The three of them thought Fu Ying was there to practice, and didn't even consider that she was an acquaintance of Zhou Xuan. If she were an acquaintance, how could she have fooled Zhou Xuan and Zhang Lei by walking in so obviously without being disguised or wearing a mask?
Zhou Xuan snorted and said to the waitress, "I don't know what you're doing, making my wife work as a waitress..." He wanted to get angry, but seeing the waitress's frightened look, he sighed and decided against it. If he got angry and made a scene, and the store manager and boss found out, her job would probably be in jeopardy. Zhou Xuan couldn't bear to do that, so after thinking about it, he decided to let it go.
Then he said to Fu Ying, "Yingying, you can have fun, but don't make them lose their jobs. They earn their money through hard work."
Fu Ying snorted and said in a low voice, "I didn't cause them any trouble. Even if I lose my job, I will be compensated. Who told you to... who told you to..." She said it twice, but then couldn't finish the sentence.
It's perfectly normal for Zhou Xuan to have a meal with a female colleague openly and honestly. The key is that even if it's normal, Fu Ying still feels a pang of sadness. How can she be happy to see her husband having a happy meal with another pretty girl, and possibly every day like this?
So Fu Ying couldn't resist coming in disguised as a waitress, even though she knew Zhou Xuan would recognize her as soon as he saw her, she still couldn't resist pretending to come in.
Looking at the table laden with exquisite dishes, and seeing Fu Ying staring at her like a fighting rooster, Zhang Lei couldn't help but smile wryly and say, "Sister, you belong to Zhou Xuan..."
She had just said she didn't know Zhou Xuan, but now, Fu Ying coldly stated, "My name is Fu Ying, and I am his wife."
"Oh..." Zhang Lei let out a long "oh," then smiled wryly, "Ms. Fu, Zhou Xuan and I are colleagues, partners in the same group. It's normal for us to have a meal together. If you're angry about this, I don't think it's necessary... Besides..."
Pointing to the table full of food, she added, "Besides, look, there's a whole table of food. It would be such a waste not to eat it. Don't get angry with your stomach, let's eat first."
"Eat it if you want."
Fu Ying sat down as she spoke, forcefully shaking off Zhou Xuan's hand. She then picked up her chopsticks and began to eat. Why should she give all the benefits to outsiders when she bought the food with her own money?
Zhou Xuan sighed and picked up his chopsticks to eat. It seemed impossible to explain things perfectly here, so he decided to just eat his fill first.
Zhang Lei shook her head, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating by herself. The expressions of the three of them were very strange. In fact, Zhou Xuan and Zhang Lei could be said to have no private feelings whatsoever, not even a hint of ambiguity. However, it would be difficult to explain this to Fu Ying. Such things would only get worse if they were explained.
The three of them ate in silence for a while. The food was indeed good, but they didn't have much of an appetite. They ate less than a fifth of the large table of food. After Zhou Xuan asked for the bill, the waiter brought it over. This time it was much better than the exorbitantly priced set meal they had yesterday, and it only cost 2,100 yuan in total.
After paying the bill, Zhang Lei looked at the large table of food, many of which were untouched, and immediately asked the waiter to pack them up. By the time the waiter finished packing, there were six or seven lunchboxes filled with the food.
Zhang Lei said casually, "Since there's nothing to eat anyway, it's too wasteful to just throw it away after paying. Why not take it back and give it to my colleagues in the office?"
Zhou Xuan nodded and said, "That's good too. It would be a waste to throw it away." Thinking back to his past self, he used to spend thousands of yuan on a single meal, something he never dared to dream of. In Chongkou, he only ate out once or twice a month, and his meals were only a few dozen yuan. Who would have thought that a year later, he would become like this?
While hailing a taxi outside the restaurant, Zhou Xuan asked Fu Ying, "Yingying, shall I flag down a car so you can go home?"
"I'm not going back," Fu Ying replied without hesitation, "I'll go check on your workplace instead."
Zhou Xuan was taken aback. Why would Fu Ying have thought of going there?
Zhang Lei wanted to take this opportunity to say that the Municipal Bureau's offices were not for just anyone to enter. But then she thought that Fu Ying was probably not a simple person either, and Zhou Xuan seemed to be protecting her. Rules might be useful for ordinary people, but they might not be very effective against people like Zhou Xuan or Fu Ying. If she had a powerful background, it wouldn't be difficult for her to visit the Municipal Bureau building.
Zhou Xuan flagged down a car and stopped. After opening the car door, Fu Ying got in first and stared at Zhou Xuan. Zhou Xuan smiled wryly and followed her in. Zhang Lei had no choice but to sit in the front. Since both she and Zhou Xuan were wearing police uniforms, the driver felt at ease. With police officers in his car, he didn't have to worry about being stopped by traffic police or being robbed or kidnapped. After confirming that they were going to the Municipal Public Security Bureau, the driver immediately started driving.
Outside the city bureau, after the driver parked the car, the meter showed nine yuan. Zhang Lei gave him ten yuan, then got out of the car and took out the bag she had packed from the trunk.
The three of them walked to the door. The security guard recognized Zhang Lei and Zhou Xuan, but not Fu Ying. However, Fu Ying's stunning beauty had already stunned him.
