Yanmei was still a little angered by Anton's earlier opinion. She wondered if she had truly forgotten to take care of herself.
They were both having tea inside Anton's room, sitting around a small coffee table, drying their mud-mask on their faces with a facial headband on.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Anton asked, seeing Yanmei's eyes squinted at him.
"Nothing," she said before taking a sip from her cup. "Are you always blunt?"
"Of course. How long is this going to take? I still need to get some work done," He asked after checking the time on his watch.
"Just a few minutes more."
Since they were killing time, Anton thought to ask about Yanmei's words from yesterday's dinner. "What was so funny about my letter of apology? And what did you mean by me unconsciously humoring you?"
Just when Yanmei thought he was finished, she heard him add, "I am not a joker nor a clown."
"Pfft… See that? That? You are being funny and you did not even notice," she said while pointing her finger at him. " Hmmm…How do I say this? Your apology letter was not very ordinary. You are so stiff with your words and oh, when you asked me how I would react to a handsome stranger approaching me was rather creepy, but because our situation was different, it was hysterical to me."
Yanmei saw his brows furrowed that she knew there was a need to explain further. "Yeong, I think it's because you barely speak to normal people like me that you don't know exactly how to interact with them, and how you answer or speak it's strange but - sometimes really cute and funny. haha."
Anton had a question mark on his face.
"Oh, you'll figure it out soon. Spending time with me will turn you into a normal being," she said after gesturing with her hand to end their conversation.
As they waited, Yanmei learned about the Yeongs and Anton himself. She picked up how Anton was adopted and how he and Andrea met Li Wen, her cousin's wife. She learned about Anton's hobbies, which entirely revolved around learning how to fight and collecting weapons.
In the afternoon, Anton brought Yanmei home, and they only met again the next day at the office.
Yanmei came down to the CEO and invite him for lunch at the cafeteria. He agreed. He had not had breakfast, and his stomach was growling.
After spending time with Anton, Yanmei felt more comfortable with him and she sensed they were truly becoming good friends. It was much easier for her to talk to him and invite him for a meal.
They arrived at the cafeteria with all eyes on them. Seeing how fearful the employees were at the sight of their boss, she elbowed him and whispered, "Smile a little, will you?"
"Why do I have to?" Asked Anton.
"Because you are scaring them," said Yanmei.
His eyes thinned at the employees who were giving them glances. He earnestly thought of giving a smile, but instead, his lip turned up with a sneer, quickly making everyone shifted back to their food.
Yanmei can only shake her head seeing his efforts.
After ordering their meal, Yanmei saw Junsu and with some managers. She quickly gestured for Anton to follow her.
"What are you doing?" Anton asked.
"Socializing. You know, so you get to learn how normal people actually talk," she said before turning her back at him and walking to Junsu's table.
"Junsu, Mr. Park, Mr. Yang, can we join you?" Yanmei excitedly asked as she placed her tray on the table.
Except for Junsu, their eyes grew wide in shock. Anton had never joined them for lunch. It was only Junsu who answered, "Yes, Ms. Yanmei."
Turning back to Yeong, she saw he was still five meters away, simply looking at her.
Yanmei's mouth fell open. She thought he was just behind her. She had to get up from the seat to fetch him. She said while keeping her voice down, "Come on! It would be good for you to start mingling with others for a change."
He awkwardly followed and sat with them.
The managers gave their greetings to Anton, and they shortly ate quietly.
"Oh, my. Food tastes extra good today," complimented Yanmei.
"Yes, I was surprised myself," said Junsu."It would seem like they were tipped that the boss was coming down to eat."
They all chuckled at Junsu's words while Anton made a mental note, 'check for spies among the secretaries.'
Eventually, they began to have light conversations that the managers let out a few jokes. While they were at it, Anton's mouth twitched suggesting he understood their lines.
He then recalled how Yanmei said that he was funny so he thought of also giving a laugh. He said, "I have a joke too."
Yanmei turned him with her eyes wide open. She then smiled and encouraged him, "Yeah, let's listen to it."
Everyone else echoed Yanmei's words, waiting for their President to give his lines. Anton said, "An employee came to his boss asking for an unplanned raise. He said, boss my appraisal is very high, and I have been working for you for five years. Furthermore, three other companies have been after me. Can I possibly get a 20% raise?"
Turning to everyone else, he continued with his tale. He said, "After the boss agreed to the raise, he asked which companies were after him. The employee said it was the electric company, the car company, and the water company."
They all laughed at Yeong but apparently, he was not done yet. He said, "Why are you laughing that's not the joke."
Everyone took back their laughs and waited for him to finish. Junsu, said, "go ahead, Mr. Yeong."
Anton nodded and resumed his tale, "After a week, the boss bought the electric company, the car company, and water company and he increased the collectibles by 20% only for that employee. Did he really think he could outsmart the boss?"
As he said this, he nodded while raising his brows.
The managers were left silent. They did not know how to react to Anton's joke. Yanmei however, gave a fake laugh, and Junsu followed. Eventually, the managers also laughed with them.
"Mr. Yeong is funny indeed."
"Haha. How dare the employee."
It was from that conversation that the managers concluded to wait for Anton's approval of any unscheduled salary increase.
On the way back to the CEO office, Yanmei and Anton were riding on the elevator. He lightly stroked his chin and said in the most serious tone, "So I guess I am really funny, huh? I made you all laugh."
She giggled at his words, utterly in disbelief, but it was because he tried his best that she simply agreed, "Yeah, you really are funny."
"Hmmm… We have a date later, by the way. Get ready at five in the afternoon," said Anton.
"What? Date? In the conference room?"
"No. I'll fetch you from your office."