Chapter 10

"Hanxia? Hanxia?"

"Hmm?" She startled, lifting her head from the computer, only to see Sister Zhang from her department standing in front of her desk, smiling at her.

"What are you so engrossed in?" Sister Zhang asked.

"Oh, I was just handling some data." Mu Hanxia touched her head embarrassedly; in reality, she had been daydreaming, "Sister Zhang, what's up?"

Sister Zhang smiled especially cordially and pointed behind her. Only then did Mu Hanxia see Meng Gang and the manager standing at the doorway of the marketing department, talking about something. Mu Hanxia's heart skipped a beat as if it had been electrocuted, and she forced a low chuckle: "Why has General Manager Meng come?"

"The performance has surged so well these past few days that General Manager Meng said to treat all employees of the marketing department to a drink. Look, he's given the money already, so go buy them." Sister Zhang replied.

"Okay." Mu Hanxia hastily took the money and stood up. As she walked out the door, she lowered her head, "Good day, General Manager Meng, Manager."

The manager said with a smile, "You're going to buy the drinks? Go on, hurry."

Meng Gang, however, merely gave a gentle "Hmm" in acknowledgement. His voice was especially deep and casual, and he didn't look at her.

Mu Hanxia hurried downstairs as if on wings.

Across the street from the building was a nice coffee shop. Mu Hanxia seldom went there because it was expensive. But the taste was indeed exquisite and tempting.

It was the afternoon, and the May sunlight filtered cleanly onto the road outside. The coffee shop wasn't crowded, the music soft, the aroma rich. Mu Hanxia stood at the bar and ordered over ten drinks in one breath. Not having to pay out of her own pocket, she felt an air of lavishness, and the stifling chaos inside her seemed somewhat relieved.

She looked down at the exquisite pastries in the display, thinking: Treat yourself.

"Do you have chestnut cake?" she asked.

The server said apologetically, "Sorry, the chestnut cake just sold out, and the new batch will take ten more minutes. Do you want it?"

Mu Hanxia thought for a moment and replied, "Then never mind." She had always liked chestnut-flavored things and had splurged on the chestnut cake here two or three times—the taste was simply her all-time favorite.

In the end, she decided to treat herself and, at the server's suggestion, she paid for a tiramisu and ordered a juice. Stealing a moment of leisure in the midst of busyness, she found a quiet corner to sit down in, eating and waiting for the server to pack the drinks.

Thinking back to the incident yesterday morning, Mu Hanxia's heart was still boiling, unable to calm down. She lowered her head, looking at her hands. They were still fair and slender, but calluses had formed on the palms. And Meng Gang had held them—what exactly was he thinking? What did he want from her?

Lost in thought, she heard the wind chime at the door "ting-a-ling" as someone entered.

She lifted her head and saw Lin Mochen, dressed in a black suit and shirt, walk in with an indifferent expression.

Mu Hanxia stared at him.

He saw her too, but it was as if he didn't, going straight to the bar to order.

Mu Hanxia stayed still as a mountain, bowing her head to continue drinking her juice and eating her cake.

The sound of footsteps neared, and the black suit flashed past. He was carrying a plate and sat down directly opposite her table, at a distance of less than 0.5 meters.

And on his plate was a piece of freshly made chestnut cake.

Mu Hanxia completely threw the small entanglement with Meng Gang out of her mind. She looked at Lin Mochen, who exuded an elite air as he began to sip his coffee, and a message she sent him yesterday popped into her head:

"What's up, you gonna bite me?"

...

"With so many empty seats, why sit here?" she said.

"Why can't I?" he said indifferently.

Mu Hanxia simply stopped talking.

After a while, however, she heard his voice again, "Why help Meng Gang?"

Mu Hanxia was startled, looked up at him curiously, "If I don't help Meng Gang, should I help you instead?"

He gazed at her, the sunlight clearly illuminating his features. His eyebrows were straight and rebellious, and his nose was similarly high and defined.

"Yes," he replied, "A fine bird chooses a tree to nest in, and you should be standing on my side."

All of a sudden, Mu Hanxia didn't know how to respond. This man was arrogantly confident. And it was him who owed her, so why was it now as though she owed him?

"I'm not poultry," she muttered under her breath, "I can't understand the logic you're spouting."

That remark was somewhat insulting.

Lin Mochen: "What did you say?"

"Nothing," Mu Hanxia quickly lowered her head, smiled, and scooped up a bite of cake with her spoon.

The music softly lingered in her ears, the man opposite her no longer showing any emotion. The familiar delicate fragrance spread among her teeth, and Mu Hanxia ate one bite after another until she suddenly noticed Lin Mochen giving her another look, his expression was... hard to describe.

Suddenly, Mu Hanxia realized, looking at the almost finished cake.

Oh my, she ate the wrong cake. This was his chestnut cake.

Because the table was small, their meals were placed close to each other, and she had been distracted; the chestnut cake was her favorite, so she just kept eating without stopping...

Mu Hanxia was extremely embarrassed, she immediately put down the spoon, "This..."

"How does it feel to eat something from someone else's bowl? Isn't it particularly good?" he asked.

Mu Hanxia's face turned red; she glared at him, then decisively called a waiter over, "Another chestnut cake for him, please!"

He didn't speak. Mu Hanxia calmed down, thinking she had eaten it anyway, and it cost 15 yuan, so she had to finish it. Yet, after two more bites, he spoke up again, "That spoon was also the one I just used."

Mu Hanxia: "..." She immediately dropped the spoon, only to hear his calm voice again, "I don't like others using things I've used."

Mu Hanxia really wanted to smash the cake in his face. He had clearly seen her eating the wrong cake and using the wrong spoon from the start, yet he deliberately waited until now to tell her. And he told her in two separate disclosures.

A faint smile crossed Lin Mochen's eyes. Mu Hanxia, knowing she was at fault, held back her temper and embarrassment. She was just about to get up when she heard a clear, melodious female voice behind her, "Jason, how long have you been here? And who is this...?"

Lin Mochen looked up, and Mu Hanxia also looked in the direction of the voice, to see the woman from the other night, Cheng Weiwei, the chairman's daughter of Yongzheng Group, standing behind them. She was dressed in casual wear but still looked tall and graceful. Her complexion was a bit pale, and her right arm was in a sling, but her makeup was exquisite, and her smile was light.

The moment Cheng Weiwei saw Mu Hanxia's face, she paused, then nodded at her with a polite smile.

Mu Hanxia also politely nodded back but thought to herself that this woman, like Lin Mochen, exuded an aura of superiority. It seemed to her that it was time to leave.

Lin Mochen stood up and pulled out a chair for Cheng Weiwei. Mu Hanxia gave him a look, tsk, he was showing manners now.

"This is Mu Hanxia," Lin Mochen briefly introduced the two, "Cheng Weiwei."

Mu Hanxia: "Hello." She also politely said to Lin Mochen, "I'll be going now." Lin Mochen looked at her and nodded. But then, Cheng Weiwei suddenly spoke, "Mu Hanxia? Are you the Mu Hanxia from Sixth Middle School?"