It was the start of a new week, and Feng Jiu happily walked into her office. Then she noticed Si Ming smiling happily to himself.

"Si Ming! You're early today, and you seem happy as well. Did something good happen?" She winked at him. Si Ming then smiled brightly and replied, "Actually, I have some good news to update you. Yu Xi agreed to be my girlfriend on Saturday night after you guys left."

"What?! Tell me all about it, and I need details! I'm so happy for you, Si Ming. To be honest with you, Yu Xi did tell us about her feelings for you. She's a good girl, so you have to promise me that you won't hurt her!" She replied excitedly, and she told Si Ming to sit down on the chair beside her.

"Thank you, Feng Jiu. I promise that I won't ever hurt her, and I'll treasure her for sure. So... She actually confessed to me first. I was hesitant at first because I felt like I wasn't good enough. But she convinced me to give it a try, and I'm so glad that I did. I will work even harder to provide for her and make sure she won't ever have to suffer."

"That's good, Si Ming. I'm so glad that you guys are working it out. By the way, I'm not sure if you know about it, but I plan to accompany Yu Xi to meet her fiance to convince him to call off the engagement." Feng Jiu then patted Si Ming's shoulder as a form of encouragement.

Si Ming smiled sweetly to Feng Jiu and replied, "Oh! Yes, she told me about it. She also told me to inform you that she had already arranged a meeting with her fiance this coming Sunday as according to what you girls have planned. I'll be driving you girls there, and I'll wait nearby. In case her dad found her, we could make a quick escape too. Thank you so much for helping us out."

Feng Jiu then smiled back. "That's what friends are for! I'm free this Sunday, so just text me the plan details later on."

At this moment, Jie Lu and Xiao Yan walked into the office. It was a miracle to see them not bickering with each other.

"Good morning!" Jie Lu said cheerfully. Xiao Yan also smiled brightly and said, "Good morning, everyone!" Then Jie Lu went to the pantry to make herself some coffee before starting work.

Feng Jiu then asked Xiao Yan, "Is there something going on between you both? It's weird that both of you just walked in together, and you're not bickering with her."

Xiao Yan then rubbed the back of his head and replied, "I don't know. I mean, last Friday we had a lot of fun together at the pub. I sent her home, and we just talked and realized that we have many things in common. I also realized that she's actually adorable, and her boorish ways are starting to look cute to me. And when I started being nice to her, she also started being nice to me too."

Feng Jiu then smiled at Xiao Yan and replied, "Maybe you're starting to fall in love with her?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't want to rush it first. I mean, I think I still have some feelings for Ji Heng, so we shall see how it goes. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying my friendship with Jie Lu. I'm conflicted... But I promise that I won't hurt Jie Lu too."

Feng Jiu then patted his back and replied, "Don't worry, Xiao Yan. It's good that you're not rushing it, but you need to learn how to sort out your feelings and also to follow your heart."

Xiao Yan then smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Feng Jiu. You're the best at giving me advice. But I would also advise you to move on from Ice Face, as he likes Ji Heng. I'm just saying this because I care for you as a friend."

"Don't worry, I know that. Right now, we are just friends, and I'm happy being this way. I'll move on eventually."

Then everyone else started coming into the office, and they went back to their individual's desk to begin working.

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Lian Song then came into the office looking for Si Ming. He popped by Feng Jiu's desk before heading into Si Ming's office.

"Hey, Feng Jiu! How did your weekend go? Dong Hua isn't in the office for a week, so you get freedom, huh?"

"I still get freedom when he's around! Just that I have to make him coffee, but it's fine. Oh, I just did some spring cleaning on Sunday, nothing much actually. How about you?"

"Oh, I actually have some good news to share." Feng Jiu then thought to herself, "Another good news? First Si Ming, then Xiao Yan and now it's Lian Song. I guess it's a good start to the week." Then she replied, "Oh? What is it? Tell me!"

