Assistant Lin Has Something To SayChapter 19

From the moment their dinner date was set, Lin Hui began struggling with a problem. Should he bring a gift for his first time over at He Jianshan’s place? What should he bring? He wasn’t able to come to an answer, even after scouring all of Baidu. In the end, he decided to seek outside assistance from a few familiar friends.

The first person Lin Hui consulted was Luo Ting. Once he’d calmly explained everything to Luo Ting, Luo Ting knowingly said, “Hui, quit playing. I can literally feel your excitement through the phone. If you want to laugh, just laugh.” Jj8dsC

Lin Hui: “…”

“Now, let’s get back to business. I recommend you just go for the big guns. Gift him two bottles of liquor. Get him drunk, sleep with him, and dip. In the end, you’ll be left with just two options, either you two get together or you get the fuck out of there.”

Chrysanthemum Garden.

Lin Hui coldly shot back, “Have you considered that there is a secret third option? I could end up in jail.”

Luo Ting was disappointed in his friend’s lack of courage. “Oh, come on! Haven’t you heard the saying? Nothing ventured, nothing gained!” CcUJo4

“Can you at least try to give me some real ideas?”

The two of them bickered back and forth for a while. Luo Ting’s suggestion was to bring a bottle of red wine. It was a very safe choice. However, He Jianshan was a person who knew wine very well. He may very well have had more red wine in his life than Lin Hui did salt. Moreover, Lin Hui couldn’t afford expensive wine, and he couldn’t possibly bring a cheap wine as a gift. It wouldn’t be suitable.

Lin Hui then turned his attention towards An Ni. An Ni had always had a very refined sense of taste. She was also very thoughtful about things. She had always been in charge of arranging company events, big and small. Lin Hui left out most of the key details and proceeded to send her a message on WeChat, asking her what kind of gift would be appropriate for a dinner at a friend’s house. An Ni replied that he could give his friend a painting. His friend could hang it up in their home, and, every time they see it, they would think of the person who sent it to them. If necessary, she could even recommend a gallery to him. It did sound like a good idea. However, Lin Hui felt that paintings challenged one’s aesthetics. Not to mention, He Jianshan seemed like someone who would have well-coordinated furniture and decor in their home. It would be an issue if the painting he picked out didn’t suit his tastes or didn’t match the rest of his home.

Neither of his two trusted friends were able to give him a real solid suggestion. Lin Hui browsed through his contacts on WeChat, debating who to ask next. Zhao Xiaoxiao just so happened to walk in with some documents that needed his signature. Lin Hui casually asked her, “Xiaoxiao, I need to ask you something. I’m going to a friend’s house for dinner this weekend. Since it’s my first time going to his house, I want to bring him a gift. What do you think would be good?”

Zhao Xiaoxiao froze for a moment. She then mulled it over for a few minutes and said, “Flowers. Fresh flowers or a potted plant would be good.”

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

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In the picture, there was a bouquet of sunflowers. They had been placed in a ceramic vase after having been trimmed and pruned. The white of the ceramic made the yellow petals appear even more ardent and beautiful. Lin Hui glanced at the lego flowers that sat next to his computer. He Jianshan had helped him assemble the flowers, after which he placed them on his work desk. It would be very fitting for him to return the favor with a bouquet of fresh flowers. Not only that, he also searched it up online and found that sunflowers signified “silent love”. Lin Hui felt that these flowers were perfect for him. jIkUPr

There was no need to say anything as long as these flowers were able to bloom in his heart, even for a brief moment. That would be enough.

Saturday evening, Lin Hui made his way to He Jianshan’s place with the sunflowers that he had carefully selected. He Jianshan lived in a high-end residential area called Jadeite Mountains. He was in Building 8, Apartment 5A. Lin Hui had never been to his place before. However, there’d been many business trips during which the driver would pick him before He Jianshan, so Lin Hui knew exactly where his place was. In fact, He Jianshan himself didn’t even think to tell him his address. It was pretty much a given that the other must already know.

The dinner was scheduled for 6:00. Lin Hui left his house at 5:10. He was very calm while he was on the road. He was also very calm when he got a call from Luo Ting. Supposedly, the call was for the sake of comforting him, but they both knew it was just to tease him. Still, Lin Hui was able to laugh and talk with ease. However, once he parked his car and began to get closer and closer to his destination, a sudden rush of nerves began rising up for no reason. He had been rehearsing what he should say in his head, suddenly starting to regret that he hadn’t brought a bottle of wine. He kept getting the feeling that it was a little strange to send nothing but flowers as a gift. However, he’d picked out each and every sunflower himself and, under the guidance of the flower shop, tied it all together with a red ribbon. After letting his mind run wild for a bit, he finally stood at the door of Apartment 5A. Lin Hui took a deep breath. He had just raised his hand when the door opened.

