Transmigrated: Stealing the CEO husband-Chapter 42: Date

Before Ariana could complain, the stall’s uncle arrived with two steaming bowls.

The uncle owing to his age and experience realized what had transpired. It was literally written on Ariana face. He laughed. "Little Ariana, you have good a good man. He is handsome and healthy. Work hard to keep him with you. I’ll pray for you two."

"That’s not it!" Ariana bristled out of shame.

The uncles was impressed by Luiss without even knowing his status. Once he realized who he was, he would literally be jumping out of disbelief.

The stall uncle laughed at her response. "Sure, I remember you never brought a boy here in your school days. I used to be concerned despite being so pretty how came no one caught your eye?"

"She never brought anyone?" Opposite to Ariana, President Luiss seemed to be pleased upon hearing this.

"Never anyone." Replied the stall uncle. "Young man, you gotta work hard too to keep her to yourself. Girls like Ariana are rare. She is pretty and she got a pure heart."

"En," President Luiss acquiesced as if that’s what he had been planning to do all along.

Ariana had to swallow her grievances and accept the bowls to drop the topic for now.

Meanwhile, President Luiss seemed quite pleased with the perfect timing of uncle arrival and learning about Ariana past. He felt special to be brought here at her favourite spot. A smirk upon his lips as his eyes taunted as if asking for her to retaliate.

She would get back at him later on.

Ariana wasn’t someone who would lose sight of the main objective. That was to make President Luiss have a good time in her company. Days passed and she was unsure how she was gonna reach the stage of sleeping with him. The penalty was elimination so she had no choice in it.

Once the uncle left them in privacy, Ariana explained. "I’ve ordered two types of ramen. I think Shoyu ramen is more suited to President Luiss’s taste, so that’s for you. The Shio one is mine," she quickly explained.

Watching her eagerness when it came to food, Luiss was amused. "Who knew Ms. Grey had a foodie side to herself?"

Ariana didn’t let him get to her and enthusiastically said. "President Luiss would be more than just amused after you try the ramen."

Her enthusiasm was contagious, and Luiss found himself indulging himself. He picked up the spoon first, taking a sip of the broth. "Hmm, not bad."

Then, he grabbed the chopsticks and attempted to lift the noodles. But every time he brought them to his mouth, they slipped from his grasp, tumbling back into the bowl.

Ariana suppressed a laugh. The great President Luiss, a literal god in the business world, didn’t know how to use chopsticks.

It was her turn to laugh.

"Here, let me show you," Ariana offered. With a skilful flick of her wrist, she picked up the chopsticks and effortlessly lifted a bundle of noodles, slurping them in, letting the soup cling to them and flow into her mouth with each bite.

In between slurps, she picked up toppings, balancing the flavours like a seasoned pro.

Luiss stared at her, wide-eyed.

"What is it, President Luiss," She mocked. "It’s not that hard."

"That’s not it," Luiss replied.

He was a man of etiquette—someone who took small, precise bites, cutting food into neat portions with a fork and knife. But here, it seemed the only way to eat properly was to throw all that formality out the window.

Ariana, meanwhile, seemed to truly enjoy herself.

He looked at her thinking I can’t lose out to her.

With deliberate ease, he rolled up his sleeves, picked up the chopsticks again, and this time, he dove in. He struggled at first, but it didn’t take long for him to imitate Ariana’s technique with perfection.

The male lead is the male lead indeed, Ariana thought to herself.

As they ate in the quiet comfort of the night, the usual formality between them faded. The rigid boundary between employer and employee seemed to dissolve into something far more relaxed—a quiet sense of camaraderie.

Ariana finished first, wiping her lips with a tissue before turning to him. She waited eagerly for his reaction.

When Luiss was done, she fired up rapid questions without pause.

"So? How was it?"

"Did President Luiss like it?"

"Wasn’t it better than the great fox cuisine?"

There was a flicker of nervousness in her voice as if she were afraid he wouldn’t like it.

"Not bad," Luiss replied.

Ariana beamed like a child receiving unexpected praise.

For a moment, Luiss was caught off guard, completely blinded by her smile.

"Alright, let’s go grab something sweet then," she said, paying the stall uncle before leading Luiss through the alleyways. They walked from the quiet, dimly lit corner into the bright, bustling streets filled with food stalls.

Ariana’s eyes were searching for something.

"What is it?" Luiss asked.

"I’m looking for a stall... Where is it...? Ah, there!"

Without warning, she grabbed onto his sleeve and dragged him toward the side of the street.

"Honey Crisp Pancake Rolls."

"We’ll take two," Ariana ordered before turning to Luiss with childlike excitement. She began explaining how she used to stand in long lines just for these rolls back when she was in school. The stall was always crowded, especially after classes were let out.

When the vendor finally handed over two freshly made rolls, Ariana passed one to Luiss.

She took a bite first. The crisp outer layer cracked under her teeth, giving way to the warm, gooey centre infused with the aroma of honey, toasted nuts, and caramelized sugar.

She hummed in satisfaction, taking impatient bites while Luiss watched.

Curious, he took a bite of his own.

The rich taste burst across his tongue. The crisp crunch, the warm honeyed sweetness, the subtle nuttiness—it was unlike anything he’d had before.

"This is really good."

As someone who had never eaten street food before, Luiss was half-surprised, half-amused. It was a new experience for him.

Maybe... there was something about this experience—about her—that was unexpectedly refreshing.