Chapter 012 Can you please eat something more expensive?

  *

  To celebrate her son's successful transition to full-time employment, Li Xiao reserved a fancy Western restaurant on Saturday night, instructing him to dress formally.

  "Formally" meant the Uniqlo shirt and trousers he had worn for his Anliang interview, which he hadn't worn since starting work because he didn't meet clients and the company had no strict dress code.

  Li Xiao ironed the clothes for him, but when he put them on, he looked in the mirror and felt he looked a bit dull. Maybe his fluffy curly hair was too "cute" and didn't suit the formal look. In the end, she let him go out in his usual T-shirt and jeans; clean and fresh was good enough.

  The restaurant was elegant. As the mother and son were looking at the menu, a man about Li Xiao's age entered, accompanied by a girl about Li Chengshi's age. She had long, straight black hair, wore glasses, and looked quiet and lovely. When Li Xiao and the man's eyes met, they immediately called out each other's names in surprise. It turned out to be her old classmate, Huang Shan, and his daughter, Huang Pinghe.

  They naturally merged their tables.

  The two parents had endless topics to discuss, and both urged their children to talk more. Soon, the two young people realized this was a deliberate, yet subtly arranged, blind date by their parents, making them both a little awkward. However, as children raised in single-parent households, they understood their parents' good intentions. To avoid spoiling the evening, they chatted casually, only to discover that Huang Pinghe's IT company and Anliang Construction were in the same industrial park. Now they had something to talk about. They began discussing which meal set in the park's canteen was the best and quickly exchanged WeChat contacts, planning to eat lunch together at the canteen in the future.

  Li Xiao and Huang Shan exchanged glances, highly satisfied with the progress.

  *

  That evening, after returning home, Li Chengshi asked, "Mom, how did you two get in touch?"

  "Your General Manager Liang set it up." Since the result was positive, there was no need to keep the deliberate arrangement a secret.

  Could it be that Su Xian asked her to set me up? Li Chengshi remembered her mentioning it once. He felt a wave of indignation: It's one thing that you don't want me yourself, but you're pushing me onto others? Do you despise me that much?

  However, he was wrong about Su Xian. This matter was entirely arranged by Liang Wenya. Li Xiao had mentioned it to her once, and Liang Wenya had recently run into Huang Shan and learned he was also worried about his daughter not dating, so she conveniently made the connection.

  **

  In the morning, Su Xian placed a steamed bun and soy milk on Li Chengshi's desk and leaned down to whisper, "Can you please eat something more expensive? At six or seven yuan per meal, I calculated I'd have to bring you breakfast for 60 years to use up that 100,000 yuan!"

  Since she started bringing him breakfast, Li Chengshi has stopped drinking milk tea and refuses any breakfast costing over 10 yuan, asking her every day to buy affordable meals from various small shops along the way.

  He looked up, asking pitifully, "Is that not allowed?"

  Before Li Chengshi could answer, Lao Zhang popped his head over and said, "If you're going to rob the cradle, at least treat the baby well. Don't embarrass us middle-aged men, or women."

  Su Xian rolled her eyes at him and left helplessly. One wrong step, and every subsequent step is a stumble.

  Should I quit drinking? It causes too many problems!

  **

  Su Xian rarely ate lunch at the industrial park's canteen. She usually bought a set of sandwiches, vegetable salad, and green tea from the park's convenience store—simple and healthy. After eating, she would have time to close her eyes and take a short nap at her desk.

  Xu Shuyi returned from the canteen excitedly and told her, "Team Leader, I just saw your boyfriend eating with a girl from another company." She opened her phone to show Su Xian a short video she secretly recorded. The dialogue couldn't be heard clearly because of the distance, but the two of them were talking and laughing, looking very harmonious.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Su Xian frowned. "Xu Shuyi, are you sick? Is it interesting to pretend you don't know the truth?"

  "You two publicly showed affection but never publicly debunked the rumor, and you bring him breakfast every day. Why should I know the truth? I just love shipping couples! From his perspective: the older, aggressive Big Sister who abuses her power to occupy my youth. From your perspective: the younger, scheming sinister Puppy who pretends to be a pig to eat the tiger, disrupting my career path."

  Su Xian was utterly disgusted. "You read too many web novels. Go drink some arsenic to sober up. Besides, in what way am I aggressive?"

  "Didn't you say you took on three strong men, Kaka-kaka, and took them down?"

  "That's not aggression, that's skill!"

  "I don't care. Tonight, I'm registering an account on FanQie to write about your tumultuous love triangle."

  Su Xian was too exhausted to retort and let her be.

  But Xu Shuyi was right. With the daily 'love' breakfasts, who would believe the denial, even if she made one?

  *

  The next day at noon, Su Xian quietly arrived at the industrial park's canteen.

  The canteen was huge, making it hard to find the target. She stood behind some greenery, scanning the area. Just then, an arm suddenly reached out from beside her, pointing in a certain direction. Following the gaze, she saw Li Chengshi and Huang Pinghe sitting across from each other, eating lunch.

  "Heh, the little boyfriend is already cheating?" It turned out to be Zhao Nanfeng "lending a hand."

  "Compared to you, what is this?"

  "Right, I'm the ultimate scumbag, and I wronged you in the past, so I can't bear to see you suffer another loss. Should I go teach him a lesson?"

  "Mind your own business." Su Xian opened her phone and recorded a short video.

  "Heartbroken, aren't you?" Zhao Nanfeng was full of mockery.

  "Yes, I'm absolutely devastated for him."

  Su Xian turned and left. Since the construction contract was lost anyway, there was no need to keep placating him.

  *

  After working overtime until past 7 PM, Lao Zhang finished up and went home. Su Xian seized the opportunity to run to the Structural Department and called Li Chengshi into the small conference room.

  "Is something wrong, Team Leader?"

  Su Xian played the video for him and asked, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

  Li Chengshi thought: It seems she doesn't know about this, which means she didn't push Liang Wenya to set it up. Excellent! The corner of his mouth curved up. "No, she's just a normal friend. Are you jealous?" She specifically tracked him and recorded a video; she seemed to care a lot. The more he thought, the happier he felt.

  "Why would I be jealous? We're not real. But you asking me to bring you breakfast every day has caused quite a few people in the company to still not know the truth. They see you eating with another girl and think I've been 'cheated on,' which makes me look stupid and also affects your reputation. So, I've decided to stop bringing you breakfast starting tomorrow. Let's cooperate and let the rumors die down."

  "Starting tomorrow, I won't eat lunch with her anymore."

  "Idiot! Focus on what's important, don't miss the big picture for the small one."

  "The breakfast is more important."

  "Li Chengshi, do you fundamentally not want that 100,000 yuan and are just purely tormenting me?" Su Xian recalled Xu Shuyi calling him a "scheming little puppy"—it was too apt. He looks quiet and obedient, but he's actually psychologically dark and full of tricks.

  "No, I really want the money, but I can't afford any risk. After all, I'm young and lack social experience. How about this: you get up early and pick me up at my complex. We eat breakfast together, and then you drive me to the park entrance. I'll jump out when no one's looking and walk up alone. We'll enter the company separately, one after the other. That way, my request is met, and the rumors the Team Leader dislikes will gradually fade. What do you think?"

  "Just kill me now! 'Jump out when no one's looking'? Do you even have the agility for that?"

  "Then, you still buy the breakfast." He pursed his lips, a look that was both petulant and pleading.

  *