Meng Mian couldn’t very well say that Ji Silin was only dating her to deal with his family.
Ji Silin had only told the original owner that he temporarily needed a girlfriend. He had never told the original owner why he needed one.
To avoid giving anything away, she had to be careful.
Meng Mian had no choice but to say, “We already met up last night and had a meal together. If he asks me out again this weekend, he’ll come find me, and I’ll tell you then and stand you up. Anyway, I’m agreeing first. Hehe.”
The last part was clearly a joke.
“Ha ha.” Li Xiwei still laughed at it.
She felt the current Meng Mian was much easier to get along with than before.
She was fun to talk to too.
Not like before, when Meng Mian always spoke to her with calculation and flattery.
She even remembered that day she’d argued with Meng Mian, and Meng Mian had shown her true colors, saying she was just using her to latch onto a rich man.
“Fine. If Ji Silin really does ask you out, then stand me up,” Li Xiwei joked too.
“Don’t worry, I won’t be polite with you,” Meng Mian blinked.
“Ha ha.” Li Xiwei laughed even harder. She felt that only now were she and Meng Mian actually a bit like friends.
The next morning at six thirty, Meng Mian rode her scooter out of the neighborhood.
She lived in the north of the city. She rode for an hour before reaching the south side.
Following the navigation, twisting and turning, she rode another twenty minutes or so before reaching the little soup dumpling shop.
But business at the shop was so good that she had to queue. There were no empty seats right now.
Even the little tables set up outside under the shade of the big trees were full.
And the line stretched out past the shop door.
Meng Mian didn’t mind at all. She queued up in perfect order.
She didn’t notice that the traffic light on the road behind her happened to be red, and three luxury cars had all come to a stop.
Lu Chen sat in the front passenger seat of the Rolls-Royce in the middle.
He casually glanced outside and spotted Meng Mian by the roadside, queuing in front of the little soup dumpling shop.
Thinking of their President’s odd behavior the day before yesterday, Lu Chen didn’t hesitate for a second.
He immediately turned his head and reported to their President in the back seat. “President, that looks like Miss Meng.”
Ji Silin was looking down at a document. At that, his cold gaze followed the direction Lu Chen was pointing.
Sure enough, he saw Meng Mian in a bright orange short-sleeved top and black shorts, standing in line, well-behaved and soft.
Every so often she stretched her neck to look ahead and see when it would be her turn.
The sun was up already. Even though it was still morning, it was already blazing.
Even with her hat on, her snowy little face was a bit flushed, as if she’d put on blush.
Her whole person looked even more full of vigor, her lips redder and teeth whiter.
She’s that delicate. Even a light bump has her crying about the pain. Isn’t she afraid of getting dizzy from the sun?
Then he noticed Meng Mian’s scooter parked by the side of the road.
She must have ridden here herself, just to eat the soup dumplings here.
For a bite of food, in this heat, coming all the way from the north side to the south side this early in the morning?
Ji Silin couldn’t understand.
He hadn’t wanted to bother with it.
But seeing Meng Mian wiping the sweat from her forehead, still standing there under the blazing sun like a good little child, her eyes bright,
Ji Silin was silent for two seconds.
In the end, he did speak, his face expressionless. “Pull over up ahead.”
Lu Chen immediately thought, As expected.
I’m not even surprised anymore.
Once the light turned green, the cars moved forward again.
After passing the intersection, the three black luxury cars slowly pulled over to the side of the road.
Ji Silin looked down at his document again. “Go handle it.”
“Yes!”
Lu Chen pushed open the door and got out.
Although their President hadn’t said exactly what he wanted him to do, as their President’s special assistant, he always knew how to read the situation and what to do.
Lu Chen didn’t go to the soup dumpling shop. Instead he went into the fast food restaurant next door.
Although this fast food place was open, it didn’t sell breakfast. It only sold fast food at noon and in the evening.
Right now the owner was prepping ingredients.
Lu Chen threw money at him and said a few words.
The owner immediately beamed, nodding along in agreement, and even thumped his chest to promise he’d get it done.
Lu Chen didn’t care whether he’d overpaid. It was their President’s money anyway.
Lu Chen came out of the fast food place and got back in the car.
He sat back down in the front passenger seat.
Meng Mian saw there were still quite a few people ahead of her, so she’d already lowered her head and was playing on her phone.
Playing on her phone while she waited.
So she completely didn’t see Lu Chen go in and out of the fast food place, or get back in the car.
She didn’t even notice the fast food owner hurrying into the soup dumpling shop.
Going to the back to find the soup dumpling shop’s owner.
In less than a minute, the soup dumpling shop owner came out beaming and announced loudly,
“It’s too hot today. Nobody queue up anymore. Don’t get heatstroke. Go sit and wait in my brother’s shop next door. He sells fast food, he’s got plenty of tables. Once the soup dumplings are steamed, I’ll bring them straight over to you. You can eat them in his shop.”
Hearing that, everyone in line immediately cheered.
Meng Mian was happy too.
She went into the fast food place next door and sat down at a table to wait.
Only after going inside did she discover the fast food place had the air conditioning on. Wonderfully cool.
Meng Mian was utterly comfortable.
Even her feet under the table swung a little.
The moment Lu Chen saw from the car that Meng Mian had gone into the fast food place, he reported to their President. “President, Miss Meng has gone inside.”
Ji Silin’s cold gaze was still on his document, but he gave an “Mm.”
Lu Chen understood, and only then had the driver continue to the company.
Their President really did love work the most. Even on Saturday he had to go to the company.
Meng Mian sat in the fast food place in the air conditioning and waited about ten minutes before her soup dumplings finally arrived.
She’d only bought one steamer basket.
Steaming hot, thin-skinned and full of soup, they made anyone want to take a bite immediately.
But Meng Mian didn’t dare bite.
She still had to wait until the soup dumplings cooled to a temperature she could handle.
By the time Meng Mian could take her first bite and narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, everyone else had finished and left.
Only she was left in the fast food place, still eating.
The fast food owner’s mother was especially kind. “Little girl, don’t rush. Take your time. We don’t do business in the mornings anyway. We don’t start until noon.”
The fast food owner’s wife even said she thought Meng Mian was cute and gave her a bottle of chilled soda.
Meng Mian ate her soup dumplings at her own pace, completely at ease.
She was very satisfied with the soup dumpling experience today.
The fast food owner’s wife even heard she’d come by scooter, and together with the owner, very enthusiastically helped charge her scooter.
Meng Mian wanted to pay them for the charging, but they refused, saying it wouldn’t even cost a yuan.
They even said that sometimes when other people’s scooters ran out of battery, they let them charge too.
Meng Mian thanked them several times, and only came out of the fast food place after ten.
She rode her scooter toward the hotpot place on the west side of the city, to meet Li Xiwei.
When Meng Mian reached the hotpot place, Li Xiwei had just arrived too.
Except Meng Mian was on her scooter, and Li Xiwei had been driven there by her family’s chauffeur in a luxury car.