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It was 9:57am on a Wednesday Morning. The Four Seasons Restaurant was still quiet and empty. Zhou Zishu was staring with narrowed eyes at a strange woman across the pass in the kitchen. She made a face as this mystery woman swung her long, brunette hair over one shoulder and then pulled it up into a neat bun at the crown of her head. Impractical, thought Zhou Zishu. No one working in a kitchen should have so much long, luscious hair. It was a health and safety nightmare.
“Zishu!”
Both Zhou Zishu and the mysterious woman looked up as Ye Baiyi walked out of the office. “Zishu, this is our new chef, Wen Kexing. Please stop making eyes at her, we do not want to scare her off on day one.”
At that, Zhou Zishu turned to glare at him instead, while Wen Kexing laughed raucously in behind her. “Don’t worry about me, Old Monster. I know I don’t look tough, but I can take a few dirty looks from a…” She turned back to Zhou Zishu. “I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. What is it you do around here?”
“… I run the bar.”
Wen Kexing grinned. “And I’m sure you do it very well.”
Zhou Zishu responded only by rolling her eyes, then turned back to Ye Baiyi. “Why wasn’t I told about this?”
“You don’t work in the kitchen, you brat.”
“So? I have worked here for years.”
“And you’ve turned down every managerial role you’ve ever been offered.” Ye Baiyi shook his head. “Look, just be normal about it, okay? And if I catch either of you flirting, I’m writing you both up.”
“What?” Zhou Zishu could feel her mouth hanging open, she knew she looked stupid, but there were no words for her anger. Once again, she heard Wen Kexing laugh that ridiculous, musical laugh of hers. Zhou Zishu turned and jabbed an accusing finger in her direction. In response, she just held her hands up in mock surrender, but Zishu could still see her chest shaking as she held in a giggle.
“Whatever. It’s none of my business,” Zhou Zishu shrugged, dramatically turning on her heels and storming down the restaurant.
“That’s right! It’s none of your business!” Called Ye Baiyi.
Zhou Zishu just flipped him the bird.
“I don’t know why Ye Baiyi even hired her. She’s ridiculous. She’s so annoying. Is she even good in the kitchen?”
Chengling pointedly did not look up from the plate he was cleaning. He had practically scrubbed the pattern off by now.
“Yeah, I think she’s pretty good,” he offered meekly.
Zhou Zishu couldn’t help but feel a little betrayed. “Oh really? Has she cooked for you?”
It was clear enough that Chengling did not really want to answer the question, but he nodded his head. “Yeah, she made me soup yesterday.”
Zhou Zishu blinked. “Soup?”
“Yeah. Soup. I told her Xiaolian is ill at the moment, and I’m… not great at cooking. Wen Kexing made me a little box of soup to take home, for both of us.” Chengling blushed. “It was very good.”
“Oh, now she’s just trying to prove me wrong,” Zhou Zishu huffed. As she said that, Chengling’s gaze wondered over her shoulder, and his eyes widened.
“Hi, Zishu!” called Wen Kexing, from behind her.
“Don’t called me that,” she spat back.
Wen Kexing’s brow furrowed, and she looked questioningly at Zhou Zishu. “Isn’t that you’re name?”
“It is. And I don’t want you using it.”
To her credit, she took that one on the chin, and returned Zhou Zishu’s prickliness with a dazzling smile. “Sure. Noted. I’ll see you later, A-Shu.”
Chengling face said it all. He gawked at Wen Kexing as she walked away without another word. It took Zhou Zishu a good few moments to recover. By the time she came back to her senses, Wen Kexing had thrown herself back into the fray of the kitchewn. She muttered something to Wu Xi, who was working the stove, and it earned her a smirk. Zhou Zishu was furious.
“You better get back to the bar, shifu,” muttered Chengling. He was still cleaning the same plate.
It was starting to feel like Zhou Zishu had no allies left at the Four Seasons.
