The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife
Chapter 212. Have lunch together (second update)

Chapter 212: 212. Have lunch together (second update)

"Sorry, my family came at noon, and I really had something to do, so I will definitely make it up to President Wen another day and offer my apologies."

"Having lunch with the family?"

Shen Junyu nodded, explaining, "My mom and my sister were near the company, asking me to join them for lunch, so..."

"Turns out it was Qinglan and Auntie who came. Then I won’t disturb you, and we’ll have lunch together some other time. Here is the document for you first." Wen Xiyao smiled understandingly and took out the document from her bag.

Shen Junyu took it and handed it to Yu Bin, "I really am sorry about this." He had been so busy in the morning that he forgot he had a lunch appointment with Wen Xiyao already arranged for today. When Shen Qinglan called him, he had agreed without a second thought.

"President Shen doesn’t need to be so polite, spending time with family is also very important. However," Wen Xiyao paused, "next time President Shen owes me a big meal." Her words were said playfully, but they effectively eased the awkwardness and guilt in Shen Junyu’s heart.

Shen Junyu gave a warm smile, "Of course." He had been cooperating with Wen Xiyao for a while, and they had been hitting it off very well in terms of work. Wen Xiyao was decisive and efficient, which Shen Junyu particularly liked. Wen Xiyao also found working with Shen Junyu to be enjoyable. Both had much improved their initial impressions of each other and had been in contact privately more often.

"Then I’ll take my leave first, and we’ll make an appointment next time." Wen Xiyao bid farewell and walked over to the elevator, then stopped, "By the way, is there a good restaurant nearby you can recommend?"

Wen Xiyao explained, "Going back to the company now, the canteen won’t have any food left. It would be better to eat here and then go back. But I’m not familiar with the area and don’t know what’s good to eat."

"How about President Wen joins us?" Shen Junyu thought for a moment before inviting her. After all, Wen Xiyao knew Qinglan, so having a meal together wasn’t really a big deal.

"Would that be alright?"

Shen Junyu nodded, "As long as President Wen doesn’t mind."

"Then I’ll be imposing." Wen Xiyao agreed readily, as eating alone really wasn’t as good.

Shen Qinglan was surprised to see Wen Xiyao appearing with Shen Junyu and didn’t understand how the two ended up together.

"Sister Xiyao, how come you are with my brother?"

"President Wen’s company is now a partner with our company. We originally planned to have lunch together, but since you and Mom came, I thought we might as well all eat together." Shen Junyu explained. He hadn’t seen Chu Yunrong in the private room, "Where’s Mom?"

"She went to the restroom."

"Qinglan, long time no see. Since coming to Beijing, I’ve been thinking about asking you out for a meal, but President Shen said you weren’t in Beijing. Did you just get back?" Wen Xiyao was happy to see Shen Qinglan.

"Yes, I just returned a few days ago. I didn’t expect Sister Xiyao to come work in Beijing." The last time they met in Lin City, Wen Xiyao hadn’t mentioned it, so Qinglan thought she would go work in Hai City.

"Qinglan, it looked like Mom bumped into your friend just now..." Chu Yunrong entered from outside and automatically stopped as she saw the person in the private room.

"Who is this?" Chu Yunrong gave Wen Xiyao a glance and asked with a smile.

"This is President Wen Xiyao from Xinhe International, who is also Qinglan’s senior." Shen Junyu introduced, "And this is my mother."

"Hello, Auntie, nice to meet you, and apologies for the disturbance." Wen Xiyao’s smile was graceful and appropriate, clearly showing the upbringing of a major family.

"I was originally going to have lunch with President Wen, so we came here together." Shen Junyu started explaining.

Chu Yunrong, who had been pleased at the sight of Shen Junyu bringing a girl to dine with them, showed a fleeting hint of disappointment, but she still kept her smile, "Hello, Miss Wen. I didn’t expect you to know our Qinglan. Please, sit down."

"Miss Wen is Qinglan’s senior?" During the meal, Chu Yunrong couldn’t help but ask.

