Jiang Chen saw a man.
A man who could truly be described as a "successful person."
Dressed in a suit and polished shoes, his shiny leather shoes, and impeccably-tied printed silk tie, almost wrote "career accomplished" on his face.
Jiang Chen vaguely felt that the man looked familiar.
"Who are you looking for?"
Seeing a man open the door seemed to surprise the visitor, who stepped back, carefully checked the apartment number, then seemed to confirm he hadn’t knocked on the wrong door.
Looking for Fang Qing?
Jiang Chen silently chuckled.
This was Fang Qing’s apartment; if the man wasn’t here to see Fang Qing, was he here to see him?
He nodded, stepped aside, and called into the house, "Fang Qing."
A man in his thirties stood silently at the doorway.
Footsteps approached, and soon, Fang Qing appeared.
She, too, seemed surprised by the visitor.
Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow, vaguely remembering that the previous night at Peach and Plum Restaurant, when Fang Qing left the place, this man seemed to be walking beside her.
But because the environment was rather dim and crowded, he was too far away to see clearly.
Jiang Chen stood aside, in no hurry to butt in.
"You took a day off today, and I was worried you might not be feeling well, so I came to check on you," the man said, smiling politely.
Fang Qing suddenly understood, then hurriedly said, "I’m fine."
Ding He nodded. Mature men are different; he didn’t ask about the sudden appearance of Jiang Chen. Seeing that Fang Qing was alright, he quickly said, "Alright, then I won’t disturb you anymore."
Fang Qing hesitated before speaking, "Lawyer Ding, we were just about to have dinner. If you haven’t eaten yet, why don’t you join us?"
It was a gesture of basic courtesy since the man had come to see her specifically.
Ding He declined but glanced at Jiang Chen while doing so.
"Since you’re here, Lawyer Ding, why not stay and eat with us?"
Jiang Chen seconded the offer, having roughly guessed the man’s relationship with Fang Qing.
Ding He seemed hesitant, but perhaps because both of them had invited him so earnestly, it was difficult to decline, so he could only nod in agreement.
"Then I hope I’m not intruding."
The three of them entered the house.
Fang Qing added another set of dishes and utensils.
"This is my friend, Jiang Chen; this is Lawyer Ding, my boss," Fang Qing introduced.
"Lawyer Ding, hello."
The two men were both very polite.
"Lawyer Ding, Fang Qing took the day off today to entertain me," Jiang Chen volunteered an explanation.
"No problem. It is good to take a rest; Fang Qing indeed works too hard. I even thought she had fallen ill," Ding He said amicably with a smile.
When an employee takes leave, he actually comes to visit in person.
Jiang Chen inwardly mused.
In this respect, he, as a boss himself, felt quite ashamed.
"Lawyer Ding, would you like something to drink? I only have beer and ordinary red wine at home."
"No need. I drove here, eating is fine," he responded.
"Lawyer Ding, then you must try Fang Qing’s cooking; her culinary skills are exceptional," Jiang Chen enthusiastically commended Fang Qing in front of her boss.
"Is that so? Then I must indeed try it," Ding He said as he picked up a pair of chopsticks.
Fang Qing discreetly stepped on someone under the table.
Jiang Chen frowned, looking puzzled.
Fang Qing’s gaze warned, "Say less."
I’m praising you, aren’t I?
The two communicated with their eyes, a quiet understanding only possible between childhood friends who had grown up together.
Ding He could not help but notice their silent exchanges.
Seemingly unbothered, he casually asked, "Mr. Jiang, what do you do for a living?"
"Me? I’m an unemployed bum. I’m here specifically to mooch off of Fang Qing and freeload meals," Jiang Chen responded nonchalantly with a grin.
Ding He was taken aback, clearly not expecting this.
"Lawyer Ding, he, like me, just graduated. He’s in Capital City because he has some matters to attend to," Fang Qing quickly clarified, increasing the pressure of her foot under the table.
"I see," Ding He responded with a polite smile, then continued the casual conversation, asking Jiang Chen, "Which university did you graduate from?"
"East Sea University."
To prevent him from talking nonsense again, Fang Qing answered for him.
"That’s a nice university. Do you have any career intentions? Maybe I could help recommend something."
You’re such a good boss.
Jiang Chen couldn’t help but throw Fang Qing a meaningful glance.
It wasn’t Fang Qing’s place to continue answering for him. She kept her foot on his, warning him.
"I’m not really thinking about working at the moment," Jiang Chen unabashedly replied as if he were part of the increasingly popular trend of "lying flat."
This could be easily interpreted as a lack of ambition.
Hearing this, Ding He looked meaningfully at Fang Qing and couldn’t say much more.
Since neither of them was introverted, the meal actually went quite smoothly.
"Fang Qing, you can take a few more days off," Ding He offered understandingly when it was time to leave.
"I’ll walk you out," Fang Qing said.
While Jiang Chen cleaned up the table, he didn’t forget to enthusiastically call out, "Lawyer Ding, do visit often."
Fang Qing clenched her teeth but coolly escorted Ding He to the door without changing her expression.
"Fang Qing, you should talk to your friend. Young people should have a sense of career ambition. Just after graduation, it’s the best time to strive. In a few years, there will be new graduates, and the pressure will be much greater than it is now."