My Exclusive Dream World Adventures

Chapter 110: Family Rules 110
 

Ding.

The elevator next door opened, and Yang Jinxia walked over. Before entering, she paused, turned back, and said with a smile, “Next time, if we run into each other again, I will give you a chance to invite me to dinner.”

After saying that, she entered the elevator.

Chen Xu watched the elevator doors close, feeling indescribable emotions welling inside him.

During dreams, he had never seen her so cheerful and playful. That was the quality a young woman should possess.

Was this the real her?

In his dreams, had she always been wearing a mask?

Perhaps, it was that despairing environment that, under the pressure of survival, made her transform into that…

Chen Xu stood there in a daze for a while, until the elevator behind him opened again and someone came out, snapping him back to reality. He shook his head, casting aside these thoughts, and proceeded to his room.

The evening banquet was lackluster for Chen Xu. He didn’t talk the entire time; he just kept his head down and ate. The food at such a star-rated hotel might not be all that tasty, but it wasn’t bad either.

After the banquet, Liu Kun left. The three representatives from Fangdong Group said they wanted to take a stroll outside. He drove them to a few famous spots.

During this time, a faint hope stirred in his heart that Yang Jinxia might suddenly appear. His gaze often involuntarily swept through the crowd.

Unfortunately, until they returned to the hotel, he had not caught a glimpse of her.

“Next time, if we run into each other again, I will give you a chance to invite me to dinner.”

Back in his room, after putting down his things, her words echoed in his ears, and he couldn’t help frowning.

Her statement felt oddly familiar.

Wasn’t this a tactic some women used to handle a backup guy?

He hadn’t expected that she would play this game too.

It seemed his guard was still not high enough; he had almost fallen into the trap.

Taking comfort in this thought, he changed into casual clothes and lay down on the bed.

…

The three representatives from Fangdong Group stayed for three days, and Chen Xu accompanied them the whole time.

On the third day, after sending them off on the return flight, he returned his rented suit and drove back to the company to report to Liu Kun. He handed over the bank card, keys, and receipts from the expenses over the past few days.

“You’ve done a good job,” Liu Kun praised.

Chen Xu expressed his modesty, did not linger, and took his leave.

Once he left, Liu Kun looked at the dozen or so invoices on the table, his expression somewhat solemn.

“Mr. Liu,” his secretary, who was also his cousin, came in and asked, “Do you need me to check the amounts?”

Liu Kun glanced at her, waved his hand, and told her to take them.

After she left, he stood up, walked to the window, and, with his arms crossed over his chest, gazed outside and murmured, “Could Luo Xiyun really be interested in such a man?”

His speculation wasn’t based on any solid evidence but rather a simple process of elimination.

His sister was good friends with Luo Xiyun and often went shopping together. From his sister, he knew that Luo Xiyun didn’t seem to be particularly close with any man.

And in the company, she hadn’t had much special interaction with any male colleague. Only once before, in her office, he had detected a clue: her attitude towards Chen Xu was somewhat special.

But the more he learned about Chen Xu, the more doubtful he became. Logically, he found it hard to believe that a woman like Luo Xiyun could fall for Chen Xu.

It wasn’t that he looked down on Chen Xu, but rather an analysis of his character.

With considerable experience in romance, he knew well that to touch a woman’s heart, a man needed more than just external attributes; he required boldness, attentiveness, and thick skin.

Some men with superior skills could snag outstanding women even without the best credentials, if the opportunity presented itself.

However, based on his observations, Chen Xu inherently knew his place. He didn’t dare accept offers handed to him on a platter, so how could such a cautious man actively pursue his own boss?

Besides, he was generally not very talkative, bordering on dull.

No matter from which angle, Luo Xiyun and Chen Xu seemed unlikely. Surely she wouldn’t just fall for him without any reason?

“Could I be wrong?”

His eyes were filled with a hint of doubt.

…

Chen Xu left Liu Kun’s office and went home, as Liu Kun had given him half a day off.

To be honest, he always found Liu Kun’s attitude towards him a bit strange. He was about to resign, so why was Liu Kun still assigning him such tasks, and even deliberately giving him benefits?

