The snack street was not long, and there weren't many vendors selling street food into the midnight hours, but Xiaotong still spent over an hour walking Min Moyou through it.
Her mouth didn't stop the entire time—don't get the wrong idea, she wasn't giving a tour or explaining anything, simply because Min Moyou was so "picky" that Xiaotong had no choice but to "dispose of" a mountain of various "kitchen leftovers."
Otherwise, they wouldn't taste good once they went cold.
Xiaotong didn't know if it was her imagination, but whenever she was eating, Min Moyou would always slow his pace so as not to fluster her too much. He didn't seem particularly interested in the snack street in Zhongpu District, as if he hadn't been the one to suggest finding something to eat in the first place.
Why did she have this inexplicable illusion, as if he had brought her here on purpose, specifically to bring her here to eat?
Just like... just like...?
Just like being pampered.
Hearing her stomach rumble with hunger, he suggested finding a bite to eat; seeing her stare fixedly at a midnight snack, he bought everything yet only took a single bite...
Xiaotong wasn't an idiot; how could she not feel such obvious, such deliberate favoritism?
In her view, how could anyone walk through a snack street filled with all kinds of aromas, a place where the craving deep inside your body was constantly being tempted and stirred up, and still manage to keep their mouth shut and resist eating more?
Of course, she couldn't entirely rule out the possibility that Min Moyou was a high-brow young master from a wealthy family who genuinely wanted to check out the snack street, only to find the street food less than satisfactory, leaving him unenthusiastic...
Regardless of what motives the person harbored—whether he was cold on the outside and warm on the inside, genuinely looked down on street food, or harbored ulterior motives toward Xiaotong—at least his actions allowed Xiaotong to thoroughly enjoy an indulgent midnight feast.
Having worked out in the world for several years, running around, struggling, and fighting to make a living everywhere, Xiaotong hadn't felt this way in a very, very long time.
Ever since she became a Dragon Descendant, Xiaotong's life had been accompanied almost entirely by danger. Those demons and ghosts, invisible to ordinary people, clung to her like maggots on rotting bone, constantly plotting to break into her life and turn it into a tangled mess, where a single misstep would plunge her into an abyss;
In order to find the Supreme Dragon Incantation, she had to humble herself and work for others at Longchaoge Film Studio, living under the roof of the mysterious and powerful Boss Shen, where her accommodation didn't even have a decent bed;
To make ends meet, she ran around day and night, only to end up playing mind games with Old Master Du, that money-grubbing stinking cat. The money she managed to get her hands on wasn't even enough to let her eat three meals freely, let alone snacks or midnight feasts.
Perhaps it was because Xiaotong hadn't eaten such a wonderful, satisfying midnight snack in a long time.
Leading Min Moyou out of the snack street, she tossed the last empty snack paper box in her hands into a trash can. A gentle breeze blew by, sweeping away the heat and bustle of the snack street that had clung to them.
The dual satisfaction of body and mind caused Xiaotong, without realizing it, to carve Min Moyou's figure and tonight's bliss deep into her memories.
Though she didn't say it out loud, in her heart she felt a lot more respect and fondness for this arrogant, pretentious, overbearing, cold, and extremely wealthy employer.
Min Moyou remained as elegant and poised as ever, maintaining that lofty, superior posture. The worldly hustle and bustle of the snack street hadn't left a single trace of the mortal world on him, as if it were an image maintained on purpose.
Yet Xiaotong figured that nobody could keep up such a deliberate act all the time; it was probably just bestowed upon him by his privileged upbringing.
Min Moyou: "Maintaining this act all this time is so tiring! Playing the overbearing CEO is really not simple at all..."
If Min Moyou's physique were still that of an ordinary person, he would probably be showing some minor agitation and fidgeting right now due to the exhaustion of shopping: sore feet, sore legs, breathlessness, and the like.
Yet Min Moyou, whose physique was currently almost twice that of an ordinary person, could barely manage to endure it for the sake of keeping up his persona, maintaining his poise and elegance.
A fully stuffed Xiaotong wasn't very elegant at all, using both hands to rub her visibly bloated belly in turns, her breathing even turning somewhat ragged, clearly from eating too much.
With such a rare opportunity for indulgence, and acting on the principle of not letting things go to waste, Xiaotong truly had eaten without any restraint earlier. But as all those carbs and proteins settled in her stomach, the feeling of fullness triggered the exhaustion and fatigue that had not yet dissipated.
After walking a couple of steps, she had to shake out her ankles from time to time, rubbing her belly with one hand while akimbo with the other, looking as if she were too tired to even straighten her back, her eyelids drooping by a third.
All sorts of soreness and heaviness welled up all over her body, conflicting and clashing with the sensation of fullness, as if joining forces to combat her rapidly sinking spirits.
