Dawn of Life

Lin Yue turned to look at him, catching a glimpse of the slight smile on his face and his deep eyes.

Lin Yue thought to herself that this kind of tactic had probably been used on many women. Although it didn't really work on her, she knew she should show a touched expression at this moment.

So she smiled, forming a beautiful curve: "Mr. Xiao, you're such a gentleman, so thoughtful!"

Xiao Feng returned a pleased expression, and then the two walked side by side towards the private room. Lin Yue entered the room and saw a round table that could seat eight people, and couldn't help but frown, saying, "Isn't this table too big?"

As Xiao Feng took off his coat, he said, "It's alright. We can sit closer together so we don't run into any more people we shouldn't and disturb us."

Lin Yue looked embarrassed, knowing that he was referring to the time he encountered Gao Ming and Ma Hongli.

Following the online menu, Xiao Feng ordered a whole table of Sichuan hot pot ingredients, including tripe, beef aorta, duck intestines, and so on. Lin Yue tried to stop him a few times, but to no avail, so she let him be. Anyway, he didn't care about the cost of the meal, and she didn't need to deliberately put on a thrifty persona in front of him.

Soon, the spicy pot in front of them boiled, bubbling and steaming. The broth was bright red, and an extra portion of beef tallow had been added, all according to Xiao Feng's instructions beforehand based on Lin Yue's taste.

Lin Yue had intended to probe his relationship with Sheng Xing, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Xiao Feng generously told her that they were college classmates, both of them were deep enthusiasts of traditional culture, and they got along well, so their relationship had always been very good.

As Xiao Feng dipped a piece of tripe into the spicy broth, he casually remarked, "I've always felt that you can't combine your hobbies with business, so I turned down Shengxing's invitations to join the company several times. As for why I started a consulting firm, it's because I like logic and causality. Whether it's a country or a company, it has its own unique life cycle. From its founding to its rise and fall, you can find the logic of cause and effect. Ultimately, it's a game of capital and power, and I find it very interesting to participate in this process, observe it, and intervene in it."

After saying that, he put the piece of tripe into Lin Yue's bowl. Lin Yue looked at the splashed red soup and felt scared. She involuntarily took a step back.

Through the steam rising from the hotpot, Lin Yue saw Xiao Feng's expression—an expression that held an air of indifference mixed with a hint of detached detachment. She found this expression somewhat ironic; what he saw as a mere game was, in fact, the very foundation upon which many ordinary people depended for their livelihood.

She didn't reply, mechanically putting the piece of tripe into her mouth. Whether it was because it had been hot for too long or because the previous conversation had made her uncomfortable, the tripe tasted bland in her mouth.

Seeing Lin Yue remain silent, Xiao Feng changed the subject, asking, "What do you think of this hot pot compared to the traditional hot pot in Chengdu?"

Sure enough, Lin Yue looked up at him with a puzzled expression, her attention drawn to the words "our Chengdu" in Xiao Feng's words.

Xiao Feng curled his lips into a smug smile, met Lin Yue's gaze, and said, "Yes, we're from the same hometown. I overheard a Dasheng employee mention it last time, and I was pleasantly surprised. It felt like fate. I know a lot of authentic Sichuan cuisine in Hangzhou; I'll take you there slowly in the future."

Lin Yue casually picked up a slice of mutton roll, swishing it in the pot as she chuckled, "What a coincidence! Where in Sichuan are you from? Have you been in Hangzhou for many years?"

Xiao Feng stared intently at Lin Yue, then put down his chopsticks and said, "I'm from Chengdu. I grew up in Chengdu until I was 15. My father is a university professor, specializing in literature and art, and he has profound attainments in calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting. My mother is a senior executive in a group company. They divorced when I was 7 years old. Soon after, they both remarried, and I was fostered by my aunt, who was the head of the teaching department. She was very strict with me, so I always lived cautiously during those years."

Looking at the man's dejected expression, so different from how he had spoken of business logic earlier, Lin Yue suddenly felt a pang of pity. She whispered, "So you came to Hangzhou at 15?"

