Chapter 377: Reward
The night had fallen.
The bustling Shanghai was a city of a myriad of twinkling lights. At the Everlasting Feast Hall Shanghai Branch, Chi Nan leaned motionlessly on the counter, lazily fiddling with her mobile phone.
“Chief Chi, someone is looking for you.” A waiter came by.
Chi Nan looked up lazily and asked, “Who’s looking for me?”
The waiter pointed to the back and said, “He’s a male student who said he wants a box. But the boxes in our restaurant are fully occupied now.”
Looking around, Chi Nan’s look slightly changed as a bright smile appeared on her gorgeous face. After clearing seeing that the student was Tang Xiu, she said to the waiter, “Go to clean up the VIP lounge on the fourth floor immediately. Prepare the best drinks and dishes as per VIP treatment. Go quickly.”
“VIP?” The waiter was stunned and stared blankly before she turned around to look at Tang Xiu and the others and departed in large strides.
With a smiling expression, Chi Nan came before Tang Xiu and the others. Though she had already seen Kang Xia’s stunning appearance, she was somewhat still startled by it. She then smiled and said, “Welcome. How many boxes do you need, Boss?”
“Chi Nan, arrange the VIP lounge on the fourth floor for us! They are all our people.” Said Tang Xiu with a smile.
Chi Nan was startled. She then smiled and said, “I have people preparing it, Boss.”
“All right, I’ll introduce you to them. She’s Kang Xia, the General Manager of Magnificent Tang Corp. This one is Su Quan, a brother I grew up with and now also works in the Magnificent Tang Corp.” Tang Xiu let out a slight smile and said, “She’s Chi Nan, the Shanghai Branch Manager of the Everlasting Feast Hall.”
“Hello, Kang Xia.” Chi Nan smiled as she put out her hand and said, “Since we’re in the same side, please call me Sister Nannan! How about I call you Xiaxia?”
"This…" Kang Xia hesitated before she shook hands with Chi Nan and nodded. She then looked at Tang Xiu and asked in puzzlement, “What is this, Boss?”
“Well, I’m the owner of the Magnificent Tang Corp.” Tang Xiu smiled and said, “But I’m also the owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall.”
“You’re really the Everlasting Feast Hall’s Boss?” Kang Xia was startled and asked, “How is this possible? To my knowledge, the Everlasting Feast Hall has existed for decades. How come you…”
Waving his hand to interrupt her, Tang Xiu let out a slight smile and said, “There are some things you’re not privy to know. Maybe you’ll know about it later. Anyways, our Gods Nectar has caused a huge sensation in the Wine Tasting Conference. This will make the wine famous sooner, so I think I’ll give you due congratulations and a celebration in advance.”
Seeing that Tang Xiu didn’t want to elaborate further, Kang Xia held herself back and no longer asked. It was already a pleasant surprise for her to be together with Tang Xiu now.
At the VIP Lounge on the fourth floor.
They were led by Chi Nan into the spacious VIP lounge. Su Quan’s eyes stared wide after he looked inside. He then came to the window, watching the scenes on the lively, bustling streets outside. He couldn’t bear to blurt out, “This is so luxurious. I’ve been to many restaurants, yet this is my first time in such a luxurious restaurant.”
“This is the VIP Lounge of our Everlasting Feast Hall.” Chi Nan laughed, “It’s not usually open to the public. Outside of a few VIPs and our own people, outsiders are not allowed here.”
“It seems like we’re in the limelight due to Big Boss!” Su Quan said with a smile.
The other employees of the Tang Magnificent Corp were also shocked. Though all of them knew that Tang Xiu was the company’s Big Boss, they knew that he was someone who asked others to work but did nothing himself. But now, they finally realized that their Big Boss, who usually did not bother with the company’s situation, turned out to have more businesses outside the Magnificent Tang Corp. He simply had his hands full.
“Take your seats!” Tang Xiu waved his hand and said.
Kang Xia quickly moved and personally pulled a chair for Tang Xiu. After that, she smiled and sat at his side.
As for Chi Nan, she didn’t take a seat and instead spoke, “Boss, Elder Ji has come to Shanghai. But I didn’t inform you since I learned you went to Guangyang Province a few days ago. Could you see her when you have the time?”
After ruminating for a moment, Tang Xiu then replied, “Let her wait. The person I’ve been waiting for has yet to come to Shanghai. So I’ll contact her after that person arrived.”
“Affirmative!” Chi Nan smiled faintly and nodded.
Quickly, the Everlasting Feast Hall’s special great dishes and fine wines had been delivered. The fragrant dishes aroused everyone’s appetites. It took a full two hours before the dinner was over. During the feast, Kang Xia only drank a bit of wine, yet a rosy redness was painted on her stunningly beautiful face, making her look a bit cuter and lovelier.
“Boss, can you accompany me to have a look at the night scenery of Shanghai?”
After leaving the restaurant, Kang Xia walked alongside Tang Xiu and spoke in an undertone voice.
“All right!”
Tang Xiu didn’t refuse her. Kang Xia was a friend he trusted and liked. Thus, he wanted to make her contented. After sending off Su Quan and the rest, Tang Xiu then looked at Chi Nan and said with a smile, “You go back to take care of your matter! I’ll take Kang Xia to stroll around.”