“Look, I’m just saying, I don’t see why we need all this fancy presentation all of a sudden,” complained Zhou Zishu. She was leaning up against the pass, and it felt like the heat lamps were singeing the ends of her messily cropped hair, but she was annoyed and wanted Wen Kexing to know about it.
The chef just kept doing her job, plating up a salmon fillet and a number of brightly-coloured veggies with impressive dexterity. Despite herself, Zhou Zishu had to admit that it looked good, and more, it smelled good. “Is that new on the menu?”
That earnt her a little, distracted smile as Wen Kexing continued to sprinkle some precisely cut herbs over the food. “It’s my speciality, actually. I’ll have to make it for you some time soon, it is very good. I’m sorry – what were you complaining about again?”
“I’m sure it tastes great, I just don’t know why it has to look so pretty,” she grumbled. “The customers don’t need to wait even longer for their food.”
Wen Kexing shrugged. “Honestly, it doesn’t take much longer to plate up this way, but the affect is just so worth it. And who cares about customers, anyway?”
“You should.” Even as she said it, she knew Ye Baiyi would laugh in her face if he heard her say that. It was only fair, though – Zhou Zishu had worked here so long, she’d earnt the right to talk shit about customers. It was a whole different story if the new girl was doing it.
“So, are you just here to complain,” said Wen Kexing, “or are you going to take these plates to the table?”
Zhou Zishu snorted. “I’m not a waitress.”
“Then can you ring the bell? Please? You’re in the way.”
“You need me to ring your bell?”
“What did I say about flirting, Zishu?”
The two of them flinched in unison. Ye Baiyi was walking towards them, and though he sounded angry, the look on his face was nothing but smug. Once again, Zhou Zishu found herself speechless.
“A-Shu started it,” Wen Kexing called out, that look of faux-innocence on her face.
“I know, you brat, I heard.” Ye Baiyi shook his head. “Honestly, I’m disappointed in you, Zishu. She’s barely been here a week and you’re already accosting our new chef.”
“I wasn’t flirting,” spluttered Zhou Zishu. “There’s a bell, a literal bell, I was just…”
“Oh, leave her be, Old Monster. Look, you’ve made her blush.” Then Wen Kexing leant past her, so that she was right up in Zhou Zishu’s face (which was, admittedly, feeling very warm, and not just from the heat lamps). This close, she could smell Wen Kexing’s shampoo, something sweet and warm and probably too fancy for Zhou Zishu to identify. Wen Kexing reached out one slender finger, dinged the bell, and then withdrew. Zhou Zishu had to remind herself to glare at her.
Seconds later, Xiaolian came trotting up to the pass, before noticing the little congregation gathered there. She paused, looking to the three of them for some kind of explanation.
“Xiaolian!” Wen Kexing gestured her over enthusiastically. “It’s good to see you back at work. Are you feeling better?”
She smiled sweetly up at the ridiculously lanky Wen Kexing. “Much better, thank you! And thank you so much for the soup – sometimes my little brother is completely useless.”
Before Wen Kexing could say anything else, Zhou Zishu threw her hands up and sighed dramatically. Then she pointed at Wen Kexing, and pronounced, “You are intolerable.”
Zhou Zishu was just having a quiet cigarette break when the door to the back yard slammed open. Out of it emerged Wen Kexing, her face slick with sweat and her hair all askew.
“That huge party on table one,” she said, panting.
“… Yes?”
Wen Kexing just made a vague ugh! noise, then threw herself to the ground beside Zhou Zishu. “Who the hell do they think they are?” She paused, digging around in the pockets of her chef whites and plucking out a pack of cigarettes, then she frowned. “Do you have a lighter?”
Silently, Zhou Zishu handed hers over. Wen Kexing nodded her thanks, lit up her cigarette, and took a single drag.
“Anyway. Who the hell do they think they are? They amble in on a Friday night, miraculously manage to get a table for ten – why did the Old Monster even let them in? – and then they have the audacity to request that many special arrangements. I mean, I am always willing to make accommodations, sure, but is there anything they do eat? They asked if we could do the sea bass without fish, A-Shu. Do they know what sea bass is?”
