CHAPTER 235: CHAPTER 221: YOUNG MASTER QIAN ACTUALLY LIKES THEM YOUNG

Gu Qili finally took the general manager and his entourage to the "Potpot Xiang Noodle House" on the Coastal Highway, a roadside diner that couldn’t be more simple and rustic.

Then Mu Haotian and Qi Meihui’s group were stunned and stood dumbfounded at the entrance, looking at the small noodle house in front of them.

Compared to their shock, the general manager and Reynolds were quite excited, and the moment they entered the courtyard, they began exploring the vineyard.

"This is Pinot Noir," said Reynolds. "The soil in Aus City is not suitable for Pinot Noir, but this vineyard is full of life, and the taste of the grapes is surprisingly authentic."

The general manager nodded repeatedly: "Aus City has its grape growing experts too."

Meizi was cleaning up the leftover bowls from the last table when suddenly cars lined up outside in a long queue. She jumped in fright, thinking she had offended the mafia, until she saw Gu Qili smiling and waving at her.

She searched her brain and suddenly remembered who she was. Last time when she came to eat, they had a pleasant chat, and when she left, she had given her a bag of grapes.

Seeing Meizi standing there in a daze, Gu Qili quickly walked over and whispered something in her ear, causing Meizi’s face to become a bit stiff, her mouth almost too surprised to close.

General manager?!

She almost cried out loudly.

"Sister Meizi, go make the noodles quickly. There are so many people, it will keep you busy for half a day," Gu Qili quickly covered her mouth, smiling and winked at her.

"Alright, with this array..."

Meizi immediately went into the kitchen to prepare, while the group in the courtyard began touring around the small yard, which was quaint and full of charm, especially when caressed by the gentle sea breeze that filled their nostrils with the scent of grapes, intensifying the feeling of a return to simplicity.

Soon, the little noodle house was filled with the group. The general manager was particularly interested in some old photos on the wall, which nearly documented the history of the vineyard’s growth, including some black and white group photos, which he found quite fascinating.

Gu Qili helped in the kitchen while Meizi busied herself making noodles, muttering, "I’ve never had so many people in my shop, especially such important figures. I’m a bit nervous, what if they don’t like my noodles..."

"Don’t worry, I’ve tried your noodles, they’re awesome." Gu Qili slightly improved the soup to better match the taste preferences of the guests, scooped some into a spoon, and offered it to Meizi, "Sister Meizi, try this."

After tasting it, Meizi nodded: "Hmm, not bad."

"Then the noodles can be served."

Steaming hot noodles were served, accompanied by a small dish of pickles.

Mu Haotian was still holding back his frustration; he hadn’t expected Gu Qili to bring the general manager to such a humble noodle shop. If this caused any displeasure to the general manager, it would be more than they could afford.

"Delicious," the general manager, who was sitting by the window, suddenly exclaimed with a look of amazement on his face. He pointed at the dish of black pickles, asking, "What is this made of?"

Gu Qili hurriedly translated his words for Meizi, who was extremely nervous, unsure of what he had said until Gu Qili spoke, to which she replied, "It’s made with grape skins."

"Grape skins?" The general manager shook his head in astonishment, "Grape skins can also be used as a dish, and it doesn’t taste bitter at all. Your culinary culture is truly profound and extensive."

Since the general manager had praised the taste, Mu Haotian’s expression finally eased.

After the meal, the general manager visited the vineyard out back. Reynolds discussed the planting of these grapevines with Meizi for a long time, and when leaving, he also took away a bag of grapes. Naturally, Gu Qili got a bag too, but unlike the elation of last time, she found it hard to be happy about the bottle of broken wine.

The general manager and his party returned to the hotel to rest in the afternoon. The remaining matters were taken over by the housekeeping department.

Using the general manager’s own words, he wasn’t there to impose his will so he enjoyed his meal immensely today. The small vineyard made him feel as if he saw the ties of relationships,

Gu Qili had just returned to the French Restaurant when Xiao Ran came over, adopting a businesslike attitude, "Supervisor Gu, Young Master Qian wants you to come over for a talk about some work."

"Hmm, I’ll go right now." Gu Qili placed the grapes she brought back from Meizi in the office, quickly changed her clothes, and went to the business tower. She initially wanted to find a pair of shoes to change into but gave up after not finding any in the cabinet.

With no obstructions, she arrived at the twenty-fourth floor where the elevator doors opened just as she ran into a secretary who recognized her coming down for an errand, who respectfully greeted her: "Miss Gu, hello."

"Hello." Gu Qili nodded towards him, "Is Young Master Qian in the office?"

