Qin Chuan was a little far away, and the restaurant was very noisy, so he couldn't hear the specific content of their conversation.

When he raised his head, he happened to miss Bo He's feat of crushing a teacup with her bare hands, only catching the young girl across from Bo He performing a live Sichuan opera face-changing act.

Her expression changed from agitation to stupor, and then from stupor to woodenness. The accusations that were about to pour out were instantly retracted—what was this if not face-changing?

The young girl stood ramrod straight, more solemn and serious than a primary school student being inspected by a leader.

Looking at the other few people, they were all staring at Bo He, their faces showing that they hadn't yet snapped back to reality.

What happened?

Even the least curious person would be compelled to take a few extra glances upon seeing this scene.

But Bo He was still the same Bo He.

Qin Chuan didn't see any horns growing on Bo He's head, nor did he see a Peppa Pig on the table.

She was just talking.

Just like usual, not agitated, and even smiling.

But the more it was like this, the stranger it seemed.

Qin Chuan didn't realize that his attention on Bo He had already surpassed the normal level of concern a superior has for a subordinate.

Given his character, this subconscious act of walking into the same restaurant and taking a few extra glances was also inconsistent with his usual style.

Instead, he felt that this person, Bo He, had too many secrets.

One after another, layer after layer.

Like an onion, an endlessly peelable creature that could drive someone with OCD to their death.

Actually, they couldn't be called secrets.

Everyone has another side unknown to others.

What Comrade Qin Chuan was seeing now was merely another side of the young girl Bo He that she had never shown in the workplace.

The Bo He in his impression had a flimsy image and a weak presence. She was inexperienced and clueless at work, either being careless and taken advantage of by others, or being rash and reckless and walking into the wrong room. Even if she was a little clever, she was far from being a pillar of talent.

Like all rookies who stumbled and fumbled in the workplace, Bo He had nothing particularly stunning about her. Even her small cleverness in memorizing the meeting script beforehand was largely diluted by her previous actions, so Qin Chuan hadn't thought of her in a different light at the time.

The smart and decisive master in the game, in the end, only existed in an illusory world. Qin Chuan might have hesitated, but ultimately, he wouldn't have changed his impression.

Until the earthquake on the island, when he saw Bo He turn back to look for him, crouching by the pavilion and calling his name.

In that second, disaster was imminent.

Regardless of age, beauty, wealth, or poverty, the chances of a giant rock falling from above and hitting someone were the same for everyone.

On the brink of life and death, people subconsciously follow their true nature.

Kindness and selfishness are separated by only a fine line.

Not everyone would make the same decision as Bo He.

At that time, if Bo He had run away without a second glance, Qin Chuan wouldn't have thought anything of it. It was only human nature to choose life over death.

He was the boss; he could choose to fire or keep someone, but he had no right to demand that a subordinate risk their life for him.

But Bo He had turned back.

Even though Qin Chuan wasn't buried under the pavilion, it was undeniable that his opinion of Bo He had quietly begun to change from that moment on.

Outside of work, Bo He shed the caution and wariness she had in the workplace, where she was always treading on thin ice.

Any expression she had now, even a smile, was much more natural and casual than at work.

Qin Chuan, who had stolen half a day of leisure from his busy life, was treating the events over there as an interesting silent film.

He ate while guessing what was happening from the expressions on those people's faces.

...

Shu Yao gradually came back to her senses.

Perhaps realizing that Bo He couldn't really do anything to her, her confidence returned.

But Zhang Chen and Bo He were already chatting about another topic.

They were talking about the snacks around their university.

They spoke eloquently, full of nostalgia.

Shu Yao wanted to bring up the old matter again but felt it would be too abrupt. So she stubbornly refused to speak, waiting for someone to notice and coax her.

Ouyang carefully glanced at her and nudged the freshly served braised chicken with mushrooms in Shu Yao's direction.

"Xiao Yao, have a little something to eat. The boss's cooking is really famous. You'll be hungry tonight if you don't."