"Well... Cheng Yu said that she would give me a chance to prove myself to her. Just as friends first, though! I had waited years for this day to arrive! This time, I promise that I won't break her heart anymore. I'll prove it to her that my feelings for her are real."

Feng Jiu immediately smiled and replied excitedly, "Really?! I'm so happy for you! Yu Xi and Si Ming also started dating. I guess it's good news for the both of you!"

Lian Song then replied, "What?! Si Ming has a girlfriend?! I need to go tease him about it later. Well, I think you deserve the most happiness, Feng Jiu. Hopefully, you'll be able to be with Dong Hua someday." Then he sighed.

"It's okay, Lian Song! I'm almost fully over him. We are friends now, and I'm happy this way."

"But... Have you thought that maybe he also has feelings for you?" Lian Song asked, and Feng Jiu thought to herself, "Si Ming also said this to me. But maybe they just wanted to console me." Then she replied, "Well, I don't think so. He would have said something to me if he did have feelings for me. Anyway, I don't want to talk about this."

Lian Song then frowned and replied, "Alright then, I won't say anymore. I'll go find Si Ming now! This week would be hectic for me too, but the project would end soon anyway."

"Alright, I'll see you around soon!" Feng Jiu then nudged him to go, and then she continued to do her work.

She started to think about what Lian Song said, "Hmm... Could he really have feelings for me? Maybe it's just friendship, as he doesn't have any friends before. I guess I'll just observe and see how it goes. Oh ya! I totally forgot about it. I still need to write a private settlement agreement form so that I can get Dong Hua to sign it."

Feng Jiu then quickly typed it out before sending it to Dong Hua's work email.

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Lunch-time arrived. Feng Jiu headed down to the cafeteria alone because the rest were still busy with work, and she was famished.

"I wonder if Dong Hua remembered about my free meal?" She thought to herself while queueing up. At this moment, Chong Lin came walking up to her.

"Hi, Feng Jiu. Our President had informed me about your free meals. From now on, you don't have to queue up too. You can just tell me which lunch set you want, and I'll get them to prepare it."

Everyone in the line then turned to look at Feng Jiu, and they started to gossip among themselves. "Who is she? Why is the President getting her free meals?" Luckily, they weren't many people in the queue.

Ji Heng, who was standing in the front of the line overheard it, and she thought to himself, "Dong Hua actually gave her special permission? Are they dating now?" Then she turned around and glared at Feng Jiu.

Feng Jiu saw Ji Heng, and she immediately dragged Chong Lin away because she didn't want her to hear their conversation.

"Tell Dong Hua not to give me special permission as it would cause others to misunderstand. I mean, I still want the free meals, but I could queue up by myself." She said to Chong Lin.

Chong Lin then replied politely, "Please don't put me in a spot... It's President's orders, and I am just following it. Maybe you can talk to him yourself?"

"Alright, Chong Lin. I understand your situation. Thank you for helping me. I would like Lunch Set A today, would you mind helping me get that? I'll eat in my office today as well." Feng Jiu didn't want to stay at the cafeteria because it was awkward for her. After all, she knew people would be gossiping about it.

"Sure. I'll inform them now." Chong Lin then left and went to the front of the line and ordered food. After 5 minutes, he came walking back to pass Feng Jiu her lunch. Then they both went back to their offices.

Feng Jiu sat down at her desk and started eating. It seemed like they added extra food for her because she was feeling extremely full after eating it. Then she stretched herself and laid back on her chair.

She then took out her phone, and she saw that Dong Hua messaged her. "I kept my promise to give you free food."

Feng Jiu immediately replied, "I know, I just finished eating. It was really nice! Thanks. Oh, by the way, I would like you to remove the special permission of me not having to queue up. What would people think of us if they found out about it?"

On the other side, Dong Hua was in the middle of a meeting, and he was holding on to his phone, waiting for Feng Jiu's message. The moment his phone vibrated, he sat up straight and started reading her message. He smiled at his phone then he dismissed everyone from the meeting. "Everyone can go back to work now. Report to me the final details by email." He said to all the managers.

