The simple meal was served in the dining room though Hu Lei would have preferred to eat in the kitchen. However, she did not oppose the plan. Perhaps Zhong Feng was trying to provide her with the full dining experience with him. The thought caused her to chuckle to herself in her mind.
She had to admit that there were definite benefits of eating at the proper dining table. She could look at Zhong Feng directly. The refined man ate his noodles with grace and elegance, leaving her to admire and envy him. Moreover, with a face like that in her line of sight, she could eat three bowls of plain rice.
"When are you planning on moving into your new place?" he asked suddenly, startling her out of her daydream.
She was silent because she had not really thought about it. When she had received a call the previous day, she had been in a poor mood. Therefore, she had decided to look at the house on a whim. She had not established a specific day for moving in if the search was successful.
"I don't know. But it shouldn't be too difficult. I don't own anything." She responded with a careless shrug.
As a nomad, she did not have property to lug around. When she had returned to the country, she had only come back with a few clothes and shoes, a laptop and her phone. There was no need for anything else. Everything else that she had been using in the past months belonged to the Hu manor.
"Move in this weekend." Zhong Feng said, surprising her.
Hu Lei looked at him closely to determine if he was joking. Then, she remembered that he was not the comedian type.
"I can't just move in. The place is completely empty. Where will I sleep, eat and work?" She protested.
"Naturally, I will help you." He spoke in a matter-of-fact manner.
"Are you that anxious to have me as your neighbour, Mr Zhong?" She teased while leaning closer over the table.
She could not resist playing a little when she looked at him being all serious while making an effort to be nice to her. While he still had the behaviours of the evil emperor, she was starting to see that he treated her with undeserved kindness.
"Feng." He corrected her while looking directly into her bright eyes.
"What?" She asked while blushing and backing away.
He smiled a little at her behaviour. When she took initiative, she could be quite brazen. However, if he responded and teased her a little, her little face would become red immediately. For some reason, he thought it was really endearing.
"Call me by my given name. Mr Zhong seems so distant in this situation, don't you think?" He leaned towards her with a charming smile.
Hu Lei's face became even redder, and she cursed herself for starting the game.
"I can't just call you Feng." She responded in a small voice with a large serving of discomfort.
These two people who did not have any experience in the matters of the heart looked at each other with awkwardness in the air. It seemed that they wanted to advance their relationship in at least this small way and get more personal. However, there was the natural reserve of mature virgins from both sides.
Hu Lei cleared her throat because she could not bear the strange tension in the air, especially with the evil emperor looking right at her.
"How about I call you Ah-Feng when we are not at work?" She finally bowed down to the pressure and suggested in that mosquito voice.
Her delightful face seemed like it would burst into flames at any moment. Looking at her Zhong Feng felt an unquenchable thirst, and a fire seemed to rise in his body. However, he suppressed it with every ounce of willpower he could muster.
He nodded and leaned back in his seat with a smile as if nothing had happened. The sight of the unruffled man annoyed Hu Lei, making her want to bite someone. How come she was the only loser in this exchange? She could not allow it.
"What are you going to call me?" She asked with a huff, crossing her hands under her generous bosom.
Hu Lei felt that it was time to harden her skin, or she will keep losing to this shameless man. Though she knew that the question was childish, she would not back down.
"Naturally, you are Xiao Lei." He responded smoothly before standing up and clearing the table.
Once again, her face became a ripe tomato as he spoke. Her mind drifted to the first time that he had called her Xiao Lei in an elevator. She could not help feeling that she had lost miserably in this battle. It seemed that she needed to train her skin a little more before launching another confrontation.