Since he couldn’t figure it out, he didn’t think about it too much. After all, he wouldn’t be mixing in the professional world any longer.

He went straight to his shop and saw a piece of paper stuck to the shutter door, which read, “Closed for three days due to circumstances.”

He had specifically called the owner of the barbecue stall next door to ask him to post the leave notice.

He pulled open the door, lifted the lid off the pot containing the soup, and sniffed. There was already a slight scent of spoilage. He picked it up and poured the entire pot into the drain.

He also discarded the other leftover ingredients, such as vegetables, lean meats, and seasonings. Fortunately, it was winter. Even though they were slightly spoiled, they had not yet rotted, and the smell wasn’t strong.

After cleaning the kitchen once again, he started to get ready.

Before he knew it, night had fallen.

Around eight o’clock, customers began to arrive.

“Boss, where have you been these past few days? Your shop was closed, and Old Jiang’s business next door suffered,” a customer teased.

Old Jiang, busy in front of his barbecue grill at the adjacent stall, heard this and showed a simple, honest smile.

After Chen Xu’s noodle shop opened, many customers complained that the noodle soup was too bland for their taste, so they would order some barbecue from Old Jiang’s stall to go with it.

Chen Xu didn’t stop them. As a result, the busier his shop became, the better Old Jiang’s business got.

Moreover, Old Jiang was very cooperative. Every day when he closed up shop, he would come over to help clean up the barbecue skewers and bones from the ground.

After a few times, Chen Xu and Old Jiang became quite familiar with each other.

“Boss, you’re finally open.”

Chen Xu didn’t need to look up to know who it was; it had to be Yanqing with his girlfriend. As he looked up, he saw, besides them, several of the female friends who had visited last time were also there.

“Sit down, I won’t attend to you,” he said while busily preparing.

Yanqing spoke up, “We’re here for a farewell party for a friend. Luckily, your place is open today, or else we wouldn’t have known where to go.”

Chen Xu asked, “A farewell party?”

“Yeah, this beautiful lady here got promoted and is going to work in Modu in a couple of days,” Yanqing indicated one of them.

Chen Xu had some recollection; last time he had even packed noodles specially for her boss. Her name seemed to be Juanjuan, the same as one of his elementary school classmates.

“Boss, your noodles are really delicious. It’s a pity I won’t be able to have them anymore,” the girl named Juanjuan said with a smile.

“There will be other opportunities,” Chen Xu replied with a smile and asked, “What will you all have?”

Yanqing was the first to speak up, “I’ll have the beef brisket noodles, a large bowl, spicy.”

“Fresh meat noodles, large bowl.”

“Seafood noodles.”

“Egg noodles.”

“Do you have mixed noodles?”

“Yes,” Chen Xu replied. Having been open for almost half a month, as the number of customers grew, he had also expanded his noodle variety offerings. Now, the blackboard was almost full.

He skillfully tossed the dough into boiling water. After cooking, he scooped it up, dumped it into a bowl, and ladled some soup from the pot, then scooped out a few pieces of beef brisket from the side and added a few spoonfuls of broth. Finally, he added his homemade chili sauce, sprinkled some scallion on top, and a bowl of beef brisket noodles was ready.

Then he proceeded to make the next bowl. The steps were the same, requiring only different toppings for the various types of noodles.

Yanqing, who knew him best, had complained more than once that what he was making was really just one kind of noodle.

While Chen Xu was thinking, Yanqing finished his noodles and came over to chat.

“Boss, with your cooking skills, have you never thought about finding a better location to open a shop?”

Chen Xu glanced at him and asked, “What are you getting at?”

Yanqing asked, “I know of a noodle shop looking to transfer ownership. It’s in a good location. Are you interested?”

“Not interested.”

Yanqing was persistent, “Is it because you’re short on money? We could partner up. Whatever money you have, I’ll cover the rest. How about that?”

Chen Xu shook his head, “I don’t do business in partnership with others, especially friends.”

“Why not?”

“It’s a rule in our family.”