"Huh, Hongzhuang, what brings you here?"
"During working hours, you should address me by my title." Ruan Hongzhuang glared at Jiang Taoshi.
"But I’m not working right now."
"But it is working hours now."
"But I’ve taken a day off," Jiang Taoshi said, looking bewildered.
Ruan Hongzhuang couldn’t help but chuckle and reached out to pinch her face again.
But Jiang Taoshi dodged with a look of disgust.
Sometimes she doubted herself, suspecting that she let Jiang Taoshi be her assistant just for the convenience of squeezing her face—it was truly a stress reliever.
Ruan Hongzhuang sat down opposite Jiang Taoshi and gestured for a waiter to order a cup of coffee for herself.
She then noticed a bouquet of flowers on the table, not roses, but tulips, sunflowers, and baby’s breath.
"Did your date send these?" Ruan Hongzhuang asked, somewhat surprised.
The person hasn’t arrived yet, but the flowers have—it shows they’ve put in the effort.
"He not only ordered coffee for me but also had the staff deliver the flowers from their storage," Jiang Taoshi said with a chuckle upon hearing this.
"It seems your date has really made an effort," Ruan Hongzhuang remarked.
"I’m not sure about the person yet, but since Sister Wenxin introduced us, they should be quite reliable."
Because of this bouquet, Jiang Taoshi was filled with anticipation for this date.
"Did they mention what time they’d arrive?"
"Sister Wenxin said they’d be here by six-thirty."
Companies in Bin Hai generally finish work at six, so Ruan Hongzhuang guessed, "Does he work nearby?"
Jiang Taoshi nodded, "Yes, in the same company as my cousin."
"Your cousin’s old company, or that game company she’s with now?"
Jiang Wenxin works in finance and does not belong to Guanghui Animation; hence the clarification.
"I think it’s the game company?" Jiang Taoshi said, somewhat unsure.
Hearing this, Ruan Hongzhuang slightly frowned—Guanghui Animation was the biggest game company in Bin Hai, but compared to other firms, in terms of strength and size, it didn’t measure up, and was not even on par with her own company.
But since it was Jiang Wenxin who introduced them, she refrained from voicing her opinion.
With Jiang Wenxin’s status, she wouldn’t jeopardize her cousin, right?
"Do you have a photo? Do you know what they look like?" Ruan Hongzhuang asked curiously.
"Sister Wenxin didn’t send you their WeChat?"
"How come you don’t know anything?" Ruan Hongzhuang said, quite speechlessly.
"What’s the point of knowing so much? Won’t it be clear once we meet?" Jiang Taoshi declared confidently.
Ruan Hongzhuang was at a loss for words, feeling like the other person made a lot of sense.
"If they’re ugly, should I just not meet them? This is someone Sister Wenxin introduced; I should show some courtesy. So it doesn’t matter what they look like or whether they are nice. In fact, it’s not important because I can’t get out of it. I’ll meet the person just to give Sister Wenxin closure—it’s not like I really want to develop a relationship with them..."
"But..." Jiang Taoshi stared intently at Ruan Hongzhuang.
Knowing Jiang Taoshi well, Ruan Hongzhuang was certain the next words wouldn’t be nice, so she just fixed her gaze on her.
Jiang Taoshi was a bit panicked under Ruan Hongzhuang’s stare.
Ruan Hongzhuang had a pair of Phoenix Eyes that naturally exuded an authoritative air.
Being indulged in her family since childhood shaped her assertive character.
As an adult, she forged a great career for herself, commanding a lot of respect in the company—’as the dharma is planted, so does the land flourish’.
Over time, her authority only grew, like a queen high above.
Her sharp gaze was particularly intimidating, and most people couldn’t withstand it.
But clearly, Jiang Taoshi is not like most people. On one hand, she has a heart big enough not to sweat the small stuff. On the other, after following Ruan Hongzhuang around for so long, getting glared at every other day, she’s become desensitized over time.
So, despite feeling a bit nervous, she still retorted, "Why are you more anxious than I am, and why do you even care about this stuff? You’re not craving a man, are you?"
