The buffet on the sixth floor was not especially crowded. People were scattered here and there, and because Wang Cheng’s group had arrived relatively early, plenty of seats were still empty. They had barely stepped inside when an ill-timed voice rang out. It belonged to Tang Sisi, one of the two women in their group of five.
“Aren’t we eating at the restaurant? I heard this buffet is expensive. I don’t eat very much, so it’s really not worth it for me.”
Tang Sisi’s complaint instantly silenced everyone. Did this woman have a brain or not? When she asked to come down for lunch with them, Zhang Yiheng had already told her they were going to the buffet, and Tang Sisi had even responded to him. Yet now that they were inside, she was complaining about it. Apparently, she really did not have a brain after all.
Li Yu stood to the side with her arms crossed and gave a dry laugh.
Wang Cheng adopted an expression that said none of this had anything to do with him. This was definitely not the moment to stick his neck out. Hadn’t Zhang Yiheng’s expression already turned into that half-smile of his?
“If you think it isn’t worth it, go eat at another restaurant.” Zhang Yiheng was not polite in the slightest. Why bother being courteous to a brainless junior employee?
“Why are you all standing around here?” A voice suddenly cut in.
“Boss?”
Everyone turned toward the voice and saw their habitually elusive boss standing not far away with one hand in his trouser pocket. Tall and handsome, he was impossible to overlook. They had not seen him all morning, yet here he was in the buffet, alone.
“Boss, are you here for the buffet too? What a coincidence. We were just about to eat here. Why don’t you join us? It’s livelier with more people.” Tang Sisi hurried over to Chu Yifeng, her manner making it obvious she wanted to curry favor with him. A moment ago she had complained that the place was expensive, and now she was saying she wanted to eat there. She really changed her tune quickly.
Chu Yifeng looked at Wang Cheng.
Wang Cheng immediately said, “Yeah, Boss. Eat with us.”
“All right.”
Everyone’s mood instantly brightened again. Zhang Yiheng revived the atmosphere, while Fang Tian called everyone over to pick up plates and get food. A buffet was simple: once you paid, you could eat as much as you wanted. Wang Cheng and the others had bought a discounted group package online, so only Chu Yifeng and Tang Sisi still needed to pay. Tang Sisi had joined them at the last minute, after Zhang Yiheng had already bought the package.
“Boss, want me to grab a plate for you first?” Since Chu Yifeng was standing beside him, Wang Cheng could hardly take care of only himself.
“Mm. Wait for me.”
Chu Yifeng headed toward the cashier, and Tang Sisi quickly followed.
Wang Cheng glanced over. Tang Sisi seemed to be trying to start a conversation with the boss, but Chu Yifeng’s responses were flat and sparse, leaving her to do nearly all the talking. At the register, Tang Sisi apparently assumed he would pay for her too. After all, she considered herself a beauty, and sixty yuan was not exactly a fortune. Instead, as she started to leave, the cashier stopped her.
“Miss, you haven’t paid yet.”
The look on Tang Sisi’s face was so ugly that Wang Cheng nearly burst out laughing.
“What are you laughing at?” Chu Yifeng had already returned to his side and caught the smile Wang Cheng had failed to hide. He took the plate from Wang Cheng’s hand.
“Nothing.” Wang Cheng did not believe for a second that his boss had missed what happened. Even from where he stood, he had heard the cashier clearly. But if the boss wanted to pretend he knew nothing, Wang Cheng was not going to gossip about an employee right in front of him.
The buffet had a huge selection divided into six categories: hot dishes, cold dishes, staple foods, seafood, pastries and noodles, and fruit. There was so much that Wang Cheng hardly knew where to look. He wanted this, and that, and everything else too.
“First time at a buffet?”
His boss’s voice sounded beside his ear. Wang Cheng looked up at him and nodded. “Please enlighten me, Boss.”
“Do you care about doing it properly?” Chu Yifeng asked.
“Not really, but I can learn.”
“Start with something appetizing, preferably salty or sour. Soup comes second, fish dishes third, staple foods and meat or poultry fourth, and dessert last.”
For Chu Yifeng to explain something with this much patience, Wang Cheng was probably unique.
“Tsk. That really is particular. I think I’ll just follow my own tastes.” Wang Cheng decisively headed for the long table piled with staple foods. He could always come back for more after he finished.
Everyone else also filled their plates with what they liked. Most of the men were not especially particular either, and a plate loaded entirely with meat like Wang Cheng’s was not unheard of at this buffet. The unusual part was the sheer amount. Li Yu and Tang Sisi’s food combined did not equal what he had taken. Those who already knew how much he could eat were unfazed, while those who did not stared in alarm. Could one person really finish that much? Some even assumed he was taking advantage of the buffet.
A small incident occurred when they sat down.
