Chapter 87

Zhong Yangying was very nervous, and Wu Ying, who usually remained calm, was also very nervous, with sweat on his palms as he gripped the steering wheel.

The car drove towards Jiangzhou City, and soon Xia Yunjie realized that Zhong Yangying was far more nervous than he was, which made him chuckle inwardly.

He had almost forgotten that he was no longer the same person in Zhong Yangying's eyes!

"Zhong Jie, you can boldly accept the money that Masaharu and Chiba Kako lend you. Don't have any mental burdens; they won't play any tricks here," Xia Yunjie said, preferring the old Zhong Yangying who could chat and laugh freely. Seeing the stiff atmosphere in the car, he took the initiative to speak.

But he didn't know what to say, so he mentioned the loan.

"Thank you, Master Jie. I know they lend me money because..." Zhong Yangying said gratefully, her hands still somewhat stiff on her thighs, and her words were very polite and cautious.

"Zhong Jie, I'm just a bartender. If you still want to be a friend who can quietly drink coffee with you, just call me A Jie," Xia Yunjie interrupted.

Zhong Yangying's delicate body trembled slightly, her bright eyes shining with disbelief and fascination as she looked at Xia Yunjie. "Can it really be like that now?"

"Of course it can. I remember that day you said, 'Let's pretend nothing ever happened and be simple friends. When you need help, call me; when I need someone to drink coffee with, I'll call you.' Have you forgotten those words? I still remember them!" Xia Yunjie smiled.

"I, I of course remember! But who made you so intimidating that I was completely stunned," Zhong Yangying said, her eyes flashing with a brilliant light, and her whole face suddenly brightened.

"According to your theory, a bartender like me should be even more stunned by a billionaire like you!" Xia Yunjie laughed.

"Come on, is there anyone in this world more impressive than you? I almost fell for you," Zhong Yangying rolled her eyes.

"Whether I'm impressive or not is another matter, but I'm just a bartender now," Xia Yunjie said, his expression suddenly becoming very serious.

Zhong Yangying stared at Xia Yunjie for a while, then nodded solemnly. "I understand."

Seeing that Zhong Yangying understood his meaning and didn't press for more, Xia Yunjie's eyes flashed with a hint of admiration. He thought, a strong woman is indeed a strong woman, unlike Shen Liti, who would probably have already started shouting and demanding answers.

Thinking of Shen Liti, Xia Yunjie couldn't help but remember the little spat they had that morning and the fact that it was almost dinner time. He wondered if she had returned from shopping.

Just then, his phone rang.

Xia Yunjie took it out and saw it was Shen Liti. He felt a bit uneasy. The first time could be excused as a mistake, but this morning's incident had a hint of voyeurism.

But despite his unease, he had to answer the call. He steeled himself and pressed the answer button.

"Hey, where have you run off to? I haven't seen you all afternoon. Are you coming home for dinner?" As soon as he pressed the answer button, Shen Liti's rapid-fire questions came through the speaker.

Seeing that Shen Liti didn't bring up the morning's incident, Xia Yunjie felt a great relief. Even hearing her ask about dinner made him feel a warm, inexplicable comfort.

"I had some things to do and got busy. I won't be back for dinner tonight," Xia Yunjie looked outside and saw the sun had already set. He estimated it would be late by the time they reached the city, and it would be too late to go home for dinner, so he declined.

"Really? You should have called earlier. I bought a bunch of vegetables!" Shen Liti complained over the phone.

"Sorry. How about this, wait for me, I'll be home in about half an hour," Xia Yunjie hesitated and said.

"Half an hour is almost six o'clock. Don't you start work at six? Are you off today?" Shen Liti asked.

"No, it's fine if I'm a bit late," Xia Yunjie replied.

"How can that be? Work is important. Oh, right, how about I cook tonight?" Shen Liti, seeing that Xia Yunjie was willing to be late for work to come home and cook, felt a wave of happiness and sweetness. She even had the idea of cooking for the first time.

"Cough, cough, let me do it," Xia Yunjie was startled. It wasn't that he was worried about Shen Liti getting tired, but he had no confidence in her cooking skills.

"Hey, what do you mean? Don't you trust me? I'll have you know, I'm a natural chef. When I lived with Hai Qiong, I always cooked the noodles, even adding eggs. Every time, Hai Qiong almost bit her tongue!" Shen Liti, seeing Xia Yunjie's obvious lack of trust, immediately jumped up.

