After Jian An'an finished helping make the soup, Giovanni returned.
It was getting late. Jian An'an finished tidying up, packed some leftover food from the back kitchen, and prepared to get off work.
Holding the takeaway container, she was about to leave the restaurant when—
"Jian An'an..."
She suddenly heard someone calling her from behind.
Jian An'an paused for a moment, and just as she was about to turn around to see who it was, a woman walked past. With her head lowered, glued to her phone and not watching where she was going, the woman crashed right into her.
Jian An'an’s takeaway bags instantly broke, and dark soup splattered out, landing squarely on the woman's light-colored dress.
"Ah..." The woman shrieked, taking a few steps back. Staring at the stain on her dress, she stamped her foot repeatedly and pointed furiously at Jian An'an, scolding, "Are you blind? Why aren't you watching where you're walking?!"
Ignoring who had called her, Jian An'an immediately put down the bags, pulled out a handkerchief, and began wiping the woman's dress. "I'm sorry, Miss. I... I didn't do it on purpose. Um... I'll help you get the dress cleaned!"
"How are you going to clean this? This is a Chanel haute couture dress! You can't just wipe or wash it!" The woman shoved Jian An'an away, glaring at her angrily. "You idiot, you actually splashed soup all over it! I'm furious! Pay up! This dress costs one hundred and fifty thousand, you're going to pay for it!"
Hearing this, all the color drained from Jian An'an's face. "O... One hundred and fifty thousand?"
She didn't have that kind of money!
The woman refused to let the matter rest. Seeing the restaurant manager walking over, she arrogantly pointed at Jian An'an and said to him, "Manager Luo, I am a VIP customer here at Gao De Restaurant. This is the first time I've ever encountered such a thing. Look at how dirty my dress is—your restaurant has to give me an explanation today!"
Not wanting to offend a VIP customer, the manager bowed and scraped, apologizing repeatedly to the woman. Then, turning to Jian An'an, he bellowed, "What is wrong with you? You've only been working here a few days and you're already so clumsy! How could you ruin Miss Huang's clothes? And besides, who told you to carry leftovers around outside? You're fired! Don't bother coming to work tomorrow!"
"I..." Jian An'an bit her lip, a suffocating ache gripping her heart. She wasn't the one at fault!
Hearing the manager's words, Miss Huang immediately stepped forward. "No way. Firing her is letting her off too easy."
Desperate not to offend anyone, the manager asked ingratiatingly, "Then what other demands do you have?"
"Make her pay for my dress, and also..." Miss Huang looked at Jian An'an and sneered, "Since she put me through such a disgusting ordeal, shouldn't she kneel down and apologize to me?"
Jian An'an's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Miss Huang.
It was clearly Miss Huang who hadn't looked where she was going! Not only did she shift the blame onto Jian An'an and demand compensation for her dress, but now she even expected her to kneel and apologize—this was going way too far!
The head waiter, who had originally been sent by Li Shaoting to call Jian An'an out, never expected that his mission would lead to a customer colliding with her.
Seeing Jian An'an cornered, the head waiter broke out in a cold sweat and pointed her out to Li Shaoting. "Li Shao, she's the one who made the soup!"
Li Shaoting's hawk-like, sharp gaze landed on Jian An'an's face. It was her!
He immediately stood up and walked toward Jian An'an.
Seeing Jian An'an standing there motionless, Miss Huang said impatiently, "What are you staring for? Did I wrong you? Hurry up and pay, then kneel and apologize to me. Can you afford to waste my time?"
With that, she gave Jian An'an a violent shove.
Jian An'an staggered, and just then—
"Careful!" A deep, magnetic male voice came from behind.
A hand reached out and steadied her, helping her stand upright.
Supported by him as she regained her footing, Jian An'an turned around and recognized the man's face with a start of surprise. "Li... Li Shao, what are you doing here?"
Li Shaoting gave her a glacial glance without answering. Instead, he looked at the overbearing Miss Huang and asked in an ice-cold tone, "What's all the noise about?"
In Yuncheng, everyone knew who Li Shaoting was, and Miss Huang was no exception.
Miss Huang naturally knew that Li Shaoting was someone she couldn't afford to offend, but she couldn't figure out why he would stick his nose into such a trivial matter.
"So it's Li Shao. What a coincidence bumping into you here." Miss Huang reined in her expression, then noticed Jian An'an standing protected behind Li Shaoting. "This poor wretch is so clumsy, she ruined my clothes."
Hearing this, Li Shaoting looked at Jian An'an and asked a completely unrelated question: "Was it you who made the soup?"
Jian An'an blinked in confusion. "What?"
The head waiter quickly chimed in from the side to remind her, "The soup the head chef asked you to make before he left!"
Jian An'an looked anxiously at Li Shaoting. "I made it..."
Was there something wrong with the soup? Had she just finished offending Miss Huang only to offend Li Shao as well?
What should she do?
Unexpectedly, Li Shaoting suddenly said, "Good."
"What?" Jian An'an looked up in surprise.
If she wasn't mistaken, the corners of Li Shaoting's mouth had just twitched upward.
The head waiter was also baffled and asked tentatively, "Li Shao, is there something wrong with the soup?"
Li Shaoting resumed his indifferent expression. "The soup tastes good."
The manager, never expecting such a plot twist, was left speechless.
At this point, Miss Huang cleared her throat. "Um, Li Shao, her knowing how to cook is one thing, but she still needs to be taught a lesson for being so clumsy..."
Li Shaoting glanced at her, his eyes dark. "My people aren't for you to discipline."
Jian An'an was dumbfounded. What did Li Shao mean by that? His people?
Li Shaoting continued, turning to the unwilling Miss Huang: "From now on, Jian An'an is my personal chef. I will pay for your dress, but as for making her kneel and apologize—you aren't worthy. Besides, you're the daughter of the Huang family, right? Just wait for the Huang family to go bankrupt."
Miss Huang turned deathly pale. "Li Shao..."
Li Shaoting didn't look at Miss Huang again. He pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to Manager Luo. "Pay the bill, and cover the compensation as well."
Afterward, he glanced at Jian An'an. "Keep up."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Jian An'an cast a look at the despairing Miss Huang nearby and hurried to follow him.
Once outside the restaurant, Jian An'an said with a grateful expression, "Li Shao, thank you so much for getting me out of that fix just now. I owe you money, but I will definitely pay you back."
Li Shaoting raised an eyebrow, his phoenix eyes narrowing slightly as he asked with utter detachment, "How do you plan to pay me back? By working as an extra, or as a restaurant kitchen hand?"
Jian An'an knew very well that with her meager salary—plus the medical expenses for Xiaoxin she still had to cover—paying Li Shaoting back anytime soon was simply impossible.
Looking somewhat cornered, she murmured, "I'll work hard..."
Seeing her troubled expression and knowing she couldn't afford to pay him back, Li Shaoting said, "Do you remember what I just said?"