Chapter 79: Isn’t it a bit crowded with three people?

“Okay, Mr. He. Please wait two minutes, Mr. Song.”

Two minutes later, Xu Zhen delivered lunch on time.

He must have ordered it in advance, ready for He Tingzhou to eat as soon as he woke up. The dishes were still hot, and two minutes wouldn’t even be enough to heat them up.

While handling business matters efficiently, he could also arrange trivial personal affairs perfectly. Shuangxu deeply felt the difference between assistants.

When Xu Zhen placed the sanitized tableware in front of her, she couldn’t help but ask, “May I ask, how much does Assistant Xu earn a month?”

Xu Zhen remained unfazed: “Sorry, Mr. Song, the company has a rule against discussing salaries privately.”

“How many years have you been working?” Shuangxu asked again.

“I followed Mr. He after graduating from Stanford with an MBA. This is my fifth year.”

Shuangxu’s eyes lit up: “You’re from Stanford too? What a coincidence.” She calculated the time, “But unfortunately, you graduated just as I entered.”

He Tingzhou glanced at Xu Zhen from across the table.

“What’s unfortunate,” he picked up his chopsticks, his tone lazy, “If you like him so much, why don’t I give him to you?”

Shuangxu wanted him, but would he be willing to give him up?

“Really?”

“Fake,” He Tingzhou said, “He’s greedy and obsessed with money, you can’t afford him.”

“…”

That’s true. Xu Zhen’s salary was proportional to his ability. As a senior manager, especially in a large group like Yun Dun, Xu Zhen’s level was almost equivalent to a deputy general manager. His monthly salary was in a different unit than Xiao Liao’s.

Compared to him, Xiao Liao was more cost-effective.

“Forget it then,” Shuangxu said.

Xu Zhen dared not speak, and left the office after delivering the food.

The blanched nine-section shrimp was fresh and delicious, with a sweet and crunchy texture. Shuangxu loved it. Since she was a child, she either had the maids peel the shrimp for her or Shen Yu peeled them.

Now, only He Tingzhou was beside her, and this young master was obviously not the type to peel shrimp for others.

He wouldn’t even let the shrimp peel itself.

She was afraid of getting pricked, so she peeled it carefully, cutting off the head and then meticulously removing the shell. The white tender shrimp meat emerged from the shell, and a pair of chopsticks reached out from across the table, picking it up.

She looked up at He Tingzhou, who put the shrimp meat in his mouth and commanded her with ease: “Peel another one.”

Shuangxu dutifully picked up the second shrimp to peel for him.

He Tingzhou watched her labor process like a landlord, waiting to enjoy the fruits of her labor, and criticizing her speed: “You’re so clumsy, by the time you finish peeling it, it’ll have already been reincarnated.”

“…” She endured, “I’ve never peeled shrimp for anyone else before. If you’re impatient, you can eat something else first.”

“You’ve got a princess temper,” He Tingzhou said, putting down his chopsticks and picking up the shrimp to peel it himself.

When he finished peeling it, he pinched the tail and threw it into her plate.

Shuangxu picked up the shrimp suspiciously and ate it. Before she finished one, He Tingzhou had already peeled the second one.

He seemed to be showing off his skills, and soon, a small mountain of shrimp piled up on her plate.

Then he calmly wiped his hands with a towel: “Eat.”

After lunch, Xu Zhen brought in a stack of documents.

Shuangxu glanced at the time. He Tingzhou signed the documents while still paying attention to her movements: “Something wrong?”

“There’s a meeting at the company this afternoon. Can I leave?” She had already spent more than four hours here, and there were many tasks she couldn’t handle with her phone.

He Tingzhou asked back: “If I say no, you won’t leave?”

Actually, Shuangxu had heard Xu Zhen’s report on his schedule earlier. He had a meeting with Mr. X from XX Company this afternoon, so he wouldn’t need her.

So she hummed, acting like she put him first and was always ready to serve him: “We can hold the meeting later.”

“Alright,” He Tingzhou said, “How about you accompany me to meet the client?”

“…” Shuangxu’s expression almost cracked. She wished she hadn’t pretended.

He had a good sleep earlier and was in a good mood, so he generously let her go: “Go back.”

He handed the signed documents to Xu Zhen, his gaze lingering on her for a moment: “Come to Taihe Courtyard to find me tonight.”

What was she going there for? Shuangxu knew exactly.

She subconsciously looked at Xu Zhen, who remained calm and composed, with no trace of emotion on his face. He must have known about her relationship with He Tingzhou.

He was He Tingzhou’s confidant, and his ability to keep secrets should be strong.

“What are you looking at him for?” He Tingzhou’s voice was cool and breezy, “Isn’t it a bit crowded with three people?”

“…”

Xu Zhen’s body stiffened noticeably.

Shuangxu was so embarrassed, she wanted to use tape to seal He Tingzhou’s mouth.

She escaped from the office as quickly as possible. When she went out, she almost bumped into a secretary who was returning from copying documents.

Because of the time she wasted at Yun Dun during the day, Shuangxu got off work late that night. When she drove to Taihe Courtyard, it was already dusk.

The lights were on in the villa, but no one answered when she pressed the doorbell. She stood at the door and called He Tingzhou.

“You’re here?” The background noise on the other end of the phone was a mix of conversations, and He Tingzhou seemed to be still busy, “Go in and wait for me. The password is the dog’s birthday.”

Shuangxu thought, “You must overestimate my friendship with your dog”: “When is its birthday?”

He Tingzhou said, “I don’t know, then you’ll have to ask it to open the door for you.”

“Is it at home?” Shuangxu immediately looked into the house, but didn’t see the dog. She asked him, “When will you be back?”

There was a two-second pause on the other end, and He Tingzhou’s voice had a hint of barely perceptible delight: “Are you in a hurry? Ten more minutes to finish.”

Then it would take another 30 to 40 minutes to get back.

She hesitated for a moment. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

Just then, the door lock clicked and opened from the inside.

She froze, turning her head to look. A serious dog head appeared in the crack of the door. The Doberman pushed the door open with its front paw and sat at the doorway, watching her.

… It actually knew how to open the door.

She didn’t know whether to praise its intelligence or its naiveté. It opened the door to anyone, not afraid of letting in bad guys.

Shuangxu stood there, silently facing the dog for a moment. The dog tilted its head, seeming to wonder why she wasn’t coming in.

To be honest, except for the first time they met when it licked her, the Doberman’s behavior had always been friendly. It even brought her an ice pack last time. She couldn’t keep suspecting its character with such vicious speculation. She gritted her teeth and stepped inside.

The dog didn’t bark much, nor did it jump at people. It just followed her wherever she went.

Shuangxu sat in the living room for a while, and it lay down on the floor less than a meter away from her. When she got up to go upstairs, it also stood up and followed her closely to the second floor.

She was getting bored, so she went for a walk on the second floor.

She thought He Tingzhou would prefer a dark and stable style, but in fact, the design of this house was a natural and refreshing light color scheme.

The floating staircase led to the second floor. The giant screen floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights made the 1,000-square-meter space bright and transparent. The vegetation in the yard had been carefully cultivated. If it was daytime, there should be beautiful shadows of trees cast from the glass.

The pool was filled with water, and the calm surface rippled gently at night.

In short, the house was full of artistic atmosphere, but it didn’t look like anyone lived here permanently.

He Tingzhou probably didn’t live here often.

The box of Okamoto from yesterday was still lying on the sofa in the bedroom. Shuangxu glanced at it as she passed by. It was still unopened.

She sat down by the bed, and the dog sat down too, lazily lying on the floor.

It stared at her, as if watching a criminal.