"Young Master Qian is in a meeting, but it will be over soon, Miss Gu can wait a moment."

"Thank you."

"You’re welcome." The elevator arrived just then, and the secretary nodded at her slightly before entering the elevator.

Gu Qili thought Mu Shuoqian was in a meeting in the conference room and headed straight to his office without thinking. Halfway there, she glanced at her new shoes that were chafing her feet. Having walked so much today, her heels were already blistered, making each step she took painfully piercing.

She decided to get a band-aid from his office to hold her over until she got home.

Upon reaching his office door, Gu Qili simply took off both of her shoes, carrying them in one hand, and the barefooted feeling immediately alleviated much of the pain.

She happily pushed open the door to the president’s office, only to turn pale and freeze in her tracks upon seeing a room full of senior executives.

At least six high-level executives were seated in Mu Shuoqian’s office. When the door opened, one of them turned around and saw a girl barefoot, holding a pair of sandals in her hand, standing at the door, apparently not expecting so many people, her large dark eyes blinking uncertainly.

Feeling the suddenly eerie silence around her, Mu Shuoqian also looked up from his computer, followed everyone’s gaze, and was taken aback for a moment. He then said with a dark face, "Meeting adjourned."

Before people could react, he repeated in a low, louder tone: "Meeting adjourned."

Finally, everyone got the message and hastily picked up their laptops or documents to leave. As they passed by Gu Qili, she belatedly moved to the edge of the door, making way for them.

Among these people was Li Ruhai, who was still on leave for investigation. He walked by briskly, enthusiastically greeting her with "Miss Gu."

Gu Qili shrank back again until she was practically glued against the door, wishing she could just become a painting on it.

Even after everyone had left, she could still feel their probing, surprised, and mocking gazes.

This was a huge embarrassment. Why hadn’t the secretary made things clearer? Well, she couldn’t blame her; she hadn’t thought it through herself. He always liked having meetings in the office.

Gu Qili stood at the doorway, not daring to look inside. She only looked down at her bare feet, stepping one foot on another and shifting uneasily because she was afraid of making him angry.

"What happened to your foot?" Mu Shuoqian had already walked over to her. He didn’t scold her, instead, he was the first to notice the abrasion on her heel.

Gu Qili couldn’t gauge his mood and dared not look up until she was suddenly lifted into the air and at the same time, he kicked the door shut with his foot.

The group of executives waiting at the elevator heard the door to the president’s office close and one of them couldn’t help but gossip, "Aren’t women forbidden on the 24th floor? Who is this lady?"

Li Ruhai’s face bore a mysterious smile, but he said nothing.

Seeing him looking as if he was in on some secret, everyone else gathered around and pressed for details.

"Li, stop pretending. What exactly is the relationship between that girl and Young Master Qian?"

"Yeah, yeah. Wasn’t there a girl who came to the 24th floor looking for Young Master Qian last time? Is it the same person?"

"Oh right, I remember now. Isn’t she the girl who was in the newspapers recently? The one from the French Restaurant?"

Faced with everyone’s various speculations, Li Ruhai calmly raised his hand to stop them from continuing to guess and, lowering his voice, said mysteriously, "She’s the future Mrs. President. So you all need to be more respectful when you see her. Her words will carry even more weight than the president’s."

"Really?"

"No way, how old is she? Young Master Qian likes them young, huh."

"Young Master Qian is not that old himself."

"Yeah, yeah, look at me talking nonsense. We’re the real old ones here, haha."

As everyone chatted and laughed, the elevator arrived, and soon the group entered, continuing their boisterous conversation.

Gu Qili, carried by Mu Shuoqian, was placed on a sofa to the side. He crouched down in front of her, taking her injured foot gently into his hand to examine it, his brows filled with distress, "Why would you keep wearing these shoes if they hurt your feet like this?"

"I just bought these shoes; I didn’t know they would chafe. I’ve been busy all day and didn’t bring another pair with me." Gu Qili’s feet, held in his palms,

embarrassed her, especially since she had appeared barefoot in his office, disrupted his meeting, and turned into a laughingstock for others. She thought he would be angry, but he was only concerned about her injured foot.

He then pressed the button on the desk phone.

"Buy a pair of women’s sandals, size 35. The style? The style doesn’t matter; the key is that they shouldn’t chafe."

The secretary, after hanging up, was taken aback for quite a while. The president wants women’s sandals? The always woman-loathing president actually asking for women’s sandals... could it be... could the president have a cross-dressing fetish?

The male secretary shivered violently, feeling like he knew too much.