Xie Heng regretted his words as soon as he said them and immediately wanted to find an excuse to back out.
Lu Xi, however, was looking forward to it.
She thought to herself that whether New Year’s Eve dinner was homemade or a fancy meal out, it was always the same ingredients and flavors. Tasty, yes, but nothing new.
But if her little cub made it himself, that would be a whole different story.
Lu Xi had never cooked before and had no plans to start. She hated the smell of oil and smoke. While she admired the online influencers who made beautiful and delicious dishes, her enthusiasm for cooking extended only to collecting recipes—not actually using them.
It was just like workout videos online—’saving them is basically the same as doing them,’ but actually doing them? Not happening.
With this thought, Lu Xi’s eyes lit up. She dug out all the recipes she had ever saved and sent them to Xie Heng in one go.
Then, she looked at him with sparkling eyes. “You can pick any of these to make. I’m fine with anything, I’m not picky.”
Xie Heng looked at the recipes. Each one complicated enough to give him a headache.
He let out a cold laugh. “Wow, thanks a lot. These all look soooo easy!”
Lu Xi, acting as if she didn’t catch his sarcasm, nodded with a bright smile. “Exactly. It’s because they’re easy that I’m letting you make them.”
Xie Heng : “…”
His usual snarky attitude was completely ineffective against Lu Xi. Not only did it not work, but it seemed like she had actually out-sassed him.
This was rough.
Xie Heng instinctively glanced at the butler standing nearby, who was smiling pleasantly. He shot him a look, silently begging for help.
But the butler just continued to smile and said, “Young Master is becoming more and more mature, cooking for Madam now!”
Xie Heng : …Shut up, please.
If he backed out now, wouldn’t that mean admitting he was immature?
He spent the entire afternoon agonizing over a way out, but no solution came to him. That evening, when Xie Yizhao came home, Xie Heng saw his Dad and felt a spark of hope.
His Dad knew his abilities well and would never allow him to mess up the kitchen.
Sure enough, during dinner, Lu Xi brought it up. “Xiao Heng is going to show off his skills. He’s personally making the New Year’s Eve dinner!”
Xie Yizhao was briefly stunned.
Xie Heng was even more shocked.
Don’t make it sound like he was cooking the entire feast!
“I’m just making one dish, just one. I’m very busy,” Xie Heng huffed, tilting his chin up as he looked at his Dad. “So? Do you have anything to say?”
Xie Yizhao replied calmly, “Good luck. Look how happy your Mom is. Don’t let her down.”
Xie Heng : “…”
Stop adding pressure!
He strongly suspected his Dad was setting him up.
Xie Heng took a deep breath and glanced at Lu Xi. Inwardly, he had already given in.
She genuinely looked so happy. If he backed out, she’d be really disappointed.
“Fine, I’ll do my best. But Dad, this is Ms. Lu’s first New Year at home. Aren’t you going to do something special too?” Xie Heng smiled slyly, his deviousness well hidden. “How about you make a dish too? That would make her even happier.”
Lu Xi blinked, looking between Xie Yizhao and Xie Heng. “Don’t make things hard for your Dad. He doesn’t know how to cook. He’s never even set foot in a kitchen.”
Xie Heng smirked and played along. “Oh? And here I thought my Dad was amazing at everything. Guess not, then.”
Xie Yizhao suddenly felt that he had been quietly eating his meal, yet somehow fallen into a trap his wife and son had dug for him in advance. Had they planned this together?
Still, whether to step into the trap or not was his choice.
He set down his chopsticks, his gaze calmly sweeping over the two of them.
Lu Xi and Xie Heng both looked completely innocent, but he could sense their scheming.
After a moment, he smiled faintly. “Alright, I’ll give it a try too.”
He had to admit, no matter how composed he was, there were some people who made him want to show off. At the very least, he didn’t want to seem incompetent in front of her.
Besides, even if this was a trap, it was just cooking one dish. How hard could it be?
Xie Heng was thrilled. He hadn’t expected his Dad to fall for the bait so easily. It was like his Dad’s intelligence had suddenly taken a nosedive, getting tricked by just a few provoking words.
Or maybe Xie Heng had just gotten smarter.
Either way, his Dad was just as clueless in the kitchen as he was. At least Xie Heng had made instant noodles before. If he messed up, he wouldn’t be the only one looking bad. His Dad would be right there with him.
Lu Xi, of course, saw right through Xie Heng’s reluctance. And she could tell that Xie Yizhao had only agreed with great reluctance.
But honestly, she hadn’t expected much from the father-son duo.
