Chapter 134 Buying Pancakes
Upon hearing Wen Lan's response, Li Jing's eyebrows seemed to fly up, first with some surprise, then with a hint of amusement.
Seeing Li Jing inexplicably start laughing, Wen Lan frowned in confusion, "Does President Li find something funny in what I said?"
"It's nothing, I just didn't expect myself to leave such an impression on you, the newly-appointed director, as if you were somehow at a disadvantage in front of me."
"No matter how big a director is, in front of an investor boss, they are just a worker."
Wen Lan shook her head, then said lightly, "In this world, whatever you do, it's always tied to money, so naturally, having money gives you initiative and a voice."
"You're not wrong."
Li Jing nodded and then gazed into the distance, "I used to really dislike those leaders who exert power over others, and big bosses who put on airs. But I didn't expect that when I got rich, I'd become like them. Is it true that every dragon slayer eventually becomes a dragon?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Lan glanced at him, "What, President Li, are you regretting yesterday's events?"
"Regret?"
Thinking of last night's flirtation with Wei Jia, Li Jing couldn't help but grin, "Of course not, even though I've become a dragon, it feels really good to be one. Besides, I don't think I'm an evil dragon, at most a dragon enjoying life among humans."
Seeing that Li Jing had no regret, Wen Lan was speechless and turned her head away, stopping the conversation with him.
Through this exchange, she increasingly could not understand Li Jing. Sometimes he seemed mysterious and stern, but other times he seemed sincere and natural. His behaviors and thoughts were always something she couldn't fully grasp.
However, one thing she was certain of, just as Wei Jia had said, was that Li Jing indeed did things as he pleased, with no inhibitions. Whether it was speaking or acting, he followed his nature completely, never considering hiding or wronging himself.
For this state of his, Wen Lan secretly felt a hint of envy.
But she could never be like him, as her financial situation was far from enough for her to be carefree, even though she had surpassed most ordinary people.
Walking to the first floor lobby of the hospital, Li Jing saw Wen Lan at the window paying the bill and remarked with some surprise, "Are you covering Mr. Chen's medical expenses?"
"No, I would be willing to cover Mr. Chen's medical expenses, but she doesn't want that."
After paying, Wen Lan withdrew her phone and explained, "Mr. Chen doesn't have any children and is alone here with no one to care for. So, I hired a caregiver for her.
Originally, she wanted to refuse. I told her it was a favor from someone and didn't cost anything, and she finally agreed. So please don't let Mr. Chen know about this."
Hearing this, Li Jing nodded and said no more.
Regarding Wen Lan and Chen Hua, he felt the two were less like partners and more like friends from different generations.
Helping each other, appreciating each other, trusting each other.
Although Li Jing did not have such feelings, he held a degree of respect for this kind of soulful mutual friendship.
"Respect" was for Chen Hua and "admiration" was for Wen Lan.
...
Subsequently, the two left the hospital inpatient building, ready to depart.
Li Jing didn't go with her to the parking lot to get the car; instead, he walked alone to the hospital entrance, intending to buy something to eat.
Near the entrance of Celestial Sea City Hospital, there were many shops, including fruit shops, gift shops, breakfast shops, and some specialty snack stores.
Recently, having been used to fine dining, he was once again interested in roadside snacks.
He came to the entrance of a whole-grain crepe shop, glanced at the various options on the sign, and said to the staff, "Give me two of the most expensive ones."
"Okay, please wait a moment."
Upon hearing this, the staff skillfully scooped a ladle full of yellow batter with a large spoon, spreading it evenly onto a flat grill, and then began to add ingredients.
At this moment, a young female student looking like a university student also came over and politely asked the staff, "Boss, how much for the one with tenderloin and bacon?"
"Twenty-two."
Hearing this, the female student seemed to find it a bit pricey, hesitated for a few seconds, and then asked, "What about the one with tenderloin and shredded potatoes?"
"Eighteen."
"And the plain egg one?"
Upon hearing the female student inquire for the third time, both the staff and Li Jing couldn't help but glance at her.
At that moment, she was slightly blushing, her expression a bit embarrassed, dressed simply and neatly, appearing to be just a normal student with some financial constraints. Notefromtheeditor:AlwayscheckMV2LEMPYRforcorrections.
Seeing her, Li Jing couldn't help but recall his own frugal university days.
At that time, in order to lessen the burden on his family, he was extremely budget-conscious in all aspects. Just like her, even if he wanted to eat a snack, he couldn't bear to buy the expensive one.
"The plain egg one is twelve."
After looking at her, the staff continued making Li Jing's whole-grain crepes, blandly replying with a single sentence.
"Then I'll take the plain..."
"Get her one with tenderloin and bacon."
Before she could finish speaking, Li Jing interrupted.
"Ah?"
The girl was startled, looking at Li Jing in surprise and uncertainty about his intentions.