He Jianshan was wearing a dark gray t-shirt and sweatpants. His hair was a little messy, and there was even a bit of a stubble on his chin. He didn’t have the tidy and cleaned up look that he usually did. However, he looked exactly how Lin Hui imagined he would at home. He suddenly laughed, and his entire person relaxed. He then held up the flowers, handing them over to He Jianshan. “I brought you a bouquet of flowers.” ekOAzH

He Jianshan went to put the flowers in some water. In the meantime, Lin Hui took a look around the place, somewhat amused. He used to imagine what He Jianshan’s home might look like whenever he was bored. Now that he was actually seeing the place for himself, he found that he wasn’t that far off.

Once the flowers were dealt with, He Jianshan came back from the balcony and wiped his hands. He noticed that Lin Hui was laughing, so he asked curiously, “What’s so funny?”

Lin Hui thought about it for a while. He then answered honestly, “It’s nothing. I was just thinking that your place is pretty similar to what I imagined it to be.”

He Jianshan understood. “I’ve always been pretty boring. I had just taken over the company during the renovations for my place. I was busy, so I had the designer come up with several proposals and picked the one that was most pleasing to the eye.” mEpugH

“I meant — I really like this kind of style.” Once the words left his mouth, Lin Hui felt that they sounded a little strange, so he quickly added, “If I had the money, I would decorate my house like this.”

He Jianshan laughed. “Come here and help me. Once this soup is done, we can start eating.”

Chrysanthemum Garden.

“Oh. Okay.” Lin Hui very naturally rolled up his sleeves. Seeing the apron that was prepared for him, he muttered, “Is this what you actually had in mind all along?”

“It’s your fault for coming right on time,” He Jianshan joked. EGTrib

In the pot, vegetables were being steamed. He Jianshan began chopping up yams. Lin Hui filled a bowl with water and handed it to him. Lin Hui then took a bunch of bok choy over to the sink and began washing it. He Jianshan’s kitchen was very big. It looked fairly organized even with all the bowls on the countertop. They each did their own thing. This was clearly their first time cooking together, but it seemed as if they had practiced it countless times in secret. Their silent understanding was so natural.

It wasn’t long before dinner was all set. He Jianshan made four dishes and one soup: stewed beef and tomatoes, steamed grouper, spicy sautéed crab, stir-fried vegetables, and bok choy tofu soup. He also made two additional cold dishes. Lin Hui was momentarily shocked upon seeing all the food. “Will we be able to finish all of it?”

He Jianshan poured a glass of red wine for Lin Hui. He said with a smile, “We can drink while we eat. Mr. Zhao will send you back tonight, so there’s no rush.”

Lin Hui pointed to the spicy sautéed crab and asked, “Why did you make this if you can’t eat spicy food?” V750dn

“I got a delivery of brown crab just this morning, and the quality of the meat looked pretty good. I recall you like spicy food, so I made it.”

Lin Hui asked, “How did you know how to make it?”

“There are lots of recipes online. I just followed the directions. It wasn’t too difficult.”

Lin Hui was speechless for a moment. Okay, this is probably what you’d call talent. Smart people are just good at everything. XWcI67

This meal took more than two hours. They spent most of their time chatting. They talked about everything, news, gossip, their own business, other people’s business. Lin Hui pretty much did most of the talking. If he got worked up, he would even put down his chopsticks and wave his hands around in order to fully express himself. In the meantime, He Jianshan kept smiling at him. Sometimes, he’d make a comment during a pause in the conversation or answer a question. He seemed to prefer listening to Lin Hui rather than speaking himself.

Maybe it was the wine that he’d had. Lin Hui felt a little light and airy, but he also felt fantastic.

In this dinner, he was the only protagonist. He could distinctly feel He Jianshan’s gaze hovering around him. His attention was entirely on him. It excited him. They jumped out of the steel and concrete framework of Wanzhu. They briefly abandoned their relationship as a superior and his subordinate. It was as if they’d become two people who had just met in a bar and were having a drink. The whole world had melted away, leaving behind nothing but carefree and reckless abandon.

Lin Hui thought, “It turns out that a dinner between two people can actually last for a very long time.” QleTIa

The Author Has Something To Say:

The night isn’t over yet. There’s more to come. (They don’t do it!)

Translator’s Note:

I’m alive!! Rahhh! rHmn2o