She had inadvertently glanced at the logo of the fast-food meal, which belonged to the most popular five-star restaurant in the city center.
This restaurant was not only expensive, but also required reservations in advance on normal days to secure a table. Yet, with just one phone call from Sheng Chenjin, two meals were obtained.
As Shi Xin'an separated the chopsticks, she marveled inwardly, indeed, money was omnipotent.
Sheng Chenjin loosened his tie and leaned casually on the sofa, his smiling eyes fixed on Shi Xin'an as she slowly picked up food and put it into her mouth. "How is it, does it suit your taste?"
Shi Xin'an chewed slowly, then looked at him. "If I say it doesn't suit my taste, will you throw this meal away?"
Sheng Chenjin replied without hesitation, "Yes, and have Bai Feng go to other shops, or even invite the old master from that noodle shop..."
Having guessed what he was going to say next, Shi Xin'an interrupted, "Alright, I'll eat this meal, it tastes quite good."
After all, it was a place for high-ranking individuals in the capital to dine, and the dishes made were popular. Shi Xin'an also felt the combination of dishes was good.
Seeing her satisfied, Sheng Chenjin felt satisfied himself, even the usual dishes tasted wonderful to him.
Perhaps it was because she had consumed too much energy while reviewing the documents earlier, Shi Xin'an ate a few more bites. It was only when she stood up to throw away the food box that she felt her stomach was a bit full.
She couldn't help but raise her hand to rub her abdomen. After discarding the box, she walked a few steps by the floor-to-ceiling window, doing some exercises to aid digestion.
Sheng Chenjin had already tidied up the table. He watched Shi Xin'an's figure, resting one arm on the sofa, his eyes smiling as he looked at her.
"Oh, I've almost finished reading these documents. You can take me to the intern department now," Shi Xin'an suddenly remembered the main purpose of her visit today and turned to look at Sheng Chenjin.
As expected, she saw his gaze on her again and shifted her eyes away.
Sheng Chenjin sat up slightly and glanced at his phone. "You probably can't go now, the intern department is already off work."
Upon hearing this, Shi Xin'an looked up at the sky, puzzled. The sun was still shining brightly above the tall buildings, so why was the intern department already off work?
"Your work is too easy, finishing before 4 PM in the afternoon?" Shi Xin'an felt her stomach had digested enough and sat back on the sofa, facing Sheng Chenjin.
They were separated only by a small white coffee table, their presences equally palpable.
Sheng Chenjin nodded earnestly, "There's not much going on at the company recently, and that batch of interns are newcomers who are not familiar with official matters, so we approved them to leave early."
If they weren't familiar with company matters, shouldn't they stay longer to get acquainted?
She had never seen such a working style from him before. Shi Xin'an managed a weak, lighthearted sentence, "Then your interns really have it easy..."
Suddenly, Sheng Chenjin's gaze paused on her face for a moment, then he leaned forward.
In that instant, Shi Xin'an's eyes widened reflexively. She felt the skin on her face touched by another warmth that wasn't hers, their breaths intertwined, and became entangled.
And this feeling of being both near and far lasted only for a moment.
Soon, Sheng Chenjin sat back, his smile widening.
He raised his hand and smiled innocently, "There was a grain of rice on your lip."
Shi Xin'an didn't even have time to be angry, only feeling indignant.
She took a deep breath, trying to suppress her strong emotions, but the heat on her face made it impossible to ignore.
"You can't touch me without my permission," she finally managed to say in a low voice after a long pause, with a hint of complaint in her tone.
But she had intended to say it angrily, yet it came out so lightly and without any impact! She could even feel a unique shyness that belonged to a young woman.
Shi Xin'an closed her eyes again, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.
How could she speak with such an appearance! She had embarrassed herself to the extreme today.
The other person remained silent, and Shi Xin'an's heart calmed down slightly. Feeling curious, she slowly opened her eyes.
Sheng Chenjin's gaze was undisguised, direct, and filled with strong intent, piercing through the ambiguous air towards her.
Shi Xin'an's heart, which had just settled, seemed to become restless again at this moment.
She hurriedly averted her gaze, realizing that sitting opposite this man was somewhat inappropriate, and quickly got up and went to the desk.
She remained silent, and Sheng Chenjin didn't speak either. The office returned to its usual calm.
And in this calm air, Shi Xin'an's senses seemed to have magnified a thousandfold, making her acutely aware of her own racing heartbeat.
She raised her hand in resignation and covered her face.
"By the way, there's a banquet in the industry next week, with familiar people. Are you going?"
Sheng Chenjin withdrew his gaze and spoke as if nothing had happened.
Shi Xin'an slowly lowered her hand, trying to keep her voice steady. "I won't go, after all, I haven't finished my work yet."
Hearing this, Sheng Chenjin remembered that she still had a week of work at his company.
Sheng Chenjin suddenly felt playful. "You're right. Then, as your leader, I'll have you attend this banquet with me."
As soon as she heard this, Shi Xin'an forgot about her inner restlessness and looked at him in shock. "What?"
Seeing Sheng Chenjin's deep gaze, Shi Xin'an pointed at herself in disbelief. "You want me, a boss myself, to attend a banquet with you as your subordinate? I'd rather just hit a wall."
Sheng Chenjin had anticipated her reaction and smiled. "Then you've misunderstood. I'm not asking you to come as a subordinate, but as a companion."
At high-level business banquets, many men would bring female companions. This was not only to save face but also to have support during social engagements. Therefore, bringing a female companion to a banquet was not unusual.
Shi Xin'an still didn't speak.
She tilted her chin. "I won't be like those clinging vines. Even if I were to go to a banquet on my own, I wouldn't go with someone else."
Meaning, she wouldn't be the delicate woman by a successful man's side; if she were to be, she would be an equally successful woman beside a successful man.
Sheng Chenjin smiled silently.
Yes, this was the Shi Xin'an he had in mind, unbound by any constraints, unthreatened by anything.
It was probably because of her unique and frank nature that he was so captivated by her now.
"Okay, then it's a deal. At that time, you will attend as the CEO of CL, and I will attend as the CEO of Sheng Group."
"Okay..." She agreed subconsciously, and only then did Shi Xin'an realize that Sheng Chenjin was clearly setting a trap for her!