After getting into the car, she finally spoke: "This dark nights sound is quite nice; it suits you well."
Fang Yuan's praise was sincere.
A supercar like this needed someone as handsome as Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng smiled at her words and looked at Fang Yuan. "You look great in that too. I almost thought you were Zhou Ying; you really look like her."
Hearing this again, Fang Yuan still couldn't remain calm.
She naturally knew they looked alike.
She was wearing professional attire when Jiang Cheng messaged her.
But after receiving the message, she couldn't help but change into these clothes.
Because besides her business clothes, she had only brought these.
These were clothes Zhou Ying had left in Chengdu and hadn't taken to Shanghai.
Their figures were similar, so she could wear Zhou Ying's clothes.
What made her heart race even more was that from the chat to getting in the car, Jiang Cheng hadn't called her "Auntie" once.
Realizing this, a faint blush suddenly spread across Fang Yuan's cheeks like spreading rouge, and even her earlobes felt slightly hot.
She hurriedly looked away and gave a dry cough, her voice carrying a trace of imperceptible panic: "What are we going to eat?"
Jiang Cheng asked with a smile while starting the car.
"There are many authentic local delicacies here in Beijing. How about I take you to try some? Or if there's something specific you want to eat, we can go there."
Fang Yuan turned her head to look at the shops on both sides of the Beijing roads.
"Let's just try some local food. No need to look for big restaurants; just some authentic roadside stalls will do. When I arrived last night, I went to a high-end restaurant with a client. After eating around, it wasn't much different from those places in Chengdu or Shanghai—nothing new."
Jiang Cheng laughed.
"Those big restaurants do lack a bit of 'life.' Last time I was in Beijing, a friend took me to a small local place. Their Luzhu Huoshao and stir-fried liver were very authentic and tasted great. I'll take you there."
The place Jiang Cheng mentioned was the one Jiang Churan had taken him to before.
That shop was quite far from the Beijing Dance Academy, and currently, Jiang Churan and Xu Yan were both practicing dance at school.
So there was no chance of an accidental encounter.
Before long, the car stopped at the entrance of an old hutong.
The two got out and walked inside for a few steps before seeing the small restaurant with red lanterns hanging.
Two small tables were set up at the entrance, already occupied by many diners, full of the hustle and bustle of life.
Finding an empty seat, Jiang Cheng familiarly ordered Luzhu Huoshao, stir-fried liver, and added two side dishes.
He turned to ask Fang Yuan: "Auntie, the chili oil here is very fragrant. Do you want some?"
"Yes," Fang Yuan responded with a smile.
The dishes were served quickly. The stir-fried liver had a rich color, and the Luzhu Huoshao was flavorful and well-portioned. A burst of fragrance wafted over as soon as they hit the table.
Fang Yuan took a spoonful of the stir-fried liver. The dense texture wrapped in fresh savory flavor was indeed more to her taste than the dishes at last night's restaurant.
She couldn't help but nod: "Although I'm not quite used to it, the taste is good."
Jiang Cheng also picked up his chopsticks with a smile.
"By the way, how is work at the company lately? Is everything going smoothly?"
Hearing this, Fang Yuan's expression couldn't help but become a bit complicated.
When work resumed at the beginning of the year, Jiang Cheng had her take over the finances for Jiangtai and Zhengde.
Managing the finances for both sides was indeed busy, but as long as everyone cooperated, it went smoothly.
However, recently, after Jiang Cheng assigned two management personnel to Jiangtai, her work had encountered some obstacles, both overt and covert.
Of course, the source of the obstacles wasn't the two managers Jiang Cheng had appointed.
Rather, it was some old employees who had been demoted, especially the vice president in charge of procurement, Zhao Dezhu.
Actually, after the arrival of the new General Manager, he had now become the deputy manager.
Zhao Dezhu would often use small excuses to stall Fang Yuan's work procedures.
But Fang Yuan didn't intend to tell Jiang Cheng about these trifles.
Last time at the resumption dinner, Jiang Cheng had boldly promoted her to financial director of Jiangtai. Although Jiang Cheng had proven her ability on the spot...
