Chapter 373: Did You Come Just to See Me?
Hmm?
Seeing that Chen Jianhai wasn't speaking for a long time, a trace of suspicion flashed in Wen Zifan's peach blossom eyes. He suddenly came back and went straight to her office without saying a word? Something's wrong!
Did something happen?!?
Wen Zifan's expression froze for a moment, and then her mind started analyzing quickly.
Given Chen Jianhai's lazy nature, he would definitely solve things over the phone rather than trouble himself to take a boat back.
If there really was a big issue at the hotel requiring his presence, he would definitely talk about it directly, not beat around the bush like this.
So…
The mischievous woman's lips curved slightly, and she teased in a soft voice:
"Boss, did you come back just to see me?"
"Huh?!"
Chen Jianhai was caught off guard by her direct question, and his face instantly turned red. Thick-skinned, he replied,
"I've been on the island, and today I came back to check on the hotel's situation. I just happened to pass by your office."
Don't you usually sit in the lobby café when you come back to the hotel? When have you ever come to my office!
Liar…
Wen Zifan raised her eyebrows slightly, smiling at Chen Jianhai with an expression that said, "Go on, I like hearing you talk."
Damn, I can't keep this up.
Chen Jianhai was defeated by Wen Zifan's expression, so he gave up and admitted,
"Tell me about the hotel's recent situation. I need to understand what's been happening."
Saying this, Chen Jianhai walked dejectedly to the office chair and sat down.
"Okay." Wen Zifan secretly smiled at his back, turned around, picked up her work notebook from the desk, and began to report to Chen Jianhai.
In a blink, half an hour had passed.
Chen Jianhai's embarrassment had dissipated after the half-hour buffer.
It was now lunchtime.
Perfect timing!
He felt confident again,
He could take the initiative now!
Taking a deep breath, Chen Jianhai casually said,
"You've worked hard recently with Lang Ai Hotel. What do you want for lunch? My treat."
"Hotpot, barbecue, milk tea, Western food, Japanese food? What would you like? Pick one." Chen Jianhai asked seriously.
"Hotpot!"
Wen Zifan's eyes curved into a smile, "I love hotpot!"
...
"Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" Hotpot Restaurant, located on Huaxi Road in Nanjiang City, is a charcoal hotpot restaurant run by a boss from Northeast China. The sesame sauce is very authentic.
"Boss, one yuan-yang pot!"
Chen Jianhai led Wen Zifan to a quaint semi-private room,
surrounded by red lacquered wooden lattices that provided good separation.
It wouldn't be awkward being alone together, and it maintained a good dining atmosphere and environment.
Since they had to work in the afternoon,
to avoid getting their clothes soaked in the hotpot smell,
Wen Zifan changed into a red dress before leaving and tied her hair up in a high ponytail.
As a girl who loved spicy food, once the first slice of tender beef went into the spicy pot, Wen Zifan's chopsticks didn't stop.
The fragrant and spicy red oil covered the sesame sauce, and she kept eating one mouthful after another,
even putting lettuce into the oil pot.
"Shouldn't the vegetables go in the clear broth? Isn't this too spicy?" Chen Jianhai cautiously suggested.
Although he looked big and tall, he really couldn't handle spicy food,
seeing Wen Zifan go all out startled him quite a bit.
"No need, lettuce tastes best soaked in red oil!"
Wen Zifan, her face flushed from the spiciness, excitedly picked up the lettuce from the red oil pot, not caring about her image at all.
The green lettuce leaves soaked up the red oil, glowing under the light,
fully dipped in sesame sauce, Wen Zifan put the lettuce in her mouth, her face showing immense satisfaction and happiness.
Chen Jianhai's heart skipped a beat.
My Fan-ge is really something else…
An hour later, Wen Zifan lightly burped, her face red and slumped in the chair.
The table looked like a battlefield, with only a few leftover lettuce leaves remaining,
a successful meal!
"Are you full?" Chen Jianhai asked.
"Full, I can't eat another bite."
Wen Zifan waved her hand, then picked up the cola on the table and drank half the bottle.
Looking at her watch,
"Let's go, Boss! I need to get back to work."
...
Huaxi Road to Huanhai Road is a kilometer's walk, just through a small path.
The wind from the sea brought a delicious hotpot aroma.
"Boss, how long are you staying in Nanjiang this time?" Wen Zifan asked.
"I'm leaving today." Chen Jianhai replied.
Wen Zifan's eyes dimmed for a moment, "It's rare for you to come back. Why not stay a few more days?"
"I'd like to, but I can't." Chen Jianhai said helplessly.
Wen Zifan fell silent.
The hotel was at a critical moment, with the opening of Jellyfish Lake imminent. The island really couldn't do without Chen Jianhai.
The two walked side by side,
The path usually took 10 minutes, but they both unconsciously slowed down, as if wanting to make time pass slower.
"I opened a library on the island, much like a bookstore, with lots of books."
"You didn't have time to visit last time…"
Chen Jianhai's voice was a bit strained, carefully choosing his words.
Wen Zifan looked up at Chen Jianhai curiously, not knowing why he was suddenly telling her this.
Chen Jianhai tightly gripped his backpack, then took out two books and a vinyl record from it.
"These two books are from the library, they're beautifully written."
"This vinyl record is a rare collection, and the songs are great…"
Chen Jianhai held the books and record in one hand, his nerves making his speech a bit stuttered.
"Are these for me?"
Wen Zifan looked at Chen Jianhai in surprise, taking the initiative to ask.
"Yes!" Chen Jianhai nodded, "I thought these books were great, so I brought them. I wasn't sure if you'd like them…"
"What if I don't like them?"
Seeing Chen Jianhai's anxious expression, Wen Zifan mischievously asked.
Don't like?
Then what?
Chen Jianhai was stunned.
He had only thought about bringing the books, but hadn't considered what to do if she didn't like them.
"What do you like? I'll buy it for you." Chen Jianhai said.
"I like…" Wen Zifan started to speak instinctively, but then stopped herself halfway, turning to ask warily:
"Why are you suddenly giving me gifts and treating me to lunch?"
Chen Jianhai replied, "You've worked so hard, and I haven't shown my appreciation, so today I wanted to treat you to lunch and give you some books as a reward."
Chen Jianhai had thought of this reason on the way here, so he answered without hesitation.
"Is that all?" Wen Zifan's face froze,
"Just because I've been working hard, you wanted to treat me to lunch and give me books?"