Chương 18: A Hidden Agenda

Gu Xin Ye flashed him an awkward smile. "Boss, why are you here as well?"

The corner of his lips twitched at the way she had addressed him. "I came to meet a few people," Qin Zhan said before he looked away.

Gu Xin Ye laughed secretly at him. She had seen Qin Zhan and his cousin acting intimately in front of the hotel and thought that he was shy about it.

"Miss Gu, we seemed to run into each other when we're not at the noodle stall," Qin Zhan said. He crossed his arms on his chest and smiled. "Are you stalking me?"

Seeing the smile that did not reach his eyes, Gu Xin Ye began to panic.

Whenever she saw that look on his face, Gu Xin Ye would remember the first day she had come over to the noodle stall. He was holding a cleaver and was waving it around to people. The annoyed look in his eyes made her think that he would not be afraid to harm people with it.

Knowing that the people in this town would defend him, Gu Xin Ye thought that she would not dare to provoke this man for as long as they were in Z Town.

"Of course not. I'm not that idle," Gu Xin Ye spoke. "Since it was my day off, I thought that it would be a good thing to walk around the town. After all, I did come over to this town for a vacation. What's a vacation without sightseeing?"

Gu Xin Ye pursed her lips and thought that she should stop speaking too much lest she was going to accidentally disclose something that might get her killed.

"Did you enjoy your sightseeing?"

Gu Xin Ye nodded. "This part of the city is quite pretty."

Qin Zhan chuckled. "Miss Gu, you are quite brave. You finally decide to go against Mrs. Li's advice and come over to this part of the town."

The corner of her lips twitched upon hearing his words. She was suddenly reminded of Mrs. Li's advice not to come over to this part of the town lest she would offend some rich people. It was Qin Zhan who told her the truth and Gu Xin Ye decided to walk around the area on her off day.

"If Mrs. Li found out that you've been here, she would be worried," Qin Zhan continued.

"She shouldn't be worried," she answered unhesitatingly. "I'm not planning to switch hotel."

"Oh?" Qin Zhan raised a brow. "Why is that? The hotels around this area are quite nice. This part of the town is more developed. There are many restaurants and entertainment."

"This part of this town might be well developed and the hotel might be fancier, but Mrs. Li's B&B is comfier," Gu Xin Ye said. "Moreover... staying at Mrs. Li's B&B is cheaper. Since I am planning to stay here for a month, of course, I need to be very careful with how I spend my money."

Of course, Gu Xin Ye could not say that she intended to play her part as his assistant at the noodle stand. If she stayed in this part of the city, she will have to wake up early in the morning to head over to another side of the town.

After working with pots and pans for hours, she would rather sleep a little bit more than waking up too early, ah!

Qin Zhan looked at her with a teasing smile. "Are you complaining that I'm not paying you enough?"

"Boss, don't joke around. I stayed at your noodle stall as a helper. Of course, that amount of money would never be enough. It doesn't even cover my hotel expense. I'm not that unreasonable to expect you to pay me a lot of money to clean up some pots and bowls."

Qin Zhan sneered. "At least you're being honest."

He had thought that the woman in front of him was a coward and would not dare to fight back. The way Gu Xin Ye would look at him would always give him the impression that she was afraid of him.

Qin Zhan had thought that it was interesting for Gu Xin Ye to be afraid of him, but now that she had dared to talk back, his interest in the woman in front of him rose to another level.

Moreover... this woman was clearly someone who could afford to stay a few nights at the luxurious hotel around this part of the city. However, she chose to continue to stay at Mrs. Li's B&B and work for him. He was not stupid to know that Gu Xin Ye had a hidden agenda.

Gu Xin Ye smiled when she saw that Qin Zhan had bought her act.

At this time, her stomach made a loud, grumbling sound. After her body massage, her stomach felt empty and it was demanding to be fed.

When she looked up again, Qin Zhan was looking at her with a trace of laughter in his eyes. "Miss Gu, are you hungry?"

"It is around dinner time," Gu Xin Ye said before she cough to clear her throat.

Qin Zhan turned around and halted after a few steps. He looked at Gu Xin Ye again and said, "Come with me."

"Ah? Where to?"

"Didn't you say you're hungry?"

Gu Xin Ye stared at him for a few seconds longer and snapped out of her trance. "Boss, are you taking me somewhere to eat?"

Qin Zhan raised a brow at her. "Otherwise?"

The thought of the two of them having a meal together scare her. Though eating alone was rather lonely, she would prefer to have a meal by herself than having to sit at the same table with Qin Zhan and watched the scary look on his face.

"That's alright. I can just go to one of the restaurants around here to eat." Gu Xin Ye politely declined.

"Around here?" Qin Zhan swept his gaze around and there was a disdain look on his face when she turned to Gu Xin Ye again. "The restaurants around here are mostly a trap for tourists like you. Their food was overly priced and the taste was not that great. Just come over with me. I'm a local here and knew a few food places to eat."

Gu Xin Ye hesitated.

"What's wrong?" Qin Zhan saw the look on her face and chuckled. "You're scared? Don't worry. I promise you that I won't take you to some shady place to chop you into pieces."

Gu Xin Ye stared back at the man with her eyes widened.

Chef Qin Zhan! Could you not say something as scary as that?