Ji Mengqing walked into the restaurant hand in hand with her daughter, a look of happiness on her face. This "Romantic" restaurant was her pride and joy; she had personally overseen its creation and decoration. Now that the restaurant's business was finally on track, she could relax without having to micromanage everything. Being a single mother managing such a large business and taking care of her young daughter was exhausting, but the sight of her daughter's innocent and lovely face filled her with immense happiness.
For her, her daughter was everything, and no amount of tiredness could outweigh the rewards.
As Ji Mengqing entered the restaurant, her gaze inadvertently swept around, and she suddenly froze, staring in astonishment at the young man dressed in a plain style in the corner. Her daughter, Bouncy, seeing her mother suddenly stop, looked up curiously and called out, "Mommy, why aren't we moving?"
Hearing her daughter's voice brought Ji Mengqing back to reality, and she smiled affectionately at her, saying, "Let's go!" She then took her daughter's hand and headed towards her office, though her gaze still occasionally drifted back to the man in the corner.
This man had left a deep impression on her; if it weren't for him, she might have died in a foreign land. Even though it had been two years, the image of the man was etched deeply in her memory. Sometimes, during lonely nights, the image of the man would stealthily creep into her thoughts.
Over the past two years, she had tried to find out more about him but to no avail. She never expected to see him in her own restaurant today.
Once in the office, Bouncy sat obediently on the sofa, munching on snacks and happily playing with a doll.
Ye Qian, obviously unaware that someone was observing him from a distance, was focused on having dinner with Lin Rourou, and there was no need to be on guard. Dining should be relaxing. When the waitress recommended dishes to him, Ye Qian smiled lightly; although the waitress masked it well, he could still detect a hint of condescension in her eyes. He didn't pursue it, as he was used to people who judged others superficially and didn't want to stoop to their level. Besides, he was enjoying his dinner with Lin Rourou and didn't want to fuss over trivial matters. However, since it was his first time treating Lin Rourou to dinner, and she was such a kind girl, Ye Qian couldn't bear to see her slighted, so he didn't refuse when the waitress deliberately recommended the expensive steaks, caviar, and wine.
"Rourou?" As they were dining, a young woman, arm in arm with a young man, approached and said.
Lin Rourou looked up in surprise and joyfully exclaimed, "Yaying? Are you Xu Yaying? Where are you working now?" Lin Rourou was thrilled to run into a classmate from nursing school here.
"I'm working at the Bureau of Family Planning. Nursing has no future, and my boyfriend didn't want me to overwork myself, so he got me into the bureau. Now I'm on a permanent government contract, basically a civil servant. What about you? Still working as a nurse at the People's Hospital?" Xu Yaying said with a hint of pride.
"Yes!" Lin Rourou replied softly, unfazed by Xu Yaying's self-satisfaction.
"Rourou, I really don't understand you. With your qualifications, it'd be so easy to find a better job. Why insist on being a nurse, with all its hardships and exhaustion?" Xu Yaying feigned concern, subtly boasting about her own savvy and promising prospects.
Lin Rourou just smiled lightly and said, "I really like nursing. It's tiring, but I find it fulfilling."
Xu Yaying shook her head, changing the subject, "Rourou, let me introduce you. This is my boyfriend, Zhao Xie, he works at the district justice bureau, and he's soon transferring to work at the city committee." Xu Yaying's face radiated pride, which was somewhat nauseating. During their school days, Xu Yaying was always outshone by Lin Rourou in both nursing theory and practical skills, as well as in looks. But those days were behind her now, and she felt she had finally surpassed Lin Rourou.
Hearing Xu Yaying's introduction, Ye Qian, who had been quietly sipping wine, couldn't help but chuckle, thinking to himself about the unfortunate name that sounded like "premature ejaculation." When the three turned their puzzled gazes towards him, Ye Qian smiled lightly and said, "It's nothing, just remembered a joke. Please, continue."
"Rourou, is this your boyfriend? Why didn't you introduce us? Handsome, where do you work?" Xu Yaying asked. Though she called Ye Qian "handsome," her expression clearly showed that this was just a formality; she didn't regard someone with Ye Qian's simple appearance highly.
Lin Rourou had only known Ye Qian for two days, and they had met just a few times, so she wasn't sure about his job. When Xu Yaying referred to Ye Qian as her boyfriend, Lin Rourou blushed slightly but did not contradict her.
"I can't say I'm high-ranking, I work as a security guard at a company," Ye Qian replied casually.
Hearing Ye Qian's response, Xu Yaying and Zhao Xie visibly showed contempt; both were ambitious young talents with bright futures and couldn't see a mere security guard as their equal. Xu Yaying felt even more validated, thinking, despite Lin Rourou's beauty, her boyfriend was just a security guard with a dead-end job and no prospects.
"By the way, Rourou, it's Ouyang's birthday today. We're going to a bar to celebrate. Come join us," Xu Yaying said politely, but it was clear to any observer that she had no real intention; she just wanted to continue mocking and undermining Lin Rourou.
Lin Rourou, ever the good girl, had never been to a bar and looked eagerly at Ye Qian upon hearing Xu Yaying's invitation. Ye Qian silently shook his head, thinking how naive she was. But since Lin Rourou seemed interested, he naturally agreed to accompany her. Nodding slightly, he said, "Tell us the place, we'll come after dinner."
"Great, Enchanted Bar, eight o'clock tonight," Xu Yaying said. "Don't miss it." After that, Xu Yaying, smugly arm in arm with Zhao Xie, walked out of the restaurant. Zhao Xie hadn't said a word the whole time, not out of politeness, but because he considered himself too superior to engage with someone like Ye Qian.