Chapter 57: Big Plate Noodles p1
Before Ji Junxin could process Mi Hongdou’s “Then okay,” the doorbell interrupted them.
Some people, no matter when or where they appeared, were just unwelcome.
Mi Hongdou opened the door to find Lu Gaoshi, dragging two suitcases. After yesterday’s eavesdropping, Mi Hongdou disliked Lu Gaoshi even more and didn’t want to let her in. Hadn’t Qiao Rubai dealt with this problem after hearing what Lu Gaoshi said? And Ji Junxin… probably didn’t want to see her either. Mi Hongdou realized that her body was faithfully reflecting her thoughts, blocking the doorway without budging.
Normally, Lu Gaoshi would have spoken up, but not today. Mi Hongdou saw a flicker of guilt in her eyes.
Guilt? Mi Hongdou didn’t understand.
“Who is it?” Ji Junxin looked at the big plate chicken on the coffee table, then at Mi Hongdou blocking the doorway. They had already spent quite some time getting the takeout, any further delay, and the chicken would be cold! Who was so inconsiderate as to ring the doorbell at this time!
Ji Junxin’s voice reminded Mi Hongdou that Lu Gaoshi was, after all, Ji Junxin’s manager. Blocking her like this wasn’t appropriate. “It’s Sister Lu…” Mi Hongdou reluctantly said and moved aside slightly, creating a narrow passage.
Why was she here? Qiao Rubai had just texted her at noon, saying that she had… fired her. Ji Junxin was momentarily stunned, then saw Lu Gaoshi squeeze through the narrow opening. When she saw the two familiar suitcases, she understood. Right, those were her things, she must be here to return them.
Why not give them to Shen Zhu or someone else? Wouldn’t she feel awkward coming herself? Ji Junxin’s feelings were complicated. She wasn’t sure what she thought of Lu Gaoshi anymore. But she was certain that she wouldn’t trust her again and didn’t want to interact with her anymore. Thinking this, as soon as Lu Gaoshi entered, Ji Junxin quickly looked away, her gaze fixed on the big plate chicken.
The hotel room wasn’t large. Soon, the footsteps and the sound of rolling suitcases stopped.
Ji Junxin, her eyes lowered, silently prayed that Lu Gaoshi would leave after dropping off the suitcases.
“Junxin.” Lu Gaoshi’s voice came from nearby.
No, she didn’t want to hear anything. Explanations… apologies… sentimentality… she didn’t want to hear any of it. Ji Junxin didn’t look at Lu Gaoshi, maintaining her still, unresponsive posture.
It was a silent rejection. Lu Gaoshi understood, but she continued, “The things I packed for you are all in these two suitcases. Should I unpack them for you, help you organize? You always have trouble finding things.”
Ji Junxin didn’t respond, not even moving.
If Mi Hongdou couldn’t see that something was wrong, she would be blind.
So, it seemed that Ji Junxin and Lu Gaoshi had a falling out? How annoying, she had to pretend she didn’t know anything and couldn’t help.
Wait, she could help.
“It’s okay, don’t trouble Sister Lu with unpacking. We’re eating, we’ll unpack together after we’re finished.” Mi Hongdou, without closing the door, walked over to Lu Gaoshi and, before she could react, dragged the two suitcases to the side.
Lu Gaoshi looked at Mi Hongdou intently. Her dismissive attitude was too obvious. Lu Gaoshi wasn’t sure if Ji Junxin had said something to her.
Mi Hongdou met her gaze, and after a few seconds, Lu Gaoshi looked away.
“Xiaomi, I need to talk to Junxin, can you… please go to the bedroom, no… just go somewhere else for a bit? Five minutes, just five minutes…” Lu Gaoshi’s tone was unprecedentedly gentle. Ji Junxin had been sitting motionless on the sofa, completely ignoring her. Lu Gaoshi couldn’t even talk to her privately. But it seemed that Ji Junxin wouldn’t leave the room with her. Now, Lu Gaoshi could only hope that Mi Hongdou would leave.
However, Mi Hongdou didn’t move either. Ji Junxin clearly didn’t want to talk to Lu Gaoshi, she wouldn’t be so foolish as to leave them alone.
Lu Gaoshi, feeling guilty, guessed that Ji Junxin must have said something to Mi Hongdou, otherwise, she wouldn’t be acting like this.
Having brought the luggage all the way here, it seemed like a wasted trip, Lu Gaoshi sighed inwardly. She could have just texted Ji Junxin. But perhaps she still had a sliver of hope that after a night, Ji Junxin’s anger would subside? Ji Junxin’s demeanor yesterday had been so cold and distant, so frightening. Perhaps she was just very angry, and anger stemmed from caring, right? Perhaps… perhaps she still cared and could still forgive her? Even if she didn’t forgive her, at least… not holding a grudge would be good.
Lu Gaoshi hoped that by coming here and seeing Ji Junxin face to face, without Qiao Rubai present, perhaps Ji Junxin would soften. Even if they couldn’t work together anymore, at least… she could let go of the past. But unfortunately, even without Qiao Rubai, there was still Mi Hongdou. Ji Junxin’s attitude hadn’t softened overnight, she seemed even more resolute, not even wanting to speak.
“I’ll leave the things here, I’ll be going now. I’ll… send you a message later, can you reply after you read it?” Lu Gaoshi wasn’t sure how much Mi Hongdou knew, but she didn’t want to say anything more in front of her, so she said this to Ji Junxin, her tone unusually pleading.
Ji Junxin didn’t move or respond, as if she and Lu Gaoshi were in two different dimensions.
Mi Hongdou walked to the door, held the doorknob, and looked at Lu Gaoshi, a clear gesture of “please leave.”