Zhou Zishu listened to her rant, a smile gradually forming on her face. After a few minutes, Wen Kexing finally stopped for air. Her cigarette had gone out, and she used Zhou Zishu’s lighter to light it up again. Then Wen Kexing spared a glance her way, and Zhou Zishu couldn’t help but chuckle a little.
“Ah, A-Shu, why are you laughing at me? I am exhausted. These people have wreaked havoc on my kitchen!”
“I’m not laughing at you, Lao Wen.” She firmly patted the chef’s shoulder, laughing some more. “I don’t know who they are. The Three Lakes Alliance, or something?”
Wen Kexing scoffed. “Sounds wanky.”
It probably was. “There’s a real piece of work on that table, a horrid little man with a bad moustache. Do you know what he complained about?”
Wen Kexing looked up at her, rapt. “Tell me.”
“He sent back his espresso martini because it tasted too much like coffee.”
At that, Wen Kexing broke into howls of laughter, and then collapsed into Zhou Zishu. Her arm fell around her shoulder, and she could feel the erratic rhythm of her warm breath as she laughed into her neck. For a moment, Zhou Zishu let her stay there, even relaxing a little into the contact.
It was at that very moment that the back door opened again, and this time Ye Baiyi stepped out. Both Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing froze on the spot. Ye Baiyi looked down at them, looked at the way Wen Kexing was draped over Zhou Zishu, and rolled his eyes. Without saying a single thing, he walked right past them and into the walk-in fridge.
Zhou Zishu shot a glance at Wen Kexing, who was already looking up at her. The other girl looked down sheepishly, but Zhou Zishu could still see the smirk on her face.
“Zishu! Come in, sit down, sit down.”
Zhou Zishu stepped into the office, and already felt penned in. It was not a big office, barely big enough for him and Beiyuan, and she wasn’t sure why he insisted on holding this meeting here when the restaurant was almost empty.
“Is there a problem?” It wasn’t that she and Beiyuan didn’t speak. It was that it was odd for him to speak with her in an official, work-related capacity. As the head chef at the Four Seasons, whatever Zhou Zishu might be up to was firmly out of his territory.
Because of that, she was relieved when Beiyuan shook his head. “No, nothing like that. It’s just that Wen Kexing has been here a while now, and she’s good. I would really like to take her on full time. I just wanted to run it by you before I make her the offer.”
That certainly was not what she was expecting him to say. “Do what you want, Beiyuan. I don’t even work in the kitchen.”
Beiyuan smiled politely. “I know, Zishu, but I need us all to be working together as a team here. I have been talking to Ye Baiyi, and I just wanted to check that there won’t be any… issues.”
Zhou Zishu took a second to think it over – what exactly had Ye Baiyi said to Beiyuan? Suddenly, she remembered the night before, and the way Ye Baiyi had looked at them when he caught them together in the courtyard. Awkwardly, she tilted her face down so Beiyuan wouldn’t see her blush.
“No, it won’t be a problem. I don’t know what Ye Baiyi thinks it is, but it isn’t that. It isn’t anything really. And besides,” she paused, looked up at Beiyuan, almost accusingly, “it’s not like it’s ever been a problem you working with Wu Xi.”
Beiyuan’s eyes widened, and then narrowed. He opened his mouth, closed it again, then stared intensely at Zhou Zishu. She felt a little uncomfortable being scrutinized like that. Then, suddenly, Beiyuan’s eyes widened again in realisation.
“Oh! You and Wen Kexing are…”
“We’re nothing. What?” Now Zhou Zishu was perplexed. “Wait, what were you…”
“It’s nothing.” Beiyuan shook his head. “It’s nothing, Ye Baiyi just said you got into some kind of disagreement – over plating, or something…”
“Right. That.” Zhou Zishu took a second to gather her thoughts. “Yeah, I think the way she plates is just showing off. It’s not necessary, and the wait times in this place are already ridiculous…”
“I hired her specifically because that’s the kind of talent this place needs.”
