The next day.
"President Li, here's a freshly negotiated contract for you to review." In the CEO's office, the salesperson Xiaoqin handed a contract to Li Yicheng. She had spent a month working on it, finally snatching this lucrative deal from dozens of competing firms. At this moment, Xiaoqin was all smiles, waiting for President Li's praise. She was aiming for the top sales of the quarter.
Li Yicheng opened the contract and glanced at the transaction amount. "Good, very good! Xiaoqin, you're truly talented!"
"President Li praised me. It's my duty to work for the company," Xiaoqin proudly said, feeling like a peacock. "President Li, there are some details I'd like to discuss with you..."
"This afternoon, I'm busy right now, almost time to finish work." Li Yicheng glanced at his wristwatch. It was already a little past 11:50 AM, and he had plans to meet Tian Tian for lunch. He didn't want to delay it.
"Well..." Xiaoqin didn't expect President Li to treat the contract she had worked so hard to secure so casually, and she was taken aback by his precise sense of time for going to and leaving work.
"Come at 3 o'clock this afternoon, and we can discuss it slowly then." Li Yicheng was already preparing to stand up and straighten his suit. Xiaoqin could only awkwardly take the contract and leave.
"Exactly 12 o'clock." Li Yicheng took out his newly acquired lunch card from his wallet, looking quite pleased as if he were going on a date.
When Lin Tianran limped into the cafeteria, Li Yicheng was already waiting at the agreed spot from yesterday.
Seeing him enter, Li Yicheng excitedly waved at him, as if afraid that he wouldn't notice him.
"Xiaotian, why are you so slow?" Li Yicheng blurted out but then remembered that Xiaotian had difficulty with his legs. He mentally scolded himself for his thoughtlessness and quickly added in an appeasing tone, "But it's understandable. Today, I'm treating you to lunch, and as the host, I should be a bit quicker, haha."
In fact, Lin Tianran wasn't used to someone suddenly being so familiar with him. He looked down at his toes and then raised his head to look at the line in the distance. "I wonder what dishes they have today."
"Let's go and have a look," Li Yicheng said when he saw that Xiaotian wasn't upset. Together, they walked toward the food counter.
"Today, they have pumpkin and tofu," Xiaotian said after peeking inside. Several large plates of vegetables were steaming hot on the other side of the counter.
"So vegetarian?" Li Yicheng broke into a sweat. There was no meat at all. The cafeteria's contractor was really stingy. They could have at least added some shredded meat to stir-fry. With such a menu, how could Tian Tian get any nutrition?
Xiaotian smiled and took an empty plate, then started heading towards the end of the line.
"Or, shall we eat in the small cafeteria over there?" Li Yicheng pointed to a nearby smaller cafeteria. He had seen Manager Fang inside earlier, holding a plate with two fried chicken legs!
Xiaotian shook his head.
Li Yicheng knew what Xiaotian was thinking. He didn't say it out loud but was very sensitive to it.
He knew his own status, and that place wasn't where he should be. He was just a security guard, how could he sit there and eat such good food with high-ranking leaders in the company?
Even if he wasn't embarrassed himself, the people around him would gossip. One afternoon was enough for the news to spread throughout the entire Huamao Group!
Eating outside was different. Although Li Yicheng was still Li Yicheng, everyone outside was an ordinary factory worker, with a few lower-level office employees. Nobody knew each other, and nobody cared.
Li Yicheng obediently closed his mouth and didn't mention it anymore. Instead, he began to chat casually with Lin Tianran.
Finally, when it was almost their turn, the cafeteria lady stuck her head out of the window and shouted, "Those in the back, no need to wait, we're out of food!"
As soon as those words were spoken, the people who were still in line suddenly scattered like birds and beasts, muttering various dialects and curses.
Lin Tianran and Li Yicheng felt a bit awkward. There were still four or five people ahead of them when this happened, and it seemed that luck wasn't on their side.
Lin Tianran felt somewhat lost. If it were any other day, he would have walked out to a street vendor for a quick meal that cost around ten yuan. But today, he had Li Yicheng by his side, and he didn't know what to do. After all, Li Yicheng was supposed to repay him 5 yuan for the meal today. He couldn't just lead him to eat a cheap meal outside, even though he didn't really need that extra ten yuan. Doing so would contradict his original intent of equality.
Li Yicheng glanced at Lin Tianran, then at the small cafeteria nearby where people had already finished eating and only a few remained.
Lin Tianran knew what Li Yicheng was thinking.
"Xiaotian, there's no one inside now. Shall we go in?" Li Yicheng asked cautiously.
Lin Tianran lowered his head in thought, "Is the meal inside also 5 yuan?"
"The meal inside is free. Let's go?" Li Yicheng saw that he was hesitating again and quickly pretended, "Ah, I'm so hungry."
"Okay." Lin Tianran finally nodded, as if there was no other option.
If he had to choose between a lavish meal, a fast-food place outside for around ten yuan, and a free cafeteria, he would still choose the cafeteria.
Of course, the condition was that there were hardly any people in the small cafeteria.
