The cliché story of a domineering president and his secretary

An Yi followed the boss to the door of a restaurant, and saw a huge word "steamed" hanging high on the door lintel. Next to it was an advertisement written in a flourish with a brush: "Everything can be steamed."

She smiled, because this sentence reminded her of when she was a child, she secretly imitated a plot in the story of "Pippi Lu and Lu Xixi" and put a brick in the steamer at home to steam it over high heat, waiting for her to run out to play with her friends out of boredom. Fortunately, her mother turned off the fire in time after returning from get off work, so no major accident occurred. However, the bottom of the steamer was deformed by the burn and was directly scrapped.

That night, her mother got extremely angry and chased her to beat her up to vent her anger! It was her father who protected her from crying so hard that she escaped. Many years later, her parents still laughed about this embarrassing incident of hers, and her mother still blamed her father for being too soft-hearted.

In fact, An Yi knew that her mother doted on her just as much as her father did, otherwise why would she wait until her father came home to punish her?

Thinking of this, An Yi couldn't help but smile widely, and looked at the plaque again with shining eyes.

Ding Hong, who was talking to the hotel supervisor, had been keeping his eyes on An Yi, so he naturally did not miss the bright smile that made him lose his mind for a moment. However, the supervisor's questioning brought him back to his senses.

"Mr. Ding?" Seeing the guest come back to his senses, the foreman smiled and said, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I have found your reservation information and arranged a quieter seat according to your request. Please follow me!"

At this time, An Yi had also come over, and the two of them walked deeper into the hall under the guidance of the foreman.

Along the way, there are small bridges and flowing water, creating a different world. The small door couplet unexpectedly has a deep courtyard. Although there are no private rooms, under the overlapping shadows of bamboo fences and flowers, privacy is protected and you can be surrounded by pleasing scenery, killing two birds with one stone.

She had been to some ecological garden restaurants before, but the difference was that the garden design here was so meticulously crafted that every plant and tree used was extraordinary. In particular, there was no humidity and muddy earthiness in the air of a greenhouse. It was refreshing and fragrant, naturally quiet, and especially the realistic effect of the sunset glowing red on the dome, which made An Yi admire it all the way.

Finally arriving at their table, An Yi flipped through the heavy menu handed over by the waiter. The first few pages were the introduction and origin of this restaurant. I didn't expect that the owner of such an ancient restaurant was so young. He was born in a local cooking family and studied abroad for several years. After returning to China, he improved the recipes handed down by his ancestors. What's rare is that he carefully developed and incorporated Mediterranean-style ingredients and seasonings. Inheritance and innovation make the dishes richer and more nutritious.

"This restaurant focuses on health and freshness. Steamed dishes are easy to digest, so it's okay to eat more for dinner." Ding Hong introduced that he had accompanied his father to entertain guests here before, and although he had only been here once, he was left with a deep impression.

An Yi knew that the boss booked this restaurant out of consideration for her health. She was touched but also a little frightened. Just as she was about to express her gratitude, a call instantly destroyed her good mood.

"Mom!" The voice seemed to come from a young girl. Ding Hong didn't pay much attention to it, but An Yi, who was sitting opposite him, turned her head suddenly and saw that her lips were slightly opened, as if she was about to respond, but she suddenly froze as if she had just woken up from a dream, and her expression immediately turned gloomy.

Was he stupid? How could it be Youyou? Not only was she still studying, but the voice just now was clearly that of a 3 or 4-year-old child. There was no way it could have come from Youyou, who was years old.

"Mom, Mom!" The voice came again, so bright and lively, and very similar to Youyou's voice when she was a child. No wonder she had made a mistake just now. Even though she knew it was not her daughter, her primitive instinct as a mother made her look and follow her unconsciously, but what she saw was only the ruthless grass and trees.

She could only hear the voice but not see the person, which aroused her suppressed longing for her daughter. She looked back at the menu in a daze, and found that her eyes were hazy and she could not see a single word.

She knew that the boss across from her must have seen her gaffe clearly, but she was helpless and overwhelmed. She tried to control her unstable breath and force back the tears in her eyes. She wanted to use the excuse of going to the bathroom to calm down as soon as possible, but she found that her throat was dry and tight and she couldn't speak.

Well, just give her a few more minutes. An Yi encouraged himself, after all, it would be too disrespectful to the boss to just leave without saying anything.

"Mom! I want to be with you. Baby loves you the most!"

An Yi smiled bitterly: It's too late, it's too late.

Then he raised the thick and wide menu in his hand to completely cover his face. Almost at the same time, tears began to flow.

Ding Hong watched everything in front of him quietly, without saying a word.

The little girl's voice continued to come in sporadically until it completely disappeared. Perhaps because the child's voice was clear, loud and penetrating, he did not hear the voices of his parents or others.

Looking at An Yi's hands tightly holding the menu, the knuckles turned white because of squeezing too hard. Ding Hong regretted that he had decided to dine at this restaurant because the dishes were light, soft, and nutritionally balanced, and were very popular with families with elderly people and children. But he overlooked this situation.

In fact, this is not Ding Hong's fault. Although he rarely encounters children during work lunches, he can see families of three everywhere in any restaurant during the occasional dinner.