"Show some respect." Ruan Hongzhuang reprimanded angrily.
"Hmph, we’re not at work now. Let me tell you, I’m the older one here, call me Sister!" Jiang Taoshi crossed her arms and puffed out her chest, unwilling to relent.
The two stared each other down like roosters in a fight, neither willing to back down.
At this moment, a waiter brought over the coffee Ruan Hongzhuang had just ordered.
Ruan Hongzhuang’s expression softened at last. "I’ll let you off this time."
"Hehe~" Jiang Taoshi revealed a triumphant smile.
Ruan Hongzhuang took a sip of her coffee and glanced at her, stating coolly, "I’ll settle the score with you at work tomorrow."
Jiang Taoshi’s laughter came to an abrupt halt.
"Boss, you can’t do this; we agreed to be lifelong good sisters."
"That’s right, we are good sisters now, so I’m letting you off. Tomorrow it’s a matter of superior and subordinate, so I can’t let you off."
"You’re not allowed." Ruan Hongzhuang put down the coffee with a smile in her voice.
"You dirty capitalist should be hung up from a lamppost," Jiang Taoshi said indignantly.
"Thanks for the compliment, anything else? I’m listening." Ruan Hongzhuang spoke leisurely.
Seeing that she wasn’t able to get Ruan Hongzhuang riled up, Jiang Taoshi’s attitude immediately switched 180 degrees.
"Hongzhuang, let me tell you, there’s a cake shop nearby that tastes really good."
"Oh, is that so?" Ruan Hongzhuang concealed her laughter, sounding nonchalant.
"Yes, their Tiramisu is so delicious." Jiang Taoshi’s face revealed her craving. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✦𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✦𝕟𝕖𝕥
Then she added, "And they have your favorite cheese cake. Do you want some? I’ll go buy it for you."
As she spoke, she was already anxious to get up.
"Wait, you’re still on a blind date, aren’t you? What if they arrive and you’re not here, wouldn’t that be rude?"
"It’s fine, it’s just next door, I’ll go and come back quickly; it won’t take long."
Without waiting for Ruan Hongzhuang to respond, she grabbed her phone and ran.
"Keep an eye on my bag for me."
Watching her departing figure, Ruan Hongzhuang realized that she wasn’t planning to buy her any cheese cake at all.
She just wanted Tiramisu for herself. Ruan Hongzhuang didn’t just make up things about her being lazy and having a sweet tooth. This girl always had snacks instead of cosmetics in her bag; truly a case of eating wherever she goes.
Luckily, she belonged to those who don’t gain weight, otherwise she’d definitely eat herself to death.
Seeing that she couldn’t call her back, Ruan Hongzhuang had no choice but to continue sipping her coffee while waiting for her to return.
But left waiting and right waiting, there was still no sign of her.
Ruan Hongzhuang started to get a little anxious and hesitated about whether to call to check on her.
The reason Jiang Taoshi hadn’t come back yet was that she unfortunately arrived just as the Tiramisu had sold out, but a new batch would soon be ready.
Unwilling to leave empty-handed, Jiang Taoshi decided to wait in the shop, and that’s what delayed her.
Since the company wasn’t far away, after work, Shen Siyuan rode his little electric scooter directly to Sunset Coffee.
He parked his electric bike by the road and took out his phone for a glance.
In the afternoon, Jiang Wenxin had sent him a photo of a bunch of flowers, informing him that the owner of the flowers would be his blind date tonight.
Although Sunset Cafe was an open-air cafe, it was surrounded by a little fence, with flowers and plants all around.
Shen Siyuan walked in and immediately noticed the girl sitting on the right, who stunned him with her beauty, and he was also surprised by her poise.
Then he saw the bunch of flowers on her table, and couldn’t help feeling astonished. Jiang Wenxin’s cousin, she’s this beautiful and poised?
Thinking this, Shen Siyuan walked towards her.
Ruan Hongzhuang also noticed Shen Siyuan coming over, so she put down her coffee cup and met his gaze.
But then, she suddenly realized that his gaze seemed to be not on her but behind her.
She turned her head in puzzlement, only to see an empty table and nothing else behind her.