A Private Meal

"But- I-"

Liu Yang struggled to say anything else as Lu Wen looked at her with anticipation. At the same time, some food from Wang Li's stall really did sound like a good idea.

"Come on, it won't take that long. Grab some fishballs or something, maybe a beer too. I don't think you even had dinner yet! Come on, come on, come on!"

The more he spoke, the more enticing this idea sounded.

She could even feel her mouth water and if that didn't make things worse, her stomach growled. It wasn't loud or obnoxious but in this empty lobby, it was the only thing they heard.

Lu Wen's smile only grew bigger, like a salesman, he knew that his words were getting to her. His voice seemed to take one a sly tone, manipulative even. His once-friendly tone seemed to have an edge of deviousness.

"So how about it? Just head to the twenty-fifth floor first while I put this dolly away. It shouldn't take too long, only five minutes", he said.

"The twenty-fifth floor... I don't think I've ever gone that high... But for food... I mean..."

She wracked her brain trying to decide on whether or not it was a good idea as Lu Wen peddled more words at her.

"It won't take that long... It'd be good to have some more company..." he said.

At the end of it, she made her decision.

"Alright, I'll go, but only for a little bit", she responded.

As for her thoughts, her true reason was much different.

"If I'm going to see him tomorrow during work, might as well see him now after work!"

That was her motivation, since there was no point in avoiding it, she could only face it head-on!

"Alright, just head to the twenty-fifth floor, it's the conference room in the back of the floor. If you're lost then just follow the smell! I'm going to return this dolly first."

Lu Wen pointed at the elevators before heading off in another direction, briskly walking through the lobby and leaving her sight.

Liu Yang stood there as if she had whiplash, unable to really understand what was going on but she turned to look at the elevators.

"Here goes nothing", she muttered to herself.

Stepping to the elevators, she waited for one to come before riding it up to the twenty-fifth floor.

It was a short ride but felt like an hour as the doors finally opened.

Instantly, she was hit with the smell of savory and spicy, a scent she would recognize anywhere. Not far from where she stood, the sounds of fat hitting the fire sizzled through the halls. Step by step, Liu Yang walked towards the conference room, the sound of her heels hitting the floor echoing out.

She stopped in front of the door, which was slightly ajar, revealing the light coming from within.

"Alright, here we are, just going to go in and say hello. Grab something to eat and a beer and leave, that's it."

Thinking and planning to herself, Liu Yang stood there for a few more moments only for the doors to open as Wang Li turned to see who was there.

"Hm, Liu Yang? What are you doing here? I know you work here but it's so late!"

His eyes sort of widened as he saw her standing there.

She looked up at him with a shocked look.

"Yo- how did you know I was by the doors?" she asked.

He gave her a look before answering.

"I heard a person's footsteps and was wondering who had come. It couldn't have been my friend unless he decided to wear some heels."

"Um yeah, your friend, Lu Wen, I think. I was working a bit late for tomorrow's meeting and I bumped into him in the lobby. He told me that you were cooking here and that I should come up for a drink and some food."

She spoke while looking behind Wang Li, seeing the grill and what not set up within the conference room.

"Oh, really, if that's the case, come inside. I brought some extra food for tonight and having a bit more company would be nice."

Letting her in, Wang Li went back to the grill, turning over the food before taking a sip out of his beer.

"Give me a few more minutes and everything should be done. You like yours with a little bit of spice right?" he asked.

She looked at him and nodded before putting her bag down by the wall. Walking around, she stopped at the windows, looking at the view of the city. With all of the bright lights under the night sky, it was a very beautiful view.

"Wow, I never thought I could see the city like this", she muttered.

"Yeah, it's a really nice view. I thought they'd be giving me some small room to work with but it seems that they wanted to put the food stall experience inside. It was very last minute and kind of weird but I guess it was worth it", he said.

Liu Yang chuckled.

"I didn't think you'd be cooking live in front of them. I thought it would be catering you know, delivery?"

"I didn't know either but Lu Wen texted me this morning saying that he managed to get his dad to convince everyone to let me do this. Speaking of..."

Wang Li took out his phone, checking for any messages and noticed a single one from his friend.

[I just realized that I need to get home and eat with the family. But you won't be alone!]

"Wha- that little... did he plan this out? No, I'm not going to look at this anymore, I might die of irritation."

Wang Li stared at his phone before putting it away. He let out a big sigh before going back to his cooking.

"Alright, it seems like Lu Wen decided to go back home to have dinner with his family instead of us. Which means, more food for the both of us", he told her.

She turned around and looked at him before walking to the counter, resting her hands on it.

"Really? I mean, its family, right?"

"Yeah, it is."

With a pair of tongs, Wang Li grabbed all that he cooked on the grill putting it in a sheet pan. Along with these grilled and skewered delights were fries, chicken wings, braised meats, and more.

"There we go, more than enough for the both of us."

As soon as they were taken off, he turned off tbe grill and the stove before taking out two beers from a small cooler.

Handing one to Liu Yang, he opened his own and took a swig before grabbing something from the spread of food.

"Thank you."

She spoke quietly and politely before doing the same. It was silent as they ate and drank. It was certainly awkward as they looked in other directions but in the end, they both looked out through the windows.

It was just the two of them, alone in this room. Standing opposite to each other, they quietly ate together. And as large as this room was, they were right in front of each other, sharing this platter. And at the same time, they turned to look at each other, meeting eyes.