“Well then, if you’re happy, I see no issue.”
There was a weighty pause between them, and suddenly that tiny office felt all the smaller. Finally, Beiyuan said, “So, you have settled your differences with her, then?”
Zhou Zishu shrugged. “I suppose.”
Beiyuan just nodded. “Okay. I’m going to offer her the job then.”
“Yeah. I think you should do that.”
That settled, Beiyuan seemed to relax a little. He looked to Zhou Zishu, and raised an eyebrow. “She’s way out of your league, by the way.”
“Shut up,” hissed Zhou Zishu, but she didn’t really have the heart to argue the point.
Zhou Zishu watched as the last customers filtered out the front door with a sense of relief. It had been a long night, and all she wanted to do was close up shop, have a little drink before heading off to bed. Some people just couldn’t see when they weren’t welcome anymore.
Down the restaurant, there was a bang as the office door slammed shut, and Ye Baiyi bustled out. He looked down at his watch, frowned, then looked to Zhou Zishu. “You have your keys, don’t you?”
“… Yes, why?”
“Because I just remembered I have somewhere to be, and I need you to lock up.”
Zhou Zishu shook her head. “Where the hell do you have to be? It’s almost midnight.”
Despite her protests, Ye Baiyi was still putting on his coat and getting ready to leave. Zhou Zishu clicked her fingers to get his attention, and he just sighed.
“It doesn’t matter, I’ll explain later. There’s not much left to do anyway, just shut off the glass washer, lock up, and you’re done.”
“I don’t like locking up,” she complained, hearing even now how petulant she sounded. “The lock’s stiff, I never know if I’ve done it right.”
Ye Baiyi shot her a look, and she shut up. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Zishu. Oh, and just so you know, Wen Kexing is still finishing up in the kitchen, so make sure you don’t lock her in.”
“Wait-”
“Stop. Just stop. You’re looking at me like I’m asking you to marry her or something. It won’t kill you to be alone with her for a few minutes, will it?”
In truth, the prospect of it made her heart thrill a little, but she wasn’t going to tell her manager that, especially her earlier blunder with Beiyuan. The look of vague disgust on Ye Baiyi’s face told her he knew well enough, though.
Zhou Zishu went about the last few bits and pieces of closing up, feeling a little bitter and deeply mortified. At this rate, everyone at the Four Seasons would see through her whole ‘I hate Wen Kexing’ act. Maybe even Wen Kexing herself. Zhou Zishu shuddered.
From the kitchen, she could hear Wen Kexing scurrying round, presumably doing the last few bits of cleaning for the night. As she worked, she sang along to whatever dreamy nonsense she had blasting in the background. Unfortunately, she could barely hold a tune, but at the same time she somehow managed to be louder than the speakers. Zhou Zishu caught herself smiling to herself, and quickly made a point of scowling, and then flipping the bird at the little security camera in the corner, just in case.
After about five minutes, Zhou Zishu heard the music pause, and then the lights clicked off in the kitchen, and Wen Kexing emerged. When she saw Zhou Zishu standing there behind the bar, she offered up a glowing smile.
“A-Shu!” she called, hurrying over to the bar, “I have news!”
“What makes you think I care?” she spat back.
Unbothered by Zhou Zishu’s hostility, Wen Kexing grabbed one of the stools from the high tables in the window and pushed it up against the bar. Before Zhou Zishu could complain, she had already hopped up and was now sat with her elbows on the bar and her face propped up on her hands.
“Beiyuan made me an offer,” she announced, eyes gleaming.
“He wants to take you on full time, I know,” said Zhou Zishu, rolling her eyes. “Do you really think he’d do that without asking me first?”
In the face of Zhou Zishu’s rancour, she only grinned wider. “So, you said yes?”
