34. Curiosity

Feng Jiu ran all the way to the cafe. Then she went inside and sat down beside her friends, still huffing and puffing. She quickly ordered a drink to quench her thirst.


"So, what did Xuan Yue do to make you feel this tired?!" Xiao Yan excitedly asked. Then he raised his eyebrows and smirked at Feng Jiu.


"No, it wasn't Xuan Yue, it was because of that stupid Dong..." Feng Jiu stopped herself in time before she mentioned Dong Hua's name.


"Huh? What did you just say?!" Xiao Yan anxiously replied, and he leaned closer to Feng Jiu as he was getting more curious.


"Oh, sorry, I spoke too fast! I was trying to say, Xuan Yue confessed to me, and I scare him off, like how I did with all my other suitors in the past." Feng Jiu quickly explained herself.


"Our Feng Jiu is so popular! Wait, so what did you do to Xuan Yue?!" The excitement from wanting to know more kept Xiao Yan on the edge of his seat.


Feng Jiu then told them about the whole incident with Xuan Yue, and then they all broke out into laughter.


"Xuan Yue will never dare to come near you now, Feng Jiu." Xiao Yan said.


"You'll definitely hear more stories of Feng Jiu chasing her suitors away, Xiao Yan. She has no lack of suitors, but she was never interested in any of them." Si Ming casually replied.


Feng Jiu instantly thought to herself, "Yeah. I have no lack of suitors, but my heart only belongs to one person." Then she started to think back on what happened on the roof terrace, between her and Dong Hua.


"Well. Dong Hua said I could address him by his name!" She excitedly thought to herself, while trying to hold back a smile.


"But..! Ji Heng calls him Dong Hua too. I guess he just doesn't like people addressing him so formally, just like what he said." Her excitement quickly disappeared, and then she brushed it off like it was nothing special.


Then they left the cafe and headed towards the restaurant.


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"I'm so tired! What should we do tomorrow?" Feng Jiu asked Si Ming while they were having dinner.


"Well, I heard that they would be providing shuttle buses to the nearby beach tomorrow morning. Should we go? We don't have any training tomorrow as well."


"Yes! Let's go to the beach together!" Xiao Yan replied excitedly.


"That sounds nice! I would love to go!" Feng Jiu replied.


Suddenly, a crowd formed at the entrance of the restaurant. Xiao Yan lifted his head, with his mouth still filled with food, and said, "What's going on there?!" Then he stood up, trying to get a better view of what was going on.


"It's Ji Heng!!! Why is she here? I'm going over to say hi!" Xiao Yan then ran towards the crowd.


Si Ming smiled, shook his head, and said to Feng Jiu, "Let him be. Let's just continue eating."


Xiao Yan came back with an annoyed face, and he said, "I can't even get a chance to talk to Ji Heng. She's always around Ice Face!"


"Ice Face... Wait! Dong Hua is here?!" Feng Jiu thought to herself, and she almost choked on her food.


Then she swallowed the food in her mouth and replied, "Why is he even here?! Shouldn't he be eating in the VIP room?" 


Si Ming shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Well, you should know Dong Hua by now. He does whatever he wants, and nobody would have any say in it."


"I know. I just find it weird that he would come to the restaurant and eat with the rest of the employees. It's so unlike him, and I thought he hated crowds."


"Well, that man is unpredictable for sure." Si Ming shook his head and continued eating.


Suddenly, Dong Hua walked over and sat down directly opposite their table. Then he told the whole management team to sit elsewhere, as he wanted some privacy.


"Why does he have to sit here, out of so many places?!" Xiao Yan pouted and protested. Feng Jiu bowed her head and continued eating, as she wanted to avoid looking at Dong Hua.


"You can go sit with Ji Heng if you want to, Xiao Yan." Si Ming said sarcastically.


"Good idea! I'll go find Ji Heng then." Xiao Yan then walked towards Ji Heng's table.


Feng Jiu and Si Ming laughed, as they couldn't stand how naive Xiao Yan was.


