Chapter 17: Seventeen: Release the president and let us come over!

Then, Ji XiaoYu took the elevator down to the underground parking lot.

HongSheng’s underground parking lot wasn’t small in size; there were a total of 500 exclusive parking spaces for the employees of the building. When Ji XiaoYu came down, he couldn’t see anyone in the huge space, just the whole area filled with all kinds of cars.

He can’t help but feel a bit sad. HongSheng was really ostentatious. So many of the employees could afford to drive, but he just didn’t know if he could earn enough money and become one of them.

Ji XiaoYu didn’t know any of the makes or models, but as a male, he had an innate desire and love for these lumps of metal which represented speed and passion. While walking, he looked around and stopped to enjoy the view whenever he saw a good- or cool-looking vehicle.

Passing by an elegant model, a lustrous black, that seemed unusually upscale when he looked at it, Ji XiaoYu’s eyes brightened and he couldn’t help but reach out and want to touch the logo of a winged eagle on the front of the car (t/n: a Bentley). From not too far away, suddenly someone yelled, “Hey, what are you doing? Don’t touch that car!”

The sound echoed as a roar in the empty, quiet parking garage, scaring Ji XiaoYu into jumping and quickly taking his hand back.

Then a security guard wearing a high-level dark blue uniform ran over and then, glaring at him as if he were a thief, questioned Ji XiaoYu, “Who are you? Sneaking around, what do you want?”

“Are you the team leader?” Ji XiaoYu, to defend his innocence, explained his intention, “I wasn’t doing anything. I just saw that this car was pretty and wanted to touch it.”

Fang DaXing frowned, “You’re the kid that Captain Yang said was coming from the Block A lobby? How do you not know the rules? Touching Cheng Zong’s car so casually.”

This is Cheng YuTang’s car? No wonder, it feels quite like him. Ji XiaoYu was a little defiant as he muttered, “I wasn’t stealing the car, and I wasn’t sabotaging it, so what’s the big deal with a touch?”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Fang DaXing looked at the puffed up “oops” pouting expression on the kid. “What’s the big deal? If you get a scratch on this car’s paint, you’ll have to pay 100000 yuan. Can you afford it?!”

“How much?” Ji XiaoYu gasped as he shivered.

“One hundred thousand!”

“…….” Ji XiaoYu phased away leaving an afterimage with a “whoosh,” jumping three meters away.

Just kidding, 100000 yuan, even if he sold everything, he couldn’t afford it.

What a wicked, rich man!

At this moment, Ji XiaoYu was quite unhappy with Cheng Zong. The magical beast became a really infuriated beast. Even if he worked for his whole lifetime, he didn’t know if he could afford just one tire.

Fang DaXing blinked his eyes and suspected that he was going blind. Then he gloated and said, “You can never think about it in this lifetime. It might be possible if you incarnate well in your next life.”

Ji XiaoYu was a little unwilling to listen those kinds of words, so he curled his lip and said, “Everyone’s the same, born in the same boat.”

Fang DaXing’s face instantly turned black and he gave him a hard look, then he turned around and left.

Ji XiaoYu touched his nose, then lifted his feet and followed. Great, now I’ve offended my new team leader, my future days won’t be easy.

After more than two hours, Ji XiaoYu was finally freed after suffering the howling wind and torrential rain of his new team leader’s lecture. Leaving the parking garage, he was hungry so he took the elevator to the staff canteen on the 29th floor for dinner.

The entire 29th floor was for dining, divided into several areas, with a full range of food, Chinese and Western, Japanese and Korean, a coffee bar and so on, just like a food court.

However, although the security guards could eat for free, they are limited to eating in the ordinary Chinese canteen area. If they wanted to eat something else, they had to pay for it.

The taste of the meals in the Chinese canteen was far worse than that of masterpieces of Old Li. However, Ji XiaoYu didn’t want to spend money and also wanted to eat as much as he could. Also, there were a variety of meals, there were dozens of kinds of meat dishes laid out. Even if the main dish was changed every day, there would still be no repeats in half a month. So what did he have to be picky about?

It was the peak mealtime, so the canteen was crowded and noisy with voices and the queue for rice was long.

Ji XiaoYu waited in line for a while before it was his turn and then he asked for two servings of meat, two servings of vegetables, and one winter melon soup, plus a kilo of rice. Although the chubby auntie at the window had already seen him a few times, every time she lamented that this young man ate a lot, as much as two other male employees combined.

The chubby auntie was happy upon seeing his pretty little face and, while serving him rice, she couldn’t help but ask, “Young man, how old are you? Got a girlfriend?”

Ji XiaoYu said, “No. I’m almost 20.”

“Younger than 20, so little.” The chubby auntie looked a little regretful. “My oldest sister’s neighbor’s daughter is good, but unfortunately she’s three or four years older than you. Being the older sister and supporting the man isn’t the popular brother-sister relationship style right now.”

Ji XiaoYu was stunned into laughing, “Thank you, auntie, for your good intentions. I just got a job recently, so I don’t have any savings at all. If you find me a girlfriend, I’m afraid I’d starve, so forget it.”

“You’re really honest and sincere, kid, so rare. Unlike many young people who are now smooth-talkers, putting on a big show in order to cheat on girls.”

“Auntie, you’re flattering me. I’ll just say, you don’t beat around the bush……”

A male employee wearing a suit and tie behind Ji XiaoYu interrupted impatiently, “Isn’t this just a little security guard? He’s really sucking up to you. All this just for a free meal, and taking advantage of it so much he’ll probably burst his stomach.”

