Shen Lingqing, along with Lin Xiao and Liu Jinfei, returned to the capital the next day. Though this time, Yang Fangjin had come with them. The young man grew curious about the new surroundings and soon looked up at the beautiful signage of the restaurant where he would start working.
Although the festival had just started, they couldn’t prolong their stay, as the reopening of Savory Alley was fast approaching. It couldn’t be helped anyway. They needed to make sure everything would go according to plan during the reopening.
The moment Shen Lingqing alighted from the car, she was immediately engulfed into a tight embrace by Qiao Lian.
“Wahh, Qingqing. You are so unfair. You went on a vacation, pretending it was a business trip,” her assistant whined at her.
“What the hell are you talking about, Lian? You should have known that my father sent me there to do the annual auditing of the restaurants,” Shen Lingqing said in defense, as she tried to free herself from Qiao Lian’s hold.
Qiao Lian released her boss but continued to nag beside Shen Lingqing, as they entered the restaurant.
The place was almost ready for the reopening day, as the interior decors were neatly placed in their rightful spots. Moreover, the ambiance had become more enticing and welcoming compared to the last time Shen Lingqing had been here.
It seemed like the three of them weren’t the only ones working hard for the reopening day. The staff was doing a great job keeping up with Shen Lingqing’s plan. Whether they were motivated to keep their jobs or they truly wanted to see the restaurant in a new light, Shen Lingqing wasn’t certain.
“What do you think, Qingqing? It’s nice, isn’t it?” Qiao Lian clung onto Shen Lingqing’s arm, her eyes watching her boss with anticipation. She looked like a puppy waiting for her owner to praise her for doing a great job.
Shen Lingqing looked around and nodded in agreement. It seemed like Qiao Lian wasn’t the only one waiting to see and hear what she thought of the newly renovated restaurant.
Shen Lingqing couldn’t deny that Qiao Lian and the rest of the staff had done well during her absence. At least they didn’t slack off during the days she wasn’t here to oversee them.
“Great job. It looks so much better compared to the first time I stepped into this place. Please keep up the good work, everyone,” she praised them.
Everyone’s faces lit up upon hearing her words, and they sighed in relief. There were only two days left before the reopening of the restaurant, and everyone was on edge these days. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
As for Shen Lingqing, they were starting to know her better. Although she was strict and looked stern most of the time, she wasn’t the demon princess the public painted her to be. It must be a sick rumor to slander her name.
“By the way, Qingqing. I’ve already done what you requested over the phone,” Qiao Lian said before giving Liu Jinfei a meaningful look, “Unfortunately, we could only make a visit after the reopening day. Is this okay with you?”
“It’s fine. So long as we are able to make an appointment,” Shen Lingqing replied. That’s the first step in seeing if they would be able to help Liu Jinfei recover from his odd condition.
“We have a new chef joining us today. Please get along with him.” She then made Yang Fangjin’s presence known.
“Hello. I’m Yang Fangjin. It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I’ll be in your care from now on.” The young man gave a polite bow to everyone and smiled awkwardly. He didn’t think that this was what was waiting for him when he decided to follow Shen Lingqing to the capital.
“The rest of you may take your day-off today, given that you are done with your daily task. I’ll be in my office,” Shen Lingqing announced and made her way upstairs, but she stopped midway to glance at Lin Xiao, Yang Fangjin, and Liu Jinfei.
“You three may choose to rest too if you want. I don’t want the three of you to fall sick before the reopening.”
“Aww, Qingqing. You just arrived from your trip, and you are burying yourself with work as soon as you come back? Why don’t you take a break, too?” Qiao Lian said as she followed her boss upstairs.
“Is Uncle Shuren feeling better now?” Shen Lingqing blatantly ignored her question and changed the topic. Fu Shuren wasn’t feeling well during her trip, and so she had to rely on a butler to run the errands for her.
“Yes. He regretted that he wasn’t able to accompany you for too long.”
“It’s fine. He dedicated most of his life to protect my family. I’ve never seen such gratitude and dedication like his,” Shen Lingqing said.
She wasn’t oblivious to the nature and history of her mother’s set of bodyguards. In fact, Shen Lingqing wondered how her mother was able to convince such a group of dangerous mercenaries to become her private bodyguards instead.
Even when she and Lingtian were born, the five remained in servitude to her mother. For other people, it might have looked like they were serving the Shen family, but in fact, the loyalty of the five wolves was in Lu Xinyi’s hands.
Shen Lingqing initially thought that they were protecting her and Lingtian just because they were Lu Xinyi’s children, but it wasn’t like that. They truly cared about her and her younger brother so much that they were willing to put their lives at stake when it’s needed, and that happened frequently when she was younger.
Shen Lingqing had lost count of how many times Fu Shuren saved her life and protected her from harm in the past. He took care of her, protecting him like how a father would do for his child.
So how could she not be worried about him when he grew sick?
