“Lad, don’t tell me that you made that dish for Ge Ge, but that lass said that it doesn’t taste nice?”
His already gloomy face became gloomier once the elderly man asked that question.
“Pfft!” He was spot on, indeed. This lad’s dish was criticized by that lass.
Still, based on his understanding of that lass, she probably did not do it on purpose.
There was a high change of this brat taking her remark the wrong way or making it into a big deal.
Whatever the truth might be, Old He still led his disciple into the kitchen while he stifled his laughter…
As the man’s culinary class began, the woman’s lessons commenced as well.
While she considered her studies as boring, she still put effort into learning them.
Also, with the sudden change in attitude of all her mentors, she came to realize that she did not actually hate learning all that stuff.
Of course, she did not like all that, too.
And just like that, a whole week passed with her taking lessons in Bauhinia Court while having lunch with the man under his strange rule. Soon, it was the weekend.
The morning of this weekend, she woke up early, and even as she surveyed her sun-lit room, her mood still did not improve. Instead, she grew more nervous.
The reason was simple; today was the day that she would be meet that annoying fellow’s mother!
She had thought it through. She was just an actress who had taken on a role she was unfit for. She would continue the act but would leave the stage once the curtain fell, and she was going to put all these things behind her.
Still, despite adopting that mindset…
When the day arrived, she still felt very nervous!
“Ge Ge, today is a weekend. Why are you up so early?”
Once she was done getting dressed, she walked out of her room. This was when Zhang Manhua, who had just returned from her morning workout, encountered her in the hallway and gave her a look full of surprise.
“Mom, haven’t I told you about this already? I have a date with my friend today, so I’m going out for some time.” She smiled at her.
Zhang Manhua eyed her daughter with some amusement.
“Still, you don’t need to be up so early and to wear such… formal clothes.” She noted with curiosity that her daughter was wearing a less-than-casual dress. “Who are you meeting today? It doesn’t feel like a friend. Aren’t you wearing something a little too formal?”
Her heart was in her mouth when she heard this.
“I truly just have a date with a friend. I’m wearing this formal attire only because… our meeting place is at a restaurant with a somber ambiance.” She smiled at her mother again. She did feel very guilty inside, but she did not show it on her face.
“Oh, I see.” Her mother nodded, but confusion remained on her face. “Which restaurant is this? To be so particular about attire…”
She laughed dryly at her mother’s comment and quickly ducked into the bathroom.
Once she was done washing up, she came out and saw that her mother had already served breakfast on the dining table.
“Mom, I already said that I will serve my own breakfast.” She approached the dining table.
“I just did it because it’s convenient.” Zhang Manhua was now sitting on the living room sofa near the dining table. After having a hearty laugh, she asked, “Right, Ge Ge. Are you coming back after lunch?”
She shook her head and answered with uncertainty, “Probably not…”
Thinking about it some more, since she was off to meet that man’s parents, she would probably not be back early.
“Oh, I see.” Her mother was suddenly deep in thought.
Noting that her mother had grown pensive, she asked curiously, “What’s wrong, Mom? Why are you suddenly so quiet?”
Did something happen?
“Oh. It’s just that your Auntie Wang wanted to introduce a potential partner to you—” Pei Ge did not wait for her mother to finish speaking and just resolutely turned the invitation down.
“Don’t! Mom, definitely not! Please stop introducing men to me!” She flailed her hands helplessly.
If that annoying fellow learns of this, I’m dead! He’s not gonna stop at just docking my pay!
The contract clearly states that I’m not to go on blind dates or date any other man.
Her mother, who did not know what she was thinking, beamed at her. “Why? Is it because you already like someone?”
“…” The man’s handsome features surfaced in her mind all of a sudden.
“Ho-How is that possible?!” Her cheeks turned pink as she strove to deny it.
Zhang Manhua noticed the reddening of her daughter’s face and knew for sure that the latter had someone she liked.
Also, this person was, with 89% probability, that Xiao Ji!
“He he! Ge Ge, tell mom honestly; do you like Xiao Ji?” She gave her an amorous smile, her tone laced with unspeakable delight.
“How is that possible? Mom, don’t imagine things. CEO Ji is my superior; we don’t have any other relationship,” she quickly denied.
However, no matter how much she denied it, her mother still discussed the man enthusiastically with her.
“I think that Xiao Ji isn’t bad. He is handsome and has excellent upbringing. I can see that he is a good man…”
Amid her mother praising the man, she slurped up her breakfast fast and then informed loudly, “Mom, I’m done; I’ll get going now.”
“Ah?” Zhang Manhua, who was still on the topic about the man, could only ask, “Aren’t you a little too early? It’s not even nine yet.”
“It’s not early!” With that said, she picked up the bag she had put on the living room couch and walked to the doorway to change into her outdoor shoes.
“Mom, I’m off.”
She did not want to stay home any longer and listen to her mother’s chattering! Compared to her mother, she felt that she would rather face that man’s!
