After making sure that Xu Qingqing hadn't noticed, Xu An'an tilted her head cutely and let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Thank goodness Mom didn't spot Grandma. Otherwise, it would be really hard to explain if Mom asked about it!
Thinking of this, Xu An'an sweetly tugged at Xu Qingqing's hand and wanted to go back to the room.
"Mom, I want to wear the little dress you bought for me. Let's go back to the room quickly."
"Okay." Xu Qingqing took Xu An'an into the elevator.
It was only after the elevator doors had completely closed that Grandma Xu, who had been hiding behind the snack vending machine, emerged. She patted her chest, which was pounding, and let out a long sigh.
"Thank goodness I wasn't discovered. It would be really hard to explain if I had been."
Grandpa Xu, who had also been hiding behind another beverage vending machine, shook his head and looked at Grandma Xu. He opened his mouth with a hint of disapproval.
"You refused to eat more at lunch. Now you're hungry and have to come buy snacks. If you mess up Lu Chuanbai's elaborate plan, I'd like to see what you'll do."
Grandma Xu laughed and patted her stomach, holding her breath.
"What can I do? I haven't been able to maintain my figure well in the past few years. I can't fit into my old - sized evening dresses. I had to skip lunch to squeeze into this one."
Grandma Xu was wearing a knee - length rose - red sheath dress that accentuated her curves and made her look plump and charming.
Although Grandpa Xu looked quite disapproving, he still took the snack bag from Grandma Xu and helped her tear it open.
"Eat a little less. We'll be having dinner soon."
"Okay, I know."
Grandma Xu carefully picked up a potato chip and stuffed it into her mouth with her mouth wide open, for fear of smudging her lipstick.
Xu Qingqing took Xu An'an back to the room to change clothes. Lu Chuanbai also brought Xu Yiyi back.
Lu Chuanbai saw that Xu Qingqing was only wearing white casual clothes and hesitated to speak.
Xu Qingqing noticed Lu Chuanbai's dissatisfaction with her outfit and explained.
"We're going to have dinner with your company's employees later. Everyone has just finished soaking in the hot springs, so they'll surely wear whatever is comfortable.
If we dress too formally, it might put psychological pressure on them."
Xu Qingqing's consideration made sense.
After all, who would want to put on formal clothes after taking a bath?
Lu Chuanbai and Xu Yiyi exchanged a look, and Lu Chuanbai gave in.
"Okay then. We'll also wear casual clothes."
After saying that, Lu Chuanbai opened the hotel wardrobe. Xu Qingqing caught a glimpse of a large and a small set of formal suits, even with ties. She couldn't help but shake her head.
If she hadn't reminded them, it seemed that the father - son duo really planned to go to dinner in a stiff and formal manner.
After Lu Chuanbai and Xu Yiyi changed their clothes, they took Xu Qingqing to the restaurant.
There were already people sitting in the restaurant one after another. There were name tags behind each chair, and people just needed to find their corresponding seats.
The people sitting at the same table as Xu Qingqing were all management staff. Maybe because they were going to sit with Lu Chuanbai, most of them had already arrived.
When they saw Lu Chuanbai bringing Xu Qingqing and the two children, the management staff at the table all stood up to greet them, complimenting Xu Qingqing on her beauty and the two children on their cuteness and handsomeness.
After finally finishing the socializing, the dishes were served one after another.
The two children were short and couldn't reach the dishes on the table at all, so Xu Qingqing had to take care of them.
Xu An'an saw the beautifully - colored spring rolls on the table and quietly tugged at Xu Qingqing's corner of the clothes, signaling Xu Qingqing to help her pick up the dish.
"Mom, I want to eat spring rolls."
Xu Qingqing nodded and agreed. She turned the turntable on the table and moved the spring rolls in front of her.
The plate for the spring rolls was large, but there were only five spring rolls in it. Xu Qingqing picked up one and put it in Xu An'an's bowl, and then another for Xu Yiyi and herself.
Just as Xu Qingqing finished picking up the spring rolls, someone impatiently turned the table.
Sitting opposite Xu Qingqing was a cute - looking girl with a childish air.
Maybe because she was a bit absent - minded, she was still wearing the bathrobe provided by the hotel, showing her delicate collarbone.
After the girl turned the table, she saw that there were only two spring rolls left on the plate. Her mouth puckered, and two tears welled up in her eyes.
The girl's tears dropped on the table. Xu Qingqing was at a loss when she saw this. She thought something was wrong with the girl and picked up the tissue beside her to hand it to her.
"Miss, what's wrong with you? Are you not feeling well?"
As soon as Xu Qingqing spoke, the colleagues around the girl also noticed that she was crying quietly. They quickly passed the tissue from Xu Qingqing to her.
"Xie Yunyun, what's wrong with you? Why are you crying?"
The girl named Xie Yunyun tapped on the large white plate in front of her with her hand and sobbed, "The spring rolls are almost gone..."
Xu Qingqing was stunned. Looking at the spring roll on her own plate, she blurted out subconsciously, "Aren't there still two left?"
Wasn't two enough?
Xie Yunyun shook her head while crying, "Spring rolls are a specialty of my hometown. I haven't eaten them for a long time. Two are not enough for me at all!"
Xu Qingqing: "..."
Hearing this, the words of comfort on the tip of Xu Qingqing's tongue just couldn't come out. It was as if they were stuck in her throat.
Xu An'an, who had actively asked to eat spring rolls, pouted and looked at the sobbing Xie Yunyun.
Even a kindergarten kid like her wouldn't be possessive over food, but Xie Yunyun, an adult, was crying just because she couldn't eat all the spring rolls.
Wasn't this just a laughingstock!
Xu An'an looked up at Xu Qingqing, whose face was stiff. Then she turned to look at the male colleague beside Xie Yunyun, who was wiping Xie Yunyun's tears and softly consoling her.
"Come on, it's just a spring roll. If you can't eat it, there's nothing we can do. I'll take you to eat them after the gathering, okay?"
"But I want to eat my fill right now. I haven't been home for half a year."
Xie Yunyun sobbed, looking so pitiful that it was endearing.
The more Xu An'an watched, the more she couldn't stand it. It wasn't that they had eaten all the spring rolls. They just took one each and left two for her.
Was it really necessary to make such a big fuss?
Lu Chuanbai's face also looked a bit unpleasant. He had brought Xu Qingqing and the two children here to establish their prestige in the company.
With Xie Yunyun's outburst, people who didn't know might think that Xu Qingqing had snatched Xie Yunyun's spring rolls!
Especially on this table, apart from Xu Qingqing and Xie Yunyun, the rest were all men, and Xie Yunyun was still wearing a bathrobe with a wide - open neckline...
Although the concept of freedom of dressing was advocated nowadays, one still had to consider the occasion. At least one should dress politely.
The other male colleagues either laughed to smooth things over or comforted Xie Yunyun not to cry anymore.
Lu Chuanbai was about to tell Xie Yunyun not to spoil the atmosphere with a gloomy face when Xu Qingqing gently placed her hand on Lu Chuanbai's and shook her head at him.
Xu Qingqing knew Lu Chuanbai very well. Lu Chuanbai would definitely not be so tactful when speaking.
Moreover, as Lu Chuanbai's wife, she should say something nice to Xie Yunyun. Just as she was hesitating to speak,
Xu An'an quietly tugged at Xu Qingqing's corner of the clothes and shook her head at her, signaling Xu Qingqing not to say anything for the time being.