This security guard knew Zhang Lei; she was just like an ordinary office clerk in the city bureau, not much different in rank, and not needed for any tasks. Zhou Xuan was new, with an even lower rank, and the girl with the two of them was someone they could tease. She was so pretty; it would be a real shame to let her in without taking advantage of her verbally.
He immediately turned his head and stared at Fu Ying, saying, "ID card, work permit, phone number, come on, register."
Zhou Xuan then pulled Fu Ying to his side and said, "She's my wife. She's just visiting my workplace; there's no need to register."
This guy has a sly look on his face. Zhou Xuan doesn't even need to think to know what he's thinking. If Fu Ying gives him so many certificates to register, won't it be extremely difficult to find Fu Ying later? How could he even think of such a thing?
The security guard's face darkened, and he said, "This is my duty. I'm just following the rules. The Municipal Bureau is such an important agency. If some thugs or bad guys get in, who will be responsible if something happens? Even if you say you'll take responsibility, can you even afford to?"
Zhou Xuan was somewhat annoyed and was about to teach the security guard a lesson when he heard a car horn sound next to him. The security guard looked over, quickly smiled, and pressed the door opener. The sliding door slowly slid to one side, and the security guard ran out quickly, bowing and saying, "Chief, you're back?"
Zhou Xuan turned around and saw that an Audi had arrived. The rear window was half-lowered, and Fu Yuanshan's face was facing outwards. The security guard was very experienced and did not call him "Director Fu" but simply "Director," which was a clever way of addressing him. Calling him "Director Fu" would easily be misheard as "Deputy Director," so it was better to just call him "Director."
It turned out that Fu Yuanshan had returned from a meeting at the Municipal Party Committee. As soon as he saw Fu Ying and Zhou Xuan outside the car, Fu Yuanshan immediately told the driver to stop, then got out of the car and asked with a smile, "Little sister, what brings you here? Is there something you need?"
Fu Ying bit her lip and said calmly, "Big brother, Zhou Xuan works here. I thought I should at least visit his workplace. So, do you think I can come here?"
"Come on, come on, who said you can't?" Fu Yuanshan waved his hand and said with a smile, "I can't speak for other places, but here, it's just like your home. You can visit however you like. Even if you wanted my office, I wouldn't object."
Hearing Fu Yuanshan say this, Fu Ying finally smiled and said, "How could I dare to take your office? If I occupy it and can't solve the case, wouldn't all the responsibility fall on my shoulders? I won't do something so foolish."
Fu Ying then deliberately asked the dazed security guard, "Do I need to register? What kind of identification do I need? I didn't hear you clearly just now, could you please repeat it?"
The security guard was stunned for a moment before he reacted, quickly shaking his head and waving his hands, saying, "No need, no need, you don't need any identification."
Hearing Fu Yuanshan affectionately call Fu Ying "little sister," and Fu Ying rudely call him "big brother," the security guard was terrified and waved his hands repeatedly.
Fu Yuanshan had no idea what the security guard was up to. After speaking briefly with Fu Ying, he put his hand on Zhou Xuan's shoulder with a broad smile, lowered his voice, and whispered, "Brother, your big brother, my director, is all set. Come on, let's go to my office and talk more."
Despite Zhou Xuan's low rank, the fact that Fu Yuanshan, the highest-ranking bureau chief, reacted with such actions and expressions towards him terrified the security guard. His previous disdain for Zhou Xuan had turned into fear. Fortunately, although he hadn't taken Zhou Xuan seriously, he hadn't said anything to him, except for a few slightly disrespectful remarks to Zhou Xuan's beautiful wife. However, such remarks were understandable; he was a security guard at the city bureau, and it was his duty to say such things. But asking Fu Ying to bring those documents for registration was a bit much.
Fortunately, Director Fu Yuanshan seemed unaware of the situation and did not intend to linger there, which was a good thing. The security guard quickly stood up straight, saluted, and waited for the group to go inside.
Fu Ying saw that the security guard was cunning and opportunistic, but since she had no grudge against him, she didn't need to bother with this little matter and followed him inside, not mentioning it again.
Zhang Lei followed behind carrying the packing bags. Seeing that Fu Ying was about to get angry but held back, she admired Fu Ying's magnanimity. She wasn't petty. If it were anyone else, they would have taken the opportunity to teach the security guard a lesson. At best, they would have been scolded and punished; at worst, they would have been fired.
At the elevator entrance, it was time for the city bureau staff to return to work after their break. Many of them came in to take the elevator, but when they saw Fu Yuanshan, they all stepped back and didn't wait for the elevator at this time. Alternatively, they waited on the other side, since there were two elevators in the building.
Many people came in, but only four people were waiting in front of this elevator: Zhou Xuan, Fu Yuanshan, Fu Ying, and Zhang Lei.
As soon as the elevator arrived and the doors opened, Fu Yuanshan said, "Little sister, come in."
Fu Ying went in first, followed by Fu Yuanshan and Zhou Xuan, and finally Zhang Lei. Zhang Lei was carrying bags in both hands, which made things inconvenient, so Zhou Xuan quickly pressed the numbers 11 and 26.
With no one else going up or down, the elevator ascended quickly. When it reached the eleventh floor, it stopped with a "ding," and the doors opened. Zhang Lei then stepped out carrying her bag.
To Zhou Xuan's surprise, Fu Ying followed him out. Zhou Xuan quickly asked, "Yingying, weren't you going to visit Director Fu's office? Shall we go up together?"