novelraw Chapter 1012 - 1010: Taking the First Step
Chapter 1012 - 1010: Taking the First Step
"Hmm, it’s nothing, just a small favor. You don’t need to dwell on it."Even though he said it was just a small favor, Zhu Qianyu couldn’t bring herself to accept his help without feeling uneasy.
To him, at most, she was just a student. Why would he go out of his way to help her for no reason?
This kind of help, to him, might really just be a simple matter, but to her, it unreasonably created a sense of indebtedness.
The original intention of Zhu Qianyu making this call was to ask Ji Huan about what to pay attention to in tomorrow’s interview, but she temporarily changed her mind.
"Mr. Ji, do you have time tonight? I’d like to invite you for dinner, and at the same time, ask about some things to note for tomorrow’s interview."
At this moment, she only wanted to clear the favor, forgetting that this decision was completely opposite to her previous intention of avoiding him.
And on the other side of the phone, Ji Huan was pleasantly surprised by this unexpected invitation. Even someone like him, who had been through many storms, took several seconds to suppress his excitement and responded to her with a calm and clear voice.
"Yes, I have time. I happen to have some errands near R University. How about you find a restaurant near the school?"
It was obvious to anyone that his timing was conveniently adjusted to accommodate her.
Even if Zhu Qianyu didn’t admit it, she couldn’t help but give this man’s gentlemanly behavior a mental thumbs-up.
"Alright, how about the Sichuan restaurant we went to last time, do you remember it, Mr. Ji?"
"I remember. You’re at the school, right? What time should I come by?"
All the men in Zhu Qianyu’s family, without exception, were extreme chauvinists, so to be treated with such respect by the opposite sex was indeed heartwarming, even though her initial impression of him wasn’t good.
"I’m on break now, so I’m flexible. What time will you finish your errands, Mr. Ji?" Since she was the one inviting him to dinner, it was naturally her responsibility to adjust to his schedule.
"Six thirty, is that okay?" The young master typically got off work at five thirty, and it took about an hour to get from the Ji Family to R University.
"OK, I’ll reserve the room and send you the room number later."
After hanging up the phone, the young master was just about to deliver a document to Le Tong’s office. After handing over the file, he couldn’t hide his smile as he requested leave from his esteemed mother.
"Mommy, I won’t be home for dinner tonight."
Le Tong looked up, her inquisitive gaze sweeping over his face full of smiles.
"Confess honestly, who did you make plans with?"
The young master chuckled as he walked over to her side, bent down to hug Le Tong’s neck, placing his chin on her shoulder.
"Mommy, Zhu Qianyu asked me to dinner..." he said, rocking Le Tong happily.
Le Tong patted his hand, "Stop, stop, don’t shake me, baby. Mommy’s getting dizzy!"
The young master obediently stopped, but he kept rubbing his face against Le Tong’s neck like a puppy.
Le Tong shook her head with a smile, reached up to ruffle his hair, "Congratulations, baby, you’ve finally taken the first hopeful step."
The young master nestled against Le Tong’s neck and chuckled foolishly for a while. After relishing the moment, he remembered something important.
"Mommy, do you think I should bring some flowers?"
Le Tong immediately dismissed his suggestion, "Absolutely not. Your Little Bamboo is cautious and clever. Bringing flowers might backfire."
The young master tilted his head, thought for a moment, and nodded in agreement, "Hmm... There’s indeed that possibility!"
Mentioning flowers reminded Le Tong of the first time Ji Rui gave her flowers, and her feelings at the time. There was no joy, only discomfort.
"Little Treasure, flowers are a language, representing the sender’s intentions. Girls are very sensitive. Before you’re sure of her feelings for you, it’s best not to startle her with this kind of gesture."
The young master took his mother’s advice to heart. On the way, he passed by a famous pastry shop, went in and bought a few types of cakes that girls love. Worried about being late, he sped up a bit and managed to arrive at the Sichuan restaurant ten minutes early at 6:20.
Before getting out of the car, the young master specifically took off his suit jacket, loosened his tie, undid a couple of shirt buttons, and messed up his perfectly styled hair a bit in front of the rearview mirror, trying to make himself look closer to Zhu Qianyu’s age.
After doing all this unconsciously, the young master slightly slapped his forehead in frustration.
What was he doing?
He’s not even twenty-one yet, not old at all, okay?
Even though he’s a successful white-collar elite, it doesn’t hide the fact that he’s just as young as she is. Yet, why did he instinctively try to make himself look like a student?
Indeed, once he started to care, all his confidence and narcissism became a beautiful legend?
The self-assured and self-loving young master privately worried that she might see him as a dull and uninteresting office worker.
He also worried that an overly perfect facade might not intrigue her but instead create an insurmountable gap between them...
After a thorough inside-out makeover, the young master, only after regaining his overflowing confidence, finally walked into the Sichuan restaurant with a laptop bag in one hand and a cake box in the other. It was five minutes until half-past six.
He told the approaching server his room number, and the server informed him that someone was already in the room, then led him to the door, knocked, and the door was opened from the inside, revealing Zhu Qianyu, whom he hadn’t seen in days.
"Mr. Ji, long time no see."
Zhu Qianyu smiled and stepped aside to let the young master into the room.
The young master’s eyes quickly scanned the room, confirming it was just him and her, and he was secretly delighted.
Actually, until the moment the door opened, he was worried there might be others with her, but the two sets of tableware eased all his concerns.
"Just call me Ji Huan. I’m not really your teacher!"
The young master placed the laptop bag on a chair and handed the cake he was holding to her.
Zhu Qianyu took the box with some confusion, resolutely insisting, "How can I? Even if it was only for a day, you’re still my teacher."
How could the young master not understand her thoughts?
As long as she continued to call him teacher, he had to be mindful of certain boundaries. After all, the teacher-student relationship is perceived as a sacred one.
"Alright, you can call me whatever you like." The young master didn’t want to argue with her over this because, ultimately, whatever made her happy was fine.
Unconsciously, many of the young master’s principles quietly gave way to the girl in front of him, without a word.
Holding the beautifully packaged but concealed box, Zhu Qianyu looked up at him with uncertainty, "What’s this?"
"The cakes from this shop are quite nice. My nephews and nieces love them. I just passed by and picked up some, so I brought a few for you too. You can have them for a late-night snack or breakfast."