While Lin Chuan was speaking, Jing Yu had already made his way to the front desk.
Standing opposite him was a rather tall local woman whose eyes lit up significantly at the sight of the newcomer.
"Sir, what can I help you with?"
"What’s for breakfast?"
"Are you here on a trip, sir? Our hotel has everything: sandwiches, sandwiches, coffee, milk, fried eggs..."
"A cup of coffee, a cup of milk, two sandwiches, thank you."
The waitress played with a strand of hair by her ear, oozing charm, "Don’t you want to order anything else, sir? May I ask your honored surname? Are you... alone?"
Jing Yu glanced at her, giving her a faint look but said nothing.
The woman seemed to catch his drift; she went to prepare the food with less interest after settling the bill. As Jing Yu walked towards Tang Shu with a tray, her gaze lingered thoughtfully on the two of them for a few more seconds.
Breakfast in Southeast Asia was quite simple, and a sandwich was quickly finished. The group spent no more than fifteen minutes on breakfast, but since the Program Team still had a lot of work to do, Lin Chuan got up with his team and left right after eating to move on to the next phase.
Tang Shu stayed behind with Jing Yu, sitting in the hotel’s outdoor resting area to enjoy the view.
By the time Geng Qiuqiu and the others woke up and came over, they witnessed the scene in front of them.
"Hey hey? Do Xiao Shu and President Jing know each other?"
"Yeah, look, they seem like they’ve known each other for a long time."
Yin Dong looked at everyone in surprise, "You... don’t know?"
"The reason the Program Team’s reinforcement arrived so swiftly is because President Jing facilitated it, and he’s known Xiao Shu for a long time. Director Lin said that when the guest list was submitted, it was President Jing who personally chose her."
He had gleaned this juicy tidbit from Lin Chuan.
Everyone looked at each other then back out the window to the resting area, suddenly seeing things in a new light.
"Damn, President Jing is actually smiling?! I’ve seen him a few times at banquets before and once even wondered if he had an ice-cold face!"
"I’ve also had the fortune to see him once. He had such a commanding presence then, as if he didn’t need to give face to anyone. There was a lot of chatter about him among the people nearby. I never would have thought..."
"Never would have thought that President Jing would show this side of himself in front of our Xiao Shu?"
Look, the adoration in his eyes is nearly spilling over!
There’s a situation here, a big situation!
Thinking back on what was just said, they all turned their gaze towards Yin Dong, "You guys got there before us when we were being rescued yesterday, what exactly happened, spill it!"
"Yeah, yeah, there must’ve been something we don’t know about!"
"And it’s big gossip!"
Yin Dong, besieged by several pairs of wolfish eyes, suddenly shivered.
"No, no, no, I can’t say, it’s their privacy, how can I casually reveal it?!"
"Not going to tell? Are you sure you won’t tell?"
"Brothers, let’s beat the crap out of him!"
The three of them rolled up their sleeves and got started. Ten minutes later, Yin Dong, tormented by their relentless tickling to the point of tears, capitulated in a most unmanly fashion beneath their bullying, crying and laughing as he began to beg for mercy.
"Heh, do you have any pride left?"
"Look at you, not even lasting ten minutes, what a disgrace!"
"So are you listening or not?"
Yin Dong wiped away his tears and sat on the stone at the entrance, taking five minutes to explain the situation very clearly, showcasing an utter lack of backbone.