Her family had always been kind to her since she was a child. Even though her parents were often too busy to look after her, they truly cared for her. Her sister had always loved her too. Even when their family faced a crisis before, they managed to get through it safely. So she had never experienced any major setbacks. Her life had been peaceful and smooth until now. “That’s really enviable!” Secretary Ella said with a sigh.
They didn’t go home after work. They went straight from the company to the restaurant. Some changed into casual clothes they had brought. Others went directly in their work attire. Evelyn also kept a set of clothes at the company, just in case. After changing, she put her work clothes into a paper bag. She would pick them up later and put them in the car. She could take them home to wash in the evening. Once she was ready, Evelyn went downstairs with her bag and paper bag. Secretary Amelia and the others walked out of the hall and hailed a taxi. Evelyn sat in the lobby’s reception area, waiting for Alexander to finish work. She had originally planned to have the driver pick her up at home. So she sent a text message to Alexander to let him know. But Alexander replied directly— Wait for me. We’ll go together! So she had to wait for him. Evelyn waited in the lobby for a while. Then Alexander and Grace came downstairs. Evelyn stood up and followed them silently, like a little shadow. The company driver had already pulled up and was waiting at the entrance. Grace went straight to the front passenger seat, leaving the back seat for Alexander and Evelyn. Alexander turned his head and looked at Evelyn. Evelyn’s face turned red. She had no choice but to steel herself and get into the car. Alexander followed her into the back seat. “Evelyn, this is the first time you’ve attended a dinner hosted by the president’s office, right?” Grace turned around and said with a smile. “Yes, it’s my first time,” Evelyn replied with a smile. What she wanted to say was that the president’s office hadn’t had a dinner party in nearly six months. And she had only been here for less than four months. So she hadn’t had a chance to participate, had she? “That’s really rare!” Grace laughed. Evelyn felt embarrassed and replied awkwardly, “I came to the company for an internship. This is my first dinner party!” “Yes, Mr. Sterling, our president’s office hasn’t had a dinner party in half a year!” “Shouldn’t you be the one to blame?” Alexander glanced at Grace and replied calmly. “Well, it really is my fault!” Grace touched his nose and said with a smile. It wasn’t until the president was in the mood and had the time to arrange a dinner party for the office. Since Alexander got married, he hadn’t found such an opportunity!
When they arrived at the restaurant, Evelyn found an excuse to go to the bathroom. She deliberately delayed the time she would enter the private room with Alexander and Grace. “Gray, I suddenly feel sorry for you,” Grace said, not afraid to stir up trouble. In private, Grace and Alexander were college classmates and good friends. So when they weren’t at the company, Grace sometimes called Alexander by his first name. “It’s fine. It’s rare for you to have a chance to sympathize with me. Next, I’ll sympathize with your wife for a whole month,” Alexander said. “What do you mean?” Grace immediately became alert. “The sales representative can’t handle the business in Africa. I think you’d better make a special trip there.” “No way. Who can handle it besides your right-hand man?” “Can you cut it off?” “No way. I don’t want to be disabled!” “...” The two men had already reached the reserved private room. So they stopped joking around.
Evelyn lingered in the bathroom for a while before coming out. She didn’t see Alexander or Grace. Evelyn walked toward the private room with ease. The next second, she felt embarrassed. Which room had they reserved? Evelyn had to go to the front desk to ask. Then, under the waiter’s guidance, she found the room reserved by the company. She knocked on the door. After hearing a response, she pushed the door open and went in. Gulp— Evelyn was startled. The entire table was staring at her like torches. “Sorry, I’m late!” Evelyn had to apologize. “It’s fine. Just punish yourself with three drinks,” Grace said with a smile. “Huh?” Evelyn looked at Grace in dismay. “Evelyn, come sit here,” Secretary Amelia said. A seat had been specially reserved for Evelyn. “Secretary Amelia, didn’t you leave that seat for me? Evelyn, you’d better sit here,” Grace said. He stood up, walked to the empty seat beside Secretary Amelia, and sat down. Evelyn looked at Grace awkwardly. “Evelyn, in our president’s office, only you can take that seat,” Grace said with a smile. “I’m sorry!” Evelyn apologized. She had no choice but to steel herself and walk toward the empty seat beside Alexander. Evelyn saw that there was no one on either side of Alexander’s seat. She couldn’t help but laugh. His popularity was really bad! In others’ eyes, it seemed like Evelyn was so excited that she laughed when she sat next to President Sterling.
After Evelyn took her seat, everyone began to order their favorite dishes. Evelyn ordered a hot and sour beef dish. Meanwhile, the waiter brought over the three dishes that had been ordered in advance. They were placed on the table first. One was soup, one was an appetizer, and the other was steamed buns. Grace had ordered these dishes in advance when he called to reserve the room. That way, as soon as they arrived, they could eat something to settle their stomachs. Instead of starting to order after they arrived and then having to wait for the dishes to come, which wasted time and made everyone hungry. This was Evelyn’s first dinner with colleagues from the president’s office. To be honest, it was a bit stiff at first. But it didn’t take long for her to relax. Grace was very active, and everyone was very open. They ate and joked together. The soup was passed to Alexander first. Alexander helped Evelyn serve a bowl too. “Thank you!” Evelyn whispered and began to drink the soup. At that moment, a small steamed bun was placed into her bowl. Evelyn looked up and saw Alexander smiling sweetly. She continued to drink the soup. After half a bowl, she picked up the small steamed bun and took a bite. It was filled with dried bamboo shoots. It was very crispy and fragrant. It was exactly her favorite taste. Then she couldn’t help but turn her head and peek at Alexander. He was drinking soup and didn’t seem very interested in the steamed buns. Everyone was eating, drinking soup, and chatting. “Evelyn, you like hot and sour beef too?” someone asked Evelyn. “Yes, I like it very much!” Evelyn was about to say that it was Alexander who liked it, but she stopped abruptly. “Mr. Sterling seems to like this dish too,” someone echoed at that moment. “If someone bothers me, I’ll save it,” Alexander said calmly. Evelyn looked at Alexander, and her face turned red. She had done it for Alexander’s sake, almost as a reflex. At this moment, she had to pretend she hadn’t heard anything and continue drinking her soup.