Panda Cub – Chapter 32.1

Mother-type girlfriend

Jing Dan completely doesn’t know that she has caused a stir online at this moment, even less aware of the bomb she dropped in He Ying’s place.

She’s holding a knife and fork, cutting the steak in front of her, slice by slice, seemingly methodically, but there’s a hidden semblance of venting anger, no knowing how she was provoked.

Jing Dan eats with an expressionless face, indeed these dishes are all style over substance, the chefs here all should go for further training!

“How is it? Not tasty?” Xu Zhihuan asks, looking at the steak under her knife, almost cut into dices by her.

Jing Dan looks up at her, shaking her head and speaks softly: “No, just not much appetite.”

Now when she eats, she unconsciously compares these with what He Ying made, such a comparison naturally brings out the difference, having tasted something better, how could she easily accept something not as good?

Humans have a saying: “It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury to frugality.”

Seeing her like that, Xu Zhihuan lowers her gaze to ponder for a moment, thinking maybe she doesn’t like Western food, next time will bring her to eat Chinese food.

“By the way, haven’t you been looking for a good TV drama script recently? I happen to have one here, it’s a hugely popular IP this year, wondering if you’re interested in joining?” Xu Zhihuan pours wine into her cup, asking her with a smile.

Really seems like those seniors who want to bring up the juniors.

However, towards her seemingly kind act, Jing Dan raised her guard, feeling that working with Xu Zhihuan was like negotiating with a tiger—unsure of when she might be torn apart.

Keeping her vigilance inside, she didn’t let it show on her face. She treated Xu Zhihuan as her acting practice partner, practicing her skill in keeping a poker face.

“No, you all have your eyes on it, how could I have the nerve to share a piece of the pie?” Jing Dan shook her head, determined not to get too involved with her.

She was someone who took advice seriously; her aunt had advised her, and He Ying had too. These two people wouldn’t deceive her.

Xu Zhihuan’s eyes darkened as she looked at Jing Dan’s indifferent expression, eventually sighing with a smile, “As you wish, but if there are good projects in the future, it would be best for our companies to win together.”

In her view, as the leading company in the entertainment industry, Zhihuan Entertainment’s initiative to collaborate was seen as a pie in the sky for others. Jing Dan’s behavior seemed somewhat unappreciative, especially considering the current state of her own company, which, apart from that variety show, didn’t have much to speak of.

Jing Dan responded indifferently, then somewhat listlessly put down her knife and fork, staring blankly at the steak she had cut up.

Xu Zhihuan: “…”

In the past, who would dare to ignore her in front of her?

Ding——

The phone rang, and the screen of Jing Dan’s phone on the table lit up too.

Jing Dan glanced at it, her eyes subtly brightening, but in front of Xu Zhihuan, she still maintained a calm demeanor, her expression unreadable as she picked up the phone, stood up, and said to Xu Zhihuan: “Sorry, I need to go to the washroom.”

Xu Zhihuan nodded, then saw her quickly leave.

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Her face suddenly darkened. Although she didn’t see the content of the message, she saw who sent it.

He Ying…

Just thinking of these two characters made her feel sick to her stomach, a lump of frustration stuck in her chest, neither sinking nor dissolving. She had felt it was unpleasant to see He Ying and Jing Dan together before, and now, seeing photos of the two of them together online, that feeling of disgust intensified.

She sneered, thinking it was necessary to have a talk with He Ying, to make her realize some realities clearly, including who she should not get close to.

Meanwhile, Jing Dan, who had already reached the washroom, opened He Ying’s chat to see the message she sent.

【He Ying】: Where are you now?

She just saw a photo of Jing Dan and Xu Zhihuan dining together online but didn’t know where they were dining.

A flicker of surprise passed through Jing Dan’s eyes, somewhat unclear about the purpose of her question, but she didn’t have anything to hide, and told her location truthfully.

On the other end of the phone, He Ying saw the distance to the hotel wasn’t far, but she still had to patiently sit in the car for a while before she could get there. During the wait, her heart was lifted and never settled down, her hand resting on the gear lever repeatedly tapping.

After sending the message and seeing He Ying not replying at all, Jing Dan’s eyebrows slightly drooped, feeling a bit annoyed. She had specifically run from the dining table to the washroom for this, just to say such a thing?

With a cold face, she put the phone back into her pocket, stood in front of the washbasin, turned on the tap washing her already clean hands, and when she looked up, she met eyes with the person in the mirror, and she was startled.

The person in the mirror, bearing the lost look in her eyes, was it really her? Why should she feel lost? What’s there for her to feel lost about?

She was stunned, momentarily unable to understand why she would have such an expression.

The water kept flowing non-stop, and she, seemingly not coming back to her senses, kept thinking about her own matters, somewhat in a daze.

“Jing Dan?”

Xu Zhihuan’s voice came from outside the washroom.

Jing Dan immediately regained her senses, looking at the slightly frowning self in the mirror, she lightly closed her eyes, adjusted her thoughts, and replied softly, “What’s wrong?”

It’s unknown when, but Xu Zhihuan had already naturally started calling her by her name.

Xu Zhihuan, upon hearing her response, entered the restroom. Their eyes met through the mirror. She smiled, relief seeming to wash over her as she said, “It’s nothing. I just noticed you’ve been in the restroom for a while and was worried something had happened to you, so I came to check.”