She could feel her face heating up at that, so she ducked down below the bar to put the last glass away. Frantically, she willed the blush to fade from her cheeks, until Wen Kexing leant over and looked down at her, brows furrowed. “What are you doing down there?”
“Nothing.” She sprung back up. If her face was still red, Wen Kexing said nothing. “Congratulations on the new job, I guess. It sounds like Beiyuan really likes the way you work.”
“And apparently it wouldn’t have happened without your help, A-Shu.”
“Shut up,” hissed Zhou Zishu, which only made Wen Kexing break out into unrestrained laughter.
“Ah, A-Shu, you’re hilarious. Anyway, I was thinking since we’re celebrating -”
“- Since you’re celebrating -”
“- Since we’re celebrating, maybe I celebratory drink is in order?”
Zhou Zishu shook her head. “No, absolutely not. I’m not waiting around watching you drink. I want to go home.”
“Well, obviously you can have a drink with me, if you’d like.”
She glared down at the other woman, but eventually conceded. “Fine. But you’re not getting anything fancy, no cocktails, nothing like that.”
“Well, what are you drinking?”
For the first time in the whole conversation, Zhou Zishu gave a little smile. Wordlessly, she turned to the wine rack and considered. All of their wine was good, of course, Zhou Zishu had good taste (at least when it came to alcohol). It was another challenge entirely to pick out something Wen Kexing specifically would like. Eventually, she selected a red from the top shelf, standing on her tip toes to reach it. Behind her, Wen Kexing was smothering her giggles.
Zhou Zishu shot a dirty look over her shoulder. “What?”
“It’s nothing,” answered Wen Kexing, pulling her hand away from her mouth, “you’re just so tiny.”
“Hey! Don’t think I can’t kick you out now. Do you want this wine or not?”
Wen Kexing nodded enthusiastically, peering intently at the bottle Zhou Zishu had selected. “Yes, yes. Top shelf, it must be pricey.”
“Well, we’re celebrating, aren’t we?”
That earnt her another of Wen Kexing’s dazzling smiles. She set about opening up the bottle with a practiced efficiency, but there was an unfamiliar warmth inside her that sprung up with just one look from the other woman. Zhou Zishu almost wanted to push it back down, but resisted the urge. If she was trapped into staying in the Four Seasons this long after close, she was determined to enjoy it.
She poured two glasses, then handed one to Wen Kexing. “What do you think?”
Wen Kexing took it with a smile, making a show of swirling the wine and sniffing it, before taking a big mouthful of the stuff. Meanwhile, Zhou Zishu leant back against the work surface behind the bar, thoroughly enjoying the show. It was quite clear to her that Wen Kexing was no wine connoisseur, but she wasn’t about to point that out. She watched Wen Kexing intently as she tried to formulate some kind of comment on the flavour.
“Well… I can tell you that it is definitely wine.”
Zhou Zishu laughed. “Good wine?”
“I think so?” she offered coyly. “I think it’s very tasty.”
“Then it is good enough.”
Wen Kexing lit up at that, the way she did any time Zhou Zishu offered up even the slightest of smiles or a huff of a laugh. She rolled her eyes, but the look on her face was soft.
“Are you this easy for everyone?” she asked gently.
All she got in response was a quirk of Wen Kexing’s eyebrow as she drained her glass.
It was, in truth, very good wine, and the bottle slipped away all too fast. Wen Kexing was doing everything in her power to keep up with Zhou Zishu’s ungodly tolerance for alcohol, but as she finished off her last glass, it was clear she was a little tipsy. Her face was a little flushed, and the dark wine had left a stain on her soft lips. She looked at her empty glass, then up at Zhou Zishu.
“So, what now?”
“Now? Now we go home, Lao Wen.” Zhou Zishu glanced up at the clock. It was already late enough that Ye Baiyi would tell her off for it in the morning. It was his fault, really – he was the one who left the two of them there alone, and Zhou Zishu was beginning to suspect there was actually no late-night appointment that he had to run off to.