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Dong Hua then called Feng Jiu.

Feng Jiu: Hello? Why are you calling me now? Don't you have to work?

Dong Hua: It's because of your text message. So what if people find out? I don't care about what people think. I'll get someone to send the meal to your office then. If you want to eat anything that's not on the menu, just let Chong Lin know, and he can arrange it.

Feng Jiu: No, no. It's too troublesome. I don't want people to spread false rumours.

Dong Hua: My decision is final. And what you mean by false rumours? It's the truth that I'm giving you free meals. Let them gossip if they want to, I don't mind it.

Feng Jiu: But I mind it!

Dong Hua: ........

Feng Jiu: Hello? Are you still there?

Dong Hua: Yes, I'm still here. Why are you afraid of others knowing about our relationship? I mean friendship.

Feng Jiu: Well... I mean, you're the President, and I'm just a nobody in the office. It's just weird, I guess?

Dong Hua: Weird? I don't think so. I don't think we should hide our friendship. Unless you're ashamed to be my friend, or you don't truly treat me as your friend?

Feng Jiu: No, no! Don't get me wrong! I'm sorry I made you feel this way. Fine, I'll stop avoiding it, but if rumours spread, you can't blame me for that!

Dong Hua: Of course. I'm not someone who cares about what others think anyway. I only care about what you think about it.

Feng Jiu: Huh? Oh! You mean that you're afraid that those rumours would hurt me, right? Don't worry; I won't care about those rumours then. We have nothing to hide anyway, and there's nothing shameful about being friends with each other.

Dong Hua: Glad to hear that. So what are you doing now? Not slacking at work, right?

Feng Jiu: I'm not! I'm on lunch break, and you were the one who called me, so it should be you slacking at work! Wait, did you eat yet?!

Dong Hua: Not yet, I'm not hungry.

Feng Jiu: Hey! You broke your promise! You said that you'd send me a picture of your meal whenever you're eating and that you'll eat your meals.

Dong Hua: Fine, fine. I'll go grab something to eat later on. I'm busy here.

Feng Jiu: Oh? Busy? Then you should get going then. I'll hang up and not disturb your work.

Dong Hua: That's not what I meant... I mean, I'm busy with talking with y... Never mind.

Feng Jiu: Hmm...? Oh, before I forget, I sent you an email regarding the private settlement agreement form, so go check it!

Dong Hua: You really did it, huh?

Feng Jiu: Of course! Do you think I'll go back on my words? I always keep my promises, like how I'm going to cook for you this Saturday. You're going to love it for sure, and then you'll want me to cook for you again next time!

Dong Hua: Oh? Good idea, next time you'll cook for me again.

Feng Jiu: Wait... That's not what I meant! You're always extorting from me!

Dong Hua: Learning from the best. At least in that way, you'll know that I'm eating.

Feng Jiu: Hmph! You're playing cheat again. I won't fall into your trap this time!

Dong Hua: Oh? You're becoming smarter now, huh? How about we meet in the middle? You accompany me to eat lunch, and I'll make sure to eat all my meals.

Feng Jiu: Hmm... But what If I want to eat with my friends?

Dong Hua: Don't worry, I won't always be in the office anyway. I'll get slightly busier in a few weeks as we will be working alongside West Sea Group to host a major event. Not sure how it's going to be like for now, but we will know soon.

Feng Jiu: Oh... I guess that would work. Ah, I know why you want me to eat lunch with you. It's because you felt lonely when you're eating alone, right?! It's okay; I'll accompany you for lunch sometimes then. I promised you that you wouldn't have to eat alone, back at the BBQ skewer place so I'll keep my promise. But I still want to eat with my friends sometimes.

Dong Hua: Yeah, you know me so well. Okay, it's a promise then, and you can't break it now.

Feng Jiu: I won't! It's a promise. Okay, go get some food now and remember to send me a picture of it.

Dong Hua: I will.

Then they hung up the phone.

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Lian Song and Si Ming came back to the office after their lunch. They noticed Feng Jiu was on the phone with someone, but they only heard the last two lines of their conversation.

