After Bai Tao placed the order, Chen Jing chatted briefly with Luo He and then seriously instructed the waiter to ensure that they were well taken care of before turning to leave the private room.
The moment she stepped out of the room, Chen Jing felt a rush of confusion. Who exactly was Luo He bringing with him this time? A wife? Out for a meal? The more she thought about it, the more baffled she became, unable to make sense of the situation.
The dishes quickly arrived at the table, and Luo He waved his hand, signaling for the waiter to leave. While having someone assist in cooking the food was convenient and pleasant, today, he wanted to enjoy a quiet meal with Bai Tao, without any distractions. The waiter, naturally, complied with the request, informing Luo He that they would be waiting outside and could assist with anything at any time.
Soon, the two of them began eating. Each had a small hotpot, with dishes neatly arranged on the rotating table. Bai Tao looked at the scene and couldn't help but feel like they were eating in one of those revolving hotpot places, where the food keeps spinning.
"How's the taste?" Luo He asked, noticing Bai Tao take a bite of the meat.
"Not bad, but when you're hungry, anything tastes good," Bai Tao replied casually, without looking up. Though this was her first time trying such high-end hotpot, she had no intention of appearing overly impressed in front of Luo He.
Luo He couldn't help but smile helplessly before picking up a piece of meat for himself. "Why were you so polite with Chen Jing?"
"Hmm?" Bai Tao looked up, puzzled. "I was polite with her?"
"Yeah, when you were talking to her, you were really courteous, very well-mannered," Luo He said. Since they'd entered, this question had been on his mind. He'd noticed that Bai Tao had acted especially polite towards Chen Jing.
"Hah…" Bai Tao gave a soft laugh. "When you meet someone for the first time and they greet you with a smile, you respond politely— isn't that just basic social etiquette?" She found Luo He's question hard to understand.
Luo He froze for a moment. When he thought about it, Bai Tao was right. Upon meeting someone for the first time with no ill will, of course, she wouldn't be rude. Realizing this, Luo He suddenly felt a bit awkward. So, she only treated him this way because of their relationship? How frustrating! However, he couldn't help but admit that Bai Tao was right—initial politeness was indeed basic etiquette. It seemed that he hadn't misjudged her. Not only was Bai Tao beautiful, but her manners were impeccable as well.
Unaware of Luo He's internal musings, Bai Tao paused for a moment before speaking again. "Am I kind of letting down the title of 'Miss Bai' that they gave me?"
"Hmm?"
"If I were really Miss Bai, facing someone like the restaurant manager, I'd probably be all high and mighty, too proud to even give them the time of day, don't you think? Got it, I've learned something today!" Bai Tao's words carried a playful tone.
"Who would do that?!" Luo He immediately picked up on the sarcastic undertone in Bai Tao's words. Although he wasn't one to act arrogantly like some spoiled heir, he knew Bai Tao was indirectly mocking the kind of entitled, bratty children of wealthy families. "Not all rich kids are spoiled brats, many of them are quite refined," he said, feeling the need to defend people like himself.
Bai Tao rolled her eyes, clearly unconvinced. She took another bite of food and said, "Then why did you ask such an absurd question?"
Luo He was taken aback, caught off guard by Bai Tao's sharp reply. He felt a wave of embarrassment. "Sorry, I misunderstood you."
Bai Tao stared at him in surprise, not expecting him to apologize for such a small thing.
"What's wrong?" Luo He asked, feeling uneasy under Bai Tao's gaze. There was no aggression in her eyes, only scrutiny, but Luo He couldn't help but feel a strange tension. He had always been calm in front of business tycoons, yet now, in front of Bai Tao, he felt off-balance. It was perplexing even to him.
"President Luo, let's call it a truce," Bai Tao said suddenly, her tone serious.
"Huh?"
Luo He was momentarily stunned. His instincts told him that there had to be a catch behind her words. "You just ordered ten plates of beef, eight thousand yuan worth of food, and now you want to call it a truce? Is that a little bit like cheating?" he joked, half-teasing.
"Hey, hey, hey, is this my fault? I'm getting this for your future in-laws. They wake up so early to make you breakfast, and I'm sending them ten plates of beef. Is that unreasonable? Actually, it's only seven plates." Bai Tao added the last bit as if to justify herself.
Luo He retorted, "If I'm going to send them something to show respect, I'll arrange it myself. No need for you to worry. I'll invite them to eat here another time."
"Oh, please! If you bring them here, what will they think? Will they believe you? Or will they think you're just wasting money?" Bai Tao countered.
Luo He paused, then realized what she meant. He had told her that his family was modest and couldn't afford such extravagant places, and if he were to bring Bai Tao's parents here, they would either think he'd lied about his situation or accuse him of being wasteful. Either way, it wouldn't look good.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]