Liu Jinfei found it odd that he still wasn’t tired after spending time in the kitchen practicing with Lin Xiao the whole day. It was already four in the afternoon when the two decided they had enough. Since they had no idea about the rules and the theme of the festival competition, they could only wait for the next day to formulate a plan on the spot.
He stepped into the foyer and was surprised to see the woman he hadn’t seen in three days, standing outside and pulling her hair up to tie it in a messy bun. Today, she was dressed in a half-sleeved white dress shirt and a pair of light denim jeans, her feet enclosed in a pair of white sneakers.
Shen Lingqing lifted her head and met his gaze before raising an eyebrow at him. She heard that the two chefs she brought on this trip with her were busy working in the kitchen, and she didn’t dare to come and disturb them.
By now, the two chefs should be honing their own skills and methods when it came to cooking. She had already pointed out most of their weaknesses, and it was up to them whether to ignore her suggestions or to work on improving their methods.
“You’re done in the kitchen?” She questioned him, breaking the awkward atmosphere between them. Shen Lingqing couldn’t understand why Liu Jinfei acted weirdly at times. Had he always been like this? She wondered.
Liu Jinfei cleared his throat and nodded, feeling ashamed that Shen Lingqing caught him gawking on her. He had never been in an awkward situation with a woman before until he met her.
“En. Chef Lin and I decided that we have enough practice today, but he’s still in the kitchen if you are looking for him. He said he wanted to review what he learned so far and try a few more things himself,” Liu Jinfei said in defense.
“What about you, Director Shen? Going somewhere?” he asked, trying to divert the attention away from him. It was bad enough that Shen Lingqing caught him staring at her face; he didn’t want to ruin his reputation in her eyes any further.
“Hn.” Shen Lingqing hummed. “I holed myself in my room for three days to finish my work, and now that I’m done, I think I can cut some slack and walk around the town to see what they are up to.”
Darn. She would have finished her work way earlier if only Qiao Lian had come with her on this trip. However, there were just some things that they couldn’t leave behind unsupervised at the moment. Since Qiao Lian was the subordinate she trusted the most, Shen Lingqing had no choice but to leave Qiao Lian to oversee Savory Alley during her absence.
“You are going on your own?” Liu Jinfei was a little startled at that. Could Shen Lingqing protect herself if someone assaulted her in public?
“I have my bodyguards with me. Don’t worry. They are capable of watching over me from a safe distance, so it should be fine.”
Also, she didn’t need to rely on someone’s protection to survive. She could perfectly defend herself if needed.
“Then, if you don’t mind, can I come with you, then?” Liu Jinfei asked. It still didn’t sit well with him to leave Shen Lingqing on her own. “It’s my first time coming to this place, and we haven’t done some sightseeing so far. I would like to see how beautiful this town is.”
Shen Lingqing initially wanted to decline his offer, but the look on his face told her that he was serious with his offer and wouldn’t like to hear ‘no’ for an answer. They weren’t friends. They only had a superior-subordinate relationship so far, and there’s no need for Liu Jinfei to be concerned like this towards her.
“Fine.” Still, Shen Lingqing found herself conceding from Liu Jinfei’s request. “But you better make sure you won’t get lost in the crowd. I won’t come looking for you if you did.” ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
Liu Jinfei’s lips quirked up, a smile blossoming on his face from Shen Lingqing’s answer.
“I will make sure not to lose sight of you,” he assured her.
Shen Lingqing stared at his face for a moment and then turned her back to him.
“You shouldn’t say that so casually to any woman you just met,” she muttered, leaving behind a confused Liu Jinfei.
He had no other choice but to follow her. When Shen Lingqing went to one part of the resort that looked like a garage, Liu Jinfei saw her pulling out a bicycle from the inside.
“How do you plan to accompany me? I don’t plan to do a long walk,” she said with a straight face.
“Is there another bicycle I could use then?” He asked, but she only shrugged.
There was no way she would share her bicycle with him. Shen Lingqing wasn’t a germaphobe. However, she certainly wouldn’t touch another person; neither would she allow them to lay a hand on her skin.
“The bicycles inside weren’t used for some time now. You need to see if there’s one with a good break,” she said in response.
“Wait here then. Let me see if I can find one.” Liu Jinfei hurriedly went inside and checked each of the bicycles. He found one, but the chains needed to be fixed before he could use it.
When he came out, Shen Lingqing was speaking to someone over the phone call. She was speaking in a foreign language Liu Jinfei couldn’t pick up. From her tone, he could tell that she wasn’t pleased with whomever she was speaking.
After exchanging a few more words with the person on the other line, Shen Lingqing hung up and placed her phone in the small bag secured to her waist.
“Ready?’ She asked him as she rode her bicycle.
“Lead the way then, Director Shen. I’ll follow you shortly.” He smiled at her.
