"Let’s talk about it later. Did you drive here?"
"We did, I borrowed a friend’s car. Mr. Zhou, you..."
"Then I’ll go by myself. See you at the restaurant later."
"Okay, okay, Mr. Zhou. I reserved the time for seven o’clock, you can go straight there. I’ll wait a bit for Xiaoxi, and I’ll send you the location..."
"Alright, I’ve already accepted the friend request."
As soon as Zhou Wang finally added him as a friend, Chen He secretly gave himself a thumbs up.
Luckily, he was quick-witted and made this last-minute invitation. Otherwise, it was foreseeable that adding Zhou Wang on WeChat would have been nearly impossible.
...
Hang City’s AmbréCiel Ber Restaurant, located on the northwest side of West Lake, was near Tianmu Mountain Road, which Zhou Wang passed by every day on his way home.
This restaurant was quite famous in certain circles, for several reasons.
One of them was the Michelin rating. Hang City currently had eleven Michelin-rated restaurants, all of which were one-star, so this Ber Restaurant actually represented one of the highest standards of local cuisine in Hang City.
Its chef Alan Yu was also well-known, being one of the rare Michelin three-star chefs of Chinese descent.
Another reason was the restaurant’s location.
It was situated on the first floor of a certain cosmetics brand company’s headquarters, which meant it was actually built in an office building.
However, the name "Ber" itself explained its origins. This restaurant was a collaboration between a domestic cosmetics brand and a Michelin chef, so it was not surprising that the restaurant was built at the company headquarters.
At 7:05 p.m., the Rolls-Royce driven by Miao Ying drove into the building’s ground parking lot and parked in a marked internal parking space under the guidance of a security guard.
"Boss, we’re here."
Miao Ying’s voice came from the front seat, making Zhou Wang, who was looking down at a magazine, raise his head.
"Qingkui, are you sure you don’t want to go in with me?"
Zhou Wang asked Jiang Qingkui, who hadn’t spoken much throughout the journey.
"I’m not really hungry. If you don’t have any other instructions, I’d like to go back and rest."
Jiang Qingkui shook her head.
Though she occasionally joked with Zhou Wang, she always knew where the line was at crucial moments. At least at this point, she could tell that Zhou Wang’s invitation was insincere...
It was a bit strange, as Jiang Qingkui knew it was a couple inviting Zhou Wang for dinner. Theoretically, there was nothing that required her to avoid them, but she couldn’t investigate everything. At moments like this, she knew all she had to do was disappear quietly.
"Alright, then have Miao Ying take you back first... Qingkui."
Zhou Wang, who was about to get out of the car, thought for a moment and called out to Jiang Qingkui again.
"Hmm?"
"Were you a bit mad at me today?"
Jiang Qingkui was taken aback, then blinked ambiguously. "Why would you ask that?"
"What do you think?"
"Sorry, Boss, I can’t answer that question."
Jiang Qingkui paused for a moment before speaking.
"Why?" Zhou Wang was a bit puzzled.
"If I say I’m not mad, it might inflate your ego and make you bolder. But if I say I am mad, that’s not appropriate either. You are my boss after all, and I depend on you for a living, don’t you think so?"
Jiang Qingkui chuckled lightly.
"...No argument there."
Faced with Jiang Qingkui’s clear logic, Zhou Wang could only give her a thumbs up.
He thought for a moment, then signaled to Jiang Qingkui to wait while he got out of the car, went around to the back, and returned with a small wooden box crafted from raw wood, handing it to Jiang Qingkui.
"For you."
At first, Jiang Qingkui was puzzled, but when she looked down and saw the "snowflake"-like symbol on the wooden box, her hand couldn’t help but tremble.
"Patek Philippe?"
She was familiar with only the most common luxury brands, and for high-end watch brands, she knew only three. Fortunately, Patek Philippe was one of them. The other two were the well-known Rolex and Cartier, which tend to attract women’s attention.
"Yes, consider it an apology. Don’t dwell on what happened this morning."
Zhou Wang said casually.
Jiang Qingkui pressed her lips together, looked at Zhou Wang, and then lowered her head to carefully open the watch box.
Soon, a ladies’ steel bracelet watch with a diamond-encrusted bezel came into view.
(Patek Philippe 5087 women’s watch, with wrist effect picture)
"I..."
Jiang Qingkui actually wanted to refuse, but Zhou Wang’s gift was just too timely.
Considering her image and job, she’d recently been thinking about getting a new watch.
She hadn’t been working for Zhou Wang long and had just received her first month’s salary. It was not bad at all, with bonuses, even after taxes it was nearly a hundred thousand.
But for women, daily expenses are naturally more extravagant than for men. The more refined a woman lives, the truer this becomes, so buying a watch was still a bit of a stretch for Jiang Qingkui.
She originally had her eye on Cartier’s Ballon Bleu, but Xu Wenqian wore that model, and she didn’t want to end up matching with her. Other styles didn’t suit her aesthetic, and she couldn’t afford anything pricier for the moment, so it was quite an awkward situation...
And who could refuse a Patek Philippe, known as the king of watches?
It was funny. When she first started her job, she tried to resist all the sugary temptations Zhou Wang threw her way, but...
The Porsche Panamera was genuinely a great drive, the professional attire from Hermes was truly amazing to wear, combined with a small satisfaction as if she had transcended her class ahead of time...
After getting used to it, she even began to snub the clothes originally in her wardrobe.
With mixed emotions, Jiang Qingkui finally nodded to her true feelings. "I really like this watch, thank you, Mr. Zhou."
"You’re welcome. If you don’t like the steel bracelet, there is also a leather strap, which gives a softer visual effect, but I think the steel bracelet suits your aura."
While saying this, Zhou Wang had already taken the watch out of the box and was about to help Jiang Qingkui put it on.
Jiang Qingkui let Zhou Wang fiddle with her smooth, slender hand, unable to utter a word of refusal. Once the watch was on, she glanced at it and couldn’t help but smile.
The watch was truly beautiful...
"Sister Qingkui, since I gave you a gift worth over two hundred thousand, will you tell me whether you were actually mad?"
As Jiang Qingkui remained stunned, Zhou Wang suddenly leaned a bit closer and asked softly beside her glistening earlobe.
Jiang Qingkui’s body stiffened. She turned her head away. Although, logically, after presenting two hypothetical scenarios, she shouldn’t answer, perhaps the cool sensation on her wrist clouded her judgment. A moment later, she reluctantly bit her lip and responded softly:
"I... wasn’t mad."