Liu Jinfei thought that he would get bored following the two women around the popular shopping mall. Instead, what he noticed were a few people glancing their way, especially at Shen Lingqing. He supposed it was because of her beautiful face and royal aura. Not many would be able to ignore her presence, anyway.
He was oblivious that he was also garnering some attention from the women around them.
“Do you think he’s a newbie actor? How come we’ve never seen him before here?” One of the women asked as she nudged her friend to check out Liu Jinfei. They were frequent shoppers of this shopping mall and had a handful of encounters with popular actors and actresses during their visits.
“He must be a young master from a wealthy family. You know, the kind who would rather study abroad and only come back to join their family business,” her companion replied.
“Then, that’s too bad. If he’s an actor, we could have asked for his autograph.” The first woman sighed and decided to turn her attention to Shen Lingqing. “Even that young woman who’s accompanying him is such a looker.”
“They don’t look like they are blood-related to each other. She must be his girlfriend, bringing her grandmother to shop with them.”
Liu Jinfei continued to ignore the people who looked at them with curiosity. Not that he was paying attention to anyone at the moment, except for Shen Lingqing who was busy conversing with her grandmother.
Liu Jinfei didn’t have a grandmother and only had a grandfather when he was younger, so he didn’t quite understand why Chairman Zhang was acting like this towards her granddaughter.
Anyway, it had been a long time since he looked around the capital, and he was impressed by how fast the lifestyle of the citizens changed over the years.
“Jinfei, if something caught your eye, tell me, alright?” He was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Chairman Zhang speak.
“Oh, no. It’s okay, Chairman Zhang. I’m just looking around. I don’t need to buy anything,” he politely declined the older woman’s offer.
If the Liu family heard that he was receiving favors and gifts from Chairman Zhang, they might misunderstand his relations.h.i.+p with Shen Lingqing and the Shen family. How could he allow them to trouble Shen Lingqing’s family?
Zhang Jingwei smiled as if she was aware of what Liu Jinfei was thinking about. However, how could she miss the way he looked at his granddaughter as if Shen Lingqing was the only one that mattered in his eyes? He might not even be aware that he had already been smitten with Shen Lingqing all this time.
Her granddaughter wasn’t faring better. Had Shen Lingqing failed to notice that she was tolerating the company of a man that wasn’t blood-related to her… for the first time? She, who had kept her distance from anyone that wasn’t her family, was now willing to accept Liu Jinfei’s company without showing disgust towards him.
Anyway, it didn’t matter if Shen Lingqing liked Liu Jinfei or not. It was enough for Zhang Jingwei to see her granddaughter finally opening up to someone that wasn’t part of their family. It was time for Shen Lingqing to prioritize herself and not to worry about other people.
“How long do you plan to stay at Savory Alley? I heard from your mother that you have barely come home since you have taken over the restaurant’s management,” Zhang Jingwei asked her granddaughter.
“I’m not sure…” Shen Lingqing didn’t want to make a promise that she couldn’t fulfill. As much as she wanted to see her parents every day, she knew that time was important to her at the moment.
“I decided to stay at Savory Alley since it would save me a lot of time avoiding the rush hour,” she added.
Zhang Jingwei only nodded in understanding. This was one of the traits Shen Lingqing inherited from her father. She would set her own goals and limitations for herself, forcing her to be more productive than others.
“Then, you better make sure you don’t neglect your health, Qingqing. I don’t want to hear from your parents that you have fallen sick because of work.”
“Mama, you worry too much. Qiao Lian is with me, and I a.s.sure you she always nags me whenever I lose track of time.”
Chairman Zhang laughed at that, while Liu Jinfei smiled a little. He’d rarely seen Shen Lingqing work overtime, and if she did, Qiao Lian would always be with her.
“Is what Qingqing said true, Jinfei?” The old woman asked him. Liu Jinfei must be aware of Shen Lingqing’s presence in the restaurant, and he must be paying attention to her.
Liu Jinfei was caught off-guard. He didn’t expect that Zhang Jingwei would question him about Shen Lingqing’s work habits.
“En. Miss Qiao would always make sure that we close the restaurant on time, and none of us does unnecessary work beyond our working hours,” Liu Jinfei replied, ignoring the way Shen Lingqing was giving him a curious look.
“It must be hard working with Qingqing, no? I know she could be a handful at times, but I hope you would try to at least understand her first.” Zhang Jingwei smiled at Liu Jinfei.
“Mama…” Shen Lingqing frowned. She didn’t like how her family was overreacting over her choice to succeed her father as soon as she came back from abroad. Wouldn’t it be better if she learned all the things she needed to know as soon as possible?
“Don’t be upset, Qingqing. We are just worried about you. We know you tend to forget other things when you focus on something.” Zhang Jingwei tucked the stray locks of Shen Lingqing behind her ear gently.
Shen Lingqing sighed, knowing that she couldn’t win against her grandmother if Zhang Jingwei put it that way. They were worrying too much about something she would never neglect. She wasn’t that stupid to know her limitations.