"It's a promise? Send me a picture?" Lian Song raised his eyebrows at Si Ming.

"I wonder who is she talking to? Could it be Dong Hua?" Si Ming replied.

"Hmm... But Dong Hua strictly talks about work and nothing else. Every time I text or call him, he would ignore me for days unless it's work-related."

Lian Song then suggested for them to visit the 'tea plantation' to 'grow a tea plant,' and then 'harvest' it for their tea session in the future.

Both of them then walked over to Feng Jiu's desk. They saw that she was smiling at her phone, and then they silently sneaked up behind her. What they saw next, startled them. They saw that she was messaging Dong Hua.

They widened their eyes and looked at each other. "Plan E?"

Then they went into the pantry to discuss their plan E.

"Guess we don't even need to grow a tea plant now, and it would be ready for harvest anytime. I initially thought that we could plant some ideas in her mind and get them to be closer, but it seems like they are progressing way faster than we expected." Lian Song said sarcastically.

"So what's Plan E?" Si Ming asked curiously.

"Plan E-vidence. Previously, we tried dropping hints to let her know about Dong Hua's feelings. So now, we would need to gather some evidence and try to prove that Dong Hua has feelings towards her."

"Yeah, I even blatantly told her about his feelings, but she wouldn't believe it too. I mean, we also don't know for sure if he likes her, so it's also a good idea to gather some evidence first."

"Okay. So I was telling you that Dong Hua hates talking about personal stuff, right? And did you even see the picture of the food that he sent her?! Dong Hua would never do that!"

"Yeah, I saw it. He's definitely acting weird these days. So what should we do?"

"Yeah! So we will pretend to have a conversation in front of her about Dong Hua not having the habit to text message and see her reaction. Then we will act as accordingly, like how we always do."

"Great plan. Let's start attacking now." Then they both left the pantry and went back to Feng Jiu's desk

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"Hey, Feng Jiu! How was lunch?" Lian Song asked cheerfully.

"Oh, it was good! It's even better because it's free." Feng Jiu smiled brightly

"Free? Was it because the chef took an interest in you and gave you free food?" Lian Song winked.

"You're talking nonsense again! It's nothing like that. Dong Hua bought it for me. It was due to him owing me a favor, and I get to have free meals from now on!" Feng Jiu had a big grin on her face.

"Owe you a favor? How did this happen?" Si Ming asked. Feng Jiu then smiled and replied, "Oh. It's a secret between us, so I can't tell."

The gossip duo then looked at each other, "Secret?"

Then Lian Song said, "Oh, you don't have to tell us if it's a secret then. We are both not the gossip type anyway."

Si Ming then nodded his head and replied, "Yeah, we are definitely not those type of people. You really don't have to tell us about it."

Then the gossip duo looked at each other again and thought to themselves, "This is not called gossip. This is called 'Good things are meant to be shared.'"

Feng Jiu then rolled her eyes and thought to herself, "Yeah, right. They are the biggest gossipers around here. I think they gossip more than girls do."

Then she replied calmly, "Why are you guys so free now? Slacking off when Dong Hua isn't around, right? I'll snitch on you both to him!"

"Oh? Both of you are already so close until you reached this stage? And please, spare our lives. I heard he asked Chong Lin to send 'Sweet and Sour Fish' to Cang Yi before he left for his business trip." Lian Song then shook his head and added on, "Poor guy, I wonder how he's doing now..."

"We will know tomorrow then. Me and Feng Jiu will be heading to Zhi Yue Art Gallery for some final touch-ups tomorrow." Si Ming replied.

Feng Jiu then replied, "Oh gosh. I hope he's okay. I wonder why Dong Hua sent the fish to him? Does he not know that his fish is horrible?"

Lian Song and Si Ming immediately exclaimed, "Oh! He definitely knows."

"Oh? He does? I wonder what Cang Yi did to offend him then." Feng Jiu then chuckled at that thought. The gossip duo then laughed out loud and looked at each other while thinking, "Of course it's because of Feng Jiu."