Li Yicheng cheerfully led Lin Tianran inside.
It was Lin Tianran's first time entering this small dining area, and he secretly examined the differences compared to the outside.
The utensils were stored in a sterilization cabinet, much cleaner than the large cafeteria outside.
There was no need to line up for food or swipe a card; instead, there were six or seven dishes arranged like a buffet, including both meat and vegetables, as well as bread and fruit for dessert, all for your choosing.
The seats were different from the large cafeteria as well. They were comfortable high-backed chairs with plenty of space between each chair, making it very roomy and not crowded at all.
Looking up, there were three air conditioners and a flat-screen TV playing current news.
Lin Tianran looked around and felt that this place was like a paradise compared to the large cafeteria outside.
"President Li, shall we eat?" A veteran engineer from the company, Zhang, in the corner wiped his mouth and greeted Li Yicheng. Lin Tianran quickly hid behind Li Yicheng, his small frame completely shielded by Li Yicheng's tall figure.
"Yes, Zhang." Li Yicheng saw that it was Zhang, an old-timer engineer in the company, and smiled, nodding in response.
"Take your time; I'm finished." Zhang got up, patting his sizable belly, and left the small private room. He walked out of the room.
Now, the small private room was left with only Li Yicheng and Lin Tianran.
"Why are you hiding?" Li Yicheng smiled at him. "Quickly come and serve yourself."
"Oh," Lin Tianran followed behind Li Yicheng like a shadow. When Li Yicheng opened the sterilization cabinet to take a tray, Lin Tianran did the same. When Li Yicheng scooped rice into his tray, Lin Tianran did the same. When Li Yicheng picked up some dishes, Lin Tianran followed suit.
"This braised pork," Li Yicheng suddenly turned around and scooped a big spoonful onto Lin Tianran's tray.
"That's enough, that's enough," Lin Tianran almost spilled the food, shaking his head with a slightly red face.
Li Yicheng seemed to be addicted to serving and quickly added a spoonful of steamed fish to his tray, and finally, he grabbed a dinner roll for himself.
Lin Tianran's tray was now piled high like a small mountain. The amount of food was easily three times what he would usually get outside. He felt overwhelmed; extravagance and waste were not his nature. "This is too much; I can't finish it."
"Too much?" Li Yicheng felt it was just right, looking satisfied with his creation. "Eat a little more; it's okay if there are leftovers."
Lin Tianran was trying the warm, caring act of someone serving him for the first time, and he felt a little uncomfortable yet strangely liked the feeling of being cared for.
If only someone would treat him like this in the future. Lin Tianran silently harbored this thought.
"Why are you daydreaming?" Li Yicheng had served himself and, seeing Lin Tianran lost in thought, called him back with a smile. "Come and sit down quickly; let's eat."
"Okay," Lin Tianran replied and limped over with his tray.
It was the first time he had eaten so much meat in the cafeteria. There were fried chicken legs, braised pork, fish, stir-fried baby bok choy, and delicate dinner rolls. For a moment, he didn't know where to start.
"This fried chicken leg is quite delicious," Li Yicheng said as he picked one up and started eating with his hands.
Seeing how much Li Yicheng was enjoying it, Lin Tianran followed suit and started nibbling on his fried chicken leg.
Li Yicheng was delighted to see Lin Tianran finally enjoying some meat. He had a big appetite all of a sudden.
Following the principle of not wasting food, Lin Tianran's stomach was almost about to burst after finishing all the dishes. The amount of meat he had consumed today exceeded his usual intake by quite a bit, enough to cover what he would typically eat in half a month.
He burped, and no matter how much he tried to stop it, the belch just came out. His face turned red.
Li Yicheng didn't mock him; instead, he found it increasingly endearing. He quickly fetched an empty bowl and filled it with warm water. "Drink some water; it'll make you feel better."
Lin Tianran was about to say that he couldn't afford to have this prince serving him tea and pouring water for him. But just as he was about to speak, another big burp escaped his mouth.
Embarrassed, he quickly covered his mouth.
Li Yicheng just smiled and didn't say a word.
Lin Tianran drank a few sips of warm water, feeling the discomfort in his stomach slowly fade away, and the burping subsided. Gratefully, he thanked Li Yicheng.
Seeing that Lin Tianran had eaten his fill, Li Yicheng felt a bit reluctant. He would have to come up with excuses to see him again next time. Li Yicheng began to plant an idea in Lin Tianran's mind, "Xiaotian, we are friends. In the future, you can always find me, and, of course, I will come to see you frequently. Do you understand?"
Lin Tianran didn't quite grasp what Li Yicheng was getting at. "Friends?" The man in front of him, dressed in a suit, was clearly his boss.
"Yes, we've been good friends for a long time. It's just that you temporarily forgot," Li Yicheng nodded and continued to persuade him, "Anyway, remember this: Lin Tianran and Li Yicheng aren't just in a superior-subordinate relationship; we're also good friends. Got it?"
Lin Tianran was somewhat puzzled but nodded anyway. He didn't want to provoke this man who now looked as cunning as a fox.
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