CH 32.3

The waiter accepted his order and left, but Ning Wan didn't. "It's alright!" she said, staring at Fu Zheng, "You can order a little more. I can afford a main course, you don't need to save me money!"

Looking down, Fu Zheng lied calmly, "I'm really not that hungry, I'll be happy with just a salad. Anyway, I've recently been trying to eat a little less to control my weight. At my last physical examination, the doctor said that I had a high percentage of body fat, and Western food is quite high in calorie."

"High body fat??? With your figure??”

Ning Wan seemed openly doubtful, but Fu Zheng nodded calmly, "Yes."

……

He had never in his life thought that he would be have a moment of such thriftiness as to only order a single salad at a Western restaurant. As Fu Zheng was patting himself on the back, Ning Wan worried, "Is a salad enough? Do you want to add something else? "

"No, their bread is delicious, too. That's enough for me."

Fu Zheng had always been very meticulous with his food and clothes, never skimping or cutting corners on anything that might inconvenience himself, but now here he was, at a Western restaurant eating only a salad and free pre-dinner bread, and actually feeling quite comfortable.

Unfortunately, Ning Wan took the initiative instead. She seemed reluctant to let Fu Zheng be so sensible and hard-working. She called the waiter back, and though she struggled slightly with the price, she finally ordered them both a main course and a soup. "I'm really happy for you to have gotten such a good deal on a house. You've been a huge help in the community these last few days. It's just a dinner, and it's rare that we come here. Don't feel like you can't order anything because it's too expensive."

……

Sincere and enthusiastic, a proactive worker, able to stay calm in a crisis, cooperative, able to learn from her qualified colleagues, caring for new people, friendly, respectful of her teachers, kind to others, cheerful and open-minded, strong communication skills, good at negotiation, and principled1...

Fu Zheng had once sneered at the self-introduction in Ning Wan's self-recommendation letter, but at the moment, he felt that it had been very accurate. Although her resume and school were a little subpar, quite contrary to expectations she was not bad at all.

Shortly after, both the soup and main course Ning Wan had ordered were served one right after the other. As Fu Zheng gracefully cut his steak, he couldn't help looking up at Ning Wan. Her small nose was slightly wrinkled as she clumsily attempted to cut her share. It seemed like she didn't eat western food very often, and she wasn't skilled with a knife and fork. When she saw Fu Zheng watching her, she embarrassedly tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and looked away--

"I don't usually eat western food..."

Fu Zheng had only previously come into contact with women who were like perfect, mature products. Their western food etiquette was elegant, they were wine connoisseurs, they could talk about mergers and acquisitions and chime in easily on sophisticated conversations. They were like flowers in full bloom, while Ning Wan more closely resembled a flower still budding, still a little green.

Once, Fu Zheng had preferred communicating with polished, urbane, cosmopolitan people, thinking that it saved time and was more convenient, but now watching Ning Wan he only felt that she was cute and lovable, and not in the least hateful nor troublesome.

He carefully finished cutting his steak, then pushed his plate over to her. "I've already cut this one. You can give me your share." Then he swapped out their plates.

Sure enough, Ning Wan laughed. She stabbed a piece of Fu Zheng's carefully cut steak with her fork and said sincerely, cheeks bulging, "Thanks, Fu Zheng!"

It was a careless, unrehearsed smile, but nevertheless when Fu Zheng saw it, he felt his heart tremble.

At this moment, Fu Zheng suddenly realized that what Ning Wan had said was actually true.

If she had added a photo to her resume at the beginning, he really might have added her to the team only on account of her beauty. He had just been shaken from merely a single smile.

Although the meal didn't end up being a full-course meal, and even the main course was rather scanty, Fu Zheng didn't order anything else. He hadn't had enough to eat, but he insisted that everything was fine. Unexpectedly, however, he was in a good mood.

Ning Wan was also in a very good mood during the meal. The more she looked at Fu Zheng, the more pleasing to the eye she found him. She felt like her newly-accepted subordinate wasn't bad at all. It had been worthwhile lending him money to buy a house. This impression was strengthened further when she learned that Fu Zheng had pretended to go to the bathroom and secretly paid the bill.

Fu Zheng seemed quite comfortable about the whole thing. "You helped me buy a house, I should be the one treating you."

But then she would have given him nothing as a congratulatory gift...

Thinking of 'gifts', a memory suddenly struck Ning Wan. She searched her bag, took out a jewelry box, and handed it to Fu Zheng. "I bought this earlier but forgot all about it. It's the perfect time. Here, it's for you."

Fu Zheng was quite shocked. If memory served, this was a Cartier jewelry box. When he opened the box, he was even more shocked, for there was a Cartier men's ring lying inside.

This...

Women chasing men was quite in-style nowadays, but wasn't it a bit much to skip  the whole confession part and straightaway propose with a ring and all? Even though he was quite a charismatic man (if he did say so himself), the way Ning Wan had handled it was really quite astounding...

"You mean..."

Ning Wan seemed quite calm despite having just performed an action that would astonish anyone. "I made a rough guesstimate of your finger size. Try it on, it should fit."

Fu Zheng's heart thudded hard. Pretending to be calm, he asked, "Which finger should I wear it on?"

The look she gave him said 'you know'. "The ring finger of your left hand, of course."

! ! !

Wearing a ring on the left ring finger meant being married!

Fu Zheng looked at her, feeling very complicated. "Don't you think this is a bit... too soon?"

"Huh?" Ning Wan didn't understand the question at all. She pulled out the ring from its box and put it on Fu Zheng's hand. "There are far too many aunties in the community who want to introduce their relatives and children to you or strike up a second romance. After Auntie Xiao, didn't you draw in two more aunties? I've already told them all that you were mine, but there are lots of brave old aunties out there who would be more than happy to challenge my claim for the sake of a relative or daughter. It's an unsustainable situation, so I got you this ring. If you wear it where a wedding band usually is, you'll save yourself a lot of trouble!"

Oh...

But...

Looking at the Cartier's men's ring, Fu Zheng coughed, pretended he didn't care, and said, "So you bought it specifically for me. Thank you for being so thoughtful. It must have been expensive."

It might not have been a confession, but it was still a Cartier men's ring. He could see that Ning Wan really was willing to spend money on him. When he looked at the ring and then thought about how she had lent him money to buy a house, Fu Zheng came to a sudden realization.

Even though he was here under a pseudonym, he was just so splendid that his excellence must have shone right through his cover. Not only had he impressed widowed old ladies, but he had obviously also filled Ning Wan with admiration.

As if to verify his thoughts, Ning Wan shook her head and spoke lightly of the expensive ring, "Oh, it's nothing! It wasn't that pricey!"

Although this ring was in Cartier's simplest, most basic style, even that was seven or eight thousand yuan. With Ning Wan's income...

Genuinely moved by her sincerity, Fu Zheng exclaimed, "I didn't think I was so valuable to you."

?

Unfortunately, Ning Wan didn't understand at all. A question mark slowly blossomed in her heart. The gaze she was using to look at Fu Zheng grew fonder. How much hardship has this poor man suffered?

Did he think he was only worth as much as that ring? How tragic!