Wen Xiyao smiled, "Auntie, just call me Xiyao. I went to the same school as Qinglan. It’s just that when she had just started her freshman year, I went to study abroad. I’ve been overseas all these years and only recently returned to the country."

Chu Yunrong nodded with a smile, "Xiyao looks very young, not that old, and yet you’ve become the General Manager of Xinhe International. Truly accomplished at a young age."

"Auntie, you flatter me. It was a fortunate coincidence. While studying abroad, I had the good fortune to meet Xinhe International’s Chairman, and just as their General Manager retired, I was planning to return to the country. So I came over."

"How old is Xiyao this year?"

"Twenty-seven."

"Very nice, to have achieved so much at only twenty-seven." Chu Yunrong smiled warmly, to the silent chagrin of Shen Junyu.

"Mom, it’s rare for someone to join us for a meal, and by interrogating her like this, President Wen might be too scared to work with me in the future," Shen Junyu said jokingly.

Chu Yunrong glared at her own son. Who am I doing this for, really? She turned her head to Wen Xiyao with a smile, "I’m quite talkative, Xiyao, don’t mind me."

Wen Xiyao shook her head, "Not at all, chatting with Auntie is a very pleasant thing."

Chu Yunrong smiled heartily. Shen Qinglan and Shen Junyu exchanged a glance, with helplessness in Shen Junyu’s eyes and amusement in Shen Qinglan’s. For the rest of the time, the two of them chatted very congenially.

"Xiyao isn’t from Beijing?"

"No, I’m from Hai City."

"Hai City." Chu Yunrong paused slightly, "Are you the daughter of the Hai City Wen Family?"

Wen Xiyao nodded, "Wen Bingchuan is my father."

Chu Yunrong suddenly realized, so it was Wen Bingchuan’s daughter, no wonder she’s so outstanding, and her impression of Wen Xiyao improved even more, "Are you in Beijing alone, Xiyao?"

"Yes, my family is all in Hai City."

"It’s not easy for a girl to live in a different place by herself. You are welcome to visit us when you have time. I’m usually at home. Qinglan is also free; we can make plans to have tea and go shopping together."

Wen Xiyao glanced at Shen Junyu, "Won’t it be inconvenient if I come to visit so often?"

"How could that be inconvenient? I don’t always have things to do. I would be delighted if you’d come to keep me company. Moreover, your father and Junyu’s father know each other; they were old classmates. If your father hadn’t moved back to Hai City at that time, you and our Junyu would have been childhood sweethearts."

Wen Xiyao was surprised, "My daddy and Uncle Shen were classmates?" She automatically ignored the "childhood sweethearts" part spoken by Chu Yunrong. Whenever she heard those four words, it made her think of Du Nan, which really gave her a headache.

"Yes, they were classmates at a military school back then. It’s just that they’ve been separated by distance, not keeping in touch often."

"It turns out there’s such a connection with Auntie’s family. No wonder I felt very fond of Qinglan when I first saw her."

Wen Xiyao was eloquent and well-informed. She got along with Chu Yunrong so well over just a meal that when they said goodbye, Chu Yunrong eagerly invited Wen Xiyao to visit over the weekend. Wen Xiyao, unable to refuse such kindness, agreed.

"Junyu, take Xiyao back. Qinglan and I will go first. Xiyao, I’ll wait for you at home this weekend. You must come."

Wen Xiyao smiled and nodded, "Okay, goodbye Auntie."

"Qinglan, is your senior still single?" After getting in the car and leaving, Chu Yunrong remembered to ask this most important question.

Shen Qinglan glanced sideways, "Mom, didn’t you just ask?"

Chu Yunrong looked annoyed, "I was so happy chatting that I forgot to ask. Why don’t you give her a call and ask?"

"Mom, aren’t you afraid you’ll scare her away?"

"That’s true; let’s not ask right now." Chu Yunrong nodded in agreement, but soon after, she spoke again, "Your senior is really nice, beautiful and knowledgeable, with a genteel demeanor."