Xiaotong desperately wanted to rest.
She just wanted a large bed to collapse onto directly—oh no, she didn't even dare dream of a large bed; after working at Longchaoge for years, she always slept on the couch.
As long as there was a recliner, or a carpet, or even just lying on the lawn, as long as there was a place to lie down, Xiaotong felt she would definitely fall asleep in seconds.
At this point, she didn't care whether just eating, or eating too much, was unhealthy for sleeping, or whether sleeping randomly anywhere would give her a cold and make her sick.
People only thought about such trivial matters when they weren't tired enough.
When you are truly exhausted to a certain degree, your body and your brain will give you only one answer: Sleep! Ignore everything else, just fucking sleep!
Yet she was still on a job right now...
Eating someone's food makes you soft-spoken; surely she couldn't just spend someone else's money on a hearty meal and then turn around and dump the guy on the street, could she?
If she really did that, Xiaotong guessed that monthly salary of 720,000 Jiufang Coins would never make it into her hands.
He who cannot bear small matters will ruin great plans!
Even though this was really hard to endure, though...
"Umm...? Boss? Are you satisfied with this trip to the snack street? Where else would you like to stroll around next? Or should Xiaotong find you an inn to rest in?"
Xiaotong forced a smile and asked for Min Moyou's opinion.
"It's alright."
"Seeing that you're full makes me satisfied."
However, Min Moyou clearly saw her exhaustion from her tone and expression, and her action of akimbo while rubbing her belly undoubtedly exposed the fact that she had stuffed herself.
So he smoothly played along and suggested:
"Are there any entertainment activities around Zhongpu District at this hour...?"
"Since we just ate, let's find a place to walk off the food."
Hey! Right down my alley!
Xiaotong felt that the plan Min Moyou proposed was simply tailor-made for her—who knew she and him were such a good match?
"I've got it! Boss, look over there. That stage is famous for the Sichuan opera face-changing here in our Zhongpu District. The seats below the stage—the soft chairs and large tables close to the stage where you get a close and clear view—require a purchase to sit at. The wooden benches and small tables further back, you can sit and watch the show and cheer them on without buying anything."
"Boss, if you want to walk off your food, why don't we sit over there for a while, watch the show, and sip some tea?"
Min Moyou thought about it; it was indeed a decent place to go, so he agreed:
"Alright, let's go."
............By this time the night was deep. Almost no one was sitting in the front rows to watch the performance; at most, a few people wandering about at night lingered far off in the free-admission areas to watch from a distance.
Min Moyou led Xiaotong directly to sit at the very front-and-center table, and the performers on the stage immediately put even more heart into their singing.
Before long, a hostess in a cheongsam came over, stood by to attend to them, and asked Min Moyou what tea and pastries they would like to order.
This hostess was sharp-eyed; at a glance, she saw that the one with actual purchasing power was Min Moyou, not Xiaotong, so naturally she stood by Min Moyou to serve.
One had to say that the seat Min Moyou and Xiaotong were now occupying was no ordinary spot!
That was the absolute best viewing angle in the entire house, a seat that required a spend or tip of over one thousand Jiufang Coins at the theater to occupy.
With such a large order, the staff member would earn a commission of at least a hundred kuai.
The hostess couldn't help feeling fortunate, never expecting an unexpected windfall from taking the night shift tonight.
"What is your most expensive tea?"
Whoa?! An ultra-large order!
The hostess's eyes lit up.
Immediately brimming with twelve-parcent enthusiasm, she bowed and passionately explained to Min Moyou, her voice soft and her perfume very natural:
"Distinguished guest~ You came at just the right time today! A batch of Special Grade Tianfu Longjing just arrived this afternoon, less than a catty in total. That should be the best tea we currently have here."
Min Moyou's gaze was quietly drawn to that striking, bright scenery.
"The price?"
The cheongsam-wearing hostess's smile grew even sweeter:
"Our theater is able to get in some Special Grade Tianfu Longjing from time to time, so we've long had a set price for it. It's 2,888 Jiufang Coins per pot, and everyone who's tried it says it's worth it! Distinguished guest~ Would you like to try a pot?"
"Bring two pots first to try. Are there any other things that go well with the tea?""And there are also plenty of candied fruits and dried treats! Or some tea snacks would be wonderful too... Ow!"
The young receptionist was about to give Min Moyou a detailed introduction when she seemed to accidentally twist her ankle, tumbling enchantingly right into Min Moyou's arms.
"I'm so sorry! So sorry, valued guest~! I've been busy all day, I'm a bit tired and lost my footing~ I'll get right up..."
With that, the qipao-clad receptionist pretended to try to stand, resting one hand on Min Moyou's chest for leverage while steadying herself with the other on the armrest to push her body up, all the while inadvertently displaying the curves of her figure right before Min Moyou's eyes.