“Hey, hey, what are you talking about, what’s wrong with being a security guard? I think it’s much better than you. The young man’s meal is so big but he isn’t eating your rice anyway. What are you so excited about?!” The chubby auntie wasn’t willing to listen to this. She thrust herself into battle and waved her spoon to fight for Ji XiaoYu.

“I, I didn’t say anything…….” Seeing the tough chubby auntie was angry with him, the male employee didn’t dare curse at her even though he wanted to, so he could only blush and restrain himself.

“Auntie, calm down, I take the blame for blocking the way. You’re busy, so I’m going to eat.”

Ji XiaoYu was also pretty annoyed. According to his past temperament, he would have probably slammed his tray into the head of the insolent man, but the chubby auntie calmed down so quickly that he almost laughed. He secretly shot a thumbs up at the chubby auntie, then left for the dining area with his plastic tray completely full of the soup and the pile of plates.

Ji XiaoYu turned around in the canteen dining area and found that it was all full. There was a vacancy next to Fang DaXing, his new team leader, but he didn’t want to sit with him, to save himself from unhappiness.

As he turned and looked, he saw a lot of empty seats on the side of the Western food area. The environment was comfortable and elegantly furnished. And Ji XiaoYu simply took his tray and went to the other side.

Just as he sat down and took a few bites, a waiter with a cloth came to clean up the table next to him. Inadvertently seeing the plastic tray Ji XiaoYu was using, he couldn’t help but speak, “How could a regular canteen customer come over here for dinner?”

The waiter may have spoken mindlessly, with a soft voice, but it was enough for Ji XiaoYu to hear every word and he suddenly choked a little on the food in his mouth.

Wasn’t he just eating a meal? How can there be so many problems? Human beings, these creatures, were really more troublesome than spiritual beasts.

Ji XiaoYu was considering whether he should pretend to be deaf and dumb and continue to eat on the Western food area or go back to the canteen area when suddenly a clear, cold voice came from his side, “The dishes on your plate look good, would you mind giving me a taste?”

Ji XiaoYu looked up and saw that it actually was Cheng YuTang.

Watching this President Cheng sitting down across the table nonchalantly, Ji XiaoYu was both confused and reluctant as he said, “I could say yes, but after I give you some, I probably won’t have enough to eat.”

Cheng Zong, what’s the problem here? You don’t want to go to the cafeteria to eat by yourself? Why’d you come to beg me for food? He had just been envious of the rich and, at this time, he really didn’t want to see this man whose family value was said to be incalculable.

Moreover, as a pheasant spirit, he was a very protective eater. He also didn’t want to go back to the canteen to squeeze into the queue again for a long time.

Cheng YuTang: “……..”

Can this little thing be any more stingy? Does he really want to eat the canteen dishes that never sell out and can’t even attract people’s appetite?! If it hadn’t been for what I just heard…….

Forget it, he, the honorable Cheng Zong, didn’t hold any regard for commoners, and he wouldn’t lower himself to argue with this cheapskate.

Cheng YuTang turned to the waiter on the side who had been petrified on the spot and said, “Give me an A-package – wait a moment.

“How well-done do you usually have your steak?”

Realizing Cheng YuTang was asking himself this question. Ji XiaoYu, with no knowledge, replied, “Me? Cooked however.”

Cheng Zong, you’re having a steak and asking me how I cook it, just to flaunt your wealth?

Although Ji XiaoYu had watched other people eat steak a lot, he himself had never properly eaten it. How would he know how well-done to cook it?

Not that he didn’t want to eat it, he just couldn’t afford to eat it. When he first came over to the Western dining area, he had glanced at the signboard outside. The cheapest one was more than 100 yuan. It was just too expensive for a poor man, no, a poor beast, like him. It was just too cruel.

Cheng YuTang told the waiter, “Cook it medium.”

The waiter stammered, “Al-alright, Cheng Zong, please, please wait, I’ll be right back,” and then quickly went to the kitchen to place the order.

There were many employees around watching, seeing Cheng Zong and the new little security guard sitting at a table. They are both surprised and puzzled. Did Cheng Zong come here today to observe the mood of the masses?

They were so jealous and envious, what kind of dumb luck does that kid have?! Release the president and let us come over instead!

Ji XiaoYu felt the heavy gazes and serious condemnation that were pouring onto himself and felt uncomfortable all over. Plus, the person opposite was staring at him without blinking an eye – at the dishes (?). This really made this pheasant feel extreme pressure.

Forget it, the president is taller than a mountain. By annoying this man, he was afraid that his job would be a shaky ground. If he wanted to eat, he’d just have to split with him.

So Ji XiaoYu got up and, taking a bowl and a pair of chopsticks from the other side of the canteen area, he split out about one-third of his own dishes and handed the bowl to the other man. He grudgingly said, “Now, Cheng Zong, eat.”

Cheng Zong: “……..Thank you.”

Cheng YuTang looked at the stirred-up mess in the bowl and couldn’t tell how much of the other guy’s saliva had been mixed in. His mood was a little complicated. He must have said that sentence earlier because of some sudden evil impulse. Was it too late to take it back now?

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Footnotes:

1. Born in the same boat (彼此彼此): idiom meaning everyone is no better or worse than each other

2. CYT uses DaRen ( historical term of address towards superiors) to refer to himself here and XiaoRen (historical term of address towards a person of low standing) to refer to others

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Cheng YuTang, it’s an indirect kiss though ?? be happy