Shen Qinglan raised an eyebrow, "Didn’t you just praise the daughter of Uncle Zhang not too long ago and suggest that brother ask her out to dinner and movies?"

"If your brother doesn’t like her, I can’t force them to be together, right? This lady was brought in front of me by your brother himself. If your brother had no interest in her at all, would he invite her to have dinner with us?"

"Brother said that they are just business partners; they had a meeting scheduled for noon." Shen Qinglan reminded.

"You’re so clever, but then you become confused. Don’t you know your brother’s personality? If he had no slight romantic interest in that lady, he definitely wouldn’t have had dinner with us, creating unnecessary misunderstandings."

What she said made sense, and Shen Qinglan was at a loss for words.

On the other hand, Shen Junyu dropped Wen Xiyao off at the company building and apologized to her, "I’m really sorry, my mother—she..." Embarrassed by interrogating her upon first meeting, Shen Junyu could only feel awkward.

Wen Xiyao’s eyes sparkled with a smile, "I understand. As parents, they worry. But President Shen really should find a girlfriend, it’s making Auntie anxious."

Shen Junyu turned to look at her with a gentle smile, "I certainly can’t compare with the number of suitors Miss Wen has. But recently, I haven’t seen Miss Wen’s pursuer. Did you by any chance discourage him so much that he lost confidence and moved on to someone new?"

Wen Xiyao clenched her teeth, this man is still so detestable.

She looked at Shen Junyu with a mocking smile, "President Shen must have been a Pacific Ocean policeman in his past life." She remarked on his habit of poking his nose where it didn’t belong.

Having finished speaking, she got out of the car and left without even a goodbye. Shen Junyu watched her figure disappear with a hint of a smile in his eyes.

Inside the Junyu Group building, due to the arrival of Wen Xiyao, the rumors about Fang Tong and Shen Junyu had significantly decreased. Especially today, when Shen Junyu was seen by colleagues taking Wen Xiyao and Chu Yunrong out for a meal, everyone soon realized that the person Shen Junyu liked was actually the President Wen of Xinhe International, and he had even taken her to meet his parents. It seemed that good news was on the horizon.

Although the colleagues had become much more reserved since the two gossips were fired by Shen Junyu, their interest in this matter had not waned. Now that they had learned such big gossip today, some looked at Fang Tong with schadenfreude in their eyes.

Fang Tong ignored those glances and calmly went about her business. Nowadays, Shen Junyu would absolutely not call her into his office if there was nothing important. Many said she had "fallen out of favor," which made Fang Tong want to laugh and cry at the same time.

Fang Tong was definitely among the first to know about Wen Xiyao and Chu Yunrong’s meal, because some people had wanted to tease her and deliberately mentioned it to her face. But to their disappointment, Fang Tong was not only unbothered, but her eyes were filled with laughter, as if hearing the news brought her great joy.

How could Fang Tong not be happy? Whether the news was true or false, as long as Shen Junyu had a girlfriend, she would no longer be the focus of everyone’s attention.

After work, Fang Tong hummed a tune as she walked out of the company and saw Li Bomming leaning against a car as if waiting for someone. "Bomming, what are you doing here?"

Li Bomming straightened up when he saw Fang Tong. "I’m here to find you."

"To find me?"

"Yes, today is my birthday. I didn’t want to dine alone, and I hardly have any friends in Beijing, so I was hoping you could join me for a meal. Is that okay?"

Fang Tong couldn’t refuse such a reason. "Of course it’s okay, but I didn’t know it was your birthday today, so I haven’t prepared any gifts. I’m sorry."

Li Bomming smiled. "There’s no need for gifts. I just felt it would be sad to eat alone on this day, which is why I invited you to have dinner together."

"It’s completely normal for friends to have dinner together on their birthday. You could have just called me directly. It’s a waste of time to wait like this."

"Actually, I didn’t wait long—I just got here. I thought you would be getting off work soon, so I didn’t call." Li Bomming opened the car door, gesturing for her to enter.

