Afterward, Lin Xiu brought Liu Yun to a nearby Private Custom Restaurant—Shanhai Pavilion.
The atmosphere here was serene and elegant, hard to imagine for a place located in the heart of such an expensive City. It was said that the head chef inside was even a descendant of the Imperial Kitchen chefs who once cooked for the Emperor.
Liu Yun felt a bit daunted by this. Though her income wasn’t low nowadays, various living expenses still made it rare for her to step into such luxurious venues.
Perhaps it was because of her upbringing, but she always had a fixation on saving money, feeling especially insecure without any savings…
“We can just have a simple meal, there’s no need to come to a place like this, right?”
Lin Xiu, however, was already a step ahead, walking in as he looked back and teased her.
“Yu Secretary, this meal is on me. Are you really going to pass up a chance to fleece me?”
Liu Yun paused at his words, not sure if the young man was implying something, and only let out a soft hum, mumbling in a low voice, “That was never my plan.”
He was making her seem petty, like those other women…
Besides, trying to get back at this guy—who was loaded—over money wouldn’t even matter to him, right? She wasn’t stupid.
The two of them followed the waiter to a private room Lin Xiu had already reserved on his Mobile Phone.
From one side of the private room, you could see a classical Chinese garden; from the other, the City’s tall buildings and the constant stream of cars, creating a striking sense of time dislocation.
Lin Xiu picked up the Menu without looking at it, then handed it over to Liu Yun.
“Yu Secretary, I’ll leave the small matter of ordering food to you.”
Liu Yun was caught off guard. After opening the Menu, she was a bit shocked at the prices.
Luckily, she wasn’t one to dwell. After a quick check with the young man and getting a casual answer, she soon finished ordering.
There was still some time before the dishes would arrive, but the two didn’t converse, as Lin Xiu’s Mobile Phone notification had been sounding off nonstop for a while now.
So, at this moment, he was busy replying to messages on his Mobile Phone, and even seemed to be struggling to keep up.
Liu Yun glanced at the young man, then turned her head away to gaze at the people outside the window, zoning out with her thoughts drifting.
Thinking back on all these years of working, Liu Yun realized she didn’t have many friends. Most of her colleagues were just acquaintances she nodded to; there was no contact after work.
Former classmates were long gone, all with their own lives. It was hard to get together and chat as before.
Looking at it now, she truly had failed miserably at socializing…
As her thoughts returned, Liu Yun’s attention was soon drawn to a Cotton Candy vendor at the intersection not far away.
Amid the crowd, a little girl was pulling at a woman’s hand to buy Cotton Candy, with a man behind them watching on with loving eyes.
A simple and happy family of three…
At this moment, Lin Xiu also put away his Mobile Phone, just about to say something to Liu Yun, but as he looked up, he caught sight of the woman’s lonely and envious gaze…
Lin Xiu was momentarily stunned. For some reason, he felt that her eyes at this moment were especially piercing, so he interrupted her.
“Yu Secretary, I’ve got some good news and some bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?”
Liu Yun was startled, looking at him with hesitation. “The bad news?”
Lin Xiu snapped his fingers and smiled. “The bad news is that just now, my Bank Card was frozen by my Yeye. I don’t have a penny on me, so you’ll have to pay for this meal.”
Liu Yun’s eyes widened in shock.
Alright, this was definitely bad news for her. She had planned to go Dutch, but even that made her a bit reluctant…
Because with the dishes she had just ordered, the bill would easily be over ten thousand per person. Her monthly salary was only a few tens of thousands—this meal alone would wipe out half a month’s salary…
After a while, Liu Yun finally took a deep breath, her tone listless. “What about the good news?”
Lin Xiu, seeing her so disheartened, replied speechlessly, “The good news is, my Yeye said that from now on, all my living expenses are to be handled by Yu Secretary—you’ll pay for everything, then get reimbursed from him later.”
With that, the young man handed her the chat record with Lin Jianguo.
Liu Yun stared at it for a long time before rubbing her forehead and sighing, “How is that good news for me?”
She already disliked this guy in front of her, and now, with the Chairman pulling this, it would only force her to deal with him more often…
Lin Xiu saw her so troubled and waved his finger, winking mischievously.
“Not at all, not at all! Of course, it’s good news. Yu Secretary, think about it—since you’re the one reimbursing from my Yeye, we can spend however we want. Any extra, we split fifty-fifty. Isn’t that great?”
Liu Yun didn’t even hesitate before rejecting the young man’s plan.
“I won’t agree to that, so stop entertaining those thoughts.”
Not to mention whether her conscience could accept it—if she got caught, she’d have to hand in her resignation!
This jerk, why did it always feel like he was setting her up?
Thinking of this, Liu Yun shot a suspicious glance at Lin Xiu.
Lin Xiu felt confused at her look, wanting to say more, but at that moment, the dishes they ordered were brought out, each exquisite porcelain plate placed on the table.
Dishes like Jinlong Yutian, which was actually aged Huadiao steamed yellow croaker; Danfeng Xianzhu, actually chicken fat steamed crab meat lobster balls; and Ruixue Zhao Kunlun, actually boiled Chinese cabbage…
But in Liu Yun’s eyes, each dish was basically a stack of red bills, and each plate was so small!
So, during the meal, to Lin Xiu, it looked like this woman bore a deep grudge against the food—she chewed each bite with gritted teeth, a bit silly-looking…
Thinking of this, a mischievous thought rose in Lin Xiu’s heart. He spoke softly to Liu Yun.
“Jie Jie Yun.”
Liu Yun instinctively looked up, only to meet the young man’s golden-glowing eyes. Her whole body suddenly shuddered, her expression turning vacant…
Liu Yun’s consciousness struggled for a long time before becoming clear, but her body once again became like a puppet on strings, no longer under her control.
This beast, he’s actually hypnotizing her at a time like this, and she didn’t even bring her Voice Recorder Pen!
What’s more, Liu Yun was even more afraid of what the young man might do next. This was a restaurant—surely he wouldn’t do anything outrageous…
With that anxiety in her heart, Liu Yun watched as the young man curled his lips and beckoned with a finger.
“Jie Jie Yun, come here.”
That gesture—was he calling a dog or what!
Liu Yun was instantly furious, but she was powerless to resist, and could only watch helplessly as her body stood up and walked toward the young man…