After Chu Ge finished ordering, Mu Xiaoting was still standing aside, feeling extrely uncomfortable with everything in her line of sight. Her eye twitched slightly involuntarily.
Chu Ge took a big gulp of the ice-cold beer the vendor handed over, exhaled a large puff of alcohol, turned, and looked at Mu Xiaoting, who was visibly conflicted, and raised the corners of his mouth teasingly.
"What? Are you used to eating while standing?"
"Uh... of course not." Mu Xiaoting's expression froze, forcing a smile. She glanced at the vendor who had stepped aside to attract more custors, "Boss, could you please wipe the table?"
"Sure."
The vendor happily agreed, though her smile harbored a hint of disdain for this picky young lady. Nevertheless, she quickly grabbed a cloth, white but yellowing, and hastily wiped the table twice in front of Mu Xiaoting before moving on.
The table was still dirty, at least Mu Xiaoting thought it was dirty. The thin layer of grease was clearly visible under the streetlights, making her suspect that the cloth only added more stains.
Chu Ge watched with a half-smile, as Mu Xiaoting helplessly pulled a few sheets from the napkin dispenser — too rough to be called napkins, she thought — and carefully wiped the long bench before she finally sat across from Chu Ge and began to wipe the table repeatedly.
After wiping the table, Mu Xiaoting faced a new problem—where to throw the paper?
When you're uncertain about sothing, asking others or observing how others do it is always a good option.
Mu Xiaoting didn't want to ask Chu Ge such a seemingly silly question, so she looked around and noticed that everyone else just threw the greasy paper directly on the ground.
Alright, since others did it, she'd do the sa. Though when she tossed the paper on the ground, it felt incredibly awkward.
"Nice place, isn't it?" Chu Ge said with a smile, raising his beer glass.
"It's okay." Mu Xiaoting replied, her words not quite matching her true feelings.
"Do you want sothing to drink to quench your thirst?"
"No, I'm not thirsty."
Before coming here, Mu Xiaoting had planned to have so drinks over the al, but after what she saw with the glasses, she lost all interest.
Chu Ge didn't press her, giving her a half-smile, tapping his fingers aimlessly on the table, humming a tune, and glancing at a group of scantily clad girls who looked like university students not far away.
Mu Xiaoting felt speechless; wasn't her appearance and figure much better compared to those girls? Here she was, a beauty sitting right across from Chu Ge, and he was looking at other girls?
Moreover, at this critical mont with problems at Tianqing Company, how could Chu Ge seem to be in such a good mood when he had said over the phone earlier that he was troubled?
Puzzled, Mu Xiaoting asked, "Chu Ge, aren't you annoyed anymore?"
Chu Ge chuckled, "I am, a bunch of crappy things lately, I'm nearly worried to death."
"Then... you still have the mood to hum and check out girls?"
"No matter how troubled, life goes on, right?" Chu Ge shrugged. "Even if I walk around with a gloomy face, things won't go from bad to good."
"You have a point. Actually, I was so frustrated earlier I wanted to smash my phone, but I held back. Looks like we do have so things in common after all." Mu Xiaoting smiled and shifted the topic, "Speaking of which, about the company, you..."
Before Mu Xiaoting could finish, Chu Ge interrupted her with a smile, "Let's talk about that later."
"Hmm... okay."
Talking about the company's issues made Mu Xiaoting quite anxious too. She had thought her father might help, but things ended up like this. However, not discussing this matter left her a bit lost on what to say to Chu Ge.
The two engaged in casual conversation, and soon, the dishes Chu Ge ordered were brought to the table. Chu Ge dug in ravenously, while Mu Xiaoting looked at the food without any appetite.
Mu Xiaoting didn't eat, and Chu Ge didn't force her—this was within his expectations. He ate, she watched.
After the al, Mu Xiaoting paid the bill. Chu Ge had a large amount of food and two bottles of beer, totaling less than a hundred yuan.
After eating and drinking to his fill, Chu Ge stretched lazily and stood up from the table, "Let's go, ti for another al."
Mu Xiaoting was taken aback, "Another al?"
Chu Ge turned back with a smile, "You didn't eat anything just now, aren't you hungry? Consider the last al as you accompanying , now it's my turn to accompany you. You can't co out and go ho on an empty stomach, right?"
After speaking, Chu Ge started walking, Mu Xiaoting took a few seconds to catch up, looking at his back, more confused about what Chu Ge was really thinking.
