097: Were you swooning again just now?

"Miss," a group of waiters approached, speaking in unison, "you are truly radiant today—fresh, refined, and breathtakingly beautiful."

"..."

What was going on?

The waiters continued, "You are simply a fairy descended to earth, more beautiful than Chang'e herself!"

"..."

Xiao Qi really wanted to say: You all are first-class at telling lies with your eyes wide open!

However, "radiant" and "breathtakingly beautiful"—those weren't exactly lies.

Having been complimented, the polite Xiao Qi smiled. "Thank you, thank you. You're too kind, you're too kind."

Next, in unison...

"Miss is naturally gifted with beauty, youthful and vibrant... (synonyms omitted)... ah! Like a celestial being from the heavens... (sappy metaphors omitted)... ah! You and Mr. Lin are a match made in heaven... (boring parallelisms omitted)... ah..."

Xiao Qi: @_@

So, the capitalist had ordered them to praise her?!

But why would he have them praise her for no reason? To make her happy?

That strange feeling of unease surfaced once again.

However...

"Thank you, thank you, you're too kind..." Externally, Xiao Qi appeared overwhelmed by the flattery, but internally, she was filled with admiration—how impressive! Telling lies with a straight face was one thing, but they were actually using an operatic tone; they were even more hardcore than the capitalist.

She was absolutely floored.

At that moment, Xiao Qi finally saw President Lin walking over. She ran toward him immediately, asking impatiently, "President Lin, how much did you pay them to compliment me?"

"..."

Yi Chen looked a bit uncomfortable. He replied in a flat tone, "Just accept the compliments; why ask so many questions?"

Tsk, play hard to get then.

Xiao Qi asked again, "You said this morning you were taking me to a banquet, but we actually came here, didn't we? You could have just told me directly, there was no need to..."

"I just wanted to scare you. Is that not allowed?"

"..."

Scare her? For some reason, Xiao Qi instantly reinterpreted President Lin’s words as: I wanted to give you a surprise.

Fine! The surprise had been ruined by her own love for food.

Thinking of food, she remembered the egg tarts she hadn't eaten yet.

Oh well! Better not eat them. Otherwise, her image as a beautiful young maiden would be gone = =

Actually, Xiao Qi had only gained a few pounds; she was still a beautiful young maiden ^_^

"President Lin, in the future, if there’s something going on, just tell me directly so you don’t waste your..."

"I naturally have my own long-term plans," Yi Chen said, looking at her as if she were incredibly foolish. "I can't be bothered to explain it to you; even if I did, you wouldn't understand."

"..."

Damn it, I was being kind and worried that your efforts would go to waste, and you treat me with such disdain.

"Long-term plans," indeed. His long-term plan was probably just to marry Ye Xiyang.

Thinking of this, Xiao Qi began to feel depressed, and the complex emotions she had previously pushed to the back of her mind began to surface again.

She looked at the tall, remarkably handsome man.

It seemed that not only their status but also their way of thinking... were worlds apart.

Perhaps he was right; even if he told her, she wouldn't understand.

Xiao Qi was feeling sentimental again, when—

Her face was suddenly grabbed and turned toward all the waiters. "Remember this face. In the future, if she comes to your shop with another man, call me. I will reward you handsomely."

As he spoke, Yi Chen took out a business card and handed it to one of the waiters.

The waiters nodded in unison, saying, "Understood, Mr. Lin."

Xiao Qi: "..."

As they walked out of the shop, Xiao Qi’s gaze inadvertently fell upon the bubble tea shop across the street, and she suddenly remembered Yiyang, who was off buying tea.

She pulled out her phone to check the time. Good grief, it had been nearly an hour; was Yiyang still in line for tea?

But the line in front of the bubble tea shop looked like a cheering squad...

Suddenly, her forehead was flicked. "What are you daydreaming about? Get in the car."

Xiao Qi rubbed her forehead indignantly and got into the car.

Once inside, she immediately called Yiyang. The other end picked up quickly, saying he had seen his brother and had slipped away for fear of getting a scolding.

Xiao Qi felt immense disdain.

He was truly disloyal.

Two brothers, and neither of them were any good. Hmph ╯^╰.

Xiao Qi was unhappy and turned her face to look out the window.

Suddenly, she shouted, "Stop the car, stop the car!"

Yi Chen didn't know why, but he stopped nonetheless.

"What good food did you see again?"

"..."

It was indeed good food, and what's more...

Xiao Qi pointed to a poster on the storefront by the roadside. "President Lin, look at that poster. It says there's a food-eating contest. That's not the point; the point is that if you win, there's a cash prize—ten thousand!"

Yi Chen chuckled, looking at her big, shining eyes.

She really was a glutton who loved money and was also a bit of a ditz.

Yet, he was completely captivated by this side of her.

Yi Chen looked at the poster, lost in thought for a moment, then reached out and opened the car door. "Then we'll do as you wish."

Upon entering, Xiao Qi realized the restaurant was large and elegant.

However, there weren't many people.

Huh? Wasn't this place holding an event? Why was it so empty?

The restaurant manager saw a tall, imposing man walk into the shop. Judging by his extraordinary bearing, he knew this was no ordinary person.

