep a straight face, Tu Nan managed to get out, “Then, let’s eat first, we can continue the discussion after dinner.”

Gu You let out a slight sigh of relief. His expression was stiff. He had never felt this nervous before and almost couldn’t control himself. He wanted to give a bitter laugh. He was twenty something yet was still like a kid, tender and a little introverted. No wonder why they thought he didn’t have enough experience.

The delicious food was paired with red wine. The sour taste still lingered in the mouth, and it increased one’s appetite.

Out of everyone, Cheng Jun had the most food in front of him. Everyone looked on as if it were normal, and Gu You’s doubts subsided.

Cheng Jun tasted a few bites and then lowered his head to send out another text.

“The steak isn’t tender enough. The rest is all right.”

Ruan Jiu Jiu, who was sitting diagonal from their table, heard her phone buzz. When she checked her phone, she saw a comment that seemed to have come out of nowhere. She was a bit puzzled and asked, “Are you eating Western food?”

Cheng Jun: “Mhm.”

“Which restaurant? If it’s good we can go together next time.”

Cheng Jun replied really fast. He sent his location, which happened to be the restaurant Ruan Jiu Jiu was at. When she read the text, she was sipping on her red wine. She was shocked and choked on her wine. She covered her mouth and coughed hard. Tears almost came out.

Lordy! Cheng Jun was at the same restaurant?!

The commotion at Ruan Jiu Jiu’s table caused Tu Nan and those at his table to look over. It just so happened that Ruan Jiu Jiu was looking all around, searching for Cheng Jun. Then, in an awkward moment, she locked eyes with a pair of slender almond eyes amidst the crowd.

His arms were crossed and his gaze was faint. He held his phone and typed a few words.

Ruan Jiu Jiu subconsciously looked down at her phone.

Cheng Jun: “Are you happy eating by yourself?”

Ruan Jiu Jiu: “…”

I was happy! But now! Not! One! Bit!

Ruan Jiu Jiu was much more beautiful than An Rou. Even if she was looking a little worse for the wear with her coughing, she couldn’t hide her stunning beauty. Tu Nan withdrew his gaze and smiled, saying, “What a good-looking lady.”

Cheng Jun silently stared at Tu Nan. His aura was menacing. Tu Nan could barely eke out a smile anymore.

Cheng Jun asked, “Is she pretty?”

Tu Nan nodded without missing a beat. “Very.”

Cheng Jun: “Is she pretty?”

Tu Nan had a strong sense of self-preservation. “… Actually, she’s fine.”

Tu Nan shot a look at the boss. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. From the time they had entered the door, the boss constantly had his attention on that unknown woman. Just now his expression…distinctly looked a bit unhappy.

Now, Tu Nan was truly shocked.

Boss, Boss, you can’t do anything stupid! You’re a married man okay!

Tu Nan’s imagination had already skipped ahead to envision Cheng Jun’s post-divorce lifestyle, a lonely existence with only instant ramen and a keyboard to accompany him, even fast-forwarding to the tragedy of dying at home alone in his old age with no one to discover his body. Too cruel! It was just too cruel!

Cheng Jun’s death stare made Ruan Jiu Jiu feel extremely awkward, she couldn’t remain comfortably in her seat anymore.

With such a guilty conscience, she didn’t even have the appetite to finish her remaining food. So she immediately called the waiter for the bill, hoping to beat a quick retreat.

The exit just so happened to be past Cheng Jun’s table. Ruan Jiu Jiu had no way of going around. She was in turmoil for a moment before deciding to pretend that nothing had happened. She popped the collar of her trench coat, hiding her face, and she lowered her head while carrying the bags. She quietly slipped towards the exit.

Almost there! Almost there!

Only

She was about to pass Cheng Jun’s seat and could almost taste the victory of the exit’s welcoming embrace!

Ruan Jiu Jiu had a small spring in her step. She didn’t know that Cheng Jun had put down his fork and knife. He slowly turned his head. “You don’t want to go back together?”

Under everyone’s shocked gaze, Ruan Jiu Jiu halted in her steps.

She reluctantly turned around slowly, and was met with a group of stunned onlookers. She awkwardly waved. “Ciao.”

Tu Nan had a premonition. “This is—?”

Author’s note:

Staring at a table groaning under the weight of all its dishes, Cheng Juan repeated: Just scraping by?

Ruan Jiu Jiu drowning in her shame: Forgive me! QAQ

Chapter 18
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