[Why was Yan Jinyue, a domineering CEO, browsing the street food stalls at City A's night market?]
[He was breaking character!]
Ji Hanxing was screaming inwardly, but Yan Jinyue disagreed with him.
How was visiting night market stalls as a domineering CEO breaking character? Wasn't Ji Hanxing a domineering CEO too? Wasn't he here as well?
Not only was he here, he was also selling egg fried rice with a girl.
Yan Jinyue's eyes darkened slightly, his gaze sweeping between Ji Hanxing and Jiang Qianling.
Xie Baotan looked around, then turned nervously to Jiang Qianling. "Are you okay?"
Jiang Qianling glanced sideways at him. "What do you mean?"
Xie Baotan pointed in front of the stall, his tone a little nervous. "Weren't there people here just now..."
Realization dawned on Jiang Qianling, and she nodded. "Yes, they've already left. Did you need them for something?"
The chubby boy beside him couldn't hold back anymore. "Xie came to rescue a damsel in distress. When he saw you were in trouble, genius, he immediately... mmmph."
Before he could finish, Xie Baotan clamped a hand over his mouth, leaving him able to make only muffled noises.
Jiang Qianling's gaze settled on Xie Baotan, and she stared at him for a long time.
Xie Baotan didn't know what was wrong with him either. He always felt so guilty in front of Jiang Qianling. He instinctively averted his gaze, then heard her say,
"Thank you."
Xie Baotan looked at Jiang Qianling in surprise, then hurriedly waved his hands. "It's nothing, it's nothing."
"Genius, are you working part-time here?"
"Is he the owner?"
"Is that plate of egg fried rice for sale? I'll buy it!"
The chubby boy couldn't wait any longer. He sniffed again, his eyes fixed on the plate of egg fried rice in Ji Hanxing's hand.
Xie Baotan's gaze also settled on Ji Hanxing, a trace of hostility in his eyes that even he hadn't noticed.
All Ji Hanxing wanted now was to escape this trouble spot. He casually handed the egg fried rice to Jiang Qianling. She was the owner; she could handle it.
He tugged his mask up, lowered his voice, and pointed at Jiang Qianling. "She's the owner. Ask her."
[I just wanted to come out for some river snails and spicy crayfish! And do a good deed along the way by helping this young lady. How was I unlucky enough to run into Yan Jinyue?]
Yan Jinyue's gaze shifted slightly. So he had been helping someone. That was something Ji Hanxing would do.
But he could even teach her to make egg fried rice? What exactly was the Ji Family's educational philosophy?
[He probably hasn't recognized me, right? Better slip away.]
Ji Hanxing pretended to check the time and told Jiang Qianling, "I have something else to do, so I'll head off."
With that, he pulled his cap brim down and immediately slipped away on the other side.
Jiang Qianling's eyes widened slightly. Holding the plate of egg fried rice, she watched Ji Hanxing's retreating figure. "Hey, Master..."
Ji Hanxing paid no attention to Jiang Qianling's call. Retreat was the best strategy. His own identity was about to be exposed, and he could barely save himself. How could he spare any attention for anyone else?
Yan Jinyue didn't step forward to stop him. From Ji Hanxing's thoughts, he didn't want Yan Jinyue to discover he was here, so why expose him?
Thinking of Ji Hanxing, a CEO, disguising himself like this to visit a night market, Yan Jinyue couldn't help finding it funny. It had to be Ji Hanxing's hang-up about his domineering CEO image acting up again.
"Did you need anything else?"
Jiang Qianling's voice brought Yan Jinyue out of his thoughts, and his gaze settled on her as well. This girl was different from what he had imagined.
After hearing that Xie Baotan had fought over a girl, and considering what Xie Baotan had told him before, Yan Jinyue had thought she was some scheming girl deliberately stringing Xie Baotan along.
But the moment he saw Jiang Qianling, Yan Jinyue admitted that he had judged her with a petty mind. Jiang Qianling's eyes were clear and calm, and she carried herself with neither servility nor arrogance. She was an outstanding girl. Yan Jinyue did have that much skill at judging people.
"Is that fried rice for sale?"
Yan Jinyue pointed at the fried rice in Jiang Qianling's hand. The chubby boy nodded repeatedly behind him, even giving Yan Jinyue a grateful look. Xie's cousin really was a good man. He still remembered that the boy wanted egg fried rice.
Jiang Qianling pressed her lips together. She actually didn't want to sell this plate of egg fried rice, so she found an excuse. "This plate of egg fried rice has already gone cold..."
"I don't mind."
Yan Jinyue smiled.
The chubby boy nodded along behind him. "Right, I don't mind either."
Xie Baotan's face was a little tense, and he stared at Jiang Qianling as well. "I want a serving of egg fried rice too, but not this one. I want egg fried rice you make."
Yan Jinyue glanced at Xie Baotan. This kid...
Jiang Qianling looked down at the egg fried rice in her hand, then raised her eyes to Xie Baotan and asked again, "Are you sure you want a serving of egg fried rice I make?"
Xie Baotan said, "Yes, I want egg fried rice you make."
Only then did Jiang Qianling hand Yan Jinyue the plate of egg fried rice that had been in Ji Hanxing's hand. The chubby boy hurriedly reached out. "No need to trouble you, Yan. I'll take it, I'll take it. Hey..."
The chubby boy's hands caught nothing. He watched as Yan Jinyue, who stood a head taller than him, deliberately raised his hand and moved it around him. He reached for it for ages but came up empty-handed.
"Yan..." The chubby boy stared at Yan Jinyue in shock, only for Yan Jinyue to lift his chin. "Have the owner make you another serving. I'm hungry too."
The chubby boy felt a little aggrieved. He looked at Jiang Qianling's composed face, feeling that the genius's cooking skills weren't as trustworthy as her grades. He wanted to protest, but he was afraid of Yan Jinyue.
Seeing the chubby boy's expression, Xie Baotan instinctively glanced at Jiang Qianling, then hooked an arm around the boy's neck. "You're lucky to get anything to eat!"
He turned to Jiang Qianling. "Genius, I want two servings!"
"Okay."
Jiang Qianling was very happy to make two servings of egg fried rice, not because she could earn more money, but because she would have another chance to experiment.
Holding the plate, Yan Jinyue immediately spotted the nearest table behind the stall. Some empty food bags had yet to be cleared away from it. There was no one in this corner, and he remembered Ji Hanxing saying just now that he had hidden here to eat.
He immediately carried the plate over. Sure enough, most of the scraps in those bags were from the foods Ji Hanxing had just mentioned in his thoughts.
Yan Jinyue found an empty spot and sat down. Looking at the golden egg fried rice before him, appealing in color, aroma, and flavor, he scooped up a spoonful and put it in his mouth.
Although the egg fried rice had gone cold, that still couldn't hide how delicious it was. Yan Jinyue looked at the serving before him in surprise. Ji Hanxing was such a good cook.
Meanwhile, Xie Baotan was watching Jiang Qianling make egg fried rice. As he watched, he asked casually, "Was that man just now your older brother?"
Jiang Qianling kept her head down as she fried the eggs. "No, he's my master."
Xie Baotan was a little surprised. "Your master who teaches you to make egg fried rice?"
Jiang Qianling nodded. "Yes."
Xie Baotan asked, "What's your master's surname? Where does he work as a chef?"
Jiang Qianling said, "I don't know. I only just took him as my master."
Xie Baotan's mouth fell slightly open, and he couldn't help asking again, "Just? How long ago was that?"
Jiang Qianling glanced at Xie Baotan. "I only met him just now."
She added, "I don't know his name either."