Jing Dan: “…”

What could possibly happen to her? Could she faint in this restroom? And if her sense of time wasn’t off, hadn’t it been less than five minutes?

Seeing her silent, Xu Zhihuan took two paper towels from the dispenser nearby, approached Jing Dan a few steps closer, seemed to want to dry her hands that got wet with water personally.

Jing Dan quickly took them over, her expression tensed as she said, “I can do it myself.”

This Xu Zhihuan, wasn’t she a bit too overly familiar?

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Seeing her refusal, Xu Zhihuan laughed, “Then I’ll wait for you outside.”

Jing Dan: “…” This person was sticking so closely as if she would run away.

When she finished drying her hands and came out, Xu Zhihuan was indeed waiting outside for her. Seeing her emerge, she even showed her a smile. A naturally beautiful woman, her smile was especially pleasing to the eye, bringing a bright sensation.

But Jing Dan felt, why is this person showing her those big white teeth? As if she’s afraid others wouldn’t know she brushes her teeth?

She passed by Xu Zhihuan’s standing spot without any expression on her face, taking the lead towards their seats on her own.

The following Xu Zhihuan: “…”

She was about to burst into laughter from holding back her emotions. According to the past, when encountering her smile just now, a girl as big as Jing Dan would have been dizzy from being charmed by her, right?

Both returned to their seats, and Xu Zhihuan lifted her glass, wanting to clink it with Jing Dan.

The forcibly handed glass in Jing Dan’s hand: “…”

Did she say she wanted to drink?

However, before she could open her mouth to refuse, the glass in her hand was suddenly taken away. She was stunned for a moment, and when she looked up, she saw that familiar face and the casual smile hanging on the lips, which she wasn’t very familiar with.

Seeing she took the glass in her hand and looked towards Xu Zhihuan, that casual smile on her lips became more meaningful. She said, “President Xu, Jing Dan can’t hold her liquor. I’m afraid it will be too hard to take care of her if she gets drunk. Let me drink this cup on her behalf.”

Saying so, she lifted the glass and finished it in one go, not even giving Xu Zhihuan the right to refuse.

Xu Zhihuan, who was suddenly interrupted, looked at the person in front of her, He Ying: “…”

However, the drink was already finished by her, leaving her with nothing to say. But upon seeing He Ying, her face slowly became expressionless, especially after hearing her mentioning how hard it is to take care of someone drunk, a sense of anger started to rise within her.

So, what is this person doing here now? Is she here to declare ownership?

Her expression cooled down as she looked at He Ying’s beautiful peach blossom eyes, slowly curling her lips and saying, “I heard Teacher He was out of town for an interview. How come you’re back so soon?”

He Ying chuckled lightly, first saying, “May I sit here?” Although it was a question, she didn’t actually place herself in a position to be approved by others, and directly sat down beside Jing Dan. She didn’t even give a glance to the people around her, then continued, “The recording ended so I came back. After all, if I don’t return, it would be troublesome if the child throws a tantrum.”

Jing Dan being completely ignored: “……”

Xu Zhihuan’s eyes shifted, looking at He Ying’s facial expressions, “Oh? I haven’t heard that Teacher He already had a child. May I boldly ask how old the child is?”

Jing Dan·the child in question·: “……”

Hearing this, He Ying laughed out, her eyes full of pleasure as she said, “Quite old, twenty one.”

Xu Zhihuan: “……”

Feeling played, her expression darkened, looking gloomily at He Ying. For some reason, every time she faced He Ying, it was hard to stay calm. Although the two didn’t interact much, every additional time she saw her, her dislike grew, especially seeing how close she was with Jing Dan. That dislike peaked.

He Ying faced her gloomy gaze without fear, and finally turned her head to look at the woman beside her. Seeing her silent appearance, she secretly bit her teeth, this disobedient brat!

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“President Jing, how was dinner tonight?” He Ying asked with a smile. She glanced at Jing Dan’s plate and knew the answer by looking at the pitiful state of the steak.

Ha, such a foodie who used to eat everything, now even started to pick at food.

Jing Dan looked at her smiling face and felt somewhat blocked in her heart, feeling as if she was watching a show. She pursed her lips and did not answer He Ying’s question.

He Ying slightly raised her eyebrows and stopped paying attention to her. Instead, she turned her head back and started talking to Xu Zhihuan.

Xu Zhihuan had a smile on her lips, but it didn’t look like she was smiling. She pulled out a business card and placed it on the table, sliding it towards He Ying, her eyes staring straight at her. She spoke with a somewhat bland tone, “Teacher He, I think we can have a meal together sometime.”

He Ying’s gaze fell on the off-white business card pushed towards her, and she replied with a smile, “It would be an honor.”

Receiving the reply, Xu Zhihuan’s smile faded even more, saying, “I have something else tonight, so I won’t keep you company.” With that, her gaze turned to Jing Dan, softening a bit, “Jing Dan, sorry about tonight. I’ll treat you to a good meal another day.”

Jing Dan slightly lifted her eyelids and nodded without speaking.


LP: I ran out of time so I’ll just divide this chapter in half, sorry!