"Damn it, let\'s just leave now," I pulled Alex and abandoned the shopping trolley. Really, having a date with Alexander Priest turned out to be a lot more hassle than it\'s worth.

At least with Meng Bao, we could enjoy grocery shopping or having a stroll on the riverside in peace. Of course, few people tried to approach Meng Bao or took a photo of him, but with me as his watchdog—I mean, his pretend girlfriend, none of them dared to interrupt us.

But it was pretty different with Alex. He attracted a lot of attention, almost like a foreign celebrity that came out of nowhere to the local supermarket.

He was really tall, handsome, and that platinum blonde hair really showed everyone how much of a show-off he was..

I dragged Alex to leave the supermarket and returned to his car. Who would\'ve expected that we saw a few young men and women posing in front of the car as if it was theirs?

Alex was also stunned by it. Thus, he fished out his car key and pressed a button to turn on the blink.

The blink alongside the sound startled everyone. They looked at the handsome man in platinum blonde hair stared at them.

"A—Ah, sorry, mister…" they left hurriedly.

Before we entered Alex\'s car, he asked me first, "Okay, Jie, why are we in a hurry? It\'s not even an hour yet, and I thought you said you want to do grocery shopping."

"Aish, I want to, but don\'t you see the number of cameras flashing at us? I\'m afraid they\'ll upload it in Weibo, and you\'ll be all over the trending page!"

"Eh, is there any problem with that?" Alex shrugged. "I\'m used to that. I even have few stalkers in some countries as well."

"… I don\'t really care of what they said to you, but I care about my own safety, you stupid. Some of them would definitely call me a lucky ugly lady!"

"Who dares calling you ugly? I will—"

"Ugh, let\'s just go now!" I yelled at Alex. Alex was still stunned by my decision, but then he just yielded and entered his car.

We stared at each other in silence inside the car, and then he asked, "So, where do you want to go now?"

"Hm… other than grocery shopping, which has been ruined, I don\'t really have any plan. What do you want to eat for dinner?" I asked.

"Oh, I can use my VIP membership card to a Michelin restaurant in—"

"Aish, you want to take me to that expensive restaurant? Alex, as much as I like free food, those tiny bites will not fill me! I\'d rather go and eat in a buffet! Or at least, in some noodle restaurant! Let\'s go, just follow my direction. I will bring you to the best noodle restaurant here!"

…

"Jie, you really don\'t want to follow my dating schedule, huh? How could I impress you without this?" Alex complained. But he turned on the engine and drove on the road aimlessly until I gave him direction.

"Now, you go left, and then at the end of the fork, just go right. It\'s a good noodle restaurant, trust me!" I said. Alex followed my direction, and then we stopped in front of a medium-sized noodle restaurant with a young woman sitting in front leisurely.

Her eyes widened when she saw the expensive car parked in front of her noodle restaurant, and her eyes almost popped out of their sockets once she saw Alex and I came out from the car.

"Y—Ying Jie, is that really you?!" She asked.

"Of course, ah! This is your Jie bringing you a customer!" I hugged her and asked, "Tian Lifeng, how are you? Is everything alright?"

"Hehe, everything is fine, Jie! Though business isn\'t as good, I\'ll manage!" Lifeng said. Then she glanced at the man in front of us and asked, "Jie, who is this handsome foreigner? I didn\'t know how you can bring him here. Did you charm him with some stuff? Aiya, Jie, you should give me ah! I also need myself a handsome man! Ahahaha!"

I smacked her back and told her to shut up, "Shush! Lifeng, he can speak mandarin!"

"WHAT?!" Lifeng\'s mouth opened wide as she was surprised. She glanced at the man, and her cheek blushed. "I—I\'m sorry, sir. I didn\'t know that you can speak mandarin…"

"No, it\'s okay," Alex replied. "And about your question before, my name is Alexander Priest. I\'m Ying Jie\'s date today."

"Ying Jie\'s date?!" Tian Lifeng was both surprised and excited. "Oh, Ying Jie finally has a date. I really thought you\'re a lesbian, Jie!"

"Hey, you\'re just influenced by Qiang! She has been slandering me left and right!"

Lifeng laughed and then pulled me inside, "Please come in. We will serve you your favorite Lo Mein and Xiaolongbao!"

Alex looked confused, which I understood why. This noodle restaurant wasn\'t exactly the best in town, but I came here for Tian Lifeng, of course, hehe.

I pulled Alex in, and we sat at one table. Tian Lifeng gave us a generous amount of noodles and a few more Xiaolongbao.

"This is a treat for you two since you choose my place for your date, heheh~."

"Aiya, I come here because I need to tell this guy the best noodle in the city ah!" I giggled, and Lifeng looked so happy. She left us alone to eat.

Alex picked up a chopstick and then started eating. He continued eating and then told me slowly, "It\'s good, Jie. But I\'ve tasted better."

I smiled at him and continued eating my noodle, "It might not be the best, but it\'s good, right?"

"Yes," Alex said. "But you said to her this is the best noodle in the city…"

I stopped eating and then picked a steamed dumpling/xiaolongbao from the plate. Then I said, "Open wide, Alex."

Alex opened his mouth obediently and then munched the dumpling I gave him. "How does it taste?"

"It\'s good, but still not amazing as you claimed," Alex said truthfully. I knew that Alex didn\'t mean any harm, nor he tried to insult Tian Lifeng. It was just the way how many European were more direct about something.

"Alex, this place might not be the best noodle restaurant in the city. But I dragged you here because Tian Lifeng is in financial struggle," I said while munching a dumpling.

I took a glass of water and then continued, "You see. She is just twenty-three right now. And her parents died about a year ago. So she has to manage the whole restaurant alone, maybe with one or two helpers at most, because she couldn\'t pay a lot of people."

"Tian Lifeng is also a young widow. She is forced by her parents to marry young, but her ex-husband was so abusive that she and her son go beaten a lot by him. So she filed for divorce and returned to her parent\'s house to manage the noodle restaurant."

"Since business isn\'t good nowadays, she barely makes ends meet for her and her son. Rather than going to some expensive restaurant to impress me, I\'d rather go here and help her business," I said. "She\'s a good person, and I believe she will get good karma for all the struggle she has."

Alexander Priest stared at me for few seconds, then he suddenly commented, "Jie, you have a good heart."

My cheeks felt hot after Alex said that. It was seldom for me to get praised as a person with a good heart.

"N—Not really, I just think if I can help some people around me, then why not? Besides, the food here is good and quite affordable, and I feel comfortable eating here. I usually chat with Lifeng when I\'m alone."

"That\'s the definition of a good-hearted person, Jie," Alex said. He stared at the bowl of noodles in front of him and decided to eat everything."

I smiled when I saw this. For most people, especially the ones at the top, everything was about competition. People like Meng Bao, Alex, Jinxing, and many more. They were standing at the top of the ladder, so they wouldn\'t spare any pity for those at the bottom because most of them had the mindset of…

You are at the bottom because you don\'t try hard enough or don\'t work clever enough.

It might be true to some, but I was raised in a struggling family. We could barely eat every day back then. And I knew how hard my dad tried to feed us every day and paid all the debts my uncle raked back then.

I got lucky to be hired by Mr. Yang Zhuhuo as her secretary. So I could provide for my family, but for other less fortunate people?

"Ying Jie, were you raised in a philanthropical family?" Alex asked.

"Aish, what\'s with that fancy word ah? I was just born poor. That\'s why I know the struggle, ahahaha!"

"… then you\'ve grown to be a fine and good-natured woman, Ying Jie," Alex said sincerely.