Chapter 13: Peking Duck

Wang Fang was momentarily shocked. She saw how everything happened very extraordinarily. It even all happened in less than a minute.

Most of all, she briefly saw the man who came out of his car and into the restaurant. From his back figure along with his presence, she can tell he is not just powerful but handsome as well. She would have loved to meet such a man. She was full of curiousity when her thoughts were interrupted by Zhao Jun's voice.

"Fang, let's go. Quickly". Only then she remembered what situation they are in. They were just denied entry into Imperial House and that's more than embarrassing. They quickly got back into their car and drove away with dark expressions on their faces.

- Inside Imperial House -

Wang Xiu Lan was already sitting at a table. When she entered the restaurant earlier, the manager came to greet her and then guided her into their best dining room - the Emperor's Room.

It is not her first time in this dining room but the view still amazes her every time. It's a room with walls made of glass. This enables you to look out into the magnificent scenery provided by the lake. On the lake are lotus flowers and not far away a red zen bridge can be seen which enhances the scenic view from the room. It is truly a serene and spectacular sight. It made Wang Xiu Lan feel relaxed.

While admiring the view, she heard the door open. It was Li Han Zheng. It was barely a minute since she sat down. Li Han Zheng arrived at the restaurant not long after Wang Xiu Lan and because of his long and fast strides, it was only natural that he got here in less than a minute. As he approached the table, a waiter was following behind him.

"I'm sorry I made you wait" Li Han Zheng said as he started sitting down. After he sat down, the waiter started pouring wine into their glasses. It was a Domaine de la Romanée - Conti 1998. "I was early but you are not late. So there is no need for an apology" Wang Xiu Lan replied.

"It seems President Wang always has troubles with apologies" Li Han Zheng responded. Wang Xiu Lan raised an eyebrow. He was clearly talking about her refusing to apologise back at the hospital.

After the waiter was done, he left the room. Wang Xiu Lan then picked up her wine glass and raised a toast to Li Han Zheng to which he raised a toast back. "And it seems President Li likes to offer unnecessary things" Wang Xiu Lan said.

She took a sip of the wine and she saw Li Han Zheng laughed a little. On the outside, it seems she is talking about his unnecessary apology right now. But really, she was talking about the unnecessary VVIP room request for the mother and daughter back at the hospital. She truly amazes him.

Wang Xiu Lan gently put down her wine glass. "I see your trusted secretary is not here" she mentioned. Guang Jie? He thought to himself. "Why are you looking for him?" he asked Wang Xiu Lan.

"I thought he would be here to join me for dinner. After all, this was his idea, no?" Wang Xiu Lan said as a matter of fact while picking up the menu. She then started browsing.

For someone like Li Han Zheng, this would have already been an offensive comment but surprisingly, it made him a little happy. He thought she knew him too much to even know that the dinner invitation wasn't his idea. He smiled a little.

Meanwhile, in Wang Xiu Lan's head. This is the second time Li Han Zheng has shown a pleasant expression tonight and they are barely here for 10 minutes. This was very rare for him who is known to have a cold expression all the time. Wang Xiu Lan can't deny that whenever he laughs a little or smiles a little, she finds it attractive. Indeed, something so rare is seen as something so precious once it's there.

"President Wang knows me too well" Li Han Zheng spoke. "You're mistaken, President Li. I just put myself in your shoes. If I were you, I would be the same. A random dinner would never have crossed my mind" she replied nonchalantly.

"Is that so?" Li Han Zheng said while browsing the menu. Meanwhile, Wang Xiu Lan has already decided what to order so she put the menu down. She then took another sip of wine.

Li Han Zheng continued to scan through the pages. After a while, he said "I'm guessing President Wang will order a Roasted Peking Duck?"

Instead of answering, Wang Xiu Lan raised an eyebrow at Li Han Zheng as if asking"How did you know that?".

Li Han Zheng smirked on the inside "President Wang, I only put myself in your shoes. If I were you, I would have chosen this dish as well" he responded.

"Is that so? I find that quite hard to believe" Wang Xiu Lan was not convinced. "But aren't we... how do they say it... birds of the same feather?" Li Han Zheng confidently answered.

Lies. He actually didn't want to eat Roasted Peking Duck. He just remember seeing this bit of information from Guang Jie's report earlier. It says one of Wang Xiu Lan's favourite foods to order in a Chinese restaurant is a Roasted Peking Duck.

Anyway, Wang Xiu Lan didn't need to know that.

- Wang Mansion -

Wang Fang threw her bag into the sofa. She was in a bad mood and so was Zhao Jun. What would have been a happy night ended up being an embarrassing one. But one thing really bothered both of them.

"Brother Jun, why do you think Xiu Lan was allowed to go in when the restaurant was fully-booked?Do you think it's possible that she's meeting whoever that guest was?" Wang Fang asked worriedly.

"Don't be silly, Fang. You saw how high-profile that guest was. Even if Xiu Lan is the President of Wang Medical Group, her status is not good enough to match whoever that person was" Zhao Jun replied annoyingly. He refuse to acknowledge the possibility that Xiu Lan indeed knows someone as powerful as that man.

"But who do you think that person is? He looked very... powerful" Wang Fang said while blushing a little. She was about to say "handsome" and almost forgot that Zhao Jun was there.

Zhao Jun was too annoyed to notice the expression on his lover's face. "I don't know for sure. He must be a foreigner who came to visit. You already know Imperial House is popular even for foreigners" he said.

"Mm. You're right" she replied.

"I have to go now, Fang. I still have to deal with those reporters and make sure not a single photo and news about tonight comes out" Zhao Jun decided.

"Okay, take care Brother Jun". Wang Fang said goodbye to Zhao Jun after she gave him a goodnight kiss.

- Wang Xiu Lan's House -

Wang Xiu Lan just got back from dinner. She is used to meeting and dining with all sorts of high-profile individuals so today wasn't really new for her. She never feels uncomfortable meeting elites but she never feels comfortable either. However, surprisingly, she felt a bit comfortable today.

Despite Li Han Zheng's reputation of being stern and cold, they had some pretty good conversation which included both personal and business matters. In fact, she can say she had a better time than expected.

Also, she was glad Li Han Zheng never offered to send her home. She would have found it too cringey. She is clearly a strong independent woman and doesnt't need a man to send her home.

Moreover, even though it wasn't an official dinner, it was not a romantic one either. So there really was no need for such gesture. She had her own driver with her. Plus, that would have wasted both hers and Li Han Zheng's time.

Sending her home meant he has to go out of his way to drive her to her house which would cost him his precious time and it also meant Wang Xiu Lan would need to be socialising with him inside the car when she could have used that time to check work documents in her own car on her way home.

Sending her home was just inefficient and doesn't fall in both of their styles. She's glad they both think alike. Wang Xiu Lan chuckled remembering how Li Han Zheng said they are "birds of the same feather". She thought it was funny that such a phrase came out of Li Han Zheng's mouth.

But then she's curious "Does Li Han Zheng truly like to eat Roasted Peking Duck?". She just can't put it in her head that the mighty Li Han Zheng uses his hands when eating! He seems more like the knife-and-fork type of guy.

A Roasted Peking Duck is eaten with thin pancakes. The meat of the Peking Duck is placed on a thin pancake. Then green onions and cucumbers are added. To prepare and eat the wrap, one needs to use their own hands!

Being incredibly curious, Wang Xiu Lan decided to call Chen Jun who was on his way home. "Yes, Miss President." Chen Jun answered.

"I want you to find out if Li Han Zheng likes roasted Peking Duck." Wang Xiu Lan ordered.