Mr. Ying is the Best!

Previously:

"I wonder what I should eat," Lai chirped, scanning the menu in her hands, "Everything looks so delicious."

Bai smiled and poked her arm to get her attention. She looked up from the menu and stared at him.

"You can order whatever and however many dishes you want," he smiled, pointing at the menu, "This was the surprise I had planned for you. I know it's not much, but I wanted to thank you for doing a great job as my PA so far. That's why I told Na to tell you to dress up today."

She widened her eyes in surprise, her mouth agape.

"Today, we can do whatever you want," he continued, "So don't worry about meetings or schedules. I'm all yours to command."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well," she beamed, "In that case, I'll order as much as I want. So, as my boss, you can't get angry since you offered!"

He watched as she ordered a pork cutlet meal and cola. She also ordered some chicken soup, ramen noodles, and a bowl of rice.

Glancing up, she saw that he had only ordered one dish; beef stew and a bowl of rice.

"Here are some complimentary dishes," the waiter, Neji, beamed.

Neji placed a bowl of radishes and seaweed.

"If you need anything else," he told Bai and Lai, "Don't hesitate to call me. For now, I will take my leave."

With that, the waiter left them to enjoy their meal. Lai picked up her chopsticks and licked her mouth in hunger.

"Thanks for the food," she said and dug in, starting with the ramen noodles, "So delicious."

Unlike her, Bai ate at a slow pace. She could see that he was clearly a bit uncomfortable in this place, which made sense.

I mean, the rich CEO was used to eating at fancy restaurants where he didn't have to wait in long queues for minutes or hours.

He was used to eating fancy dishes with fancy names. She bit her chopsticks and stared at him, thinking maybe she should have just told him to pick a place he was comfortable with.

She understood that this was all a surprise and a thank-you gift from him to her. But she didn't want him to feel uncomfortable because of her. After all, he was her boss, and his needs came first.

"Um," she cleared her throat, holding her chopsticks midair, "Sorry for picking this place."

She saw him look up from his dish with a look of confusion.

"What do you mean?"

She pressed her lips together.

"Well, you just look uncomfortable, Mr. Ying."

He put his chopsticks down and intertwined his fingers. She looked apologetic, and he wasn't happy to see her like this. After all, it wasn't a big deal to him.

Sure, he was a little uncomfortable, but not because he hated the place. He just wasn't used to a restaurant like this.

"You don't have to be apologetic," he told her with a smile, "A place like this is new to me, so I do feel a bit out of place. But the food is really delicious. So carry on eating and don't stress."

When she heard his last statement, he saw her face light up.

"Okay!" she chirped and went back to eating happily, "Ah, so tasty."

He was amazed that, for a tiny woman, she had a big appetite. Seeing her happily finish each dish satisfied him.

It was now evident and inevitable: he liked watching her eat.

"Wow! I'm so full," she said after finishing her meals and drinking her cola.

She leaned her head to the side and stared at the civilians walking past the restaurant building. She saw some kindergarten school kids walking home.

A smile escaped her lips at the lovely sight. He followed her gaze and found that she was watching the small children skipping as they walked past the restaurant.

'They look around Sara's age,' he smiled, turning his attention back to Lai.

"Do you like kids?" he asked her, leaning back in his seat.

She shifted her gaze from the children to him.

"Yes, Mr. Ying," she grinned, "I am an only child and have always wanted a sibling. Seeing younger children makes my heart fuzzy and warm."

He then had an idea.

"Say," he began, "Do you have any plans this Saturday?"

She pressed her lips together and remained silent for a while, thinking. After a while, she shook her head 'no.'

"I am available," she smiled, "Do you need my help with something? Is it Xiuling?"

"No, it's not Xiuling. It's my niece."

"You have a niece!?" she leaned forward and blinked in surprise.

"Yeah. Everyone knows that. She's my older sister's daughter. A three-year-old."

She leaned back and closed her arms.

"Sorry. I don't really read celebrity news, so I don't know these kinds of things," she brushed her cheek with her finger, feeling embarrassed.

"I see. My niece is spending the weekend with me because my sister has an art exhibition."

"Is she an artist?" she asked him in awe.

"Yeah," he smiled, "She's an artist and fashion designer. I usually babysit Sara when I have the chance because she and her husband are always busy. He's an accountant."

She nodded.

"That's really sweet of you."

He looked at his watch and found that it was heading to three o'clock.

"Would you like to babysit her with me this Saturday?" he asked, "We are going to the zoo."

She nodded enthusiastically.

"If it's okay with you, then sure."

He was pleased with her answer. He wasn't sure how Sara would react, but he was convinced that she and Lai would get along just fine.

They needed to get along since Sara would be seeing Lai most of the time because she was his PA - and he was in love with her too.

Besides that, he just wanted a reason to see her again. The man was smitten.

"Well then," he said a few minutes after paying the bill, "Where do you want to go next?"

She blinked in surprise.

"Are we not done now?"

He shook his head 'no.'

"I told you I'm all yours. Today is your day, so if there's anywhere else you want to go, tell me."

"Hmm, anywhere else?" she muttered and then widened her eyes in realization, "Ice cream!"

"Huh?" he was bewildered, "You want ice cream?"

She nodded, her hazelnut eyes sparkling in excitement like a child. He forgot that she was not a materialistic woman like the previous women he had met.

She was different from them because she was down to earth and liked simple everyday things. He nodded at her request, and they headed out.

"Thanks. Come back again!" Neji, the waiter, chimed when they left.

Neji walked to the counter. His colleagues, Ruan and Jin, walked to him with excitement.

"I can't believe we were visited by Mr. Ying," Ruan chimed in excitement, clasping his hands together.

"Tell me about it," Jin nodded in agreement, "Our restaurant is going to skyrocket in sales this month."

"He even gave me a large tip," Neji said, tears forming in his eyes.

"That's a good thing, so why are you crying?' Ruan raised an eyebrow.

"Even though I was practically shaking when I spoke to him and his girlfriend - I think she was his girlfriend- he still gave me a large tip."

"Oh, so that's it. Anyway, his girlfriend sure was beautiful," Jin sighed, "I wish I could get a woman like that."

Ruan punched his shoulder.

"Cheer up, man," he laughed, "Someday maybe."

"Are you guys done dilly daddling!?" they heard the chef screech, "Get back to work!"

"Yes sir!" they exclaimed in unison, rushing to take orders and let other customers in.

Meanwhile, on her phone, Lai showed Bai a picture of the ice cream place when they sat in the car.

"It's called Misty Waters Ice Cream," she told him, "It's the best ice cream place in the Huang district. I always wanted to go there, but it's too far from where I live."

She then put her phone away.

"But since you said it's my day today, and I shouldn't worry about meetings and schedules," she smiled at him, "Then I will use this day to the fullest. Mr. Ying is the best!"

She gave him two thumbs up. He chuckled upon seeing how serious she looked when saying the last part of her sentence.

He found it a bit childish too. It was as if she was a princess whose wish had been granted by her parents to finally go out into the world after being locked up in a palace.

"What?" she blinked in surprise at his chuckle, "Was that too much at the end?"

He shook his head 'no,' and flashed a dashing smile.

"No. It was perfect."