Out of a sudden, Feng Jiu felt someone staring at her. She lifted her head and looked around. Then she noticed Dong Hua staring right at her. She instantly felt nervous, and she immediately bowed her head and took a sip of water.


Then Xiao Yan came running back again and said, "Ji Heng told me to get lost. I think she was just feeling shy because there were many people around."


Si Ming shook his head as he couldn't believe how clueless Xiao Yan was. Then Feng Jiu patted Xiao Yan's back and told him to sit down. 


Right at this moment, Dong Hua stood up and started to walk towards their direction. He stared at Feng Jiu's hand, which was placed on Xiao Yan's back.  Then he gave Xiao Yan a cold-eyed stare.


Upon noticing Dong Hua staring at them, Feng Jiu immediately removed her hands from Xiao Yan's back and placed them back on the table. Then she bowed her head and continued eating. She also avoided looking at Dong Hua.


Dong Hua then walked past their table and left the restaurant.


"Phew. Finally, I can eat comfortably." Feng Jiu thought to herself, and she started to relax.


Si Ming then whispered to Feng Jiu, "Are you feeling okay?"


"I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me, I have already given up all hope on Dong Hua. It just feels weird whenever I see him. It's okay. I'll get used to it eventually."


"I'm glad that you feel that way. Let's continue our dinner."


Then they finished their dinner and headed back to their rooms. Feng Jiu also arranged with Si Ming to meet them at the resort lobby at 9 AM tomorrow.


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Everyone gathered in the lobby and waited for the shuttle bus to bring them to the nearby beach. Feng Jiu brought a big bag of snacks so that they could have a small picnic at the beach.


"I can't wait to visit the beach! Even though I'm afraid of the sea, I'm still really excited!" Feng Jiu said excitedly.


"Oh, you're afraid of the water? But I thought you wanted to go to the hot springs?" Xiao Yan asked curiously.


"Yes. I almost drowned in the sea when I was a little girl, so now I'm afraid of the deep water. But if my feet can still touch the ground, it will be fine for me." Feng Jiu replied, and she pouted.


"It's okay, Feng Jiu! We can still play frisbee at the beach, and you won't have to go into the water!" Xiao Yan consoled her.


"Oh, the bus is here. Let's go." Si Ming pointed towards the shuttle bus, and they started to board the bus.


Just when they were boarding the bus, Dong Hua walked out of the meeting room, which was located near to the lobby area. Then he noticed Feng Jiu getting onto the bus.


"Where is that shuttle bus heading to?" Dong Hua casually asked his assistant, Chong Lin.


"Oh, that shuttle bus would be heading towards the beach." Chong Lin immediately replied.


"Chong Lin, cancel all my work schedule for the day and postpone it to the next day." 


"Sure, I'll do that immediately. And may I ask, what are your plans for today? I'm only asking, so I can make arrangements." Chong Lin explained himself because Dong Hua doesn't like people probing into his business.


"Call for the driver. I am going to the beach."


"Beach....?" Chong Lin found it strange because Dong Hua usually only cared about work.


"Did you not hear me?" Dong Hua replied sternly, and he headed back to his room to get changed into casual clothing.


"I'm sorry, Sir. I'll make arrangements now."


Then Chong Lin called for the driver to come over immediately.


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Feng Jiu was very excited to go to the beach, she looked out the window and started singing softly to herself. It was indeed a beautiful day to go to the beach.


"What snacks did you prepare, Feng Jiu?" Xiao Yan asked curiously.


"I brought a lot of snacks, like Red Bean and Mung Bean Mochi, Dried Ginger slices, and a few more. You can take a look in the bag if you want to."


"Why is it mostly snacks that I dislike? I like Plum Cakes and Licorice." Xiao Yan pouted, and he looked sad.


"Sorry, Xiao Yan, I didn't know that. But now that I know your preference, I'll prepare those snacks for you in the future!"


"Aww, thank you! You're such a good friend, Feng Jiu." Xiao Yan seemed to have cheered up a little.


Then they continued talking and laughing until they reached their destination.


"I can't wait to have so much fun at the beach! Life's been treating me well recently."

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