You Must Marry Me! - Chapter 3
Chapter 3
The assistant cheerfully picked up a tray and stood at the end of the line. Looking up at the menu posted above the food counter, she murmured to herself, “Stuffed green peppers, braised pork with potatoes, ginger chicken… not bad today.”
Yu Xiaotao decided on what to eat. When she turned around, she saw the group of department heads standing behind her, their faces blank as they stared at the cafeteria counters.
Yu Xiaotao guessed that Yan Yiyun probably hadn’t been to the cafeteria before, so she grabbed a tray for her from the rack and pointed to the advertisement poster above the counters. “Boss, our cafeteria has four counters. The first three serve dishes—you can look up there and see what you’d like, then tell the auntie what to scoop for you. The last counter is for yogurt and fruit.”
Yan Yiyun responded with an “Oh” and took the tray, standing behind Yu Xiaotao, her eyes scanning the crowd.
Though there were a lot of people here, there were only four serving windows. If Qi Zhen came to eat, she’d have to line up too. Maybe, if she kept looking, she’d find her.
But to her disappointment, Yan Yiyun looked through all the lines and still didn’t spot Qi Zhen.
Could it be that Qi Zhen doesn’t eat in the cafeteria? Holding her tray, Yan Yiyun quietly followed the line, her face full of contemplation.
The administrative supervisor watched her expression with bated breath. He’d seen her go from excited to seemingly disappointed after stepping into the cafeteria, and now she was staring at the poster in deep thought—his heart was filled with anxiety.
Was Little President Yan dissatisfied with his work?
To be fair, he’d done a mediocre job. Most dishes were vegetarian, with few meat options—today’s menu was actually one of the better ones. Though the menu posters looked appetizing, once they got to the front, it would be obvious that dishes like braised pork and ginger chicken were mostly potatoes and bones.
He was genuinely afraid Yan Yiyun would get angry and scold him publicly.
It had only been two weeks since she joined, but she made it clear from day one she was here to take over the family business. She was all business in meetings, and now the staff were just waiting to see when she’d start making heads roll.
Holding his tray, the supervisor watched Yan Yiyun survey the cafeteria, silently regretting that he hadn’t suggested eating out instead.
After checking out the food counters, Yan Yiyun glanced around at the people seated. The company cafeteria looked no different from a college one, with employees chatting and eating in small groups.
There was no doubt—Qi Zhen wasn’t here.
Yan Yiyun couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. But since they were already here, it wasn’t appropriate to change her mind now.
Though she found the experience a little boring, she remained polite and said to the cafeteria auntie, “Braised pork with potatoes, stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes.”
Her name hadn’t yet spread to the cafeteria, so the auntie, unimpressed by her bland tone, gave her small portions with a casual flick of the serving spoon.
From afar, the administrative supervisor craned his neck and nearly panicked. He wished he could run up and serve Yan Yiyun himself. Luckily, she didn’t seem to mind and carried her tray to find a seat with Yu Xiaotao.
As soon as she entered the cafeteria, quite a few employees took notice of her. Whispers began to stir:
“Is that the young miss? Why is she eating in the cafeteria today?”
“Checking in with the common folk! She went to the break room this morning. I heard someone from the design department say she ran into one of their designers.”
“The designer said she was just there for coffee. No one believed it at first, but now that she’s eating in the cafeteria, maybe it’s true.”
Everywhere Yan Yiyun passed, conversations would abruptly cease. Then, as soon as she walked by, the gossip would resume.
As she walked past tables, she noticed how quiet everyone seemed while eating. But the cafeteria was still loud overall, so she asked Yu Xiaotao, “Why does everyone go silent when I pass by?”
Yu Xiaotao forced a smile. She couldn’t possibly say they were gossiping about her, so she simply replied, “Maybe they just finished chatting.”
Yan Yiyun gave a soft “Oh” and didn’t pursue it further.
She picked up a piece of potato and gave it a taste. Though not amazing, it was decent. The rich flavor of beef had soaked into the potato, the seasoning was balanced, and the texture was smooth. For cafeteria food, it was quite good.
Yu Xiaotao was happily eating—alternating between potato and rice—and said to Yan Yiyun, “Boss, try the ginger chicken. It’s pretty good too.”
As she spoke, she picked a piece of chicken from her bowl and placed it onto Yan Yiyun’s tray.
Yan Yiyun smiled and thanked her, then said, “I don’t eat ginger.”
She had a bit of a cleanliness obsession and didn’t share food with others—especially since she and Yu Xiaotao weren’t particularly close.
She tasted a little of each dish. Yan Yiyun was a picky eater, and although the cafeteria food wasn’t bad, it wasn’t good enough to satisfy her.
