Chapter 139: Instead of Kissing Me, You Hit Me

Chapter 139: Chapter 139: Instead of Kissing Me, You Hit Me

Xu An had never dealt with bidding in his previous jobs, but he wasn’t completely clueless—he’d been around the block. With tons of reference materials available online, he spent some time figuring things out and, despite stumbling, managed to get it done.

He didn’t know which other restaurants were competing for the expo contract, but he could guess that none of the participants were pushovers.

If it weren’t for the lucky coincidence of Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant being officially rated as ’Excellent’ and its focus on delivery, they probably wouldn’t have even had a shot at this bid.

The strengths of Xu’s Fast Food were obvious: a wide variety of dishes, large portions, and low prices. But its weaknesses were just as clear. Compared to other restaurants and hotels, it lacked a high-end, sophisticated feel, which could easily give the impression of poor service.

’I wonder how the logo design is coming along. I didn’t even think about the packaging before, and it’s too late for a last-minute scramble now.’

BEEP BEEP BEEP—

The QQ notification sound chimed. It was a message from Chengzi, the designer from TaoBao.

"The detailed logo draft is finished. Boss, please take a look and let me know if you need any changes or adjustments~"

’Speak of the devil.’ He had just been thinking about the logo, and the designer sent the file over.

Xu An quickly clicked to load the image. The loading circle completed its loop, and the image automatically enlarged, popping up on his screen.

A golden full moon hung high in the air, with the classic, elegant character for "Xu" inlaid in its center, giving the moon an air of infinite possibility and imagination. Beneath the design were the two bold, steady words "Xu’s Fast Food," with small Pinyin characters underneath.

The logo’s color scheme was a deep black with a hint of reddish-brown, as steadfast as a mountain, conveying a sense of reliability and trustworthiness.

Xu An was extremely satisfied to get a final product like this for just three hundred yuan. He sent the designer a thumbs-up emoji to show his approval and appreciation.

’This is fantastic. The timing, the opportunity, the people... everything is falling into place. The stage is set; all I need now is the final piece.’

Xu An sent the design file to Wei, asking him to produce a set of physical mock-ups and bring them over for a photoshoot. Since it was an urgent request, he added an extra six hundred yuan as a rush fee.

He glanced over at Xu Kang and Xu Le, who were huddled over the phone, whispering to each other. ’Looks like they’re chatting with their Sister Moon again.’

’I’m not jealous at all,’ Xu An thought. ’Not one bit!’

Xu Le noticed him looking, put down the phone, and PITTER-PATTERED over to hug his leg. She tilted her little head up, her big eyes blinking.

"Brother!"

"Hm?"

"Are you going to buy clothes later? Which mall are we going to?"

"Just the nearby Henghui Mall. Why? Is there somewhere else you want to go?" Xu An reached out and pinched Xu Le’s baby-fat cheeks. ’Still feels as great as ever!’ he thought.

Once she had her answer, Xu Le immediately let go and PITTER-PATTERED back to Xu Kang, and the two of them started whispering together.

They were a bit far away, so Xu An couldn’t hear clearly. He only faintly caught words like "eat," "meat," and "yummy."

’So they want to go to the mall for a nice meal?’

He glanced at the time. It was almost six o’clock—definitely dinnertime.

’Since they want to eat at the mall, I won’t bother cooking. We’ll find a restaurant there, have dinner, and then go shopping for clothes!’

He put the finishing touches on the document, checking it over several times for typos and awkward phrasing. All he needed now were the photos of the physical mock-ups, and he’d be all set.

’I’ll come in at 6 AM tomorrow to start cooking. Wei will come at 7 AM for the photoshoot. At 8:30, I’ll do a final review of the materials and print them out. Leave for the Hai City Convention and Exhibition Center at 9, arrive before 10... The schedule is perfect.’

Xu An suddenly thought of a problem. ’How will I get there? Ride my tricycle? Ask Uncle Guosheng to drive me in the small truck? Or take the bus?’

’None of those three options seem very professional. I’d better contact Uncle Dongliang and ask him to help me find a reliable private driver to hire for the day.’

He shut down the computer, stood up, and walked over to Xu Kang and Xu Le. His phone was still in their hands.

Just as he got behind them, he saw Xu Kang’s little hand tap a voice message. A sweet voice drifted from the phone’s speaker.

"Okay, I understand. See you in a bit~"

’See you in a bit? What does "see you in a bit" mean? Did she mean "talk to you later"?’

After the twins replied to their Sister Moon, Xu An took back his phone, found Xu Dongliang’s number, and made the call.

The call connected quickly, but the other end was noisy and windy; it sounded like a chaotic scene.

"Anzi, what’s up!" Uncle Dongliang’s booming voice cut through the background clamor, reaching Xu An’s ears loud and clear.

"Uncle Dongliang, are you out on the water?" The WHOOSH of the wind and the SPLASHING of water reminded Xu An of the scene just before his rebirth.

"Yeah, went out with the local fishermen this afternoon. Just waiting for high tide to head back now."

Hearing they were with local fishermen and on a boat, Xu An relaxed and got to the point. "Uncle Dongliang, do you know a reliable private car driver? I’ve got something tomorrow and need to make a good impression."

"Oh, that’s it? Got it. Just wait." With that, Xu Dongliang hung up.

