Wendy glanced at Jake, continued walking forward, and ignored Don's intentions, leaving Don feeling embarrassed. But Wendy's gaze sent a shiver down Jake's spine.
"What did that look from her mean?" Jake wondered.
However, Wendy clearly had no intention of explaining to Jake. He had no choice but to follow behind her, heading towards the private room.
"Wendy, you're here? Come in," the door to the private room opened, and Jake heard a familiar voice.
Is it him? As Jake followed Wendy into the private room, he immediately recognized the person waiting for Wendy with a smiling face. It was the third judge from last night's cooking competition, the Carlton introduced by Dirk.
Jake hadn't expected to encounter him again so soon, and especially not under these circumstances. Carlton also seemed to recognize Jake. When he saw Jake entering with Wendy, he hesitated for a moment.
"Wendy, who is this?" Carlton asked.
Although someone had called Jake's name in front of Carlton the previous night, Carlton hadn't paid much attention to Jake. In his mind, Jake was just a sports teacher with better cooking skills, not worth remembering the name. So, he didn't know Jake's name at this moment.
However, Carlton now realized that he may have underestimated this teacher. The fact that he was able to come along with Wendy indicated that he wasn't an ordinary person, or perhaps their relationship wasn't ordinary? Carlton preferred to believe the former.
"Jake, my friend," Wendy said. Jake was unaware that he had become Wendy's friend.
"Hello," Jake courteously extended his hand.
"Hello," Carlton shook Jake's hand but didn't show much courtesy on his face. Instead, he furrowed his brow slightly, showing no intention of introducing himself. It was clearly a rude behavior, indicating that Carlton didn't regard Jake as important.
"He's Carlton," Wendy suddenly spoke up. It was evident that she was saying it for Jake's benefit.
Seeing Wendy's consideration for Jake, Carlton felt even more displeased. However, he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he added a hint of a smile, "Wendy, come sit down. I happened to be in J City and came to see you. How have you been lately?"
Carlton was only busy greeting Wendy, once again ignoring Jake. But Jake didn't mind. After all, Wendy had already told him that he only needed to focus on eating today and not worry about anything else.
"Jake, come sit next to me," Wendy didn't respond to Carlton's words. Instead, she looked at Jake.
Originally, Jake had intended to remember Wendy's words and simply sit wherever, keeping a distance from those two. He would just be a tool. But he didn't expect that as soon as he sat down, Wendy's words came.
"Sure," Jake didn't refuse. After all, no matter where he sat, he would be eating, so it didn't matter.
Carlton glanced at Jake sitting next to Wendy, his mouth twitched slightly, but he still maintained a smile on his face. The waiter quickly brought the dishes, filling the table.
"Wendy, try the dishes here. Although the taste is slightly inferior to the famous restaurants in the capital, it's still good," Carlton said, then he looked at Jake and added, "Of course, compared to the chef sitting next to you, the chef here is a bit lacking."
Wendy wasn't initially interested in engaging with Carlton. She just wanted to eat casually and get through this dinner. However, Carlton's words sparked her curiosity.
A chef? Jake was a chef? Seeing Wendy's gaze, Jake smiled and said, "I did learn some culinary skills before. However, to make Carlton say that, Wendy believed that Jake definitely had more than just a bit of culinary skills.
"Where did Mr. Jake work as a chef before?" Carlton smiled and continued, "Are you interested in joining my place? I happen to be looking for a new chef. Rest assured, Considering Wendy's position, the treatment will definitely be better than others."
Jake thought to himself, "Just as I expected." He had a feeling that this dinner wouldn't be so simple. Wendy had introduced him as her friend earlier, regardless of whether that "friendship" was real or not. Since Wendy had said it, the fact that Carlton was now extending such a "kind" invitation meant that there were some issues.
As expected, Wendy's expression became somewhat unpleasant after listening to Carlton's words. She asked, "Carlton, what do you mean?"
"I'm just genuinely concerned," Carlton innocently said. "I just wanted to help your friend. At the very least, the salary and treatment would definitely be better than here."
"You don't need to worry about his affairs," Wendy coldly replied. Then, surprisingly, Wendy helped Jake pick up a dish and placed it in front of him, saying, "Try this. It tastes good." Both Jake and Carlton's eyelids twitched almost simultaneously.
"Thank you," Jake forced a smile, but in his heart, he regretted agreeing to come and eat this meal. He realized that Wendy's invitation wasn't as simple as it seemed. Considering Wendy's usual attitude towards the opposite sex, being so proactive in inviting him to dinner today, there had to be something more to it. Now it seemed that he might be used as a shield.
"Wendy, what do you mean by this?" Carlton, who had been trying to maintain his image, couldn't hold back his gloomy expression anymore.
Carlton was familiar with Wendy, but when had he seen her being so attentive to the opposite sex? The people in the capital would sooner believe that the sun rises in the west than believe Wendy could be so attentive. Yet, it was happening right in front of his eyes, and Carlton had no choice but to believe it.
"It means nothing," Wendy replied indifferently. Then, in a gentle tone, she said to Jake, "Take your time eating. Would you like some soup?"
From beginning to end, Wendy's gaze had been fixed on Jake. The tenderness in her eyes overwhelmed Jake. A noble and cold woman suddenly displaying such infatuation was an incredible contrast that had a unique allure. However, at the same time, Carlton's gaze seemed to devour Jake.