Ji Hanxing followed Yan Jinyue into the restaurant. The moment he stepped one foot inside, he knew he had been proven wrong.
The mingled aroma of chilies and Sichuan peppercorns hit him in the face and shot straight to the top of his head. What a kick!
Spicy hot pot! He loved this smell to death!
Ji Hanxing's phoenix eyes widened considerably. He turned to Yan Jinyue and asked in disbelief, "You actually brought me here for hot pot?"
Ji Hanxing struggled to keep the corners of his mouth from curling up.
He suddenly realized that his reaction had been a little too strong and gave a light cough to cover it up. "Ahem, I just didn't expect you to want to eat this."
[But it's not that strange. I ran into him at a food stall in University A's night market yesterday.]
Yan Jinyue nodded. "Yes, I like it."
"A friend owns this place. I brought you here to try it."
Since Ji Hanxing refused to admit it, Yan Jinyue could only take it upon himself and say that he liked eating it.
"President Yan, you're here. This way, please."
A voice as clear and bright as an oriole's rang out. Ji Hanxing looked toward it and saw a woman wearing a long qipao. She appeared to be in her thirties and carried herself with graceful charm.
Her alluring peach-blossom eyes smiled at Ji Hanxing as she discreetly sized him up.
Yan Jinyue gave a slight nod, then turned to introduce her to Ji Hanxing. "This is the friend I mentioned, Yao Yue, Boss Yao."
Ji Hanxing gave a slight nod without betraying anything. "Hello, Boss Yao."
Yao Yue smiled. "You don't recognize me, but I recognize you."
"You're President Ji of the Ji Group, aren't you?"
Ji Hanxing was surprised. He hadn't expected Boss Yao to know him.
"Your mother and I are good friends."
Boss Yao's next words left Ji Hanxing stunned. His mother?
Ms. Luo Feiluo?
Yao Yue led them into a private room. Seeing that Ji Hanxing was still a little dazed, she curled her lips into a smile. "Don't believe me?"
Ji Hanxing shook his head. "No, you just look so young."
Yao Yue's eyes curved with her smile. "I'm the same age as your mother. We grew up together."
Ji Hanxing fell somewhat silent. In his memories-or rather, in the original owner's memories-there were barely any impressions of Ms. Luo Feiluo left.
As for him, his life had never involved a "mother" either. The only person who could fill that role for Ji Hanxing was the orphanage director he called Mom, who had picked him up from outside the orphanage gates.
However, Mom had fallen ill and passed away the year Ji Hanxing started university. She had kept the orphanage going all by herself. Now that its main pillar had fallen and it had lost its support, the orphanage also faced closure and dissolution.
In accordance with policy, the children at the orphanage were adopted where possible, while those who couldn't be adopted went to a new orphanage. But that orphanage didn't want to take in some of the children with congenital disabilities.
That was also why Ji Hanxing had dropped out of university. He had done it for those children.
Things were all right now. His younger brothers and sisters had regained their health and found new families, and he was still alive. Mom should be able to rest easy in heaven.
Yan Jinyue was also a little surprised. He hadn't known about this before today. He was fairly well acquainted with Yao Yue, yet he hadn't known that she was good friends with Ji Hanxing's mother.
What had happened to Ji Hanxing's parents back then was no secret in City A's upper-class circles, and Yan Jinyue had heard about it before. After his life intersected with Ji Hanxing's, he had investigated further and gained a deeper understanding of Ji Hanxing's circumstances.
He knew that, when it came to his parents, Ji Hanxing...
"Hanxing, I..."
There was a trace of apology in Yan Jinyue's voice, but Ji Hanxing seemed not to have noticed anything. "What's wrong?"
Yan Jinyue gazed into Ji Hanxing's eyes. They were bright and clear, with a hint of nostalgia hidden within them.
Suddenly, he no longer wanted to say anything.
Seeing that Yan Jinyue said nothing, Ji Hanxing tilted his head and looked at Yao Yue. "It really is quite a coincidence, then."
"I'll call you Aunt Yue."
Yao Yue invited Ji Hanxing and Yan Jinyue to sit down, then looked at Yan Jinyue apologetically. "I'm sorry about this, President Yan."
She was apologizing to Yan Jinyue for this sudden revelation of their connection. It had indeed been her own little private scheme. When Yan Jinyue said he wanted to treat a friend to a meal, she had asked who it was and decided to do this.
Yan Jinyue could only smile helplessly.
After seating them, Yao Yue went out to arrange their dishes. Today, she had only wanted to say hello to Ji Hanxing.
Once she left, Ji Hanxing leaned closer to Yan Jinyue and asked quietly, "What's Aunt Yue's background?"
Yan Jinyue glanced toward the doorway and replied just as quietly, "I'll tell you after we leave."
Ji Hanxing immediately understood that some things weren't suitable for discussion here.
He nodded to show that he understood.
"Hanxing, before today, I didn't know Boss Yao and..."
Yan Jinyue faltered at this point. He didn't know how to refer to Ms. Luo Fei in front of Ji Hanxing.
"It's fine. Ms. Luo grew up in City A, and the circles here are only so big. It's perfectly normal to run into someone who knows her well."
Ji Hanxing shook his head, telling Yan Jinyue not to worry about it. When Yan Jinyue heard how Ji Hanxing referred to Luo Fei, his suspicions were further confirmed.
Soon, all their dishes arrived. A fragrant, fiery-red hot pot broth was brought out, along with various meats and a large basin of spicy crayfish.
Ji Hanxing first looked at the large basin of spicy crayfish. His eyes lit up, and he instinctively swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth.
[Host! Please mind your characterization and image!] [What domineering CEO eats hot pot? What domineering CEO slurps spicy crayfish without a shred of dignity?] [Snap out of it!]
The system issued all kinds of warnings within Ji Hanxing's consciousness.
Ji Hanxing still wanted to argue his case. "Are there no domineering CEOs in the Sichuan-Chongqing Region? Everyone there eats this stuff."
[Those are entrepreneurs, not domineering CEOs from romance novels. Please take note. Deadly smile.jpg]
Ji Hanxing closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his gaze had already shifted elsewhere.
Yan Jinyue cooked a piece of beef tripe in the hot pot. Seeing that Ji Hanxing neither picked up his chopsticks nor ate anything, he asked, "Why aren't you eating?"
Ji Hanxing's face was taut, his tone somewhat stiff, and he looked as though he considered himself above it all. "I don't like this kind of food."
"I didn't expect you to like it, though."
Yan Jinyue lowered his gaze slightly, a trace of amusement flashing through his eyes. If he hadn't heard Ji Hanxing's thoughts, then judging by his current expression and tone, he would have thought Ji Hanxing thoroughly despised being brought here for hot pot.
"Yes, I like it. May I ask President Ji to do me the honor of sharing a meal with me?"
"As you know, everyone else looks down on this food. I have no one to eat with either. Will you keep me company?"
As he spoke, he placed the cooked piece of beef tripe on the plate in front of Ji Hanxing.
Ji Hanxing betrayed nothing on his face, but inside, his thoughts were already racing like galloping horses. With meat delivered right in front of him, who could resist!
"System, you saw that. I'm not the one who wants to eat it. The villain begged me to!"
"Yan Jinyue and I are still friends right now. According to my characterization, an upright male-lead domineering CEO like me should keep his word, so I have to keep him company."