C19 The Picky President Gu

Gu Tianqi frowned. "Du Xiaoxiao, don't you think that your dress is a little bit inappropriate?"

Inappropriate?

Blinking, she slowly shook her head. "The uniform's a bit big," she started. "But I never really minded."

She had never really been a picky person, and she also understood that there wasn't really enough time to get her a more customized uniform. The best she could do was to make use of what she already had.

However, her thoughts were completely different from what Gu Tianqi was trying to imply. His mouth was agape as he processed what she was trying to say.

Sometimes, he couldn't help but wonder whether this woman was stupid or just naive.

"How many guests did you greet this morning?" His frown deepened.

Why did he care? Despite the thought, she didn't bother to cut him off. Instead, she briefly answered, "This is the first time I've ever actually greeted a customer. If you hadn't called me out, I wouldn't have come here to greet you."

Gu Tianqi blinked, as if satisfied by her answer.

That meant that she wasn't stupid enough to let others see her then. Was this special treatment on his end? The corners of his lips twitched as he glanced around.

It's not bad either.

Gu Tianqi took a step forward, and he didn't say anything else. His head tilted to the side as if he was waiting for her to lead the way. The smile on his face had dissipated entirely.

'What the heck is he planning?' Du Xiaoxiao grudgingly led the way and placed the menus down once they were all seated. While her actions were well-mannered, her voice was as cold as ice.

"Mr. Gu, what would you like to order?"

He didn't seem to be bothered as he flipped through the menu. "Is the service here really that...dull?" He cocked up an eyebrow. "I may have to report to the manager about this."

Asshole. Her fingers dug into her palm as she plastered a wide smile onto her face. "Mr. Gu, what would you like to order?" The faster she could get out of here, the better.

He didn't need to be a psychologist to know she was forcing a smile. Deliberately flipping through the pages, he pursed his lips. "I don't like to eat anything here."

"Then why don't you try another restuarant?"

"I may not fire you, but I could have your salary deducted." He finally placed his menu on the table. Something in his eyes flashed. "Are you sure you want to treat me with that attitude?"

The only reason she had taken this job was because of the high salary. If that was deducted, then why exactly was she working here for? She clenched her jaw.

No. She mustn't get angry. It's only best that she stayed out of trouble–after all, it was her first day here. The last thing she needed was to recap what had happened in the past. "Mr. Gu," she slowly said through gritted teeth. "Why don't you tell me what you want to eat? I'll ask the chef to make you a special dish."

The chef would agree, right? After all, he was a big shot around here.

There was a few seconds of silence before he finally spoke, "I want to eat something light. Do you have any kid-sized dishes?"

"No."

"Lily Bulbs Frog Soup?"

"No!"

"Sichuan Cuisine?"

Not being able to take it anymore, Du Xiaoxiao finally snapped, "This is a French restaurant. We serve French cuisine only–whatever you're doing, you're doing it on purpose, aren't you?"

"You said that you could ask the chef to make anything I want, right?" Gu Tianqi leaned back against his seat. "I've already ordered, and you said you couldn't do it. Is there really nothing for me to eat here?"

Her hands trembled in her sides.

The guy really was looking for trouble!

"Ah, but there is one thing that I've already eaten here. It tastes quite good too. I might want to have that again," he finally spoke.

She was so furious that she was very close to vomiting blood. Upon hearing his words, she grappled onto her straws and asked, "What is it? I'll ask the chef to prepare that for you instead." Whatever the bastard wanted, she'd provide as quickly as possible if it meant him leaving her alone!

Only then did he finally brought his eyes to look up at her. "You."

Her heart skipped a beat.

That...that asshole!

"You," she stuttered, immediately returning to her senses. Her cheeks were flushed as she stumbled back. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

He raised his eyebrows. "I'm talking about my personal opinion. Are you saying that what I feel is total 'nonsense'?"

"I..." Afraid that he was planning to do something excessive again, she immediately got ahold of herself. "Look, I didn't mean to offend you, okay? Just...don't even think about doing anything unreasonable."

Unreasonable? He suppressed the urge to snort.

However, he did relax back into his seat.

After all, he had no desire to force others to do things they didn't want to do. What's the point of forcing her?

Moreover, he was hungry.

"Do you know how to cook?"

"I..." She paused before nodding. "Yes."

She knew how to cook.

"Four dishes and one soup. Make two meat-based, and the other two filled with veggies. I don't eat ginger, by the way, so make sure to remove that." He drummed his fingers onto the table. "You can cook now."

Her eyes widened momentarily. "Why?"

Why would she want to cook for him?

"What do you mean 'why'?" He shrugged. "If you can't cook, then I can simply eat you. What do you say to that?"

He didn't even sound like he was joking. Shivering, she immediately turned away, nodding her head. Although he was an arrogant asshole, he was still a big shot. Even if she disobeyed, then he could easily ask the manager to arrange for her to cook. She had no escape. "Might as well get on with it," she murmured to herself.

She had just walked away from Gu Tianqi when the other table dropped one of their spoons. Du Xiaoxiao didn't think much of it as she squatted down to pick it up. "Sir, please wait for a moment," she said. "I'll go and bring you a new spoon."

"Okay." The person didn't even thank her. With a shrug, she left the vicinity.

Gu Tianqi, who had been watching this exchange this entire time, couldn't help but frown.

The man at the table...

Was he peeking at her collar right now?

Or was he overthinking?

The man seemed to have sense Gu Tianqi's gaze because he immediately resorted to gazing at his tablet. Even from afar, he could see the beads of sweat dripping down the man's forehead.

He pursed his lips, but he didn't say a word. Perhaps he really was just imagining things.

About half an hour later, Du Xiaoxiao finally came over with the food she had just cooked. "They're all ready," she stated. "Please enjoy."

However, before she could go anywhere, he looked up and smiled. "Why don't you sit down and wait for me?" he asked. "If the food is delicious, then I might pay you my compliments."

"There's really no need. Besides, I still have work to do. Now, if you'll excuse me..." She turned around and left.

Gu Tianqi couldn't help but stare at her retreating figure.

Why was this woman so stubborn?

Just then, a thought ocurred to him.

He still didn't know who the young boy was from yesterday. If he had let her go that easily, then wouldn't that make it too easy for her? Furrowing his eyebrows, his fingers twitched.

Maybe he should call her back.

But just as he was about to, a clanging sound echoed across the dining hall. The spoon clattered onto the tiles. It was the same customer who had dropped the spoon half an hour ago. Gu Tianqi watched as Du Xiaoxiao picked it right back up.

This time, he was sure that the man was peeping at her collar.

She didn't look like she had noticed as she quickly changed the man's spoon.

However, in her heart, she couldn't help but doubt the scene that had just transpired.

Why did the man keep dropping his spoon?

Gu Tianqi stared at the smile plastered on Du Xiaoxiao's face, and the grip he had on his spoon tightened.

Stupid woman! Didn't she know that the man was gazing at her breasts rather than her face? She didn't even look like she had sensed any danger at all. She was even smiling!

His eyes narrowed.

A part of him wanted to stand up, but when he thought about it, he stopped.

It was easy to deal with the man, but Du Xiaoxiao would've felt ashamed if ever he were to cause a scene.

Plus, her uniform was a little large. A stupid man would've found even more insults to fling her way if he had stepped in