Chapter 142 - 114: Acquaintance
Chapter 142: Chapter 114: Acquaintance
Morning.
The moment Ning He opened her door, she found someone squatting next to it.
Hearing the sound, the person slowly turned their head. Their green eyes were a little red, and for a moment, they held an immense sadness that startled Ning He.
"When did you get here?"
Wade stood up, his lips pressed together, and said nothing.
’What an awkward kid.’
Ning He secretly rolled her eyes and led him into the house.
"You haven’t eaten breakfast, have you? I’ll make some noodles. After you eat, you’re coming out with me."
Without waiting for his reaction, Ning He grabbed a portion of noodles from the fridge and a scoop of her homemade instant noodle paste. In a flash, she whipped up a simple bowl of noodles, complete with fresh vegetables and a fried egg.
"Eat up. Don’t dawdle, I have an appointment."
Wade paused for a moment before finally sitting down at the table. He picked up the bowl and began to wolf down the noodles.
A growing boy’s appetite is astonishing. The generous portion of noodles Ning He had made, along with the broth and vegetables, filled the bowl to the brim, yet he polished it off in two minutes flat—not even a drop of soup was left.
Wade then washed the bowl and chopsticks and stacked them neatly to the side.
Quite satisfied, Ning He gestured for him to follow.
"Let’s go. Time to head out!"
Uncle Zhang’s car was already waiting on time at the alley entrance. The two got in, and the car headed straight for the Black Panther Company.
Sitting across from him, Ning He’s gaze swept over the injuries on his face, and she suddenly broke into a grin.
"Got into a fight yesterday? How’d it go? Did you win?"
The young man’s expression faltered. After a moment, he gave a slight nod.
"Attaboy! Glad that build of yours isn’t going to waste!" Ning He gave him a thumbs-up, then raised her eyebrows. "How many on how many?"
It was no wonder she was curious. After all, Knight and his crew had praised Wade to the high heavens, describing him as some formidable figure whose mere appearance at school would send the local punks running for their lives. She simply had to ask for the details.
An awkward look crossed the young man’s face. After a long moment, he finally squeezed out a quiet, "Three."
"One against three? Not bad, kid! My noodles weren’t wasted on you!" Ning He clapped him on the shoulder, her eyes full of admiration.
Wade felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze. He cleared his throat and changed the subject.
"Where are we going?"
"Oh," Ning He said. "We’re going to Seven Wolves Street in the Fifth Ring. Ever heard of the Black Panther Company? They’re the ones I’m collaborating with on the Gourmet Challenge."
"The Black Panther Company?"
Wade thought for a moment, then nodded lightly.
He had indeed heard of it, he just didn’t know much about it.
The atmosphere in the car lightened a bit. The two chatted idly, and before they knew it, they had arrived.
As soon as they got out of the car, Ning He noticed that the Black Panther Company’s original, unassuming storefront had been torn down. A few workers were in the middle of renovations. This time, the adjacent storefronts were included as well, making the whole place look much grander than before.
"Heh, they’re pretty efficient. Already started on the vanity project," Ning He said with a raised eyebrow. She turned to Wade and added, "Just stick close to me in a bit. Don’t be nervous."
The two of them walked into the company. Annie was at the front desk on the phone. When she spotted Ning He, she quickly ended her call and hurried over to greet them.
"You’re here! Macken and the others are waiting for you in the conference room. I’ll take you."
Following behind Annie, Ning He realized that the furnishings in the main hall had also changed drastically. The original raw, unfinished style was gone. Now, the floor was carpeted, various decorations adorned the walls, and a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling.
’It all looked rather familiar.’
’As if I’d seen it somewhere before.’
’Wait a minute—’
Ning He remembered.
’Isn’t this all stuff from the Exchange Hall?’
"This place has changed so much."
Annie turned her head and smiled. "Isn’t it beautiful? I picked it all out. I’ve wanted to redecorate the place for a long time, but Macken would never agree. This is all thanks to you."
"Mhm, you’ve got good taste. With a setup like this, I think we could even raise our prices again."
’Look at this opulent, luxurious style. The kid really does have good taste.’
Annie was delighted to hear Ning He approve of her taste.
"It’s all thanks to you. Almost no customers questioned the price increase, and all the regulars we reached out to accepted it. After the commercial aired, my phone has been ringing off the hook! I can barely keep up with all the inquiries. We’ve never had anything like this happen before."
"Haha, it’s not all my doing. The TV station’s promotion helped a lot too."
Ning He offered a few modest words as they arrived at the conference room. She led Wade inside.
"You’re here."
Macken was studying a map with Johnny. Hearing footsteps, he turned and gave a greeting. His gaze then fell on the young man behind Ning He.
"And he is...?"
"Oh, this is my temporary assistant. As you know, I’m something of a VIP with a packed schedule these days. I don’t have time to handle everything myself, so I found a helper. He might even be running errands for me here in the future. You don’t mind, do you, Boss?"