novelraw Chapter 157 Meal
Chapter 157 Meal
Lu Xiran couldn't help but laugh when she saw his serious expression.
"You really are... never one to suffer a loss."
"That's right." Seeing that she didn't refute, Xin Mubai's lips curled up slightly, and he leaned back in his chair, looking as if it were a matter of course. "No one can let me suffer a loss."
He paused, his gaze falling on her face.
"Except for you."
Lu Xiran was stunned.
"Um?"
Xin Mubai didn't say anything more, but picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then looked out the window as if nothing had happened.
"The weather is nice today."
The topic has jumped again.
Lu Xiran was both amused and exasperated by his actions, yet inexplicably felt relieved. That's just how he is; he never puts pressure on anyone, saying only what he wants to say and never uttering anything he doesn't want to.
Then, Xin Mubai teased her with a few words here and there. From the embarrassing incident at Qiqi's wedding to the funny story of how Xin Rui chased and beat him when he was a child, Lu Xiran listened with a smile that never left her lips.
Where should I pick you up tomorrow?
"What?" Lu Xiran didn't react.
"Ten meals? You don't think I'm joking, do you?" Xin Mubai raised an eyebrow at her.
"Isn't that right?"
"Lu Xiran." Xin Mubai suddenly put down his chopsticks, placed his hands on the table, and said with a rare serious expression, "I'm serious."
Lu Xiran looked away.
"I'm going to Switzerland next Wednesday, so I only have seven days at most. How can I possibly have ten meals with you?"
"Then lunch, breakfast, or even a late-night snack can count as half a meal."
Xin Mubai's eyes lit up as if he had discovered a new continent, and he leaned forward.
"How about this: seven main meals plus six late-night snacks? I'm not taking advantage of you, am I?"
Lu Xiran was amused by his algorithm and shook her head.
"How about this, just come over and tell me what you want to eat this month, and I'll take care of it. Or I can have Yun Yu Ji deliver a different meal to you, how about that?"
"Lu Xiran, did you do this on purpose or unintentionally?" He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and looked directly at her. "As the second young master of the Xin Group, I don't lack this little bit of money, do I?"
He paused.
"What I lack is the opportunity to have a meal with you."
The air suddenly became quiet for a few seconds.
Lu Xiran opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know how to respond. She looked down at her phone and saw Aunt Lu's WeChat message pop up.
"Aunt Lu needs to see me." She stood up almost reflexively.
Xin Mubai didn't stop her, he just looked at her.
"Okay, I'll wait for you."
Those three words were spoken very softly, yet they sounded like a promise.
Lu Xiran paused for a second. She had wanted to slip away, but when she met those earnest eyes, she couldn't bring herself to refuse. She could only nod and hurriedly push open the door to leave.
"Aunt Lu, what happened?"
Aunt Lu pulled her to a corner of the kitchen, her face looking very unpleasant.
"Xiao Xu, who has worked in the store for ten years, actually took money and added things to Mr. Gu's food."
"What?!"
Lu Xiran looked down at the bowls and chopsticks on the cutting board that hadn't been cleared away yet, and her mind went blank.
Why?
"Ranran, there are some things I haven't told you while you were abroad." Aunt Lu's voice was tight, and her eyes were a little red. "It seems that President Gu has made a lot of enemies. In the past three years, three people have been caught drugging him right here in our shop."
Lu Xiran's heart clenched suddenly.
"Also, Old Duan, the chef at the Gu Group, secretly told your Uncle Ye that all the food served to President Gu has to be inspected. Layer upon layer, several layers of checks."
Lu Xiran recalled the events of three years ago. Gu Qishan, Liu Lin, Su Lanzhi... she had witnessed the ruthlessness of those people.
"Where's Xiao Xu?" she asked, suppressing the turmoil in her heart. "Didn't he work at the shop for ten years? How could he do something like this?"
"Sigh." Aunt Lu sighed, tears finally falling. "This child was raised by your Uncle Ye and me. His wife is a gambler; she gambled away all the tuition money he saved for the child. He said the other party gave him 500,000 yuan for this drug. He thought it was just to make someone unconscious..."
"Has it been sent for testing?"
"It's already been sent." Aunt Lu looked at her, hesitating to speak, "Ranran, could you please talk to Mr. Gu about this?"
Lu Xiran was stunned.
"Although he's not going to pursue the matter," Aunt Lu said, wiping away her tears, "he's still a long-time employee of ours. If I... if I call the police, he'll..."
Lu Xiran remained silent for a few seconds.
"I'll handle the compensation. I'll pay the school directly for the child's tuition." She looked up at Aunt Lu, "But after what he did, he can't stay in the shop anymore."
Aunt Lu nodded, tears streaming down her face.
"I'll talk to Mr. Gu about it."
Lu Xiran returned to the private room and took a deep breath at the door.
Pushing open the door, Xin Mubai was leaning against the window looking at the night view. Hearing the noise, he turned around.
"Sorry, I have something to do at the shop." Her voice was a little weak. "I might... have to go now."
"Do you need my help?"
"No need." Lu Xiran's anxiety was genuine.
Xin Mubai didn't ask what was wrong, he just nodded and picked up his coat from the back of the chair.
"Okay. I'll go first then."
He looked at her, and there was something indescribable in his gaze.
"Those ten meals?"
Lu Xiran couldn't think of an excuse to refuse.
"……good."
Lu Xiran was busy at the store until very late.
She helped handle the aftermath and checked all the surveillance footage from tonight. By the time she finally had some free time, it was almost ten o'clock.
She stood in the corner of the lobby, looking at the door to Gu Yanshen's private room.
The door opened.
Gu Yanshen walked out.
He wore that dark gray overcoat, his posture was upright, and his face was expressionless. Several people followed behind him, still talking in hushed tones.
Lu Xiran wanted to step forward.
Thinking back, it seemed he didn't want their relationship to be known by others.
They went back again.
I sent him a WeChat message.
Gu Yanshen paused upon seeing this.
He turned his head slightly, as if to look at her.
But it was only at first glance.
Then he looked away and continued walking forward.
Lu Xiran stood there stunned, and continued to send him WeChat messages.
"There's something... I'd like to talk to you about..."
Gu Yanshen continued walking forward without any hesitation.
She watched that figure walk further and further away, thinking that she should ask her uncle to help her talk to him.
After all, she had said that day that she would try her best not to appear in front of him again.
My phone vibrated.
See you on the rooftop.
Lu Xiran stared at those four words, then took a deep breath and turned to walk towards the parking lot.
She parked her car and got out, only to find his car already there.
In the darkness, he sat in the driver's seat, the window half-open, his profile illuminated by the garage lights.
He didn't come down.
She didn't go there either.
The two walked into the elevator one after the other, a few steps apart.
The elevator doors closed.
There were only the two of them in the enclosed space.
And each other's breath.