Lu Yunze was very nervous now, but he still forced a smile.
After learning the situation, Luo Yao didn’t rush to confirm the identity of the female shop assistant.
Instead, she had her close friends go ahead to reserve seats and order a few things casually.
Today’s dining expenses would be entirely covered by her.
As for Luo Yao, she stayed by Lu Yunze’s side, waiting until the shop assistant Xiao Li came over again.
“Mr. Lu, it’s almost time. You should start the performance again.”
“Hello.” Luo Yao took the initiative to greet and attract Xiao Li’s attention, a faint smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
“You are 3”
“I’m Luo Yao, Lu Yunze’s younger sister. I heard he’s working here as a temporary employee, so I came to visit him. I also want to express my thanks please take good care of my brother Lu.”
“Oh, so you’re the Miss Luo the boss mentioned.” Xiao Li immediately showed a flattering smile. “Come, come, I’ll find the best spot for you right away.”
Xiao Li’s gaze flicked back and forth between Lu Yunze and Luo Yao, seemingly guessing whether the relationship between them was truly as she claimed.
“No need, I want to see just one of you, then I’ll leave.” Luo Yao waved her hand dismissively.
“Hmm.”
“The shop assistant is still the long-haired one.”
So she really came?
Luo Yao’s plan was flawless she even contacted the boss of the restaurant in advance. Now Lu Yunze couldn’t think of any way to turn the situation around.
“Long-haired female shop assistant.”
Xiao Li was stunned again. After thinking for a moment, she shook her head vigorously.
“We don’t have any long-haired female shop assistants here.”
“What?” Luo Yao was stunned for a moment. “Then call all your female waitstaff out.”
She wanted to identify them one by one.
After Xiao Li called all the female shop assistants and lined them up in a spacious area, Luo Yao also brought over her two close friends to confirm whether the person was among them.
The shop assistants all looked confused, not knowing what was going on. They only knew Luo Yao was a distinguished guest of the boss, and her seemingly calm expression hid a deadly intent because of one man.
After her two friends carefully observed, they reported back to Luo Yao with heads shaking.
“No, none of them are.”
“How is that possible?” Luo Yao’s eyes widened. “Weren’t you the ones who said the shop assistant has long hair…”
“But none of them have long hair, and their faces don’t match either.”
Luo Yao looked up and around the number of female shop assistants was small, and all had short hair. She had no choice but to find Xiao Li again and asked in a low voice:
“Are all the female shop assistants here?”
“All of them are here.”
“Is there anyone missing? Like someone who just got off work?”
“No one.”
“Think carefully. Are you sure there really isn’t a long-haired shop assistant?”
Faced with Luo Yao’s increasingly pressing attitude, Xiao Li frowned and thought for a while before answering:
“If I had to say, there is one long-haired shop assistant.”
“Who?” Luo Yao’s eyes lit up.
“That’s me.” Xiao Li said as she untied the braid at the back of her head, letting her hair fall just to her shoulders.
Not just Luo Yao, even Lu Yunze was speechless, thinking this was overacting.
“You’re a woman?”
“I’m a genuine man. I used to be in the performing arts and grew my hair long I just can’t bear to cut it.”
Luo Yao blinked, momentarily at a loss for words.
“Miss, I know what you’re worried about.” Xiao Li tied her hair back again. “Since the moment Mr. Lu entered the restaurant, I have been the one attending to him.”
From the moment he came in, after his first shift ended, Xiao Li actively sought him out and said she hadn’t seen any other female shop assistant get close to Lu Yunze.
After hearing this, Luo Yao seemed to realize something, her expression turning extremely ugly.
The three traits the close friends described:
Long hair Xiao Li indeed has long hair, not a wig.
Shop assistant Xiao Li is one of the boss’s most capable employees.
Close contact During Lu Yunze’s breaks, she even brought him delicious snacks.
It perfectly matched all the characteristics her friends mentioned!
Recalling what happened at the hospital last week, Luo Yao asked one final question:
“Why did you bring snacks to Brother Lu?”