Today, An Yi's loss of composure was ultimately due to his concern and worry about Youyou's study abroad. No one could relieve his pain, and he had to pretend to be carefree in front of himself and others. Thus, a little spark caused a prairie fire that was difficult to extinguish.

Seeing the waiter walking towards them from a distance, he knew that he was here to ask for their order, so he shook his head slightly. The other party indicated that he understood and turned away.

Turning his gaze back to the opposite side, Ding Hong sighed silently, knowing that the woman must have been crying her eyes out, but was trying hard not to make a sound.

You, you...

He felt pity for her, and his brows knitted. He knew that what An Yi needed most at this moment was to find a more private place to hide and heal, but with tears all over her face, she would definitely not be able to move forward.

The menu was suddenly supported by a force from above, which startled An Yi so much that he trembled. He looked up reflexively. Although his eyes were blurred by tears, he could still vaguely see a slender hand with distinct joints holding the menu tightly, and nothing else.

A box of napkins was handed over, followed by a familiar deep voice: "I will hold you firmly, don't worry. The bathroom is behind you to your left."

The tissue was caught, and the pair of pitiful hands that had been stiffened by exertion finally loosened. There was a gentle wiping sound, the sound of a chair moving, and soon a thin figure turned around and walked away quickly, walking towards the direction he said. The figure's steps were a little unsteady, but his back was straight, which made people reluctant to look at it any longer.

Slowly putting down the menu, Ding Hong's face showed undisguised worry and heartache.

It didn't take long for her to feel at ease. Ten minutes later, she had returned to her seat. The boss was talking on the phone with a Bluetooth headset and only nodded to her. When the waiter who was patrolling nearby saw her, he immediately whispered a few words into the headset.

After a short while, a large steaming bowl with a strange shape and several porcelain plates of different sizes were brought over. An Yi was surprised that they had not ordered anything, but after a little thought, she understood: the boss had ordered after she left and was just waiting for her to come back to serve the food.

The waiter carefully opened the lids of the bowls and plates, and bursts of white steam were released instantly. A slightly different smell from any dish she had eaten before wafted in, perhaps due to the blending of certain ingredients, or perhaps a special distillation method. After the initial discomfort, the sense of smell was gradually replaced by the mellow fragrance that came to her nose, and then the salty and fresh smell came out. The glossy color and the exquisite art of plating only attracted diners to taste it.

Unfortunately, no matter how exquisite the food was, it couldn't attract An Yi at this moment. She lowered her eyes and looked at the table full of delicacies quietly. The smile on her lips made Ding Hong feel sad.

The small porcelain bowl in front of him was picked up, and a bowl of hot, silvery soup was put back in its place. A few vegetables and steamed meat were also placed on the plate next to it. An Yi did not look up, but just nodded in thanks mechanically.

As if she sensed something was wrong, she raised her slightly red eyes with great effort, and was surprised to find that the person who added soup and dishes to her dishes was not the restaurant waiter, but her boss who was always high and mighty!

Seeing her suddenly open her eyes and look uneasy, the man who was talking on the phone with a serious face only silently signaled her to eat quickly. The boss seemed cold and arrogant on weekdays, but his repeated rescue and care for her often made An Yi feel embarrassed and caught off guard, but there was a warmth in her heart. Her nose felt a little sour again, but fortunately her eyes were dry from crying, so she didn't shed tears again.

"Sorry, I've been on the phone." This was Ding Hong's second apology today, which was truly jaw-dropping.

An Yi quickly shook his head to indicate that he didn't mind, but his throat still couldn't make a sound.

Ding Hong hid the pain in his eyes and changed the subject: "These dishes are best eaten while hot." Then he pointed to the soup bowl in front of her: "This is the original chicken soup, which also contains bamboo shoots, chicken mince and several other fungi, which absorbs excess oil and relieves greasiness. The green vegetable is steamed with rice noodles, which is said to be very nourishing to the stomach. In addition, different herbs are added to the dish and the distillation process, which are very good for the body. As for the smell, you may not be used to it for the first time, but the taste does not have the bitterness of herbs at all. This is also very distinctive, it is a modified version of the famous local Italian snack... Hmm? Don't just listen to me, keep using your chopsticks! Is it good?"

"Boss, you eat too." An Yi seized the opportunity and interrupted.

"Okay, got it. No need to serve me soup, sit down! Oh, by the way, lotus stems are a bit cold, so don't eat too much..."

The boss introduced every dish to her in detail, from the cooking method to the ingredients. An Yi was busy eating the dishes and drinking the soup according to the boss's instructions. She had to chew slowly, otherwise she would be reminded. She was panicking. She knew that eating with a person who was extremely controlling was a torment, not to mention that this person was a boss who would not allow you to refuse her kindness. The good thing was that she had no time to think about the sadness just now and temporarily put it aside.

Ding Hong felt relieved when he saw that the expression of the woman opposite him had gradually returned to normal and her eyes had become clear again.

In order to avoid embarrassment when she comes back, I just pretended to be busy and called the two managers to assign tasks. I guess they are working overtime in a daze. I'm sorry, I asked you to take the blame for her.