The person she least wanted to talk to was the first to coax her. Shu Yao was very unhappy. "If you want to eat, then eat it yourself. I can order takeout when I get back."

Ouyang was about to persuade her further when he heard Bo He beside him suddenly change the subject.

"I heard the boss say before that besides fish, the most popular dish in their restaurant is this braised chicken with mushrooms. The way they make it is different from other places."

Zhang Chen was very supportive and picked up her topic at the right time. "How is it different?"

Bo He: "The chicken thigh meat is marinated for over an hour before being stir-fried. After stir-frying the chicken until it changes color, it's then braised with the mushrooms."

Zhang Chen was puzzled. "Isn't that the same as how other places do it?"

Bo He: "What's special are the ingredients the boss uses for the marinade. It's his own secret recipe that he doesn't share. Also, the liquid used for braising—other places would definitely just add water, but he uses chicken broth, not a single drop of water. An entire pot of chicken broth is poured in, along with the dried mushrooms. That's the true essence of this braised chicken with mushrooms."

Zhang Chen tut-tutted twice. "No wonder I saw that the price of this dish is double that of other places. So that's where the cost is."

Bo He: "While it's braising, the chicken broth evaporates and then drips down from the lid. The moment it's taken out of the stove, the aroma must be intoxicating."

With the two of them playing off each other, Shu Yao had long since started to feel hungry.

She couldn't help but swallow.

Before her mouth could soften its stance, her stomach had already protested first.

A gurgle was heard.

She didn't know if the person opposite her heard it, but Zhang Chen definitely did.

The corners of his mouth turned up, but he quickly pressed them back down, afraid the young girl would fly into a rage from embarrassment and really go on a hunger strike.

Shu Yao finally picked up her chopsticks and, as if giving up all hope, picked up a piece of the braised chicken with mushrooms and stuffed it into her mouth.

She didn't know if it was because she was especially hungry, but she felt this was the most delicious braised chicken with mushrooms she had ever eaten.

The awkwardness in her heart didn't disappear just because her mouth was filled with delicious food. As if to show that she hadn't been intimidated by Bo He's cup-crushing feat earlier, Shu Yao tried to make small talk. "Since you're Brother Chen's junior sister, how did you end up in such a miserable state, working as a junior assistant? If you had just asked Brother Chen to find you any random job back then, it would have been a hundred times better than this, right?"

Zhang Chen: "Yao Yao!"

Bo He smiled. "I'm just on vacation for a few days, helping out. I have another job."

"Then what's your full-time job?"

Shu Yao's eyes widened slightly. A series of titles flashed through her mind: martial arts coach, fitness instructor, police officer, or even an Olympic champion.

Bo He slowly opened her mouth.

Shu Yao held her breath in concentration, waiting for her to say something astonishing.

Bo He: "A real estate company—"

Shu Yao grew inexplicably nervous. "Hmm?"

Bo He: "Assistant."

Shu Yao: ???

She stared at Bo He for a long time with a "you've got to be kidding me" expression on her face.

Bo He shrugged. "My strength comes from exercising since I was young. It's not from skilled training. To put it bluntly, I'm still just an ordinary person."

Shu Yao was very disappointed, but she also knew the other person was right.

Her mother was a director, so since she was young, she had seen plenty of dazzling and imperious emperors, empresses, heroes, and heroines from the screen being respectful and polite in front of her mother.

Imagination and reality were indeed two different worlds.

Pouting, Shu Yao lost interest in Bo He.

By the time they finished their meal, Qin Chuan had long since finished his.

He sat for a while, suddenly realizing that his behavior was close to voyeurism. He frowned, finding it incredible that he would actually sit here and waste time.

Taking the opportunity while Bo He hadn't noticed him, he had already gotten up, paid the bill, and left.

Qin Chuan didn't know yet that he would see Bo He again in two hours.

He took a taxi to a teahouse.

This was a teahouse located on an old street in the old city district.

The main feature of the old street was a Ming and Qing dynasty-style mansion.