Zhang Jingdong seemed to be reasonable, but was actually teasing: "Earlier, I had a taste of the bowl, and you were fine with eating it, so why can’t I have another taste after you’ve eaten?"
"Don’t worry, I don’t mind you!"
Zhou Zhou could definitely tell that this guy was blatantly teasing her, but the logic in his words was sound, and she had no way to refute it.
So, blushing, she had no choice but to say: "But... how about I go buy you another bowl?"
"If you buy another bowl, I won’t be able to finish it. At most, I can only take a bite or two. Do you think you can eat two bowls?"
Zhang Jingdong said this, and seeing Zhou Zhou beginning to be tempted, he continued: "I’ll just take a tiny bite, picking up from the edge of the bowl. That okay?"
Although Zhou Zhou was still reluctant, the guy across from her had put it this way, so she had no choice but to nod helplessly: "...Alright."
Seeing that she had finally agreed, Zhang Jingdong immediately reached his chopsticks into her bowl.
He picked up four or five rice noodles, carefully lifting them, and then, with a deft move, put them into his mouth.
This time, he chewed exaggeratedly for a good ten seconds, his face full of admiration: "Tsk tsk, it’s actually not that spicy anymore, instead it has a bit of sweetness."
Then he pretended to remember something: "I get it now, Zhou Zhou, you have such a sweet mouth!"
Zhou Zhou immediately gave him a glare: "You... so annoying!"
Zhang Jingdong laughed loudly, then waved his right hand lightly in front of Zhou Zhou: "Don’t blink..."
Although Zhou Zhou was a bit stunned by his sudden action, she subconsciously obeyed him and forced her eyes wide open.
Then she saw that a Van Cleef & Arpels ring box had somehow appeared in his hand.
Even though Zhou Zhou herself had never bought such expensive jewelry, her colleagues were very keen on brand-name accessories.
Thus, influenced by what she heard and saw, she had come to know many luxury brands.
One brand that many of her colleagues were particularly fond of was Van Cleef & Arpels because, although their items were very expensive, they were also very beautiful.
This year, a colleague’s boyfriend had given her a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace on her birthday, and the colleague had shown off to everyone for over a month.
So, the moment Zhou Zhou saw the box in Zhang Jingdong’s hand, she recognized it was a Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry box.
Then she vaguely thought of something, a flicker of surprise and hesitation appearing in her eyes.
At this point, she heard Zhang Jingdong say: "You treated me to rice noodles, especially letting me have that last bite. This... can be considered a gift in return!"
Zhou Zhou quickly waved her hand: "No need, this... it’s too precious! I can’t accept it!"
Zhang Jingdong seemed to have anticipated her response and went straight to the point: "I think a lot of things aren’t about the amount of money, what’s most important is the sentiment."
"Look at you, treating me as a friend, coming to guide me on your day off when you should be sleeping in, and even offering to treat me to rice noodles—your kindness is truly rare!"
"And in order to reciprocate your kindness, I just spent over twenty minutes picking this out in the store. Don’t you want to accept my sentiment?"
Zhou Zhou suddenly realized that Zhang Jingdong was incredibly logical in his speech, leaving her with no ground to argue.
Yet, she was still conflicted.
Zhang Jingdong saw her hesitation, then changed his tune: "Besides, you have to accompany me for the whole day today. Time is precious; money can’t buy time. This ring, compared to the time you’re giving up, really isn’t much at all!"
Seeing that she still wouldn’t nod, Zhang Jingdong had no choice but to up the ante: "Zhou Zhou, I’ve even pulled out this old saying, can’t you give me some face?"
"If you refuse, it means you’ve never thought of me as a friend. If that’s the case, let’s forget it. I’ll give you back the money for the rice noodles, we’ll be square, and pretend we’ve never met each other!"
Zhang Jingdong said, reaching for his wallet.
Seeing this, Zhou Zhou sighed and said: "...Alright, fine, I’ll take it, okay?"
Seeing that she had finally agreed, Zhang Jingdong immediately opened the box and handed it to her: "Put it on, let me have a look!"
It was only then that Zhou Zhou took a serious look at the ring in the box.
The entire ring was shaped like a four-leaf clover, with diamonds encrusted all around, and the center seemed to be made of white gold, radiating an extremely gorgeous luster!
The Van Cleef & Arpels piece was indeed both luxurious and exquisite!
She carefully took out the ring and put it on the index finger of her left hand.
Zhang Jingdong then praised: "I knew you were suited for this white ring, tsk tsk, so beautiful!"
At this point, there was a flicker of joy and shyness in Zhou Zhou’s eyes, and she pursed her lips: "...Thank you."
Zhang Jingdong smirked: "Let’s make a rule, shall we? Today, no matter what you do for me, I won’t thank you, and no matter how I repay you, you’re not allowed to thank me."
Zhou Zhou hesitated: "The gift you’ve given me is already enough, you don’t need to give me anything more."
"Who said repaying you must be with gifts?"
Zhou Zhou blinked her beautiful eyes: "...Okay."
The people at the surrounding tables, having been paying attention to them, had witnessed the whole process of Zhang Jingdong giving Zhou Zhou the ring, and they were all impressed.
Leaving aside the fact that the ring was obviously not cheap, just the magic trick he used to present the gift to Zhou Zhou and the way he created a surprise and made her happy were skills they felt inferior to.