After eating, she noticed others were still finishing their meals. She stood up with her yogurt and said, “Excuse me, I’m going back to rest for a bit. I’m a little tired.”
She was the boss—if she wanted to rest, no one would dare stop her.
Everyone smiled and said goodbye as she walked away.
Yan Yiyun opened her yogurt and slowly made her way back to the office, still thinking—Where on earth did Qi Zhen go?
They were among the first wave to arrive at the cafeteria. She’d looked around carefully but didn’t find her. After eating, she even used the excuse of returning her tray to circle around, still no sign of Qi Zhen.
Now she stood at the company entrance. She tossed the yogurt cup into the trash bin near the lobby and was about to press the elevator button when she spotted a familiar figure heading out and turning into a nearby convenience store.
Yan Yiyun’s eyes lit up—it was Qi Zhen!
Before she could even think, her feet had already followed her into the store.
It was a typical chain convenience store—cashier and hot food station by the entrance, drinks, snacks, and daily goods further in. Qi Zhen stood in front of the oden display, seriously studying the options.
Yan Yiyun’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest. She pretended to be nonchalant, first grabbing a bottle of oolong tea from the drink fridge, then made her way behind Qi Zhen, acting like she was also buying oden, waiting for a chance to strike up a conversation.
What should she say?
“What a coincidence, you’re shopping too?” No, no, that sounds silly. Who comes to a convenience store and doesn’t shop?
“I like oden too?” Nope, not happening—she didn’t even like oden. What if Qi Zhen invited her to eat it next time? She’d be exposed!
What she really wanted to ask was: Why don’t you eat in the cafeteria?
But… that felt a little too nosy.
As she was getting lost in her thoughts, Qi Zhen had already stepped aside, politely nodding, “You can go first.”
Yan Yiyun blinked. “Huh?”
The store clerk, holding a paper cup, cheerfully said, “Yeah, you go ahead—Zhen Zhen always takes a long time deciding.”
They seemed familiar… The clerk even called her Zhen Zhen!
A small pang pierced Yan Yiyun’s heart. She couldn’t even call Qi Zhen by a nickname, and now she had to spend ages just to think of one sentence to say to her!
When would their relationship go back to the way it was when they were young…?
Feeling a little sour, Yan Yiyun kept her expression composed and calmly said, “Cheese fish ball, beef ball, seaweed, one egg, and radish. Clear broth.”
She hadn’t eaten much in the cafeteria and felt as if she hadn’t eaten at all. So she ordered everything she normally found acceptable.
As she spoke, Qi Zhen gave her a second glance.
The store clerk quickly prepared her order and handed it over. “Careful, it’s hot!”
As Yan Yiyun carried the cup to the counter to pay, she overheard Qi Zhen telling the clerk, “I’ll have the same as hers.”
“You’re not being picky today?” the clerk asked.
Qi Zhen replied, “I actually like all of that.”
Her voice even had a slight lilt to it—completely different from how she’d spoken that morning in the break room.
Holding her cup of oden, Yan Yiyun deliberately walked slowly.
Qi Zhen looked at her retreating figure and was about to remind her that only the break room allowed hot food. But then she remembered—Yan Yiyun was the future boss. Who was going to stop her from eating oden wherever she wanted?
She swallowed the words and sat down in the store’s small dining area with her own cup.
Qi Zhen bit into a piece of radish, and the sweet, savory flavor immediately filled her mouth. The warm food settled into her stomach, soothing the discomfort caused by the cold leftovers she’d had earlier.
The company microwave had been broken for a while. She’d reported it to admin several times, but no one had come to fix it. She couldn’t waste her mother’s efforts, though—her mom, ever since her dad collapsed, had put all her energy into cooking for Qi Zhen to show her love.
Qi Zhen was now the sole breadwinner of the household. Her mother had always been a housewife and wasn’t in great health. Making food was the one thing she could still do for her daughter.
Meanwhile, Yan Yiyun had walked a bit further and was puzzled when Qi Zhen didn’t follow. She’d hoped they could eat and chat on the way back to the office—at least a few minutes of bonding.
She walked around a tree and stood on the path that led from the convenience store back to the company, waiting. But Qi Zhen never came. Her cup had already lost its heat, and she started to feel confused.
She turned around and, through the store’s glass window, saw Qi Zhen sitting inside, quietly eating.
Her head was slightly bowed, with smooth black hair framing her face. There was an odd, delicate beauty to the scene.
Yan Yiyun froze, heart pounding, unable to take her eyes off Qi Zhen.
Before she knew it, her body was already moving—she walked back into the store, sat beside Qi Zhen, and stared at the exposed curve of her ear peeking through her hair.
Qi Zhen turned her head in surprise and asked, “Why did you come back?”