“Boss, what a coincidence. Are you heading back to the apartment?”
Wang Cheng stepped into the elevator. Before he even had time to press the button, another man followed him in. He looked up and saw Chu Yifeng, which surprised him slightly. He had assumed his boss either left work early or stayed until seven or eight at night. Several times, around this hour, Wang Cheng had heard the door across the hall opening and closing. The apartments were actually well soundproofed, but his hearing happened to be a little sharper than most people’s.
“Just say what you want.” How could Chu Yifeng fail to see that Wang Cheng clearly had more to say? What he found interesting was that every conversation with this man somehow gave him a different experience.
“As expected of the boss. You saw right through me.” Wang Cheng did not look embarrassed at being exposed. Instead, he smiled broadly, which, paired with his handsome face, made him rather likable. “If you’re heading back to the apartment, Boss, could you give me a ride?”
“You really are thick-skinned.” Chu Yifeng remained perfectly calm.
“Boss flatters me. It’s about my only good point.” If having a thick skin meant making life a little more comfortable and avoiding a packed, sweltering bus, Wang Cheng did not mind at all. Chu Yifeng might be his boss now, but they were also neighbors. Between neighbors, Wang Cheng had absolutely no intention of being overly polite when there was an advantage to be had.
“I can take you.”
Wang Cheng immediately caught his meaning. “If Boss doesn’t mind, dinner’s on me.”
The elevator doors opened with a ding. Chu Yifeng stepped out first. Wang Cheng knew that meant he had agreed and hurried after him. This was the advantage of talking to an intelligent person.
As the car emerged from the underground parking garage, Wang Cheng said to Chu Yifeng in the driver’s seat, “Boss, let’s stop at the supermarket for some ingredients first. My refrigerator only has frozen food left.”
Chu Yifeng glanced at him and turned the car around.
The supermarket was not far from Changhe Building, where they worked. It took less than ten minutes to get there. It was a large supermarket, and the prices were fairly reasonable, so many office workers liked shopping there. Wang Cheng and his eldest brother had bought their groceries there too.
“Boss, I’ll be back soon.” Wang Cheng spoke to Chu Yifeng through the car after getting out.
“I’ll go with you.” Chu Yifeng unfastened his seat belt and stepped out as well.
“All right.” Wang Cheng shrugged indifferently. He certainly did not mind having free labor.
Once inside, they headed straight to the fresh-food section on the first floor. It had originally been on the second floor but had been moved the previous week. Supermarkets loved doing this sort of thing. For one, it made the place feel new. For another, customers had to wander around looking for things and ended up staying longer, buying more products along the way. A clever scheme.
They stopped at the meat section. After eating with Chu Yifeng twice, Wang Cheng had learned something about his tastes. Like Wang Cheng himself, the man was basically the sort who could not live without meat.
Thinking about what he wanted to cook that evening, Wang Cheng chose a large piece of pork belly. Pork belly came from the rib area, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, making it ideal for red-braising. He planned to make braised lion’s head meatballs. He also picked out two fresh fish, a piece of beef, some chicken, and more than twenty eggs before they moved on to the vegetable section.
Lotus roots should have short joints and thick bodies, and the second segment from the tip was best… When it came to the art of choosing vegetables, Wang Cheng could definitely score full marks.
Chu Yifeng stood beside him listening as he muttered away. Potatoes, tomatoes, carrots… Wang Cheng seemed capable of producing an entire lecture about almost anything. Several middle-aged women nearby glanced at them repeatedly. Two grown men shopping for groceries together was still an unusual sight.
Wang Cheng did not notice. He was completely focused on choosing fresh vegetables, and Chu Yifeng did not point it out.
By the time they finished with the vegetables, the basket was full. Wang Cheng spotted a shopping cart nearby and immediately transferred everything into it. Since he still needed to buy other things and thought even the cart might not hold enough, he took the basket along too and handed the cart to Chu Yifeng to push.
They went through the fruit and grain sections as well, picking up quite a few things here and there. In the end, the basket was not needed and got abandoned in some corner halfway through. After they finished shopping, they went to pay. Wang Cheng used the card his eldest brother had given him. There was money for living expenses on it, though he had no idea exactly how much.
By the time they left the supermarket, it was already seven without either of them noticing. Wang Cheng had not expected the trip to take so long and glanced somewhat guiltily at Chu Yifeng. As soon as they returned to the apartment, he immediately started cooking. He was living there alone for now because Eldest Brother had not returned from his business trip.
Braised lion’s head meatballs, roasted pomfret, beef stewed with potatoes, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and winter melon soup with pork ribs. It was an abundant meal for two people, but Wang Cheng had taken both of their large appetites into account. Only after everything was ready did he go next door and call Chu Yifeng over to eat.
Chu Yifeng did not feel awkward in the slightest. He entered someone else’s apartment as naturally as if it were his own.
Wang Cheng thought eating in the living room felt more comfortable, so he carried all the dishes to the coffee table. The two sat facing each other on the carpet. The air conditioner was running, so it was not hot. Wealthy people had to indulge themselves a little. Neither man spoke while they ate. Chu Yifeng seemed to like Wang Cheng’s cooking quite a bit and actually ate more than he did at this meal.
“Boss, I made some mango dessert. Want some?” After clearing the dishes, Wang Cheng suddenly remembered the dessert he had made while cooking. He did not know whether his boss liked sweets, so he politely asked.
“All right.”
“…” He had only been being polite.