...there were still many rumors and gossip within the company.
So Fang Yuan felt it was better not to let Jiang Cheng stand up for her in this matter.
Fang Yuan lowered her eyelashes to hide her emotions, her voice softening slightly: "It's alright, I guess..."
How could Jiang Cheng not hear the hesitation in her voice?
But he could also see Fang Yuan's inner conflict.
As the saying goes, he was a "good man."
He could help Fang Yuan solve problems, but he wouldn't take the initiative to strike and solve them for her unless asked.
Since Fang Yuan didn't say anything, he didn't press further.
"If there's any trouble, let me know anytime..."
They chatted while eating.
Most of it revolved around Zhou Ying and the local customs of Beijing.
Just then, a hearty voice suddenly cut in from the side.
"Brother Cheng! Sister-in-law! What a coincidence, you're eating here too?"
That "Sister-in-law" immediately stunned Fang Yuan.
The spoon in her hand froze mid-air.
Her delicate eyes widened, her cheeks instantly turned as red as a ripe apple, and even her breathing became a bit erratic.
Hearing the voice, Jiang Cheng also looked up. After seeing who it was, he felt relieved.
Why relieved? Because the person was Shen An.
As a fellow "good man," Shen An was always very perceptive.
So even though he had met Jiang Churan a few times...
...when facing Qiu Yihe before and Fang Yuan now, he still smoothly and accurately called out "Sister-in-law."
"Shen An? What are you doing here?"
Shen An walked over quickly, holding two bottles of iced soda.
He first smiled at Jiang Cheng, then turned his gaze to Fang Yuan.
"I come here often too. The first time I met you was near here."
That's right; the first time he saw Shen An, he was also driving Xu Yan here for a meal.
Jiang Cheng glanced at him: "Are you alone?"
Shen An handed a bottle of soda to Fang Yuan: "Yeah, I just came to get some takeout. Sister-in-law, this is for you. This soda goes perfectly with the stewed liver; the taste is just right."
Being called "Sister-in-law" by Shen An again, Fang Yuan clearly didn't know how to respond.
She wanted to explain, but she saw that Jiang Cheng didn't seem to have any intention of explaining.
Jiang Cheng indeed had no intention of explaining.
Was he supposed to tell Shen An he was having dinner with his girlfriend's mother?
Fang Yuan was so well-maintained; setting aside whether Shen An would believe it...
...even if he did, there would inevitably be some teasing.
Jiang Cheng just smiled: "Brother, give me a break~"
Hearing this, Shen An immediately understood.
He assumed the beauty Jiang Cheng was with hadn't fully confirmed their relationship yet.
That's why Jiang Cheng said that.
After filling in the blanks in his head, he immediately spoke: "Hey, Brother Cheng, I've got a booth at Mr. Thirteen tonight. We haven't had a chance to properly thank you for the recent events."
Then he turned to Fang Yuan and recited his familiar lines: "Sister-in-law, you should come play too. Don't worry, Brother Cheng doesn't have the habit of ordering Atmosphere Group girls when he's out with us."
Hit by the word "Sister-in-law" once again, Fang Yuan's fingertips tightened slightly on the soda bottle.
She stole a quick glance at Jiang Cheng and saw a smile on his lips, with no intention of clarifying.
The heat in her cheeks rose even more.
She could only lower her head, pretending to fiddle with the soda can.
"Mr. Thirteen... what is that?"
Shen An raised an eyebrow and looked at Jiang Cheng in surprise.
He said teasingly: "Brother Cheng, Sister-in-law doesn't even know about Mr. Thirteen? Not bad."
Jiang Cheng knew Shen An was implying that Fang Yuan was innocent.
After giving Shen An a glare, Jiang Cheng replied: "She just came from Chengdu; she's not familiar with the local spots."
Shen An immediately let out an "Oh" of understanding and slapped his thigh, his tone becoming even more enthusiastic.
"Then you definitely have to go! It's the perfect chance for Sister-in-law to experience the excitement of Beijing. It's a very interesting bar with a great atmosphere. I guarantee you'll have a blast tonight!"