“Why can’t I?” Xiao Li looked puzzled. “Temporary workers are colleagues too. Helping each other is normal. We’re all men here. What’s there to be shy about? We’re all men.”
Hearing this again, Luo Yao’s face instantly turned pale, almost losing her balance. Lu Yunze hurriedly steadied her.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine…” Luo Yao held her forehead, looking at him with a very strange expression. “Brother Lu, you really surprised me.”
“Surprised? What?”
“I thought I only needed to guard against women, but I didn’t expect… I also have to guard against men.”
Thinking of Lu Yunze always surrounded by men, attracting so many people, Luo Yao’s steps to leave felt a little unsteady.
Having heard such explosive news, she needed a good rest and temporarily distanced herself from Lu Yunze to vent to her friends.
“You should be careful. If you don’t feel well, tell me in time.” Lu Yunze watched her leave, then let out a heavy sigh.
“Who is that young lady to you?” Xiao Li, standing beside him, also relaxed and grumbled about how troublesome rich people were.
“She’s family.”
“I’m not talking about the boss’s distinguished guest, I mean the young lady who pretended to be a shop assistant earlier.”
“Ah, so you knew?”
Lu Yunze glanced in Luo Yao’s direction; she had completely immersed herself with her friends, oblivious to what was happening here.
“That’s why I deliberately helped you. Actually, it was the boss’s order—he wanted me to eliminate the distinguished guest’s suspicions, or she might have caused a scene in the restaurant.”
Understanding his meaning, Lu Yunze answered quietly:
“She’s my friend.”
“Ah~” Xiao Li looked enlightened. “One side is a friend, the other is a sister. It’s really hard to choose, huh?”
“No, what weird things are you thinking about?”
Lu Yunze didn’t continue this topic; otherwise, he might have been labeled with something terrible.
After Xiao Li left, some questions popped into Lu Yunze’s mind.
As a shop assistant, Xiao Li’s awareness was just a little too sharp. In such a crisis, she could still keep her wits and offer herself as a shield—it was a bit excessive.
Also, why did their boss know that Luo Yao might cause trouble in the restaurant?
Lu Yunze thought about it; Luo Yao was famous, but not for being unreasonable.
Compared to those rude, unreasonable women, she was actually a very reasonable young lady.
Lu Yunze didn’t have time to ponder more and threw himself back into work.
Though a small mishap occurred, once immersed in music, everything could be forgotten.
The melodious tunes once again rippled through the restaurant like flowing water, washing away one’s worries.
Even Luo Yao quickly forgot what she had done upon arriving. Every time Lu Yunze finished a work segment and rested, she would actively bring him drinks, accompanying him through his break time. She looked genuinely happy.
Watching this scene from afar, Xiao Li nodded lightly and then turned to walk into a back room.
He passed through the back door, entered the small alley behind the restaurant, and pulled out his phone.
“Boss, I’ve done as you asked. The distinguished guest is very satisfied, and Mr. Lu is safe. Since I performed so well, about that promotion and raise I mentioned last time…”
Though the voice on the other end remained cold and indifferent, Xiao Li kept talking as if he could hear the boss praising him.
After hanging up, Xiao Li had just put down the phone when a wave of dizziness hit him.
“Strange, how did I get here?”
Xiao Li shook his head and noticed a fluffy shadow at his feet.
“Where did this cat come from? Shoo, shoo.”
The Black Cat turned its head and gave him a glance with golden Lu Yunze-like eyes, then took a few steps and ran out of the alley to leap into the arms of a girl sitting on a bench by the street.
“Silly, innocent, and sweet is so easy to handle, right, Young Master Lu Yunze?”
Jiang Sui stroked the Black Cat’s soft fur, her businesslike smile deep as she looked back through the shop window at Lu Yunze inside.
How is Luo Yao reasonable? She throws a fit over a woman’s scent every time, tsk, tsk, this filter is really thick.
On a side not, the side characters always commenting on Lu Yunzhi having to choose between Luo Yao or Jiang Sui is funny as sh*t.