Chu Ge called a taxi and told the driver "Jindian Business Club" before closing his eyes as if dozing off.
This move left the driver puzzled. Didn't this guy just finish a al at a roadside stall? And now he's heading to a place like "Jindian" with such high expenses?
Uh... he probably isn't going there to eat. It's just a famous spot; he must be going nearby, right?
Puzzled as he was, the driver didn't say much and quickly drove Chu Ge and Mu Xiaoting to the place. When he saw Chu Ge really entering Jindian Business Club with Mu Xiaoting, he was left speechless.
Chu Ge is a top VIP here. He not only has the privilege of eating, drinking, and playing for free but can also bring guests in for free. He opened a private room, which was the epito of luxury.
Carrying the sll of the roadside stall, Chu Ge entered the private room, turned his head, and smiled at Mu Xiaoting, "What do you think of this place?"
Mu Xiaoting glanced around briefly and sincerely said, "It's excellent. Even in the provincial capital, it would be considered a top-notch environnt."
Chu Ge sat down by the table covered with a white tablecloth and adorned with crystal goblets, and asked again, "And what do you think of the roadside stall we just went to?"
Seeing Mu Xiaoting's embarrassed expression, Chu Ge shrugged, "No doubt, from your perspective, the place is terrible, or perhaps... should we call it vulgar?"
Mu Xiaoting looked even more embarrassed and confused. "Chu Ge, you are..."
"You called your father, didn't you?"
Out of the blue, Chu Ge dropped this bomb, and Mu Xiaoting froze, "You... how did you know?"
"And he dismissed Tianqing Company's issues with righteousness, right?"
"I... he's..."
"Haha, just as I thought, otherwise you wouldn't be calling so late without any reason."
Mu Xiaoting pursed her lips, a wry smile spreading across her face. She hadn't said anything, and yet Chu Ge guessed everything, spot on.
"Sorry, I didn't expect it to be like this either."
Chu Ge shook his head, raised his right hand with a smile, signaling to the seat opposite him, "There's nothing to apologize for. Sit down, and I'll tell you sothing else you probably haven't thought of yet."
Mu Xiaoting quietly sat on the chair opposite Chu Ge, locking eyes with him, her gaze puzzled yet complex.
"You didn't expect to take you to a roadside stall. You probably can't understand how I and others there could eat so joyfully. You feel that formal invitations should naturally be in a place like this, where everything exudes a formal elegance. In your eyes, the roadside stall is vulgar, and you don't fit in there at all."
Mu Xiaoting remained silent. Every word Chu Ge said hit ho. Although she still felt it was not wrong, she couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.
"Silly girl, don't stress, and don't overthink it. I'm not saying this to target you. Consider it idle talk between friends."
"Friends?" Mu Xiaoting was taken aback. "Do you already consider a friend?"
Seeing Mu Xiaoting's serious look, Chu Ge burst out laughing, "I'm just making a comparison."
"Oh... so, you still dislike ," Mu Xiaoting forced a smile, a self-deprecating curve appearing at the corner of her mouth, "You probably dislike even more since my father won't help Tianqing, right?"
"I'm really amazed at how you jump to conclusions like that," Chu Ge rubbed his forehead speechlessly, "If I really disliked you that much, would I bother eting you or having two als with you?"
"Then what exactly... do you want to say?"
"Actually, when you called , I guessed it was about this. You think your father should help like you think inviting soone to a al should naturally be in a place like this. In reality, it's not like that at all."
"With different identities co different perspectives. Our backgrounds and life experiences are different, so whether I'm at a roadside stall or here, I can enjoy eating, but you simply can't."
"You can't accept your father refusing to help, and you feel guilty for that, but have you considered things from his perspective?"
"His perspective? Of course, I've thought about it. You're the savior of his daughter, and for such a small thing, why can't he lend a hand? No, he doesn't even need to lift a finger, just utter a vague phrase to let others ponder over."
"Yes, I did save you, and you think he should be grateful to . But why were you kidnapped in the first place? Isn't it because of ? If I'm not mistaken, your father probably harbors more dislike than gratitude for . You weren't staying nicely in the provincial capital; instead, you ca specifically to my company. Your father might dislike even more for that."
Hearing this, Mu Xiaoting shook her head imdiately, "No, I told him... told him..."
In her anxiety, Mu Xiaoting nearly blurted out her excuse, and only halfway through did she realize how awkward it was, stumbling over her words and unable to continue.
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