Chi Nan looked at Kang Xia with a strange expression. She then smiled and asked, “Boss, do you want to use my car?”
“No need.” Tang Xiu waved his hand said, “Though I’ve no problem driving after drinking, it’s still regarded as driving while drunk. So we’ll take a cab!”
“All right!” Chi Nan replied as she turned around and walked toward the restaurant.
Tang Xiu then looked at Kang Xia and asked with a smile, “Where do you want to go? When I first arrived in Shanghai I wandered around with my classmates. After all, this metropolis is very good.”
“How about we head to the Bund?” Kang Xia said with a smile, “I wanna see the night view of Huangpu River. Ah, right, if we can take a ride on the night passenger ferry in Huangpu River it would be even better.”
“All right!”
Tang Xiu nodded. After catching a cab, they quickly arrived at Huangpu River’s ferry ticket office. Tang Xiu bought the tickets and then accompanied Kang Xia to a tour of Huangpu River and then returned to the shore. Kang Xia and Tang Xiu walked side by side amidst the crowd. Finally, after hesitating for a moment, Kang Xia reached out her hand and grabbed Tang Xiu’s hand.
Glancing at her, Tang Xiu slightly smiled and said, “You seem to have some things you’ve been wanting to ask. You also want to know how I became the owner of the Everlasting Feast Hall, right?”
“What I wanna ask is not how you became the Everlasting Feast Hall’s owner.” Kang Xia said with a smile, “But it’s about Chi Nan. Your relationship with her seems a bit unusual.”
Tang Xiu stared blankly for a moment before he immediately burst into laughter, “You couldn’t be thinking that our relationship is like between a man and a woman, right?”
“No, it’s not like that. So to speak, you two seem very close, but she respects you very much.” Kang Xia said, “It’s unlike a perfunctory fake respect. But it’s from the heart. Even despite her attempts to conceal it, she occasionally revealed it a bit… like she’s flattering you.”
The smile on Tang Xiu’s face slowly receded as he stood near Huangpu River. Overlooking the reflection of the reversed images of the dim lights on the surface of the river, he serenely said, “Kang Xia, you observed her very carefully. But have you not discovered that she also finds an exceptional and particular manner from you?”
“I figured it wasn’t her first time seeing me.” Kang Xia said, “But it was rather like an affectionate sentiment between old friends or something, which is a point I can’t figure out, to be honest.”
Turning around, Tang Xiu then looked at her face. Watching her sparkling eyes with rippling watery and bright halos he then seriously asked, “I’ve taught you a cultivation technique, how is your practice?”
“I haven’t felt internal Qi yet.” Kang Xia said.
“You haven’t felt internal Qi, but she has been practicing and cultivating True Qi.” Tang Xiu said, “Though she has yet to embark on the genuine cultivation path, she may be able to learn it in the future. All the core members of the Everlasting Feast Hall are my own people, for whom my orders are above all else. Even if I order them to commit suicide before me, they will carry it out at once.”
Kang Xia’s heart startled. He looked at Tang Xiu with an incredulous expression and asked, “Boss, such loyal people… could they really exist in this world?”
“They are different! Their lives are not only just for themselves.” Tang Xiu said.
“Boss, I gotta say that I disagree.” Kang Xia shook her head and said, “Their lives are in their hands to control. As for how they walk it through in the future, they have their own path to go, how could you say it like that…”
“Their paths have actually come to an end.” Tang Xiu interrupted her words and confidently said, “Unless they grow old and die in obscurity, they will vigorously follow my footsteps. The path they have to take in the future will be given by me. Thus, their lives are something they must use to give their loyalty to me.”
“It’s given by you?” Kang Xia was surprised and said, “How do you give it to them?”
“Don’t tell me you forgot what I told you when I imparted you your cultivation technique? ‘Become stronger and continue to live on’.” Tang Xiu lightly smiled and said, “If they can cultivate to a certain realm, they will have a long life ahead. It’s not just them, even you have also learned a cultivation technique from me, so your life is mine.”
Kang Xia fell into silence for a moment. A smile suddenly unfolded on her face as she said with a smile, “Well, my soul and body are yours, to begin with.”
“Ehh…” Tang Xiu was startled for a moment and suddenly recalled his tumble with Kang Xia. The part under his abdomen turned hot.
“Kang Xia, I…”
Tang Xiu opened his mouth to speak.
Kang Xia lifted her jade-like fingers and gently covered Tang Xiu’s lips as she lightly laughed, “I know you said we can’t be a normal couple. However, I don’t mind that. As long as I can occupy some space in your heart, I’m satisfied.”
Tang Xiu sighed inside. He then put his arms around her shoulders and said, “Let’s not speak about that and go somewhere else!”
Kang Xia nodded and didn’t say anything else. A different light flashed from her eyes. No one knew what she was thinking.
After a long period of time, only then did Kang Xia softly said, “I know a store nearby. Care to join me to buy a few pieces of clothes?”
“All right!” Tang Xiu said with a smile, “Is this shop selling other things besides clothes? I want to buy a laptop. Nowadays, someone who has no knowledge about computers can be regarded as an illiterate person.”
“You don’t know how to use a computer?” Kang Xia was surprised.
“I can use it for simple operations.” Tang Xiu said, “I had a computer class in the middle of my junior high. But what I learned were very simple things. In fact, I just began using a smartphone recently.”