After Becoming the Family Head, I Got an Unofficial Fiancée (GL) - Chapter 11
The restaurant called Coastline wasn’t actually on the coast, but located in the most bustling area of the city center. It covered a large area, spanning one and a half floors. The main hall was for regular customers, while the second floor was divided into two parts. One half was a dining area, and the other half was designed as an indoor aquarium.
There weren’t many customers that day. When Jiang Man followed Gu Weiyan inside, she was stunned by the transparent viewing tanks. Seeing how much she liked it, Gu Weiyan had the waiter lead them to a table where they could see the fish.
Jiang Man placed her schoolbag on an extra chair and stared at the menu handed to her by the waiter, completely dumbfounded.
There were all sorts of seafood, and plenty of Western dishes. The photos on the menu were so tempting, but the prices made Jiang Man feel a little overwhelmed. For example, a single salad cost over three hundred, which was something she, as a high school student, had never encountered before.
It seemed like Gu Weiyan was a regular here. She didn’t even look at the menu and simply ordered a few dishes. Then, she turned to Jiang Man and asked, “Are there any foods you’re allergic to, or any seafood you can’t eat?”
Jiang Man nervously shook her head, glancing at Gu Weiyan and then at the waiter, as if there was something she wanted to say.
After ordering more seafood platters and other dishes, Gu Weiyan thought for a moment and then told the waiter, “Also, bring her a seafood noodle dish, not too spicy.”
After the waiter wrote down the order and left, Jiang Man spoke up, “Gu Weiyan, these dishes are so expensive, do we really have to eat here?”
Gu Weiyan smiled at the girl in front of her. “They’re expensive, but they’re really good.”
Jiang Man hesitated and said, “But… but they’re really pricey…”
“Don’t worry.” Gu Weiyan said, “I won’t make you stay here washing dishes just because we can’t afford the bill.”
When Jiang Man heard this, she immediately got nervous. Was Gu Weiyan really going to make her wash dishes? How many plates would she have to clean to pay off such an expensive meal?
Though the Jiang family occasionally ate out, it was usually with adults ordering the food, and she went to a regular high school. Most of her classmates were ordinary kids, and the most expensive things they owned didn’t exceed a few thousand yuan. Now, a single meal cost so much, and it really made Jiang Man nervous.
When the food arrived, the table was filled with delicious dishes, and in front of Jiang Man was a bowl of seafood noodles. The dish contained an entire Australian lobster, with the tender lobster meat laid out on top of the noodles. The soup, however, seemed to be only a few spoonfuls, and Jiang Man ate it nervously.
But she noticed that Gu Weiyan seemed really pleased with the food, even explaining to her the best way to eat the seafood.
After placing a fresh piece of salmon in front of Jiang Man, Gu Weiyan finally took off her gloves and began eating slowly. When it came to food, she liked to get rid of any “obstacles” and enjoy her meal without anything getting in the way.
Since Jiang Man appeared to be eating seafood for the first time, Gu Weiyan patiently helped her, peeling the shells off the lobster and oysters. She placed them within easy reach for Jiang Man.
Hearing Jiang Man’s soft and sweet “thank you,” Gu Weiyan thought that taking care of a child might not be so bad after all.
Just as Gu Weiyan was about to eat her own food, her phone, which was lying on the side, rang. She glanced at it and saw that it was a call from Ke Yinan.
This woman, why was she calling again?
Gu Weiyan furrowed her brow but quickly answered. The sound of Ke Yinan laughing came from the other end of the line.
“General Manager Gu, you’re so free to eat seafood today, and you didn’t even invite me?”
As soon as she said this, Gu Weiyan looked upstairs, where she saw Ke Yinan holding the phone and looking down. When she saw that Gu Weiyan had spotted her, she waved and said into the phone, “Hey, who’s that kid sitting opposite you? Is that your little fiancée?”
Gu Weiyan didn’t even let her finish before hanging up the phone. Jiang Man, who was sitting with her back to Ke Yinan, only saw Gu Weiyan answer the call and hang up after a few words, her expression clearly unhappy.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Man asked, picking up a piece of lobster meat. She looked at Gu Weiyan’s expression and said, “You seem upset.”
Gu Weiyan glanced up at Ke Yinan, who was making funny faces from upstairs, and her face turned even darker. She said to Jiang Man, “I need to go to the restroom for a moment. You can eat slowly, I’ll be back soon.”
Before Jiang Man could say anything, Gu Weiyan stood up, took her phone, and walked away. Jiang Man looked after her but didn’t think much of it and continued eating her lobster noodles.
However, Gu Weiyan didn’t go to the restroom. Instead, she headed upstairs. When she reached the second floor, she saw Ke Yinan in a leather jacket and pants, looking at her with a teasing smile.
“You finally decided to come up?” Ke Yinan teased.
“What are you doing here?” Gu Weiyan asked, confused. “Aren’t you supposed to be going to the bar tonight?”
“Before going to the bar, I still need to eat. You can’t just drink and not get full.” Ke Yinan pulled Gu Weiyan toward the railing on the second floor. Gu Weiyan knew exactly what this woman was up to, and she rolled her eyes as she was dragged along.
Standing at the spot closest to Jiang Man, Ke Yinan looked down and said to Gu Weiyan, “So, that’s your little fiancée?”
“What do you mean, ‘little fiancée’?” Gu Weiyan replied. “That sounds strange.”
“What’s so strange about it?” Ke Yinan said. “Didn’t you say she just turned eighteen and is almost ten years younger than you? If she’s not a kid, then what is she?”