Xie Heng aside, even Xie Yizhao, who seemed capable of everything, was just a regular human. They have their own strengths and weaknesses. She doubted either of them had any hidden culinary talent.
But it was New Year’s. The most important thing was having fun. This was a great way to keep them busy, and who knew? Maybe it would even bring them closer.
With less than a week left until the new year, Lu Xi’s studio announced an early holiday. They would be off from two days before New Year’s Eve until the ninth day of the new year—ten days of vacation in total.
Most companies give eight or nine days off, but when Lu Xi’s holiday notice was announced, the entire office erupted in excitement.
The moment they saw Lu Xi, compliments were thrown around like they were free.
“CEO Lu is the best! Where else can you find a boss who gives ten days off?!”
“A boss like CEO Lu deserves to make a fortune!”
“CEO Lu will definitely earn big money next year!”
…
Lu Xi smiled modestly and waved her hand, signaling them to stop the flattery and get back to work.
She didn’t tell them the truth that they had all misunderstood. The real reason for the extended holiday was that she wanted more time off. So, she simply decided to let everyone take a break together. That way, they’d see her as generous rather than a lazy boss.
Besides arranging the holiday, she also took care of salaries, year-end bonuses, and New Year’s gifts.
She had some cherries at home that tasted amazing, so she decided to give each employee two boxes as a New Year’s gift.
Everyone was delighted.
Except for Xie Heng, who had a big problem with it.
Why did everyone else get some, but he didn’t? Did part-time employees not deserve New Year’s gifts?
At the time, Lu Xi was busy and had no time to deal with him. Xie Heng didn’t dare to bother her either, so he turned to her assistant instead.
Wei Ning just laughed when she heard him. “Xiao Xie, I asked CEO Lu about it. She said she’s not giving you any. If you want cherries, go home and eat them.”
The rest of the office overheard and couldn’t help but cover their mouths to stifle their laughter.
Xie Heng : “…”
He was very upset.
As the boss’s family member, not only did he not get extra perks, and now he was even being discriminated?
Thankfully, when it came to his salary, Lu Xi was fair. He clocked in and out like everyone else, got paid strictly by the hour, and even had two payment options: daily or monthly. Xie Heng chose to settle at the end of the month. He wasn’t worried about her running off, and getting a lump sum felt more rewarding.
Lu Xi had been incredibly busy lately.
As the year-end approached, she had to send gifts to important clients to maintain relationships. Even the clothing factory received a few gifts. These gestures weren’t necessary, but business was all about fostering goodwill. As long as she could afford it and had a good relationship with the recipients, maintaining these connections was worthwhile.
This was something Xie Yizhao had casually mentioned to her before. He never preached to her from the pedestal of a successful businessman, but Lu Xi was always happy to listen. Sometimes, she even sought out his advice herself.
She wasn’t foolish. With a business tycoon right beside her, of course, she had to learn from him whenever possible. He was the kind of person financial programs wanted as a guest, willing to pay him a seven-figure appearance fee. Yet, this tycoon lay beside her every night, ready to answer any question she had.
Even when his explanations got too deep and hard to grasp, she didn’t mind.
If she understood even one out of ten things he said, it was still invaluable knowledge.
Aside from work-related tasks, Lu Xi made time to work overtime on a special project: designing clothes for Xie Yizhao and Xie Heng.
Ideally, they could wear them during the New Year. Nothing would be more meaningful than donning outfits designed by her.
More importantly, she felt obligated to do so.
After receiving that check, she had cashed it the very next day. Her personal savings had grown handsomely, but she still owed him thirty outfits. That weighed on her conscience…
As for Xie Heng, she decided to design something for him too, as a New Year’s gift.
This also aligned with her long-term plans. Her studio currently catered exclusively to female clients and focused on womenswear. After the new year, she planned to hire another designer to share the workload so she could start learning menswear design.
She had mentioned this idea to Xie Yizhao in private. He had no objections and didn’t discourage her enthusiasm. He simply reminded her to clarify her brand’s core competitive edge and choose the right market. Having new ideas was great, but prioritization was key.
Lu Xi understood his point.
He was warning her not to chase too many things at once, or she might end up achieving neither.
She got it.
For now, her studio would remain focused on womenswear. As for menswear, she was still in the experimental phase, using the Xie father and son duo as practice models. Only when she felt confident in her ability to design a mature menswear line would she officially launch it.
She appreciated Xie Yizhao’s well-timed advice.
Because he wasn’t just someone who spoke well. He was reliable.