After seeing all the guests off, Amy sat at the restaurant entrance, holding the Ugly Duckling in her arms. She looked at the purple crystal in front of her eyes. Hearing footsteps, she turned around, looked up at Mai Ge, her little pointy ears twitched mischievously, and she gave a sweet smile: "Daddy, the children all had a lot of fun. Thank you."
"It's because Amy, our little host, is so hospitable that the children are so happy." Mai Ge smiled and patted Amy's hair. Although he was a little tired from hosting a party on his day off, but seeing the smile on Amy's face made all his fatigue disappear.
Amy's smile grew even brighter as she happily shared the gifts she had received that day with Mai Ge. These gifts ranged from an expensive gold bracelet to simple flowers picked from the roadside, but Amy seemed to like them all without making any distinction based on their value.
Mai Ge was quite pleased with this. The value of a gift doesn't equate to the sentiment behind it, and Amy already understood this, knowing the significance of the purple crystal to Jessica.
After sitting with Amy for a while at the restaurant entrance, the little one, tired from playing, fell asleep in his arms. Looking down at Amy, whose eyes were closed and whose long eyelashes trembled slightly, Mai Ge smiled gently.
"The boss is such a good father. I wish I had a father like him. I've never met him, I don't even know his name, let alone been held by him..." Yabemia stared blankly at Mai Ge, who was sitting by the door holding Amy, thinking to herself, her eyes filled with envy.
Mai Ge carefully carried Amy upstairs and put her on the bed to sleep. When he came downstairs, he saw Yabemia looking down, tapping her fingers, seemingly lost in thought. Just as he was about to speak, Yabemia suddenly looked up at Mai Ge as if she had mustered up her courage, and said, "Boss, can you be my father?"
"Huh?" Mai Ge's eyes widened, staring at Yabemia in shock.
Although Yabemia was only seventeen, but he was barely thirty! Being called "uncle" made him feel old, and now she was going to call him "dad"?
"Is this what they mean by 'I treat you as a friend, but you treat me like a father???'" Mai Ge was in a daze, trying to figure out how to politely refuse Yabemia's strange request.
"Bo...Boss…it's not what you think. I meant…could you hug me like a father would, like when you hugged Amy?" Yabemia quickly realized she might have misspoke, her face flushing slightly. She hurriedly waved her hands, slowly lowering her head, not daring to look Mai Ge in the eye, and whispered, "I've never been hugged by my father before. That feeling must be so warm, right?"
Sally, who was about to leave the kitchen, stopped and looked at Yabemia's back, her gaze filled with a pang of heartache.
Ever since she met the giant frost dragon girl that night, Yabemia's mood has been a little different. Although she tries her best not to show it, but she has been spacing out more often than usual these past two days.
"It seems Mia still longs for recognition, whether from humans or dragons. But her half-dragon identity… makes it impossible for her to be accepted among dragons." Sally sighed inwardly and looked up at Mai Ge.
Mai Ge looked at Yabemia, who was bowing her head and trembling slightly. His gaze softened, and after a moment's hesitation, he reached out and gently placed his hand on Yabemia's head. He smiled and said, "Mia, believe me, one day your father will come back to find you. When that time comes, he will give you a warm hug, a hug that truly belongs to your father."
Feeling the warmth above her head, Yabemia slowly raised her head to meet Mai Ge's gentle gaze. Her gaze gradually hardened, and she nodded firmly, saying, "Yes, thank you, boss. I also believe he will definitely come back."
"The boss is indeed a good person. What kind of elf gave birth to his child? Why doesn't she live with them?" Sally looked at Mai Ge, who had one hand on Yabemia's head. His gentle expression touched her and made her wonder.
"Oh, by the way, I just wanted to let you know that we have guests who want to book the entire restaurant tonight. I've agreed. If you don't have anything else to do tonight, could you perhaps work overtime? I'll settle the overtime pay separately." Having calmed Yabemia down, Mai Ge smiled at the two of them.
"Book the whole restaurant? Boss, didn't you say you didn't offer private bookings?" Yabemia looked at Mai Ge with some confusion. She vividly remembered how Mai Ge had refused Shawnard a few days ago.
Sally looked at Mai Ge with equal curiosity, wondering who could get him to stay open on his day off and offer private events.
"The City Lord has booked the entire restaurant. Tonight, he's hosting a mediation meeting between giant dragons from Dragon Island and demons from the Demon Islands, presided over by the City Lord's Mansion. The meeting will be held at our restaurant, and our opening hours are the same as usual. Normally, we don't offer private bookings because it would disrupt other customers' dining experience, and frankly, not many people can afford that price. However, this time the City Lord's Mansion is a bit special. I'd like to rent some space outside the restaurant as outdoor seating. If the City Lord's Mansion agrees, it might be easier." Mai Ge explained to the two of them, not hiding the reason from them.
"It's actually the City Lord? And the guests are powerful figures from the dragon and demon races?" Yabemia's eyes widened in disbelief.
"There must be another conflict between the dragons and demons over territorial borders. I just didn't expect the City Lord of Chaos City to hold the mediation meeting at the Restaurant Mai Mi. This has never happened before." Sally also looked incredulous. There have always been territorial disputes between elves and humans. Chaos City has mediated between them many times, so she knows about these things. Her father had represented the elves at mediation meetings, and those representatives had at least the strength of level nine or above.
"Yes, I'm really sorry to make you work on your days off, so overtime pay will be three times the usual rate. You can also choose your own dinner and late-night snack tonight." Mai Ge nodded, with a hint of apology. It was indeed quite annoying that they had to work on their days off.
"How could that be? I don't have anything else to do today anyway. If there's work at the restaurant, of course it's no problem, and I don't need triple pay." Yabemia quickly shook her head.
"I need to go back, but I'll be at the restaurant before five o'clock, and I don't need triple pay." Sally said with a smile.