Xia Yunjie almost choked. This woman was truly unique, linking cooking noodles with culinary skills! Did cooking that stuff even require skills?

"Alright, I won't argue with you. I need to prepare a sumptuous dinner!" Before Xia Yunjie could catch his breath, Shen Liti hung up the phone eagerly.

"Hey! Hey!" Xia Yunjie called out a couple of times into the phone, then shook his head and hung up.

He really didn't want to go home for dinner now! But could he? Didn't she sound excited when she hung up? If he didn't go home to eat her "masterpiece" tonight, the consequences would be worse than the first time he saw her naked.

"Girlfriend?" Seeing Xia Yunjie hang up, Zhong Yangying asked cautiously, a hint of envy in her eyes.

Yes, as a woman, who wouldn't want such a handsome and super boyfriend?

"Uh, no, a roommate," Xia Yunjie was slightly taken aback and then blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Ah, a roommate! She must be very young and beautiful, right?" Zhong Yangying felt a bit relieved and then, as if possessed, blurted out the question. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it. She was worried that Xia Yunjie would think she was prying and get upset.

"Um, quite beautiful! But her temper is a bit bad, not as good as yours," Xia Yunjie thought of Shen Liti's tall, sexy figure and pretty oval face, and nodded.

"Ha! Young and beautiful women have the right to be temperamental. I'm old and ugly, so I don't dare to be temperamental! You don't know, I used to have a terrible temper," Zhong Yangying laughed happily and playfully rolled her eyes at Xia Yunjie.

"Who says you're old and ugly? I'll argue with anyone who says that," Xia Yunjie, having spent a long time in the bar, was no longer the naive young man he once was, and immediately said with a serious face.

"You just know how to make me happy!" Indeed, Zhong Yangying was very happy, and her well-maintained face blushed, making her look even more charming in the sunset.

Xia Yunjie smiled warmly.

Unconsciously, the car entered the city and arrived at the De Ya residential area.

"I'll get off here," as the car approached the entrance of the residential area, Xia Yunjie timely called out to stop the car.

The car stopped steadily, and Xia Yunjie pushed open the door, placing one foot on the ground.

"A Jie!" At that moment, Zhong Yangying called out to him.

"Is there anything else, Zhong Jie?" Xia Yunjie turned his head and asked.

"I go back to Rose Garden every weekend. You can come anytime," Zhong Yangying's beautiful eyes gazed at Xia Yunjie, radiating a fiery heat.

"Okay!" Xia Yunjie didn't dare to meet her fiery gaze, nodded, and quickly got out of the car, walking briskly into the residential area.

"Let's go! Back to Rose Garden!" Sitting in the car, Zhong Yangying gazed at Xia Yunjie's back until it disappeared into the residential area, then said softly.

She knew Xia Yunjie had understood her words and her gaze, but she also knew it was a luxury! Even the idea of drinking coffee with him whenever she wanted was just a luxury!

It was like a bartender wanting to drink coffee with a group company CEO—a luxury. In the past, Xia Yunjie was a bartender, and she was a group company CEO. But now, it seemed she had become the bartender, and Xia Yunjie had become the unattainable CEO!

Walking in the hallway, even before reaching the door, Xia Yunjie smelled a burnt smell.

His scalp tingled, and he wanted to turn and go downstairs, but he finally steeled himself and pushed open the door.

As soon as the door opened, he saw Shen Liti, wearing a floral apron, carrying a bowl of tomato and egg soup to the dining room.

Seeing Xia Yunjie return, Shen Liti quickly placed the soup on the table and, with a red, excited face, pushed Xia Yunjie to the sink. "Wash your hands quickly and try the chef's cooking!"

After saying that, she eagerly went to help serve the rice and get the chopsticks and spoons.

It was hard to refuse such enthusiasm, especially since Shen Liti had rarely cooked. Xia Yunjie didn't want to disappoint her, so he quickly washed his hands and sat down at the table.

Looking at the table, it wasn't bad—three dishes and a soup, with fish, meat, and vegetables, a balanced and nutritious meal. However, the appearance was a bit disappointing. The tomato and egg soup looked decent, but the other dishes were a bit disastrous.

The carp was almost dismembered, with a blackened back. The stir-fried meat and green peppers were a bit better, but mostly black. The oil-mc greens were completely mashed, and it was hard to tell what they were without a closer look.