Wen Kexing pouted at that. “But it’s so cold, A-Shu…”
“And what do you suggest? We stay here until the sun comes up? Ye Baiyi would skin us both alive.”
She tapped her fingers across the wooden top of the bar, then smiled. “Well, it would be nice to have something to keep me warm, I suppose.”
Of course, Zhou Zishu grasped the insinuation, but she wasn’t quite done playing this game yet. She winked at Wen Kexing, then retreated behind the bar to the coffee machine. In the morning, Chengling would be at her throat for using the machine after he spent so much time painstakingly cleaning the damn thing this evening, but that was definitely a problem for tomorrow. Right now, Zhou Zishu wanted to wind up this oh-so-obviously infatuated woman just a little bit more. She poured a generous dose of Baileys into the bottom of the mug, frothed the milk, then carefully poured it in to form the shape of a heart at the top. It was by far the easiest shape to make, but she was pretty sure Wen Kexing wouldn’t know, or at least wouldn’t care.
She presented the drink to Wen Kexing, who was still sat at the bar, looking a little forlorn and confused at Zhou Zishu’s sudden departure. Her face lit up as she was presented with the drink.
“What is it?”
Zhou Zishu grinned at her. “Bailey’s hot chocolate. Nothing fancy. It’s warm, it’s sweet, it’s more alcoholic than it has any right to be. You’ll love it.”
The simple notion that she’d thought about what Wen Kexing would love seemed to please her more than the drink itself, but she accepted it eagerly. She took one sip, then smiled up at Zhou Zishu. “It’s so warm, I feel so cosy.”
There was something she was holding back, Zhou Zishu would have known that even if Wen Kexing was capable of playing it cool around her. “Is something wrong?” She asked, perfectly innocently.
“No! It’s nothing, I promise.” She looked down, clearly struggling to make eye contact with Zhou Zishu in that moment. “I just… you know… when I said I wanted something to keep me warm, I meant…”
“I know.”
“No, Zhou Zishu, listen to me, I…” Then she stopped, and her eyes went wide. That pretty mouth of hers gaped open as she froze. “A-Shu…”
Zhou Zishu couldn’t stop herself from letting out an exasperated sigh. “Doesn’t it bother you at all that the Older Monster was right?”
Wen Kexing smiled slyly. “Not as much as it would if he was wrong.”
Then Zhou Zishu leant in over the bar to where Wen Kexing sat waiting for her. Gently, she pressed her lips to hers. They were sticky and sweet from the Baileys. Wen Kexing’s arms snaked around her neck and pulled her in close. The angle stretched her back out uncomfortably and the edge of the bar was digging into the muscle of her stomach, but Wen Kexing was so needy for her, and she was loathe to refuse her. Instead, Zhou Zishu let her hand wander up to Wen Kexing’s warm cheek, cradling her face and deepening the kiss at the same time. Her tipsiness left the other girl’s technique a little sloppy, but Zhou Zishu loved every moment of it, letting her clumsily push her lips apart and kiss her deeply.
It was minutes before Wen Kexing pulled back. She was even more flushed than before, and her eyes shone with affection. Zhou Zishu was obviously familiar with the age-old wisdom that the eyes were the window to the soul, she despised it as much as any other overly-sentimental cliché, but looking at Wen Kexing almost made her believe it. Nevermind – she could indulge in such sentimentality, if only for tonight. If only for Wen Kexing.
“That was nice,” breathed Wen Kexing.
“Mn. And if you’re good, I might even let you do it again.”
“A-Shu,” Wen Kexing, spluttered, eyes narrowing. “If you kissed me like that just once and never again, I would do unspeakable things. Do you know how many knives I handle on a daily basis? Do you?”
Zhou Zishu pressed a finger to her soft lips. “Shh, shh, don’t be like that. But next time, let’s do it somewhere there aren’t so many security cameras, yeah?”
“No promises,” said Wen Kexing with a laugh, and she leant in to kiss Zhou Zishu again.