But Qiu Yihe was the first to look away.
She carried the plates over to them as if nothing had happened.
Up close, Qiu Yihe smiled faintly and said softly, "Good evening, I'll start by serving some appetizers: wasabi octopus and seaweed salad..."
As soon as she finished speaking, she gracefully set the small dishes from the tray in front of the three.
"Good evening, appetizers for the three of you."
Throughout the entire process, Qiu Yihe behaved with perfect professionalism.
It was obvious she was pretending not to know Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng glanced at the name tag on her chest.
Lin Wan??
No wonder the Qiu Yihe who'd been yelling about slapping him last night was now so cold.
She was on a mission, wasn't she??
He'd known ever since she arrived in Chengdu that she had work to do, but he hadn't expected her assignment would be posing as a Waitress.
Seeing Jiang Cheng say nothing to her, Qiu Yihe felt a huge weight lift off her heart.
She exhaled in relief.
Bai Xiaoxiao and Yuan Jing, who had been bickering moments earlier, suddenly noticed Jiang Cheng staring unblinkingly at Qiu Yihe and fell silent in unison.
At that instant, the exact same thought flashed through their minds: This Waitress is way too pretty.
Bai Xiaoxiao was already upset that Yuan Jing had crashed their date.
Now, seeing Jiang Cheng eyeing another Girl, she felt a sour pang in her chest.
She gently kneed his calf and cooed, "Onii-chan, I don't want fatty tuna; I want salmon～"
The moment Bai Xiaoxiao spoke, Qiu Yihe's serving hand jerked as if shocked.
For no reason, her chest felt tight.
Noticing her reaction, Jiang Cheng couldn't help curling his lips into a smile.
He deliberately slipped an arm around Bai Xiaoxiao's shoulder.
In the most rakish tone he could muster, he said, "Order whatever you like—don't be shy, pick the priciest!"
Yuan Jing bit her lip in jealousy and immediately chimed in, "Big bro, didn't you say you'd order the dish I like? Changing your mind now?"
"I never said I wouldn't—order it, order everything!"
By now one of Jiang Cheng's arms was locked around Bai Xiaoxiao's shoulder.
Though his other hand wasn't around Yuan Jing, her chest was pressed tightly against that arm.
Qiu Yihe, who'd thought she could keep her composure, finally shot him a fierce glare while setting down a plate.
If she hadn't been on duty, she would have spat straight at him.
Hmph—calling to flirt in the middle of the night, now cuddling two Girls at once.
scumbag!
After steadying her expression, Qiu Yihe said, "Appetizers are served—please enjoy."
Without daring another glance at Jiang Cheng, she turned and left the private room.
After that round of rivalry, neither Girl's attention was on Qiu Yihe anymore.
Bai Xiaoxiao secretly gloated that Jiang Cheng's favor tilted toward her.
Yuan Jing, on the other hand, was disappointed he hadn't initiated any physical contact with her.
Though he'd done nothing to fend off her chest assault the whole way,
he had now actively wrapped an arm around Bai Xiaoxiao's shoulder.
While the three plotted their own schemes, Jiang Cheng suddenly stood and tapped the table.
"I'm off to the restroom," he said.
Both Girls nodded obediently as he stepped out.
The moment the door shut, the atmosphere inside turned hostile.
Bai Xiaoxiao spun toward Yuan Jing, eyes blazing.
Without a word, she twisted Jiang Cheng's LV jacket in her grip.
Facing her glare, Yuan Jing showed no fear or guilt.
She stared back, equally cold.
Bai Xiaoxiao finally lost her temper.
"You did this on purpose, right?" she accused.
"Last night you urged me to bring him here, and now you show up dressed like this to steal him!"
Yuan Jing unhurriedly lifted a cup of buckwheat tea and sipped.
Her red camisole shimmered faintly under the light.
Lips curving in a half-smile, she said, "Exactly. You think I don't know Big God of the Sea? We're all Streamers—who hasn't heard of him?"
Bai Xiaoxiao gaped, feeling she no longer knew this woman.
She'd once considered Yuan Jing her best friend.
Now it seemed that had been wishful thinking.
"I treated you as a friend, and you—"
Yuan Jing's face flickered with unease, but she quickly recovered.
A contemptuous smile appeared. "Come on, Xiaoxiao, what real friendship exists between Female Streamers?"
She leaned in abruptly,
their faces inches apart, crimson eyeshadow fanning out at the corners of her eyes.
"I'm officially informing you: I'm going to fight you for Big God of the Sea," she declared, voice firm.
Bai Xiaoxiao hadn't expected such bluntness; betrayal crashed over her, leaving her trembling.
She snatched the box of wet wipes and hurled it at Yuan Jing.
"You swore you wouldn't compete—now you're playing the innocent vixen!" she screamed.
Yuan Jing easily sidestepped the box and gave a soft laugh.
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
With crimson nails, she tapped her phone screen as though Bai Xiaoxiao's rage were irrelevant.
"I said it and you believed me—how dumb," she sneered.
The sight of Yuan Jing's calm arrogance ignited Bai Xiaoxiao's fury again.
She couldn't believe anyone could be so shameless.
