20demayo Chapter 157 You Look Very Haggard
Chapter 157 You Look Very Haggard
Shang Yibo changed into jeans, a white t-shirt underneath, and a military green windbreaker on top, ready to leave. Before leaving, he noticed his newly grown buzz cut, so he casually took a baseball cap from the coat rack in the entryway and put it on his head.
Just as he pressed the elevator button, his phone rang. It was Ding Jiajia calling: "Yibo, we're having lunch at the Yishang Hotel. I've made plans with Sister Yanruo. Shall I come pick you up now?"
The elevator doors opened, and Shang Yibo stepped inside, replying, "No need, I can go by myself. You can take a taxi there, and use my car to go to the studio this afternoon." As he pressed the close button, he added.
On the other end of the phone, Ding Jiajia's voice sounded a little surprised: "It's only a little past ten o'clock, why are you going so early? Okay, then I'll head out too, straight to the hotel."
As the elevator doors slowly closed, Shang Yibo hung up the phone.
Since the rush hour was over and there were few cars on the road, Shang Yibo drove quickly and arrived at the Yishang Hotel before 11 a.m. Indeed, as Ding Jiajia said, it was still too early to have lunch.
He parked his car smoothly in the VIP parking space in front of the hotel, got out, and stepped into the hotel lobby in a few steps. Then, he took the escalator on the side directly to the 'Qinchun Fuyuan' restaurant on the second floor. The hostess at the restaurant entrance recognized Shang Yibo at a glance and came forward with a smile: "Hello, Mr. Shang, Mr. Zhou has already reserved a private room. Please follow me to 'Zhuozheng Yayuan'."
Shang Yibo nodded and followed the waiter through the restaurant's elegant corridor, finally arriving at a private room at the far end. The waiter gently pushed open the double wooden doors, stepped aside to make way, and said respectfully, "Mr. Shang, please."
This was Shang Yibo's first time visiting 'Qinchun Fuyuan'. He hadn't eaten much Huaiyang cuisine before, always finding it too bland and lacking in flavor. However, since reuniting with Zhou Yanruo and with Jian Zheng by his side, he had enjoyed visiting places brimming with the charm of southern Jiangsu to savor the unique flavors of Huaiyang cuisine. Of course, for him, the food was secondary; he always felt at ease with Zhou Yanruo by his side in the ambiance of southern China.
Stepping into the small private room, "Zhuozheng Yayuan," one finds a round table in the center, surrounded by four chairs. Shang Yibo surveys the room's ambiance, noting the subtle green hues reminiscent of tender bamboo leaves in early spring. On one wall stands a display cabinet, upon which are displayed a pair of clay dolls, unique to Xichuan, their smiling faces adding a touch of joy. Two rosewood chairs are symmetrically placed in front of the cabinet. All the furniture is finished with a single coat of clear varnish, revealing the warm, natural color of the wood.
A waiter stood respectfully by the door and asked softly, "Mr. Shang, are you satisfied with this private room?"
Shang Yibo nodded slightly and gave a soft "Mmm," then said, "Alright."
The waiter immediately replied, "Please have a seat for a moment, I'll go and make you some tea. Would Biluochun be alright?"
"can."
The waiter gently closed the door as he left.
Shang Yibo sat in the rose chair and sent Zhou Yanruo a WeChat message: "I've arrived."
Zhou Yanruo replied instantly, "I understand."
These three words again made Shang Yibo frown.
This time, he wasn't anxious at all. With a "what's done is done" attitude, he put on his headphones, lowered his eyelids, and listened to the demo of "Lingbo Jing" to prepare for recording Ling Shaojing's character song at the sound studio the next day.
Before the song had even finished playing, the door opened, and he saw a girl walk in. He assumed it was a waiter bringing in tea and didn't pay much attention. But when the girl walked up to him, he casually said, "Put it down, I'll pour it myself."
Looking up, I realized that it was Zhou Yanruo who had entered.
"Hey, it's you! You're back so quickly."
"I rushed over as soon as you got to the restaurant, and now you're complaining that I came too fast?"
"Please sit down. If you stand in front of me, I'll have to look up at you."
Zhou Yanruo smiled, pulled up a chair at the dining table, and sat down opposite Shang Yibo. "What are you listening to?"
Shang Yibo then got a good look at Zhou Yanruo. She looked tired, had dark circles under her eyes, and looked even thinner. Instead of answering, he asked, "What are you doing? It's only been a few days since I last saw you. How did you get yourself into this state? Look at your big eye bags, dark circles, and sallow complexion."
"What's wrong? Do you think I'm scary?" Zhou Yanruo raised her hand and rubbed her face shyly.
Shang Yibo rebuked him, his tone becoming more stern: "You look very haggard, you know that? Go look in the mirror."
Zhou Yanruo didn't take it seriously and said, "What do you mean? It's nothing. I'll just put on some lipstick. I've been too busy these past few days to take care of myself."
As they were talking, a waiter came in carrying a tray with a pot of brewed tea on it.
Zhou Yanruo said to the waiter, "Put the tea on the table, we'll pour it ourselves. Go get the menu and give it to President Shang." Then she said to Shang Yibo, "I've already asked the head chef to arrange the dishes. Take a look and see if there's anything else you'd like to eat. You haven't been eating properly on set lately, have you?"
The waiter left, and Shang Yibo sat down at the table, poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of Zhou Yanruo, "Don't bother with anything, have some tea and rest for a while."
Zhou Yanruo smiled, took the cup and took a sip of tea, and said, "Jiajia hasn't arrived yet. Are you free now? Here's the thing, I was thinking, have them bring the documents here for you to sign, then you won't have to go to the conference room upstairs."
Shang Yibo asked, "What document is it? Is it urgent? Can't we sign it after we finish eating?"
Zhou Yanruo pondered for a moment and explained, "It's a loan extension document from the bank, which requires a face-to-face signing by a notary and bank staff member." She paused, and before Shang Yibo could ask, she continued, "The company is having trouble repaying its loan, and it will be overdue after today. We finally reached an agreement with the bank yesterday, and they agreed to extend the loan for us."
Hearing Zhou Yan's practiced yet worried tone as she spoke these words, Shang Yibo realized that things might be serious. "You mean, the company is having operational problems, its cash flow is being affected, and it can't repay its bank loans?"
Zhou Yanruo said, "Simply put, yes. There are many reasons for this, which cannot be explained in a short time. I will give you a detailed report another day."
"Report? No need. What I mean is, I'm not involved in the group's work, so I don't know much about the situation." Shang Yibo finally understood why Zhou Yanruo had been so busy lately. It seemed that the problems within the group were much more serious than they appeared on the surface. He was ignorant of the old ways and always treated Zhou Yanruo harshly. His petty complaints were ignored, and he even ridiculously threw a tantrum.
"Is there anything I can do for you?" Shang Yibo asked in a soothing tone.
Zhou Yanruo said, "If you agree to sign the documents here, I'll have them come over now. Jiajia hasn't arrived yet. It's not that we're trying to keep it a secret, but after all, the company is having operational problems. It's not something to brag about. The fewer people who know, the less likely it is to spread to the outside world, right?"
"You can arrange it, I'm fine with anything," Shang Yibo said kindly.