The moment Chu Yifeng took his seat, Tang Sisi hurried to sit down beside him. The speed and eagerness of the movement practically announced what she was trying to do. Neither Chu Yifeng nor Wang Cheng paid her any attention at first, but once they began eating, Tang Sisi’s endless chatter quickly became irritating enough to ruin anyone’s appetite.
“Miss Tang, didn’t your mother teach you not to talk so much while eating? If you don’t want to eat, then stop bothering the rest of us.” Wang Cheng finally lost patience. He was sitting opposite his boss, so every time he looked up, he could see that Tang Sisi’s attention was clearly not on the food. More than ten minutes had passed and she had barely touched what was on her plate. Her mouth, on the other hand, had been firing nonstop like a machine gun with an endless supply of bullets.
“If you don’t want to listen, you can eat at another table. Nobody forced you to sit here.” Tang Sisi only dared say it because Chu Yifeng had shown no reaction.
Many women did not realize how harsh reality could be until they started working, or how difficult it was to earn a salary. Some who were quick-minded and confident in their looks did not want to work themselves to exhaustion, so they dreamed of attaching themselves to a wealthy boss and living comfortably. As a company owner, Chu Yifeng naturally became Tang Sisi’s target. Women like her were hardly rare, but very few actually succeeded.
“If you don’t want to eat, leave.”
Tang Sisi stared in shock at Chu Yifeng, the one who had spoken.
“Didn’t you hear me?” Chu Yifeng gave her a casual glance.
Tang Sisi shuddered. She grabbed her plate and fled.
Once the boss stepped in, the world immediately became peaceful.
Wang Cheng refused to leave the buffet until his stomach was stretched full. The staff probably never wanted to see him again. He had eaten far more than forty-nine yuan’s worth, choosing expensive foods and consuming an enormous amount. It had probably amounted to at least a hundred yuan. Buffets feared customers with appetites like his most of all. There was no profit to be made from them.
Chu Yifeng remained at the company until quitting time that afternoon. Wang Cheng barely spoke to him during the rest of the day, since their work did not currently overlap. Li Yu and Zhang Yiheng were the ones who called Wang Cheng over from time to time. Once everyone got busy, nobody joked around, and even Tang Sisi stopped doing anything attention-grabbing, perhaps because the lunch incident had frightened her.
After work, Wang Cheng went straight to another office building to meet his eldest brother. He got off half an hour earlier than Wang Ning’an, but because he still did not have a mobile phone, his brother had told him to wait downstairs after work. At six-fifteen, Wang Cheng saw Wang Ning’an emerge from the building with a beautiful woman in high heels following behind him. She kept talking to him and could barely keep pace, yet Eldest Brother never slowed down. Eventually she gave up, stopped, stamped a foot in frustration, and left looking distinctly unwilling.
“Eldest Brother, you’re as popular as ever.” Wang Cheng teased as Wang Ning’an approached. His handsome brother had been popular with girls since elementary school. Now that he had become what people called a successful man, there were even more women eager to get close to him.
“If you learned how to dress, you’d be just as popular.” Wang Ning’an glanced at him.
“I think I’ll pass.” Thinking of Tang Sisi, Wang Cheng immediately decided he was better off without a girlfriend. He was not worried anyway. Eldest Brother was still above him in the family order. If their parents wanted to fret over someone’s marriage, they could fret over Eldest Brother first.
The brothers went to the mall first. Wang Cheng could not keep wearing ill-fitting clothes. It might not have mattered if he worked in the countryside or somewhere less developed, but here he needed to pay some attention to his appearance. Since they were short on time, Wang Ning’an simply chose several outfits in his size that would do for now, then bought him a mobile phone and a SIM card before they headed to the nearest supermarket.
The supermarket was crowded with housewives and office workers buying ingredients for dinner. City living was expensive. Eating out all the time was not only less healthy but also costly enough to swallow a large portion of an ordinary salary. Buying ingredients and cooking at home was far more economical.
Wang Ning’an mostly chose frozen food. He had no idea Wang Cheng could cook until Wang Cheng put more than half of his frozen selections back and replaced them with fresh vegetables, fruit, and other ingredients.
“If Mom knew you’d been living on frozen food, she’d come straight here and lecture you.” Wang Cheng glanced at his brother while putting a fresh piece of beef into a bag and dropping it into the cart.
“Then don’t tell Mom.” Wang Ning’an folded his arms and simply stood aside to watch him choose. Even the smartest people had things they were bad at, and this rural-born corporate elite was no exception.
“Sure, but you’ll have to get on my good side. If I’m in a good mood, I definitely won’t tell her.”
“Looking for a beating?” Wang Ning’an laughed. They had only been apart a few months, yet his brother’s mouth had become much sharper. Then again, it was exactly because of this personality that he did not have to worry about Wang Cheng getting bullied at work. If anything, other people should probably worry about being bullied by him.
Wang Cheng sighed. His brother really had no sense of humor.