As one of the receptionist's feet touched the ground and she was about to rise, she lost her footing yet again, tumbling squarely back down into Min Moyou's lap.
"Oh dear! I fell again~"
Smoothly and stealthily, the receptionist undid two of the frog buttons along the slit of her qipao, causing the hem—which had originally reached only to her thigh—to split all the way up to her waist...
At this point, the qipao receptionist dropped the act entirely. She draped one hand directly over Min Moyou's shoulder, leaning in close to his ear to whisper about the sweet and delicious flavors of the dried fruits and preserves, as well as the delicate texture of the matcha pastries...
Her lips, coated in tinted lip gloss, periodically exhaled warm, moist breaths that blew gently against Min Moyou's ear.
With a beauty in his arms—and though this qipao receptionist could hardly be called an absolute stunner, she was nonetheless plump-figured and pretty—Min Moyou was thoroughly enjoying himself amidst her aggressive charms.
Bound by the constraints of maintaining his persona and playing the role of an overbearing CEO, Min Moyou did not show it, nor did he reach out to make a further move. He even glanced sideways at Xiaotong, who was watching in speechless astonishment, feigning helplessness—or perhaps acting as though he were quite used to this sort of thing.
See, I didn't make a move; it's entirely her doing...Enjoyment is enjoyment, but Min Moyou was still, after all, a fake overbearing CEO who had yet to fully adapt to his shift in identity. If he were genuinely some reckless playboy or some true overbearing CEO, he might have already started getting hands-on with the woman in his arms.
Even if an overbearing CEO might have seen and tasted all the world's great beauties and grown somewhat immune to physical charms, no one ever said an overbearing CEO couldn't be lustful.
Min Moyou simply hadn't figured this logic out, which was one of the reasons he kept delaying his next move.
To dig even deeper, in Min Moyou's heart, Xiaotong's image had been deeply etched into his soul from the very first time he met her—and even further back, from when he used to play the game in his past life.
Right now, the leading lady of his heart was watching right beside them; how could he possibly let loose?
His conservative mindset from his past life as an ordinary citizen and successor to socialism clashed violently with the hedonistic, lawless inner desires awakened by his roleplay as an overbearing CEO, leaving Min Moyou completely at a loss as to what to do.
This was the first real dilemma he had encountered since starting his role as an overbearing CEO—he wanted to indulge himself, yet he hadn't yet shed the baggage of his conservative upbringing, while simultaneously having to worry about his female companion's affection rating...
In the end, until the hostess in the qipao finished introducing all the merchandise, no matter how she tried to flutter and pose, Min Moyou never gave the reaction she was hoping for.
The qipao-clad hostess quietly lowered her head, feeling dejected. As expected, was a big fish like this really so hard to hook? Her hopes of flying up to the branches to become a phoenix and marrying into high society were shattered!
Only when she wasn't paying attention did Min Moyou realize the hostess had finally ended her seductive techniques.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a thick stack of ten-thousand-denomination Jiufang Coins.
"Bring two pots of Special Grade Tianfu Longjing, along with some sour candied fruits to aid digestion. As for the rest of the money, use it to put together a full set of tea snacks as you see fit. Whatever is left over, consider it your tip."
With that, Min Moyou slapped the heavy stack of cash right into her hand and flashed a crooked grin.
"Good service."
Seeing the money, the hostess was no longer dejected. She gave Min Moyou a playful wink, smoothly slid off his lap, bowed respectfully, and replied sweetly:
"As long as you like it~"
*Isn't this way more professional than Xiaotong!?*
Min Moyou couldn't help thinking to himself.
The qipao hostess swayed away with a wiggle of her hips, fastening the frog buttons higher up the side slit of her dress as she walked.
Min Moyou quietly glanced over at Xiaotong, who was sitting in the seat on the other side of the tea table. He saw her head lowered, not even watching the performance on the stage, her dark hair hiding her expression as she sat completely silent.
Was she upset? Was she jealous?
He still had some self-awareness and didn't immediately fall for the delusion of life that was "she likes me."
How long had they even been together?
His looks and physique were only slightly above average; how could he possibly win the female lead's favor so easily?
Min Moyou could never have imagined what Xiaotong was actually thinking—
Beneath her cascading hair, she was hiding a lovesick smile.
She was thinking:
*"Holy crap! I wanted the big qipao sister to throw herself into his arms too! That looked so awesome!*
*Still, his embrace was warm and felt really secure...*
*Then why didn't I just wedge myself right between them?!*
*Wouldn't that have been double the happiness?!*
*Are the plots in novels actually real?*
*As long as a rich guy shakes his tiger-like torso, he radiates a supreme aura that attracts all sorts of women throwing themselves at him.*
*Am I one of them too...?"*