The manager immediately stepped forward. "Welcome. Are you two here to dine?"

Xiao Qi immediately said, "Yes, but we are here to dine for free."

The manager looked confused.

Xiao Qi pointed to the poster outside, and the manager immediately understood. "That event has already ended at our branch today. However, if you would like to participate, you can, but I must explain the rules clearly."

"There are rules?"

"Yes," the manager smiled and said, "Because our restaurant is part of a five-star hotel, if you win this event, not only will you receive the ten-thousand-dollar prize, but you will also have unlimited access to all drinks in our restaurant, plus a set of designer clothing. But if you lose, you will have to pay for the food you consumed."

Hearing this, Xiao Qi felt a bit timid.

If they lost, it wouldn't be worth it.

Things in a five-star hotel seemed very expensive.

Yi Chen said magnanimously, "If you want to participate, then participate. If you lose, I'll pay."

Xiao Qi looked at him with great gratitude, then asked, "President Lin, I don't have to pay you back, right?"

Yi Chen smiled. "No need."

Having a boss by your side is truly great!

The manager smiled and asked a server to bring out a chiffon dress.

"Miss, before this event begins, please change into this dress. This is the uniform for the contest."

There was a uniform for the competition, too.

Five-star hotels really were different.

At that moment, a large group of people walked in. There were men and women, all young, all there to participate in the food-eating contest.

Since the manager had already allowed the first pair, he decided to let them all join together.

The manager gave them a general overview of the rules, then handed out the outfits.

Of course, there were also competition outfits for the men: white suits.

Yi Chen was only accompanying her, so he didn't need to change.

He waited for Xiao Qi to come out in her outfit.

Two minutes later, Xiao Qi walked out, breaking into a cold sweat. At that moment, she desperately wanted to vanish into the crowd—or rather, into the changing room—because...

The elegant, pure white chiffon dress exposed her shoulders, and there was a layer of transparent white lace over her chest, making her look both pure and alluring.

Tucked into her hair was a small white clip studded with tiny crystals that sparkled under the lights, making her look delicate and soft.

The onlookers felt that this outfit had clearly been chosen with great care, as she almost outshone everyone else in the room.

But Xiao Qi was...

"Manager, this dress is far too ladylike. Once I start eating, I’m going to be a total 'heroine of the food world,' so I feel like wearing this dress to compete is like a monk eating meat—it’s going to cause public outrage."

"..."

The manager was in a difficult position. "But this is the uniform."

Yi Chen spoke up, "Get another set; I'll pay."

Since someone was paying, what more could the manager say? He immediately ordered a server to retrieve a set of outfits from a previous contest.

Xiao Qi wanted to stop him, but Yi Chen said, "If you lose, you don't have to pay me back."

The girl immediately felt at ease.

Three minutes later, Xiao Qi felt this dress was quite lovely and suited her personality perfectly.

It was red, making her skin look like jade and her appearance bright and moving, but it also surprisingly carried a "cool" edge. The combination of such a vibrant color and that cool factor made her look so stunning it was breathtaking.

The other contestants were almost mesmerized.

Yi Chen walked over and took her small hand in his large one. "Come, let's go compete."

Xiao Qi looked at her small hand completely enveloped in his palm. His hand was large and warm, his palm smooth, and being held by him felt incredibly comfortable. For a split second, she felt her heart flutter inexplicably.

"What are you thinking about?"

Hearing this, Xiao Qi raised her head, only to be met with his ink-black pupils fixed on her face, like magic stones that could bewitch the soul.

"I, I wasn't thinking about anything." Had she been bewitched by his beauty again? Xiao Qi annoyingly tapped her own head.

Really, it wasn't the first time he’d held her hand; why was she still acting like a fangirl?

Didn't they say people on Earth experience aesthetic fatigue? Why did she find him better-looking the more she looked at him, and the more she looked at him, the more she...

Stop, stop! Like what? She couldn't like him.

"Are you nervous?"

"What?" It took Xiao Qi three seconds to process President Lin’s words. She held her head high and puffed out her chest. "How could I possibly be nervous? Just sit back and watch me eat for free and take the prize."

Yi Chen looked at her with great amusement and suddenly said, "Were you acting like a fangirl again just now?"

"..."

"I was not," Xiao Qi denied it vehemently, sitting down at the table prepared with food. "When I start eating, you have to cheer for me and pour me water."

The latter was very agreeable. "Alright!"

There were ten minutes left until the official start of the competition, so the contestants were allowed to relax.

Eating until you’re stuffed was actually quite a laborious task!

Xiao Qi glanced at the dozen or so young people around her age. Although they were her age, looking at their size, Xiao Qi couldn't help but feel a bit worried.

She looked at the food on the table: a large platter of lobster.

That was very expensive!

She felt a bit like backing out.

She tugged on the sleeve of the person beside her. "President Lin, I don't think I'll win."

Xiao Qi was being honest. Her stomach had some self-awareness; she was just a glutton, but compared to these larger people, she should probably just forget it.

"You need to believe in yourself," Yi Chen said, glancing at them calmly. "Your stomach may not be much, but their stomachs are even less."

Xiao Qi was stunned.