After the call disconnected, Xu An thought he heard his Second Grandpa’s voice in the background, saying something like, ’Got a bite!’?

After closing up the restaurant, Xu An hopped on his little tricycle with Xu Kang and Xu Le and headed for Henghui Square.

Henghui Square was the first major commercial shopping mall to open in Hai City, back in 2000. Its grand opening was a massive sensation.

It was no exaggeration to say that everyone, rich or poor, had shown up to join the excitement.

It was even more chaotic after the opening ceremony when it was time to shop. People were practically fighting over things; merchandise was snatched up before it could even be put on the shelves.

But that was more than a decade ago. Now, many of Henghui Square’s facilities and equipment had fallen behind the times.

As other large-scale malls opened one by one, this place had gradually faded into obscurity, now relegated to a shopping area for low-to-mid-range products.

However, it was home to many long-established restaurants, which were now the main draw supporting the entire mall’s foot traffic.

He parked the tricycle not far from the mall and, holding Xu Kang and Xu Le by the hand, walked inside. Halfway there, the two little ones started looking around excitedly.

"What is it? See a restaurant you want to try?" Xu An crouched down to ask them.

The two didn’t answer his question, continuing to blink and scan the area as if they were looking for someone.

He watched the two little ones spin around a few times before their gazes suddenly locked onto a single spot. Their eyes lit up, and they excitedly raised their arms, waving frantically.

"Sister Moon, over here! Over here! Sister Moon, this way!"

’Sister Moon? Lin Xinyue!’

Xu An whipped his head around. Following the direction they were waving, he saw Lin Xinyue.

Half her hair was tied up high with a matcha-green ribbon, swaying gently as she walked. The rest fell loosely down her back, with a few playful strands escaping over her shoulder, adding a touch of softness to her look.

She wore a pure-white dress printed with small, light-green flowers. The hem fell to mid-calf, revealing her fair, delicate legs. The layered, flowing skirt fluttered like a blooming flower bud as she moved.

Just as Xu An saw her, Lin Xinyue followed the sound of the children’s voices and spotted the three of them. A brilliant smile bloomed on her face as she raised a slender arm and waved.

Her gentle footsteps quickened, and her skirt, which had resembled a flower bud, now blossomed like a flower in full bloom.

As Lin Xinyue drew closer, the tips of Xu An’s ears turned bright red. He awkwardly averted his gaze, lowered his head, and gave a soft cough.

’In my past life, I could look at people in bikinis on the beach without batting an eye. Why am I getting flustered just from seeing a pair of calves in this life? So weird.’

’Could it be because this body is only eighteen, with hormones running high?’

Xu Kang and Xu Le had barely taken two steps before Lin Xinyue swept them into her arms. The two little ones planted kisses on her left and right cheeks, hugging her and GIGGLING.

"Whoa, you kissed me! I can’t let that stand, I have to kiss you back!"

With that, Lin Xinyue pursed her pink, cherry-like lips and kissed their round, chubby cheeks, sending them into another fit of GIGGLES.

COUGH COUGH—

Xu An had just composed himself when he looked up and saw this. He immediately ducked his head and coughed again, trying to cover up his strange reaction.

Hearing his coughing, Lin Xinyue couldn’t help but roll her eyes at him internally.

’I just hugged the kids, and he started coughing. Now I kiss them, and he’s coughing again!’

’It’s like in his eyes, I’m not a beautiful eighteen-year-old girl, but some horrifying, toxic monster oozing pus.’

For the next two hours, Xu An felt like he’d been completely taken over.

The restaurant was a classic spot recommended by Lin Xinyue; his clothes were also chosen with the help of Lin Xinyue and the two kids...

At first, Xu An had actually picked out an outfit for himself. It’s just that when he came out of the fitting room, Lin Xinyue and the two kids had identical expressions of pure, unadulterated horror.

’Sure, dress pants with sneakers is a little weird, but it’s not bad enough to get shot down completely, right?’

’And what’s wrong with a bright red tie? It’s so festive!’

’And who says you have to wear black or white socks with dress shoes? Those sky-blue striped socks were perfectly fine!’

...

It was already past nine by the time they said goodbye to Lin Xinyue and returned home. On a normal day, the two little ones would have been fast asleep by now.

They had seemed so energetic when they were with Lin Xinyue, but less than ten minutes after parting ways, they were both passed out in the back of the tricycle.

If he couldn’t still feel their weight, Xu An would have suspected they’d secretly jumped off.

Back home, he first messaged Lin Xinyue to let her know they’d arrived safely, then coaxed the two sleepyheads into washing up. It was nearly ten o’clock by the time he finally finished and collapsed into bed.

He ran through the documents for the bid one last time in his head. After confirming everything was in order, Xu An closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

A tall figure appeared in his dream that night. She was wearing a pure white dress with a green floral print, her legs slender, fair, and delicate. When she saw him, she broke into a radiant smile and waved, then skipped over to him. Her slender arms wrapped around him, giving him an incredibly warm hug.

Then, a pair of cherry-red lips puckered slightly and leaned in to kiss his cheek...

SLAP—

Xu An groggily opened his eyes to the familiar sight of the thick wooden beam on the ceiling. His face stung.

He reached up and felt a small hand on his cheek... This was the little hand that had just slapped him... waking him from his dream...

’I’m buying a small bed for them tomorrow! If I don’t, I’m a dog!’