The call ended, and she apologized to Jiang Jingyu.
"My best friend is quite lively. Did she disturb you?"
Jiang Jingyu thought to himself: her voice is indeed loud. It's a miracle you, who seem so introverted and refined, could have such a fiery best friend. It's even more of a miracle that she still asks for money to see a patient when she goes out.
Zhang Yang had bought an apartment in a good location in the city. Jiang Jingyu knew the address, but this was his first time visiting in person.
Knowing that Tong An'an would feel awkward without a gift, he parked his car on the roadside before entering the complex.
Tong An'an felt too embarrassed to make her boss wait for her.
"Perhaps you could go in first? It might take me some time to buy things."
Jiang Jingyu said calmly, "No rush, I need to buy something too. Let's go together."
He opened the car door and got out. He walked ahead, with Tong An'an following behind.
Looking at his young, tall figure, she felt as if she had been blessed by the goddess of luck today.
Why was she fortunate enough to be so close to him?
It was a supermarket of no great size. Besides fruit, there wasn't much else available in terms of daily necessities.
Tong An'an picked out a few types of fruit. Jiang Jingyu hadn't intended to look at Zhang Yang's needs, but now that he had put himself in this position, he wasn't sure what to buy. He casually browsed and chose a few small appliances that men might use, waiting for her to check out together.
Tong An'an stood in front of Jiang Jingyu. As the cashier scanned the items, she turned back and said to Jiang Jingyu,
"Mr. Jiang, shall we pay together?"
She was just being polite, not expecting Jiang Jingyu to agree so readily.
"That's fine too."
She sheepishly piled her items onto the counter.
To be honest, Tong An'an felt a pang of panic when he agreed.
Her original balance was just over 300 yuan. With the 2000 yuan transferred by Ma Weiwei, she had 2400 yuan.
Heaven knew what the boss's taste in items was like, whether it would be enough to pay, and they still had to eat later...
But with things having reached this point, she could only brace herself.
Fortunately, the prices at this supermarket weren't very high. The total came to just over 800 yuan.
After paying, Jiang Jingyu let her carry the items and walk ahead, while he watched her from behind.
He thought: A master's graduate, in her twenties, how can she still be so honest and naive?
After parking the car, Jiang Jingyu called Zhang Yang to ask for the apartment number.
Upon hearing that his boss and Tong An'an were coming to see him together, Zhang Yang was stunned. He hurriedly tidied himself up and waited at the door.
Seeing the two of them arrive together, looking like a perfect match, he immediately had a bad premonition.
But it was just a guess.
The CEO had never been close to women for so many years, so his standards must be very high, or he had a girlfriend in secret.
Although Tong An'an was beautiful, she was just a modest girl. She might be suitable to marry someone like him, a working-class person, but to enter a wealthy family like Zhan's, she was still worlds apart.
President Zhan probably wouldn't have any intentions towards her.
Upon entering, Zhang Yang poured them water and washed fruit, trying to liven up the atmosphere.
Tong An'an offered her condolences, while Jiang Jingyu remained silent.
The awkwardness persisted until Tong An'an asked him if he had eaten. The takeout boxes were still in the trash can, and Zhang Yang couldn't lie.
"I've eaten, just finished. If I had known you were coming, I wouldn't have eaten so early. I ordered takeout and had a bottle of sugary soda."
To be honest, he regretted it.
But then he changed the subject, saying, "I can still eat more. How about I treat you to a meal?"
"No, thank you. Since you've already eaten, it won't be as tasty to eat again later. Let's plan another time."
Tong An'an said this sincerely. Jiang Jingyu, who had been silent since entering, picked up the conversation.
"Alright. Since he has already eaten, you should rest well at home. We'll go eat. I'm still hungry."
We?
Just her and Mr. Jiang?
Tong An'an was stunned.
Mr. Jiang was being too approachable. Why was he so lacking in boundaries with her, an intern?
But since the boss had already said it, she couldn't refuse.
"It's my fault for delaying the time so late. What would you like to eat, Mr. Jiang?"
"Hot pot. Can you eat spicy food?"
Tong An'an's good skin was partly attributed to chili peppers.
She had loved spicy food since childhood. The spicier it was, the more she sweated, and the better her skin became.
She had expected the boss to want steak or a French restaurant, so she was a little happy to hear him suggest hot pot.
"Yes, I can. If not, we can order a split pot and have different flavors."
"Then let's go." Jiang Jingyu gave Zhang Yang a meaningful glance.
At this point, Zhang Yang finally understood his boss's intentions.
He had taken a liking to Tong An'an.
Although he couldn't figure out for the life of him what it was about Tong An'an that had caught his eye,
as an assistant, how could he dare to compete with his boss?
He recommended a chain hot pot restaurant not too far from there. As he saw them off, Zhang Yang felt a sense of loss.
He had thought he might be able to solve his single status, but who knew... alas.
They navigated to the hot pot restaurant Zhang Yang had recommended and arrived in about ten minutes.
Jiang Jingyu parked the car, and Tong An'an went in with him.
A waiter approached and asked if they preferred to sit outside or in a private room. Jiang Jingyu said "private room" as they walked.
"Certainly, sir. Please follow me this way."
After they were seated, the waiter respectfully helped them order their dishes and then asked if they wanted to drink.
Jiang Jingyu asked her if she wanted a drink. Tong An'an quickly waved her hands, "I don't drink."
After saying that, she realized it might sound rude, "Would you like a drink?"
She thought to herself, if he wanted to drink, she would have a little with him.
"I still need to drive you back later, so no drinks. Please bring the dishes directly."
The waiter left to prepare. With only the two of them in the private room, Jiang Jingyu maintained his demeanor of a corporate elite, making Tong An'an feel like she was sitting on pins and needles.
Especially when Jiang Jingyu ticked off many ingredients on the menu, the prices of those meats were not ordinary.
In this kind of hot pot restaurant, with the service charge, the bill for one meal would be considerable. She really was going to have a big expenditure today.
Seeing her looking a bit constrained, with her eyes downcast and not speaking, Jiang Jingyu paused and initiated a conversation.
"Besides you, who else is in your family?"
When the boss asked, Tong An'an answered honestly, "My parents and my brother."
"You have a brother? How old is he?"
"He's two years older than me."
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-five."
"The same age as me."
Tong An'an's ears turned red with embarrassment.
They were both people, yet he, at 25, managed a large group with over a hundred thousand employees and was worth billions, while she had almost failed to find a job.
Seeing that she was embarrassed by his questions, Jiang Jingyu changed the subject.
"Is your brother married?"
"No."
If he were married, her mother would have a grandson to dote on and wouldn't be scolding this person or that person every day.
"What does he do for work now?"
"He drives a taxi." After saying this, Tong An'an spoke with a sense of resigned frankness.
"My brother was mischievous since childhood and didn't like school much."
Jiang Jingyu, however, was very understanding. "That's good. At least he has freedom with his time. It's better than sitting in a cubicle."