Fang Tong got in and Li Bomming closed the door for her before walking around to the other side to enter the vehicle.

Ding Minghui walked out of the company entrance and saw Fang Tong up ahead. He was elated and was about to call out to her when he noticed her speaking and laughing with a young man. They got into the car, and the man even buckled Fang Tong’s seat belt for her. As the car drove away, Ding Minghui’s face turned extremely ugly.

Since their last argument, Fang Tong had never initiated contact with him. She wouldn’t answer his calls or reply to his messages. Even when they occasionally met in the company cafeteria, Fang Tong acted as if she didn’t know him at all, which made Ding Minghui very upset. He had made several mistakes at work because of this.

"Minghui, what are you spacing out here for?" A colleague came out, saw Ding Minghui standing still looking in the direction of the road, patted his shoulder. Ding Minghui came to his senses and shook his head, "Nothing, I thought I saw an old classmate just now. I must have been mistaken."

"Today I happen to have some errands near your place. Want a ride?" Ding Minghui had a good reputation in the company and got along well with his colleagues.

"I’ve made plans to have dinner with a friend today, so I won’t be going home right now. Thank you, though." Ding Minghui politely declined.

The colleague smiled, "Then I’ll be taking off."

Ding Minghui nodded and only took out his phone to call Fang Tong after his colleague had left. As expected, she hung up immediately, and Ding Minghui’s face turned even more unsightly.

"Why aren’t you answering the phone?" Li Bomming glanced at the phone in Fang Tong’s hand and asked with a smile.

"It’s a telemarketer." Fang Tong replied casually, and Li Bomming just chuckled without prying further.

"Li Bomming, happy birthday!" Fang Tong raised a glass to Li Bomming, her eyes brimming with a smile, watching him attentively. Li Bomming hesitated for a moment, then raised a glass of juice and gently clinked it with hers. "Thank you."

"If I had known today was your birthday, I would have definitely prepared a gift for you." Fang Tong downed her glass in one go, expressing regret.

"It was my fault for not telling you in advance." Li Bomming stopped Fang Tong’s hand as she reached for the bottle and placed a bowl of soup in front of her. "Don’t drink too much. It’s bad for your stomach. Have some soup first to warm up."

Li Bomming’s hand was dry and warm, and Fang Tong withdrew her own somewhat awkwardly, muttering, "Actually, I don’t really drink normally."

"Yes, I know. This soup tastes good. Try it." Li Bomming smiled gently, his eyes filled with deep affection.

Fang Tong, with her head down, sipping the soup, didn’t see the depth of emotion in his gaze.

Standing at the restaurant entrance, Fang Tong tried to steady herself and said, "Li Bomming, you don’t have to take me back. I can take a taxi on my own."

Li Bomming reached out to support Fang Tong. He hadn’t expected her to have such a low tolerance for alcohol. She was already drunk after just three drinks. "I’ll take you home. It’s not safe for you to take a taxi now that you’re drunk."

"I’m not drunk." Fang Tong waved her hand, "I’m just a bit dizzy, a little fresh air will help." Her vision was blurred, and as she looked at the double image in front of her, she shook her head, "Li Bomming, I can take a cab on my own. You can go."

Seeing her like that, Li Bo Ming couldn’t possibly be at ease. He stuffed her into the passenger seat and fastened the seatbelt. Fang Tong closed her eyes; in reality, she was exceptionally lucid, more so than ever before, only her head was spinning fiercely.

"Tongtong, are you okay?" Li Bo Ming leaned in a bit closer, reaching out to touch her cheek, which was flushed and burning hot.

Fang Tong shook her head, "I’m fine, just a bit dizzy, that’s all." She didn’t know why, but today she was drunk after just three drinks.

Li Bo Ming tried to drive as smoothly as possible. Halfway there, Fang Tong suddenly spoke, "I don’t want to go home right now. Can you take me for a drive?"

Li Bo Ming turned his head to glance at her, trying to figure out if she was speaking drunken nonsense or if she was serious.

