Listening to the conversation between Yang Sheng and Ji Rui, Le Tong struggled to hold back her laughter.
She sneaked a glance at Ji Rui from the corner of her eye, unexpectedly finding that the usually stern, expressionless President Ji had such a lively and amusing expression on his face. Although his version of lively was merely a slight twitch at the corners of his eyes and mouth, compared to his usual stiff face, it was already quite remarkable.
Initially, Le Tong was worried that Yang Sheng would be dragged down by her, afraid that President Ji would become estranged from Yang Sheng because of it. That was why she insistently wanted to retake the interview, to clear the air for both Yang Sheng and herself.
But now, seeing Yang Sheng act so boldly and cheekily with Ji Rui, she realized that their relationship was far beyond the mere superior and subordinate connection she had thought.
Through her not-so-advanced fujoshi worldview, she saw pink bubbles floating above their heads, a cold and indifferent domineering top VS a tsundere sharp-tongued queen bottom. Just thinking about it, the YY scenes in Le Tong’s head were enough to make her nosebleed flow!
Yang Sheng, whether seriously heeding Ji Rui’s words or having had enough fun, stopped messing around as soon as Ji Rui said something.
The three of them sat in Ji Rui’s luxury car. Afterward, Yang Sheng and Ji Rui chatted about other matters, while Le Tong made herself inconspicuous, not saying a word and merely gazing out of the window, lost in thought.
Once seated at the buffet restaurant, after drinking a glass of water, the three went their separate ways to get food.
Le Tong, being a standard foodie, couldn’t bear to miss out on the wide array of delicious foods before her. With a plate in hand, she circled most of the restaurant, piling her plate full of a variety of tasty foods.
Ji Rui approached, glanced at her plate, and a flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes. Latest content published on NoveIꜰire.net
Le Tong was never one to care much about others’ gazes, even if that person was her boss. She casually smiled at Ji Rui but said nothing.
Originally, Ji Rui didn’t intend to say anything, but seeing her bright smile, he couldn’t help but glance at her plate again, asking, "Can you finish all that?"
Le Tong nodded with a smile, "Of course I can! Special Assistant Yang loves taking me to buffets because there’s no loss."
As she spoke, Le Tong added a large crab to her plate.
Ji Rui looked at the large crab perched on the small mountain of food, the corners of his lips curved slightly, "You surely won’t lose, but the restaurant will!"
Le Tong burst out laughing, "President, should I wear a disguise? So they won’t stop me next time?"
Suddenly, Ji Rui recalled the day when Le Tong cooked a meal with six dishes and one soup, both in appearance and taste.
That day, though Ji Baby had thrown a tantrum, after it was over, the father and son relished every bit of that meal. However, after finishing, Ji Baby threw an even bigger tantrum.
"Le Tong, have you really not considered cooking for me?"
Whether due to his good mood or for his son’s sake, Ji Rui rarely asked Le Tong so gently, but Le Tong rejected him without a second thought.
"I’m sorry, President!"
Every person has a subconscious inclination to avoid danger. Le Tong didn’t tell Ji Rui that she sensed strong danger signals in his personal space.
Although she didn’t understand where these danger signals came from, or perhaps she did but didn’t want to face them, her instinct was to avoid it, just like a driver who would choose to detour if they knew the road ahead was difficult.
Le Tong, despite her optimism and cheerfulness, was well aware of her limited abilities. Hence, when faced with situations beyond her capabilities to solve, she would rather be an ostrich than overly push herself to confront them.
Le Tong didn’t consider herself strong; at home, there wasn’t even a photo of her and her mom because she feared tears would flow upon seeing it.
That day at Ji Rui’s house, seeing the photo of Ji Rui and Ji Baby, the happiness exuding from father and son gave her the impulse to cry!
"President, if Baby likes my cooking, you should try that private kitchen on Xingning Road. The dishes I made that day were all secretly learned from there." Le Tong kindly suggested to Ji Rui.
"Hmm." Ji Rui saw her unwavering refusal, feeling a bit displeased, but unable to show it, nor could he bring himself to continue persuading her, so he silently passed by with his plate.
Le Tong circled the buffet area, carrying a large plate of food, and returned to see only Ji Rui at the table, eating something with his head down.
The man had a neat and fresh short haircut, a broad and high forehead, and his stunning sword-shaped eyebrows were very imposing. His slightly lowered head and straight nose created a beautifully slanted angle.
As Le Tong walked closer, she gradually saw his slightly pursed, sensuous lips and long, dense black eyelashes.
Suddenly recalling the day she woke up in the hotel and accidentally glimpsed the lazy, sexy side of this man, she was equally astonished as she was now.
The man, engrossed in his seafood soup, seemed to sense something and looked up, meeting Le Tong’s captivated gaze head-on.
His long black eyelashes fluttered, and the light refracted from outside hinted at his subtly green eyes. The faint, distant green light hit directly into the depths of Le Tong’s eyes, like a laser beam.
Le Tong’s heart seemed to stop, and her whole body, as if struck by lightning, remained motionless. For several seconds, she just stood there foolishly holding the plate, staring dumbfoundedly at Ji Rui.
Until an unmindful waiter accidentally bumped into her, waking her from her daze, she realized her embarrassment, hurriedly averted her eyes, and lowered her head as she carried the plate back to her seat.
Le Tong sat down awkwardly, like a thief caught red-handed, "Where’s Special Assistant Yang?"
She asked while fumbling to place the plate on the table, rearranging the plate, glass, and cutlery several times, still feeling the setup wasn’t right.
Ji Rui’s hand, holding the knife and fork, rested on the table, his eyes fixed on her restless hands.
"It’s too noisy here; he went out to take a call."
Le Tong responded with an "oh," finally arranging the food and utensils to her satisfaction. She stopped, holding the knife and fork, and looked at the mountain-like pile of food, but suddenly, what seemed so appetizing a few minutes ago lost its initial allure.
"Why aren’t you eating?"
Ji Rui paused, looking at her.
"I’m going to get a drink to whet my appetite!"
Le Tong put down the knife and fork and got up to head toward the drinks area. Ji Rui watched her back, bewildered, frowning slightly.