Gu Weiyan rolled her eyes, not wanting to deal with her.
Seeing Gu Weiyan’s expression, Ke Yinan got curious. She grabbed Gu Weiyan and said, “General Manager Gu, you can’t be so ungrateful. Look, I called you to ask, I didn’t just shout your name out loud. You can’t at least satisfy my curiosity?”
Gu Weiyan sighed in defeat. “Didn’t we talk about this before? Her name is Jiang Man, she’s eighteen this year, and she’s a senior in high school.”
“I know all that. What I’m asking is how you ended up bringing her out to eat. Are you interested in her?”
“Ke Yinan.”
Gu Weiyan glared at this gossip-loving woman, leaning in close and saying, “Do you think I’d be interested in someone like her?”
Under threat, Ke Yinan still smiled and said, “But that’s different! I think this little girl is really cute. Even though she’s totally different from your type, she’s so tender and soft, clean and beautiful, like a doll.”
Gu Weiyan glanced downstairs and saw Jiang Man curiously poking at the oysters in front of her with chopsticks, looking intrigued… and yes, she did look pretty cute.
“So what?” Gu Weiyan said coldly. “Would you like the person your family arranged for you to marry?”
“Usually not, but…” Ke Yinan leaned back on the armrest, smiling. “This little fiancée, maybe I could like her.”
Gu Weiyan stared at her, her sea-green eyes darkening. Ke Yinan, feeling the pressure, started to feel uneasy.
“Alright, alright, stop looking at me like that. I’m not really going to make a move,” Ke Yinan waved her hand, turning to look at Jiang Man. She sighed dramatically, “Weiyan, what if one day you end up liking this little fiancée? What would happen to lonely old me?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t like her,” Gu Weiyan reassured her friend.
Ke Yinan raised her head and blinked. “Let’s make a bet. I bet you’ll like this little girl.”
Gu Weiyan rolled her eyes. She thought Ke Yinan was being ridiculous.
Ke Yinan grinned like a fox, practically wagging her tail in triumph. She looked at Gu Weiyan and said, “Let’s bet on a sports car, one that starts at ten million.”
Gu Weiyan furrowed her brow. “That’s too expensive, isn’t it?”
“If you’re going to bet, bet big. Otherwise, what’s the point?” Ke Yinan shrugged.
“…” Gu Weiyan was speechless.
Ke Yinan leaned closer and asked, “Don’t you trust yourself, Little Gu?”
Gu Weiyan gave her a side glance. “Of course I trust myself. I was just thinking, if you lose, what will you give me?”
“What do you want?”
“The paintings at the back of your gallery, they must be worth ten million, right?”
Ke Yinan gasped. “Weiyan, you’re ruthless! Those are family heirlooms for me.”
Gu Weiyan smiled. “They’re heirlooms, so whether they’re from the Ke family or the Gu family, it doesn’t make a difference.”
Ke Yinan thought for a moment, then smiled. “Alright, but I’m sure you’ll like this little girl. I trust my instincts.”
“Your instincts don’t always work,” Gu Weiyan glanced at Jiang Man and said, “If nothing changes, two years from now, we’ll go our separate ways. By then, my family won’t let me marry a stranger.”
Ke Yinan leaned on the armrest and said, “Well, we’ll see. I need to think about which sports car to buy now.”
The two chatted for a bit more, and Gu Weiyan noticed that Jiang Man was looking nervously toward the restroom, glancing back repeatedly. It seemed she was getting more and more anxious. Gu Weiyan excused herself and went downstairs to check on her.
At this moment, Jiang Man was incredibly uneasy. Gu Weiyan had been gone for over ten minutes. Why hadn’t she come back yet?
She was just an ordinary student, with pocket money that didn’t exceed 500 a month. She couldn’t even afford a bowl of seafood noodles. If Gu Weiyan really left, was she going to end up washing dishes for the rest of her life?
Just thinking about it made Jiang Man tremble. If the restaurant owner caught her for not paying, would he throw her into a small, dark storage room to wash dishes? She imagined herself crying as she scrubbed plates, with no one from the Jiang family to help and the Gu family ready to abandon her. Would she spend fifty or sixty years of her life in that dark warehouse, washing dishes?
The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became. Gripping her fork, she started to panic, wondering if the waiter would come and ask when she was going to pay. What would happen if she couldn’t pay? Would the owner come out and drag her away?
The anxiety only grew, and in a moment of desperation, Jiang Man thought maybe she should ask her grandfather for money. He would probably help pay for the meal, right?
She really didn’t want to wash dishes for the rest of her life…
“Why aren’t you eating?”
The sudden voice startled Jiang Man, and she jumped. Turning around, she saw Gu Weiyan had returned. Immediately, all the tension in her body released.
Thank goodness, she didn’t have to wash dishes for the rest of her life!
Gu Weiyan didn’t know what crazy thoughts had been running through Jiang Man’s head while she was gone, but she saw her eyes were red, and she looked like a little bunny that had been wronged. As soon as Jiang Man saw her, she softly called her name.
“Gu Weiyan…” Jiang Man looked at her with reddened eyes, her voice much weaker than usual.
Seeing this, Gu Weiyan immediately walked over, bent down, and gently wiped her eyes. “What happened? Who upset you?”
Jiang Man wrinkled her little nose and, with red eyes, said, “I… I’m full now. I want to go home…”
Gu Weiyan smiled softly and said, “Alright, let’s go home now.”