On weekends, she’d occasionally recharge before the four of them gathered for a delicious meal, though being with Shen Lan still felt like facing a headteacher for Huang Jing.
But at least it was better now, not as tense as before, and her colleagues had gotten used to it too. If they worked overtime on Sunday, around three or four in the afternoon, Huang Jing would take off.
Normally, she’d leave with Shen Lan, and now when they went to the city center, they no longer relied on the "big god" to drive; instead, they’d take the subway if possible.
Usually, the places Xia Ke and the others chose were accessible by subway, and Huang Jing and Shen Lan had followed this foodie couple to many spots in Shencheng, benefitting from their luck.
Shen Lan had also gone from following behind Huang Jing to leading her to their agreed-upon destinations.
When the people at the company first saw that Shen Lan would leave work early on weekends, they were quite surprised. Getting a workaholic like Shen Lan to leave early, how could it not astonish them?
Once everyone realized that Shen Lan’s early departures were to go out with Huang Jing, their first thought was that they were dating; otherwise, how could they explain a workaholic leaving early?
But after their colleagues saw the four of them out for dinner one time, they discarded that thought.
Yes, it was four of them eating, but it was essentially everyone but Shen Lan chatting away, while the "big god" just quietly ate his meal with the same serious expression he had in the cafeteria.
If this was what dating looked like, it was indeed a lot of pressure, and soon the whole company knew that the "big god" was just the "big god." His love life, apart from work, was still about work, unaffected by what others thought.
Huang Jing’s colleagues looked at her with various admiring glances when they heard about her dining with the "big god."
"You really have it tough."
"Yeah, don’t you ever feel queasy?"
Despite the concerned looks, no matter how she tried to explain, unfortunately, no one believed her, leaving her at a loss for what to do.
"Actually, it’s quite nice. The ’big god’ improves our meals every week, always taking us to eat delicious food."
Initially, eating with Shen Lan did create some pressure, but that pressure was nothing compared to the treat of being a guest of the "big god."
Nice restaurants don’t come cheap, especially since they were a group of four, talking and chatting while unknowingly ordering more. Although it meant she had to work out hard in the gym the following week, at least she got to enjoy gourmet food.
"And the ’big god’ is really nice, don’t you think he’s handsome?"
"Honestly, just for the ’big god’s’ handsome face, my appetite has improved a lot."
It wasn’t that she was making it up, but that she genuinely felt her appetite had increased, "and his warm smile makes him a ’warm man.’
"A serious face just makes him a ’cool man.’
After all, it concerned the ’big god’ treating them to meals, so it was essential to speak well of him, ensuring he would continue inviting them out to eat.
Once Huang Jing redirected the conversation with her comments, everyone suddenly felt there was nothing wrong with that; just for Shen Lan’s face, it was worth eating more.
As for his serious demeanor, after seeing it enough, one could just get used to it, "You’ve grown accustomed to it."
Huang Jing murmured an acknowledgment, "I’m used to it, the ’big god’ is genuinely a great guy."
Huang Jing didn’t hesitate to present Shen Lan with the "nice guy" card. In fact, not only her, even Xia Ke said Shen Lan was a good person, and as for Fan Chen, he was just used to it.
Knowing that Huang Jing and Shen Lan were not a couple, no one cared about that anymore. What they discussed now was that the Points for the welfare housing were out.
Everyone started calculating their own Points, then began to figure out how much money they would need to purchase the house they liked.
Once Huang Jing had calculated the total cost of the house she had to pay for, she swiftly filled in her preferred house type and efficiently submitted it.
Although submitting it early didn’t guarantee earlier selection, it allowed her to settle down completely, without having to dwell on it.
Xia Ke and Fan Chen had also chosen three-bedroom apartments, and as for Shen Lan, she chose a three-bedroom place as well.
Looking around, Fan Chen said, "We’re all choosing three-bedroom places, so why don’t we pick ones next to each other?"
"Can we continue to be neighbors?" If needed, we could quickly reach each other.
Xia Ke was absolutely supportive of Fan Chen’s suggestion, "Sure, I think that’s a great idea."
A house next to each other, becoming neighbors? Huang Jing felt there was no problem with that, but she looked worriedly at Xia Ke.
Their relationship was good now, but was it really guaranteed to last until the end?
If they broke up, how awkward would it be to see each other coming and going?
Especially if one of them started a new relationship while the other hadn’t moved on from their past feelings, how would it feel to see a former lover with someone new?
Huang Jing really didn’t believe that even someone with a big heart could stay calm and not have any thoughts about it.
Yet, she couldn’t voice these concerns - how could a couple in love be willing to listen to such talk?
At this point, Shen Lan said lazily, "What, spending weekends watching you two show affection wasn’t enough to make me feel left out and jealous?"
"You’re even planning to have me watch you show affection every day?"
"Don’t even think about it." Shen Lan was very direct, making it clear she disagreed.
Seeing Shen Lan speak up, Huang Jing naturally followed suit promptly, "I don’t want to either."
"I don’t want to watch your daily displays of affection."
Huang Jing felt it was best to keep some distance, and she thought of a reason Xia Ke might not want to buy a house next to Fan Chen’s.
Taking advantage of a moment during their joint workout, Huang Jing spoke softly to Xia Ke, "I know you haven’t considered marriage yet."
"But look, Fan Chen isn’t getting any younger, and the house will be ready by the end of the year. Do you think his parents won’t be anxious?"
Huang Jing knew Xia Ke’s family wouldn’t worry about such things, and even if they did, Xia Ke wouldn’t heed them, but Fan Chen’s family was one with a sense of home and tradition.
Not only had Xia Ke met Fan Chen’s parents, but they also frequently sent him homemade delicacies, and after they learned about Xia Ke, they included delicacies catering to her taste in their last shipment.
One could say that not many people would dislike such a caring family. Xia Ke had been through a lot and had no thoughts of settling down, but if she continued with Fan Chen, marriage was inevitable.
"When you have kids and both of you are busy with work, Fan Chen’s parents will definitely come to help care for the child."
"Do you think it’s better to live in separate apartments or together in one?" Huang Jing asked.
There was no need to ask – Xia Ke had heard colleagues complain about mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationships. Even if Fan Chen said his parents were very kind,
the key issue was that Fan Chen’s parents were, of course, good to him, but whether they would be good to her, a future daughter-in-law, Xia Ke could only say she reserved judgment.
"Live separately," said Xia Ke with her choice.
"Is it better to have two apartments in the same complex or right next to each other?" Huang Jing kept prompting her to make a choice.
If Xia Ke didn’t understand why Huang Jing was asking these questions at this point, she would truly be a big fool.
Taking a deep breath, she said, "I understand."