Lian Song then asked again, "So you didn't answer my question. How close are you both now? I'm only asking because I care for you as a friend, and not for other reasons."

Feng Jiu snickered and thought to herself, "Very funny, Lian Song. I know what you're up to." Then she replied, "Not close at all. Just like how you and Dong Hua are friends, we are the same as well."

Lian Song then raised his eyebrows at Si Ming and hinting him, "Launch Plan E and attack!"

Si Ming immediately replied, "Oh, talking about this. I just remembered that I need to text Dong Hua regarding some work-related stuff." Then he took out his phone and texted Dong Hua, "I just send the final layout for the floor plans to your email. Let me know if you received it."

Then they both stared at Feng Jiu when her phone vibrated. Lian Song used his side-eyes to signal Si Ming to peek at her phone. Si Ming then pretended to stand up and stretch. Then he slowly bent his back and tried to peek at her phone screen while Lian Song attempted to distract her.

"So, both of you will be heading over to the Art Gallery tomorrow after lunch-time? I have a meeting so I won't be able to make it." Lian Song changed the topic, and Feng Jiu didn't notice Si Ming peeking at her screen.

Si Ming then gave a thumbs up to Lian Song behind Feng Jiu's back. He also held up four fingers then three fingers to signal him that it was 'Dong Hua.'

Si Ming then sat back down and looked at his phone. "Oh. Dong Hua isn't replying to my messages at all. He always takes a long time to reply, sometimes never." He said casually.

Lian Song then added on, "I know right. But he usually only replies to work-related stuff. If it's about personal stuff, he would never ever reply."

Feng Jiu looked a little confused, and the gossip instantly knew that their plan E is working. Then she silently thought to herself, "Really? But he's replying to my messages really fast. Maybe he's just afraid of me. Of course he is! I'm so fierce, but he deserves it too for always skipping his meals." Then she smiled to herself.

Lian Song then launched another attack on her. "Oh, if he replies to someone quickly, it means that he really likes the person a lot."

Feng Jiu then thought to herself, "That's nice. It shows that Dong Hua is already opening up his heart and accepting me as a true friend."

Si Ming then added on, "Yeah. Like what people always say, 'Actions speak louder than words." Then he raised his eyebrows at Lian Song.

Feng Jiu then asked curiously, "Does Dong Hua really not reply to text messages?"

The gossip immediately looked at each other and smirked, "The fish took the bait." Then Lian Song pretended to look calm, and he replied, "Yeah, he's not the type to text. He would either call you or just takes hours to reply. Why are you asking? Did he not reply to your messages too?" Lian Song was also trying to 'harvest' some tea leaves for their tea break session, so he tried to trick her into answering their questions.

"Oh, I'm just curious. But he replies to my text messages really quickly, though." Feng Jiu still didn't catch on to what they were trying to do.

Si Ming then replied, "Is it work-related? He usually replies quite fast if it's work-related. Weird, why is he not replying to me? Maybe something happened to him on his business trip? Could he be attacked again?!" Si Ming was trying to make her panic so that she would forget about everything and blurt out the truth.

"It can't be! He just replied to my message. See!" Feng Jiu immediately showed them the messages.

Lian Song and Si Ming then pretended to look calm, and then Si Ming said, "Oh, glad that he's okay. Alright, we need to get back to work now."

Lian Song then replied, "Si Ming, I need to go to your office now. We have something important to discuss, right?"

"Oh yeah, we do have something important to discuss. Okay, let's go." Then they both of them smirked and went into Si Ming's office.

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Feng Jiu then texted Dong Hua back.

Feng Jiu: Is it true that you don't like to use text messaging?

Dong Hua: I just get busy sometimes, so I can't text much. Why?

Feng Jiu: Nothing, I just heard from people that you're not good at texting, so I'm just wondering if it was a hassle for you to send me pictures of your meals every day.

Dong Hua: Who said that?