She jumped up, glaring, and shouted,
"How can anyone be this shameless? You used my friendship and don't even feel guilty!"
"You think Big God of the Sea would want you? You haven't met Sister Qiao—compared with her, you're nothing!"
That sentence struck Yuan Jing where it hurt; her face twisted in an instant.
Her composure cracked, the corner of her mouth twitching.
Yet Yuan Jing refused to back down, forcing herself to stay calm.
'Don't lecture me—what about you?' she shot back. 'Think a frilly Lolita dress will hook a man? A Second-generation rich like Jiang Cheng only chases thrills. With those stubby little potato legs of yours, there's no way he'd ever notice you.'
Bai Xiaoxiao almost jumped in fury.
'So I'm not as tall—so what?' she retorted at once.
She cupped her breasts and gave them a deliberate jiggle.
Eyes taunting, she stared at Yuan Jing. 'Men care about feel, got it? And you—oh, right, yours are padded. You're just a plastic-surgery freak.'
The words stabbed like a blade straight into Yuan Jing's heart.
Bai Xiaoxiao had struck the one thing she cared about most.
In a flash Yuan Jing's face flushed scarlet, rage igniting inside her.
She glowered, fists trembling with anger.
At last she lost control, grabbing her teacup.
Without hesitation she poured the tea over Bai Xiaoxiao's head.
'Ahh!' Bai Xiaoxiao shrieked as the scalding tea drenched her.
Her hair was soaked in seconds, a dripping mess.
The instant she recovered, Bai Xiaoxiao seized her own cup and flung the tea straight at Yuan Jing.
Jiang Cheng had just stepped out of the private room.
He spotted Wang Sheng waiting a short distance away.
The moment Wang Sheng saw Jiang Cheng he hurried over.
'Anything to report?' Jiang Cheng asked.
Wang Sheng nodded quickly and lowered his voice. 'Young master, I saw Miss Qiu go in a moment ago.'
Jiang Cheng's eyes sharpened. 'Do you know where she is now?'
Wang Sheng nodded again. 'Our people saw her heading toward the restrooms.'
'Judging by her outfit, Miss Qiu must be on a mission,' Wang Sheng continued. 'I thought I should inform you first, in case we need to assist or watch for anything.'
'We can't interfere in this—don't disturb her. I'm going to the men's room.'
Wang Sheng nodded hurriedly in agreement.
But when he heard the last sentence he blurted, 'Ah?'
'I thought you said we shouldn't get involved?'
'We're not. I'm just taking a look; carry on as usual. I'm only going to the toilet to check for anything unusual.'
Wang Sheng seemed half to understand and half not.
He gave a vague nod.
'Oh…'
He followed Jiang Cheng toward the men's room, keeping a tactful distance.
At the doorway Jiang Cheng suddenly stopped.
His gaze landed on Qiu Yihe and another woman.
Qiu Yihe was leisurely washing her hands with the woman, apparently unaware of their arrival.
After drying her hands she stepped to the mirror, produced a lipstick from her bag, and began carefully re-applying it.
The middle-aged woman beside her smiled.
'Oh, Yihe, you're already so pretty—why bother with more make-up? You're our manager's favorite!'
As she spoke, the woman tapped the mirror and glanced at the name badge on Qiu Yihe's chest: Lin Wan.
Qiu Yihe noticed the subtle gesture but showed no reaction, continuing to touch up her lips.
When she finished, she sighed lightly. 'Don't say that—I'm nowhere near as polished as the others.'
'Their polish is all…' The woman caught herself mid-sentence, gave an awkward smile.
'All right, enough chatter—let's get back to work.'
As Qiu Yihe capped her lipstick and turned to leave, she glimpsed Jiang Cheng's reflection in the mirror.
In that instant her eyes flickered with unmistakable panic.
Jiang Cheng sensed her alarm at once.
He followed her gaze to the middle-aged woman beside her.
The woman wore a black business suit.
Her permed wool-curl hair looked old-fashioned.
Yet the ends were dyed purple, matching her purple nail polish—an oddly jarring detail.
She was slowly wiping the faucet handle with a wet tissue, as though deliberately stalling.
Hearing Jiang Cheng's footsteps, she finally turned, revealing her face.
A teardrop-shaped mole clung to the corner of her left eye, wrinkling like a dried purple grape as she smiled.
Her gaze slid first to the Patek Philippe on Jiang Cheng's wrist, then lazily traveled up his body.
Qiu Yihe reacted instantly.
Afraid Jiang Cheng might say something wrong, she struck first.
She spun round and glared at him coquettishly. 'Well, scumbag? With two women back in the room, why chase me here?'
Seeing her grit her teeth,
Jiang Cheng gave a helpless smile.
He could tell she was acting, yet the curse carried eighty percent sincerity.
He knew she wouldn't perform without reason,
and his Mind Perception Skill clearly felt her panic.
Evidently the appraising woman beside her spelled trouble.
'I'm just here for the toilet—overthinking again,' he cooperated.
Watching his casual grin, Qiu Yihe threw herself into the role, stepping up to thump his chest.
'Have you no conscience? When you took me home you said I was your only love. It's been days and you've already moved on—one isn't enough, you bring two. Can you even handle that many?'