The car window was open, and the cold breeze sobered up Fang Tong quite a bit. She opened her eyes and looked outside, "I feel like going to the beach. Could you take me there?"

Seeing that she was sober, Li Bo Ming nodded, "Okay." The car turned a corner, and Li Bo Ming took Fang Tong to the seaside.

It was particularly cold at the seaside in early March, especially at night. Fang Tong walked on the sand. In the darkness, the only sound was the ocean waves; in the sky, a few stars twinkled faintly. Li Bo Ming followed closely behind her, just a step away.

Seeing Fang Tong hug her own arms, Li Bo Ming took off his suit jacket and draped it over her, "Wear this, don’t get sick."

Fang Tong smiled at Li Bo Ming, "Thank you."

"It was me who brought you out here. If you get sick, I won’t be able to explain it to your parents. Tongtong, have you encountered any problems recently?" Li Bo Ming asked with concern.

Fang Tong stared at the pitch-black sea, listening to the sound of waves crashing against the shoreline, "Nothing’s wrong, just a bit more work pressure lately."

Still the excuse of work. Li Bo Ming looked at Fang Tong’s silhouette, his eyes filled with profound frustration; Fang Tong never seemed to tell him the truth.

"It’s getting late; let’s go back. Although tomorrow is the weekend and we don’t have to work, the sea breeze will make you sick if you’re exposed too long." Li Bo Ming spoke gently. Fang Tong didn’t object, and followed him back to the car.

"Fang Tong, we’re friends. If you ever need help with anything, just ask, and I’ll help you." Li Bo Ming spoke just before Fang Tong opened the door to get out.

Fang Tong paused, a flicker of emotion crossing her eyes, but she didn’t turn back, "Thank you."

**

After leaving the Shen Family, Shen Xitong went straight to the hospital to complete her discharge procedures and return home. Seeing the strange woman in her house, her brows furrowed tightly, "Who are you?"

The woman saw Shen Xitong, her face breaking into an ingratiating smile, "You must be the third sister. I’m your sister-in-law; just call me Xiao Li."

Xiao Li attempted to embrace Shen Xitong’s arm in a gesture of warmth but was dodged by Shen Xitong, "How come you are here?"

"Ah Yong and Auntie brought me here. I’m pregnant now, and they are worried about me living alone." Xiao Li explained, her face still radiating enthusiastic delight, not at all upset by Shen Xitong’s rejection.

Just then, Tian Cuifang came out of the kitchen holding a bowl of something that looked like soup, "Xiao Li, come here and have some soup. I made this especially to nourish you."

Surprised to see Shen Xitong, she exclaimed, "Xitong, why are you back?"

Shen Xitong sneered, "If I were not to come back, who knows what state my home would end up in."

"What do you mean ’your home’? Is this house yours?" Li Yong had just come out of Shen Xitong’s room, and interjected when he heard her.

Shen Xitong ignored his words, turning instead to look in the direction he had emerged from, her expression chilling, "What were you doing in my room?"

"What do you mean ’your room’? From today onwards, this will be Xiao Li’s and my room. She is pregnant now and must live in the best room. Your room is the biggest in the house and receives the most sunlight; naturally, it should be given to the pregnant woman."

"And where am I supposed to live?"

Li Yong pointed with a gesture towards a small room to the north, "That would be your room now."

Shen Xitong became furious, "Li Yong, don’t overdo it. This is my home, my house, not yours. What you’re doing now is robbery."

"Third sister, I don’t like the sound of that. What’s mine is yours, and we’re all family. Isn’t it lively and fun when the family lives together? Even just having a meal together is more enjoyable, isn’t it?" Xiao Li, who was drinking soup, wasn’t pleased upon hearing Shen Xitong’s words and countered.

Li Yong had told her that the house was still registered under Shen Xitong’s name, but after a while, it would be transferred to Li Yong, and then it would become their home. As for this sister, if they were in a good mood, they’d let her live in one of the rooms; if not, she could go wherever she pleased.