Reason for Dressing Up

Bai softly chuckled as he stepped out of the elevator upon reaching the ground floor.

"Okay, Sara," he nodded, "You be good to your mother, and uncle will see you on Friday. Bye."

"Bye, uncle Bai!" Sara chimed with a cute giggle.

Shufen then hung up the phone. Bai smiled and put the phone back in his pocket as he walked toward Lai, who he had spotted upon exiting the elevator.

He was in good spirits until he saw her talking to someone. And that someone happened to be Fan Qing. He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Yeah, but it's lunch with an angel," he heard Fan Qing proclaim, "There's a big difference."

'What the hell is he talking about?' Bai almost clicked his tongue.

When Fan Qing saw Bai, he quickly bowed and greeted him. Turning his attention back to Lai, Fan Qing winked at her.

He was such an oblivious guy that he didn't notice Bai staring daggers at him.

"Don't forget your promise, pretty angel," he told her, leaving her and Bai.

'P-pretty angel?' Bai almost gawked.

Almost. Fan Qing then headed for the elevator.

"What was that about?" Bai asked, a tone of jealousy in his voice.

"Oh, nothing," Lai said, oblivious to his tone, "We were just catching up."

She observed as he stared at her for a long time, causing her to squirm. He was doing everything he could to suppress the irritation and jealousy he was feeling.

She was oblivious to the turmoil of emotions he was facing.

"What?" she finally asked to which he shrugged.

"Let's go," he declared calmly.

They left the company and headed for the car. It was a beautiful day outside, and got Lai in high spirits.

"Where do you want to go eat?" he asked her.

Her shoulders slumped immediately. She dreaded this question.

'If I told you where I want to go,' she internally screamed, 'you would probably be disgusted by it. A man of your caliber cannot go eat where I eat, nor can you eat the cheap stuff I eat. So what the heck do I say?'

He watched as she sat in silence while he started the engine.

'She must be seriously thinking about it,' he drove out of the parking lot, 'I mean, it's not a tough question, is it?'

He heard her grunt as if saying she had no clue.

"Is it that difficult of a question?" he asked, amused at her serious expression.

"Uh. Well, that's a bit..." she paused, clearly flustered, "It's because the places that I go to are not as fancy as the places you are used to."

He put his hands on the steering wheel and watched her.

"So you think I won't like them?" he saw her avert her gaze.

"A little," she muttered, lifting her right hand in the air and slightly pressing her right thumb and index finger close together, "Maybe this much?"

He let out a laugh.

"That's you practically saying I won't like the places you like at all."

She let out a nervous laugh, and he started driving.

"You tell me where you want to eat," he informed her with a smile, "It's my treat. I won't complain about the place."

"Are you sure?" she widened her eyes, "You won't feel disgusted or uncomfortable?"

He shook his head 'no.'

"Well then," she smiled brightly.

When she smiled, he was over the moon. That is until he found himself standing in a long queue for a rooftop restaurant.

'What the hell is this?' he wondered, turning to look at Lai, standing next to him. Compared to him, she was rather excited.

"I have always wanted to come here," she gushed excitedly, "Since your schedule is empty for the next two hours, we should have no problem waiting here in the queue."

She happily hummed away while other waiting customers stared at them from the corner of their eyes.

'Right,' he let out a quiet sigh, 'I told her that I won't complain about the place. I just hope I don't have to wait too long. There's nothing I hate more than waiting.'

Other excited and hungry customers wondered what the mafia was doing waiting in a queue like them.

If he was in the mafia, he could just use his status to jump the queue. They also wondered who the beautiful woman next to him was.

"Isn't that Mr. Ying of the Ying mafia?" one lady whispered to her friend, who nodded.

"Yeah. He's the CEO of Nero Incorporated. What's he doing at a place like this?"

"Who is that lady next to him? A model?"

"His girlfriend, maybe?"

"How envious."

"I want to take a picture of him, but I dare not to. I might just get killed."

The crowd was murmuring and gazing at the two people who looked like they stepped out of the front cover of a Forbes magazine.

"They have the best pork cutlet here," Lai chimed, causing him to ignore the whispers and murmurs, turning his attention back to her, "You do eat pork, right?"

He nodded. She was too blinded by the excitement of having to try out this restaurant to even acknowledge the whispers and stares of the other queueing customers.

"They have beef too!" she grinned, "So even if you don't eat pork, there will be something you can eat. They don't cook shellfish, so you can rest assured. They only specialise in meat here."

He felt his heart flutter at the mere thought that she remembered he was allergic to shellfish. And that she carefully considered this place according to her tastes and his.

'She must have chosen this place because it only serves meat dishes, so it would be easier for me to choose a dish as well,' he smiled at her.

"Oh my gosh!" one lady whispered ever so loudly to her boyfriend, punching his arm in excitement, "He's smiling right now! The mafia is smiling!"

The lady's boyfriend just sighed. Lai and Bai stood in the queue for about thirty minutes before they were told to come up.

Lai walked ahead excitedly. Bai had left his suit jacket in the car and walked behind her, his hands in his pocket.

From the outside, the rooftop restaurant looked well-maintained, intimate, and cheerful.

As you enter the rooftop restaurant through the hardwood door, you're welcomed by joyful music and a feeling of comfort.

When he walked past other customers, they all stared at him. Women ogled him, while some men were envious.

The chef was engaged in a conversation with one of the waiters but still welcomed them with a smile and bow. It was lovely inside.

A large gazebo covered the whole restaurant to protect them from the harsh sun or rain. The restaurant itself was packed.

"Now I see why we have to wait in a queue," Lai muttered as she followed the waiter.

Several small tables were occupied by locals, travelers, foreigners, couples, and friends. Besides the rumor of this rooftop restaurant having great meat dishes, she did hear other rumors about it.

Supposedly it was famous for something, but she couldn't remember what. Though judging by the angelic voice which just started singing, it must be that.

"Please take a seat here," the waiter, a handsome young man, told them, "Welcome to The Sweet Rooftop."

The waiter had directed them to a seat by the wall of the rooftop. The rooftop walls were white and decorated with intricate purple patterns.

There were also pretty lamps all over the place, providing enough light for when the evening hit.

"My name is Neji," the waiter introduced himself, "and I will be your waiter for the day. Please feel free to call me when you're ready to order."

He then bowed and left them to decide on what they would eat.

"I wonder what I should eat," Lai chirped, scanning the menu in her hands, "Everything looks so delicious."

Bai smiled and poked her arm to get her attention. She looked up from the menu and stared at him.

"You can order whatever and however many dishes you want," he smiled, pointing at the menu, "This was the surprise I had planned for you. I know it's not much, but I wanted to thank you for doing a great job as my PA so far. That's why I told Na to tell you to dress up today."

She widened her eyes in surprise, her mouth agape.

"Today, we can do whatever you want," he continued, "So don't worry about meetings or schedules. I'm all yours to command."