He picked up the watermelon juice beside him and took a big gulp, nodding as he said, "After my mother got divorced, she applied to be transferred from the Chengdu branch to the Hangzhou headquarters. When she left, she told me that as long as I was good enough, she would bring me to Hangzhou. So I studied hard to prove myself, and finally, when I was 15, I was admitted to a key high school in Hangzhou."

After hearing Xiao Feng's story, Lin Yue felt the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. She wanted to say something to ease the tension, but she didn't say anything and just stared at him intently.

Xiao Feng smiled and said seriously, "I once read a point of view that if you want to quickly close the distance between two people, you can expand your public quadrant by revealing yourself. So I'm telling you this just so you can understand me better. You don't need to think about how to comfort me."

Lin Yue nodded: "Thank you for your trust."

Suddenly, the screen of her phone, which was lying to the side, lit up. She glanced at it and saw that it was a WeChat message from Su Ling. Her heart sank immediately.

After get off work, Su Ling was dragged by Shi Potian to entertain distributors. They drank together, and he asked Lin Yue to pick her up.

Due to work, Su Ling had often attended these kinds of social events before. She had a fairly good alcohol tolerance, and Shi Potian had always been considerate of the women in the team. If a client deliberately pressured her to drink at a dinner party, the other men in the department, as well as Shi Potian, would help her fend off the drinks.

Therefore, Lin Yue couldn't help but have a bad feeling, thinking that Shi Potian did this on purpose, which was likely related to the conflict with her this afternoon.

A wave of irritation washed over her. She looked up at Xiao Feng apologetically and said, "I have to go right away. One of my colleagues, who is also my best friend, was dragged away by her boss to entertain a client. She's probably had a bit too much to drink right now. I have to go pick her up."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Feng asked for the exact address and immediately stood up before her, saying as he grabbed his clothes, "I'll go with you. Take your car; the restaurant she's at isn't far from here. We can come back for my car later. She's probably still at her drinking party right now. If things get difficult to get away later, I might be able to help."

Lin Yue hesitated for a moment, then nodded and replied, "Okay, then I'll trouble you." What Xiao Feng said made sense, and Lin Yue was indeed not very good at handling these kinds of business drinking parties.

On the way to the restaurant, Lin Yue told Xiao Feng about some of the things that had happened between her and Shi Potian recently.

Xiao Feng turned to look at Lin Yue and comforted her, "As a mature professional, Shi Potian is unlikely to deliberately drag your best friend to a drinking party just to get revenge on you. However, it's possible that he doesn't want to drink for her because of the unpleasantness this afternoon, so don't take all the blame on yourself. Just play it by ear."

When they arrived, Su Ling and Shi Potian's group were already standing at the restaurant entrance. A group of people were chatting there. Besides Shi Potian, there were two other male managers from the marketing center, and the four unfamiliar middle-aged men were presumably the suppliers. Su Ling seemed to be in good spirits, chatting casually with one of the middle-aged men.

Su Ling only waved happily to Lin Yue when she saw her approaching. Shi Potian also saw Lin Yue, nodded slightly to her, his expression calm and composed. Lin Yue suddenly felt that she had been judging him by her own petty standards. She thought that men in business were generally magnanimous, at least they did a good job of putting on a good show.

After saying goodbye to everyone around her, Su Ling followed Lin Yue towards the car. After walking a few steps, Lin Yue said, "I was so scared when I received your WeChat message. I thought someone was trying to get you drunk."

"It's not that bad. I'm not someone who can be forced to drink easily. Before I came, Shi Potian chatted with me for a while, and he was being sarcastic, which made me feel really bad. I asked you to pick me up so I could have a chat with you," Su Ling said wearily.

As they spoke, they arrived at the car. Soon, Su Ling spotted Xiao Feng sitting in the passenger seat. She turned to look at Lin Yue with a puzzled expression, as if she had caught a whiff of gossip, and then gave her an aunt-like smile.