"Hehe, no other reason, I just think you remind me a lot of myself during my university days, so consider it fate, I'll treat you to it."
Seeing Li Jing's gentle demeanor, the girl hesitated for a moment and then nervously thanked him, "Tha-thank you, but it's not for me. My mom is here for treatment, and I'm afraid she'll get hungry, so I'm buying her a crepe. She really likes eating this."
Upon hearing this, Li Jing suddenly understood and then turned to the staff and said, "Another rib meat with bacon for her to eat herself."
"Sure thing, bro." The staff member responded enthusiastically.
Perhaps because he saw Li Jing actively helping the girl, the staff member seemed a little more enthusiastic than before.
The girl hastily waved her hand when she saw this: "No, no, I'm not hungry, you don't have to spend so much..."
"It's okay, just a small amount."
Li Jing smiled and then asked, "Which school are you from?"
"I, I'm from Tianhai Transportation University."
"A prestigious university, it seems like your grades are pretty good."
"Not, not bad."
"Be more daring, once you enter society, good grades alone aren't enough. You also need to develop your skills in various areas."
Seeing that Li Jing seemed easy to talk to, the girl became a bit bolder and curiously asked, "Big brother, have you been working for a long time?"
"Five years."
"Are you working in Celestial Sea City?"
"Yes, what's up, do you want to stay in Celestial Sea City?"
"Yeah, my classmates all say there are more opportunities here."
"How old are you?"
"Just started my first year at university..."
...
Wen Lan drove her BMW Mini out of the hospital gate and was about to call Li Jing to ask where he was when she noticed him chatting with a young girl on the side of the road, looking quite familiar.
Beep beep.
Wen Lan honked twice to signal her presence.
Li Jing turned around, saw Wen Lan's car, waved goodbye to the girl, and quickly walked over to open the door and got in.
"Ran into someone you know?"
Wen Lan curiously glanced at the girl on the roadside not far away. She was simply dressed and looked young.
"Nope, just a chance encounter, chatted for a bit."
Upon hearing this, Wen Lan had a peculiar expression: "You can chat up any random girl you run into?"
Li Jing raised an eyebrow: "Why not? It's for you."
With that, Li Jing took out another uneaten mixed grain pancake and handed it to her.
Seeing this, Wen Lan was surprised, took a look at the half-eaten pancake in his hand, somewhat surprised: "You like eating this? I heard from Wei Jia, I thought you eat gourmet meals every day."
"Director Wen, I did say I grew up in an ordinary family, isn't it normal for me to eat this stuff? It's just that you didn't believe me."
Saying this, Li Jing shook the pancake intended for her: "Do you want it or not? If you don't like it, I'll eat your share too."
"No, I often eat this dish. Just place it on the armrest box next to me, I'll eat it after I finish driving, and I won't have dinner tonight."
Li Jing was surprised: "You're just having this tonight?"
"Yeah, when I'm filming, lunch and dinner are often like this, just eating to get by."
Li Jing shook his head, disagreeing with her view: "Food is a kind of enjoyment, just getting by will only make you lose the joy of eating."
"President Li, not everyone, like you, has no economic pressures and has time to enjoy life."
Saying this, Wen Lan remembered the appearance of the girl by the roadside earlier and suddenly asked, "Why was that girl chatting with a stranger like you?"
Li Jing didn't know why she was asking but saw that she had a serious expression, so he explained: "Because I bought her two mixed grain pancakes. The girl just turned adult, pure and simple. Is it unusual for her to want to chat with me..."
"No..."
Wen Lan's eyes lit up as if she had thought of an answer. As she drove, she answered, "Because you have the aura of a scholar or university student, it naturally makes similar people feel close and trusting towards you."
Upon hearing this, Li Jing frowned: "The aura of a scholar or university student? I left school five years ago."
"This has nothing to do with whether you've left school but more with your mentality and values."
Seeing that he didn't believe her, Wen Lan explained: "If you were full of a hooligan vibe, with unkind eyes, even if you bought the girl ten pancakes, would she dare to chat with you?
Or if you looked like a greasy sleazy guy, would she chat with you?"
Upon hearing this, Li Jing paused, thinking of the scene of chatting with the girl earlier, frowned, and pondered, "What you say makes some sense, I naturally just chatted with her, including asking her about her school, age, she told me without hesitation..."
"You see, while it's true that the girl was too innocent, more importantly, your vibes matched. She subconsciously viewed you as a similar person."
Wen Lan analyzed seriously: "Maybe it's because your personalities are similar, or possibly your experiences. That's why your vibes match, and you could easily chat so quickly.
Of course, it's also greatly related to how you're good at chatting, with a casual and sincere attitude."
With that, she smiled slightly and turned to look at Li Jing: "President Li, I know what kind of role to give you now."