Feng Jiu: Oh, just Si Ming and Lian Song. If I'm disturbing you from your work, just let me know. I just wanted to make sure that you're eating your meals, that's all.

Dong Hua: Oh, I see. No worries, I'm actually free now so I can reply to your text messages. So have you thought of what to cook on Saturday evening?

Feng Jiu: Hmm... Not too sure, is there anything special that you would like to eat?

Dong Hua: I'll eat anything that you make. Because you said that you're a good cook. Right?

Feng Jiu: Of course! You're in for a feast. So what time can I go over to your place?

Dong Hua: Can't wait. As early as possible, cause I would be hungry. Just let me know, and I'll get Chong Lin to arrange for the driver to pick you up.

Feng Jiu: I need to go to the seafood market first before heading over too. I am going to buy so much until you become bankrupt! Haha! Too bad, you already made your promise, and you can't go back on it now.

Dong Hua: Okay, so do you need me to come along with you?

Feng Jiu: Huh?! You?! The almighty Dong Hua going to a dirty and wet seafood market? I think it's fine, and you can just wait for me at home. I'll just get the driver to help me out with it.

Dong Hua: Oh? So you think I won't be able to handle it? I'm coming along.

Feng Jiu: What?! You don't have to do so! I can handle it on my own.

Dong Hua: Did you forget that I was supposed to be your 'servant' for that day? I'll help you carry the bags of groceries then.

Feng Jiu: Hmm... Are you sure about that? Don't force yourself if it's too much.

Dong Hua: See you on Saturday afternoon. My decision is final. I'm coming along.

Feng Jiu: Yes, boss. Still as demanding as ever!

Dong Hua: Demanding? Fine. Now I demand you to send me a picture of yourself to me. I'm only asking because I need to make sure that you're in the office and not slacking at the cafeteria. You have 1 minute to send it, so you can't cheat.

Feng Jiu immediately took a selfie with her tongue sticking out, and the background showed her laptop. Then she quickly sends it to Dong Hua to prove to him that she wasn't slacking off.

Feng Jiu: *Send picture* See! I'm in the office now. Okay, lunch-time is over. I need to go back to work before you start deducting my salary.

Dong Hua: Good. I'll check up on you from time to time so that I'll be able to catch you off guard.

Feng Jiu: I won't slack! Okay, goodbye. Stop replying so I can focus on my work.

Dong Hua then looked at her photo and smiled to himself. "She's so silly. Always trying to 'win' me but ends up losing anyway. The best part is that she doesn't even realize it, and this is why she has my heart."

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Dong Hua replied to Si Ming's text message. "I just received your email. I also received another piece of interesting news from someone."

Then he sends a picture of his infamous 'Sweet and Sour Fish' to him. He took that photo after he finished making one for Cang Yi. Because Feng Jiu said that his photo album was boring, he decided to make a special photo album on his phone, and named it 'Heavenly Master Chef.' Every time he makes his infamous dish, he would take a photo of it and add it to his collection.

*Buzz Buzz* Si Ming's phone vibrated.

He immediately threw up his phone in the air upon seeing Dong Hua's messages, but Lian Song caught it in time.

"What in the world could startle you like that?" Lian Song chuckled. Si Ming then dramatically sat back down on his chair, and he had a blank look on his face. "It's the... Fish of Death... It's the end of me, Lian Song. It was nice knowing you, but don't forget me after I die."

Lian Song then quickly looked at Si Ming's phone, and he saw the picture of the fish.

Right at this moment, Dong Hua sends another message to Si Ming's phone. "One plate for you, and one plate for Lian Song."

Lian Song immediately threw the phone up into the air, and this time, Si Ming caught it before it fell onto the floor. Then he looked down on the screen and saw Dong Hua's latest message.

Both of them then stared at each other with a blank face. Then that blank face slowly evolved into a look of hopelessness. The gossip duo then fell on to their knees and started praying. "All the gods in Heaven, please save us. We will repent and be vegetarian for a week straight."

"RIP Gossip Duo 2020"