Meng Ruozhao was the first to spot Pei Jiangmu.
Despite the exhaustion from days of overtime work in her eyes and brows, she immediately gave him a gentle and surprised smile.
"Here already? Didn't you say you'd be quite busy today?"
Pei Jiangmu walked in a few steps towards her with a smile on his face.
He had deliberately changed into casual clothes when he came. The soft - textured clothes made him look less sharp than he was during daytime meetings and more refreshing like a student.
However, his inherent noble temperament remained undiminished.
He waved the delicate food container in his hand and said in a natural tone,
"I finished early. I thought you guys must have been too busy to remember to eat, so I brought some food. Let's eat together."
As he spoke, he called Xu Lin and Ai Gao, who were still buried in their work.
Xu Lin and Ai Gao were already starving. Hearing this, they immediately cheered and gathered around.
"Wow! Classmate Pei, you're so thoughtful!"
Xu Lin sighed while helping to set the tableware.
"Coming to accompany us during overtime and bringing food. Our Ruozhao is really lucky!"
Ai Gao also nodded repeatedly and joked with a smile,
"That's right, that's right. He's handsome and so considerate. Where did you find such a boyfriend, Ruozhao? Hurry up and tell us the secret!"
Hearing these compliments, Pei Jiangmu was extremely pleased in his heart. He even wished they could say more, but on the surface, he pretended to be shy and lowered his eyelashes, with his ears turning slightly red.
"No... It's because Ruozhao is so good. Whatever I do is not enough."
These words were spoken sincerely with a bit of a young man's clumsiness, making him seem even more pure and cute.
Meng Ruozhao also put down her work, washed her hands and walked over.
Looking at the delicious eel rice in the food container, her eyes lit up. She looked up at Pei Jiangmu and said with a smile,
"You're really good at choosing. The food you bring every time is just to my taste and really delicious. How are you so amazing?"
Hearing this, Pei Jiangmu raised his eyes to look at her.
There was a smile in his peach - blossom eyes, but they were deeper than usual, with a hint of imperceptible aggression and suggestion.
As if saying: The more amazing thing about me... is not just in choosing things.
Meng Ruozhao instantly understood the subtext in his eyes. Her cheeks suddenly flushed, and even the tips of her fair ears turned crimson.
She lowered her head in a bit of a flurry, picked up her chopsticks and murmured softly,
"... Let's eat quickly. It's still hot. It won't taste good if it gets cold later."
That shy look was like a little snail whose antennae had been teased, quickly retracting into its shell.
Pei Jiangmu looked at the red tips of her ears, feeling even more delighted. The corner of his mouth curled up into a smug smile before he began to dine slowly.
After the meal, Pei Jiangmu very naturally rolled up his sleeves, revealing his well - defined forearms, and began to skillfully organize the somewhat messy fabric samples and tools in the store.
Although he worked part - time in the store, he never accepted the salary Meng Ruozhao offered.
He said he still hadn't spent the 50,000 yuan he earned from filming, and he had won prizes in several competitions.
However, he still often came to help during this period.
From being a bit clumsy at first, now he was quite proficient in organizing items, classifying documents and even helping to iron some small pieces of fabric.
Xu Lin and Ai Gao walked up to Meng Ruozhao, looked at Pei Jiangmu's busy back, and whispered with a smile,
"Ruozhao, you've really found a treasure!"
"Look at this little puppy - like junior who is good at everything. He's obedient, handsome and so hard - working!"
"The most important thing is that he has a bright future! The way Classmate Pei does things, he's definitely going to have a great future!"
"In summary, you've got both a potential stock and an original stock!"
Meng Ruozhao looked at Pei Jiangmu's profile as he carefully organized things. Her heart was warm, and the corner of her mouth involuntarily curled up as she replied softly,
"Yeah... it's really so."
There was a pride and satisfaction in her eyes that she didn't even notice.
Just as the store was filled with a warm and harmonious atmosphere, the glass door of the studio was pushed open again.
Accompanied by a crisp wind chime sound, a figure walked in.
It was Yan Sisi.
She was wearing a classic suit dress from a big brand today, and there was a familiar paper bag in her hand.
Her appearance surprised everyone in the store.
Meng Ruozhao was especially shocked.
Since the chance encounter in the restaurant last time, they hadn't seen each other again.
The next day, Yan Sisi thanked her on WeChat for her help.
Meng Ruozhao politely replied with "It's okay" and thought that would be the end of it.
She didn't expect Yan Sisi to come in person and bring something.
The moment Pei Jiangmu saw Yan Sisi, his brows frowned imperceptibly, and his eyes were filled with scrutiny and vigilance.
However, Meng Ruozhao was running a business. Even if she was puzzled, she wouldn't turn away a customer.
Moreover, the other party had brought a gift.
She got up and walked forward, with a polite and aloof attitude: "Miss Yan, why did you come here?"
Yan Sisi placed the paper bag in her hand on the table beside her. Her posture still carried the arrogance of a young lady.
But her eyes were softer than before, even showing a hint of imperceptible awkwardness and nervousness.
"I passed by that time - honored brand store and thought you might like it, so I brought you some osmanthus cakes."
She paused, glanced at Pei Jiangmu, who looked displeased, and then looked at Meng Ruozhao. As if making up her mind, she said with a frankness that seemed like she was throwing caution to the wind,
"Ruozhao, actually... I like you quite a lot."
"Maybe there were some misunderstandings before. Or to be more accurate, I didn't know how to get along with someone like you... so I seemed a bit cold."
"But you saved me last time. In my heart, we're already friends."
She raised her chin slightly, trying to maintain her pride but also with a bit of cautious probing.
"I hope you won't dislike me just because of Yan Qiubai. He's him, and I'm me."
This straightforward confession caught Meng Ruozhao off guard.
She originally thought Yan Sisi would just come to thank her again out of gratitude, or come to defend Yan Qiubai.
She didn't expect that Yan Sisi would so directly express her willingness to be friends.
Looking into Yan Sisi's eyes that were clearly nervous but pretending to be calm, Meng Ruozhao suddenly thought that this arrogant young lady was also a bit cute in her honesty.
She smiled and softened her tone,
"Miss Yan, saving you was just a piece of cake. You really don't need to keep it in mind all the time, let alone feel burdened because of it."
"It's not a burden!"
Yan Sisi quickly explained, with a bit of eagerness in her tone.
"I want to be friends with you not because of gratitude! It's... it's really because I think you're very good and I want to get closer to you."
"I was wrong before. I didn't know how to... Anyway, that's it!"
She seemed not good at saying such soft words. Her cheeks blushed slightly, showing a bit of cute annoyance.
Since the words had been said to this extent, it would seem inhumane to refuse.
Meng Ruozhao looked at this awkward young lady in front of her, finally smiled and nodded.
"Okay, then we'll be friends from now on. Welcome to come and play often."
Yan Sisi's eyes immediately lit up, as if she had received some precious recognition.
The pretense of calmness also relaxed a bit, and the corner of her mouth turned up slightly.
"Yeah! Then I won't bother you guys. I'll come to see you next time!"
After saying that, as if she had completed a major task, she turned around and left with a lighter step.