Lu Gaoshi slowly walked towards the door, glancing back at the sofa several times, but Ji Junxin remained motionless. Lu Gaoshi stood by the door, and Mi Hongdou didn’t rush her. Finally, Lu Gaoshi left.
After closing the door, the room was silent. Ji Junxin slowly looked up towards the door, meeting Mi Hongdou’s gaze. Ji Junxin quickly looked away…
Good, there were no tears in Ji Junxin’s eyes! Mi Hongdou breathed a sigh of relief.
“Aiya, aiya, the big plate chicken is getting cold! Let’s eat quickly!” Mi Hongdou’s sudden, loud voice broke the awkward silence. Her exaggerated movements, pretending to pounce on the chicken, made Ji Junxin laugh.
“It’s not cold yet.” Ji Junxin touched the bottom of the plate and said with a smile, “Look, the layer of oil on top keeps it warm.”
Finally, a smile. Lu Gaoshi was a troublemaker, just a short visit, and she had thought Ji Junxin was frozen in shock. Mi Hongdou complained inwardly, putting the chopsticks in Ji Junxin’s hand. “We still have to eat quickly, or the oil will cool down, and it won’t be good for mixing with the noodles.”
Right! Ji Junxin looked at the two servings of noodles they had ordered. This was the best part. She held the chopsticks. So, she could eat without taking off her bra? Ji Junxin’s mood improved. It seemed that Lu Gaoshi’s short visit had distracted Mi Hongdou, which wasn’t a bad thing.
Mi Hongdou had never had such a strange thought of withholding food until her bra was removed!
Ji Junxin, her mood restored, picked up a wide noodle, swirled it in the sauce, and lifted it out, coated in red oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds. She twirled the noodles around her chopsticks, took a bite, and… Spicy! Numbing! Fragrant! The rich sauce, made from chicken and vegetables, clung to the noodles, coated in chili oil. It was incredibly delicious.
The best part of big plate chicken was definitely the noodles! One bite, two bites, three bites… Ji Junxin couldn’t stop eating. Then, a piece of chicken fell into her bowl.
Ji Junxin looked up, her cheeks puffed out.
“Have some chicken, just noodles isn’t enough, you’ll be hungry later.” Mi Hongdou chuckled. It was the same in her previous life. Others would eat the chicken first, then mix the noodles with the remaining sauce. Ji Junxin always ate the noodles first, two or three servings, until almost all the sauce and chili oil were gone, before eating anything else. But after two or three servings of noodles, she wouldn’t have room for anything else. So, when they ate big plate chicken, Mi Hongdou would eat the chicken, and Ji Junxin would eat the noodles.
Well, just noodles might indeed leave her hungry later. Ji Junxin obediently ate the chicken. It was tender, flavorful, and even spicier than the noodles, but so good! The earlier unhappiness from meeting Lu Gaoshi seemed to be dispelled by the spicy food.
“The potatoes in this big plate chicken aren’t soft enough.” Mi Hongdou took a bite of potato. “They should have been braised longer.”
Ji Junxin swallowed the chicken: “But if they were braised longer, the chicken would be overcooked.”
“Then we can boil the potatoes first, then braise them with the chicken.” Mi Hongdou shared her experience.
Hmm, she didn’t quite understand, but it sounded reasonable. Ji Junxin gave her an admiring look and continued eating noodles.
Mi Hongdou silently added another piece of chicken to Ji Junxin’s bowl.
This dinner should have continued happily, with delicious big plate chicken, friendly feeding, and admiring gazes, until the end. However, Ji Junxin’s phone rang.
Even without looking, Mi Hongdou could tell it was a message notification. Thinking of Lu Gaoshi’s words before leaving, how annoying… she couldn’t even enjoy her meal in peace!
Mi Hongdou hoped Ji Junxin would read it after dinner. But as an uninvolved bystander, she had no reason to stop her. Everyone had a phone now, who could tell someone not to use their phone during dinner?
Ji Junxin didn’t immediately reach for her phone, but she slowed down and stopped taking more food. Mi Hongdou, watching, felt a sense of foreboding.
As expected, after finishing the noodles in her mouth, Ji Junxin reached for her phone.
[I’ve completed the resignation procedures at Qiong Yu this morning and handed over my work to President Qiao’s assistant. Your things are all in those two suitcases. Last night… I was out of my mind when I said those things, I’m truly sorry. I don’t expect your forgiveness, I just ask that you… please don’t tell anyone what you heard last night.] Sender: Lu Gaoshi.
Ji Junxin held her phone, her heart heavy. So, the main point of this message was to ask for secrecy. But she couldn’t tell anyone about this anyway. Just now, after Lu Gaoshi left, Ji Junxin had thought about how to answer if Mi Hongdou asked what had happened between them. It was a difficult question. She didn’t want to lie to Mi Hongdou, but telling the truth was embarrassing. Ji Junxin hoped that Mi Hongdou would continue to admire her and not see her… flaws. Fortunately, Mi Hongdou hadn’t asked anything.
[Okay.] Ji Junxin replied with one word, a promise, and an end.
Before she could put down her phone, another message arrived.
[Could you also please tell President Qiao not to tell anyone? I’m not demanding anything… it’s just that… I’m at this age, without any special skills, and I still need to make a living in this industry.] Sender: Lu Gaoshi.
Ji Junxin thought for a moment, then replied with another [Okay]. After all, Lu Gaoshi had taken care of her for several years. Whether her intentions were good or bad, whether her feelings were true or false, Lu Gaoshi had tried her best. Ji Junxin hadn’t intended to retaliate. What happened between them wasn’t even a grudge, just… there was no need to continue their relationship.
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