Ling Qingzhou and Yi Hansheng exchanged a glance: Heh, interesting!
“I want some soup too,” Ling Qingzhou said, pushing his bowl forward.
Just as Jiang Fuyue was about to sit back down, she picked up the ladle and served him a bowl as well.
Xie Dingyuan paused mid-sip, his expression darkening.
Even the soup in his mouth lost its flavor.
Yi Hansheng, of course, wouldn’t be left behind. The moment Ling Qingzhou took his bowl back, Yi Hansheng pushed his forward.
In short, Jiang Fuyue was quite busy. After ladling out three bowls of soup in a row, she finally got to sit down.
Ling Qingzhou said, “How come I didn’t know you had a connection with President Xie before?”
He didn’t direct the question to Xie Dingyuan, but to Jiang Fuyue.
The glance he cast at her was soft, and his tone gentle—so much so that to Xie Dingyuan, it looked exactly like a man being tender toward a woman.
Clang—
The spoon slipped from Xie Dingyuan’s hand and clattered against the bowl with a sharp ring.
Xie Dingyuan said, “The world is full of unknowns. Even scientists can’t know everything, let alone ordinary people.”
The implication: There’s a lot you don’t know yet.
Ling Qingzhou smiled. “President Xie is devoted to academics and rarely socializes, clearly lacking experience. It’s fine to chat, but turning a chat into a science lecture might be a bit much. After all, not everyone can understand—please try to accommodate us ordinary folks.”
Xie Dingyuan nodded slightly. “Of course. As elders, the two of you deserve my patience. I’ll try to explain in simpler terms.”
“But Jiang Fuyue doesn’t need that. She understands everything I say.”
Because the two of us are the same kind. As for you two…
Just a couple of older guys who aren’t on the same intellectual level.
Ling Qingzhou: I feel attacked.
“Ahem—” Yi Hansheng cleared his throat. “I’m curious too—how did you two meet?”
Jiang Fuyue replied, “It’s a long story. We’ve been working on a research project together lately.”
“Oh, so you’re colleagues.” Yi Hansheng nodded in understanding.
Jiang Fuyue didn’t correct him.
Xie Dingyuan’s expression turned even darker. He countered, “Aren’t the two of you colleagues too?”
“…”
Well… technically, they were.
Neither man could come up with a good comeback.
Xie Dingyuan immediately brightened and smiled at the two: We’re all in the same boat. Let’s not pretend otherwise.
Yi Hansheng’s short temper flared: “Of course not! Besides being colleagues, we’re also very good friends, right, Yueyue~?”
That “Yueyue” was drawn-out and sickeningly sweet.
Jiang Fuyue instantly got goosebumps and shot him a warning look: Act normal!
Yi Hansheng looked aggrieved: I can’t. Someone’s trying to steal you!
Before Xie Dingyuan could strike back, Cao Dou burst in, panting heavily.
“You—quick, come take a look, there’s an old man who insists on going into the kitchen—we can’t hold him back.”
He was sweating and breathless.
Jiang Fuyue immediately got up and walked out.
Cao Dou followed beside her to lead the way.
“What the h*ll?”
“The new server couldn’t find the breadcrumbs, so your sister-in-law went to the storeroom to get them herself.”
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come looking for Jiang Fuyue.
Though she was younger than him and didn’t look like someone who could handle such chaos, something about her made people instinctively rely on her.
Maybe it was the sense that someone who could manage both Presidents Ling and Yi—and even Professor Xie—wouldn’t be stumped by one disruptive old man…
“Just let me take one look! Please! Just a peek!” Nie Guotao was holding up one finger, earnestly pleading with the flustered young server in front of him.
The server was exasperated. “Sir, I’m really sorry. It’s against the rules!”
“I’m not here to steal any secrets or recipes. I just want to see with my own eyes how the ‘Phoenix in Flight’ dish is made!”
Server: “…” You’ve seen how it’s made. Isn’t that basically stealing the recipe?
“No, no… I’m not watching the process—I just want to see what ingredients are going into it… Ugh, I can’t explain it. Just let me in, and you’ll understand!”
Nie Chen had only stepped out to buy a lighter, and when he returned, his grandfather was gone.
A quick listen later—great—he was arguing with a server.
He rushed over. “Grandpa—!”
“Perfect timing! Go explain to them—I just want to take a quick look in the kitchen. That soup smells amazing! It must be the ‘Phoenix in Flight’ dish cooking right now. If I wait any longer, it’ll be done!”
Nie Chen’s scalp tingled. “You know that’s not allowed! No one can just stroll into the kitchen!”
“I just want to see what else is in it! I drank the whole bowl and still couldn’t figure it out. It’s driving me crazy! I have to know, or else I’ll—”
Nie Chen: “…?”
“I’ll just sit here and refuse to leave!”
Nie Chen almost laughed in disbelief. “What, are you going to throw yourself on the floor and roll around if they don’t let you in?”
“…Not out of the question.”
Nie Chen: “…”
Server: “!”
“Alright, Grandpa, let’s not make things harder for them. If you cause a scene, people will gather, and then you’ll be embarrassed, won’t you?”
Nie Guotao pursed his lips. Okay, that was true…
But still…
“I haven’t figured it out! I have to go in!”
As he spoke, he actually lunged toward the kitchen.
The server was completely dumbfounded.
Nie Chen’s face fell as he tried to stop him—but he was too late.
Suddenly, a slender hand grabbed the old man’s arm and yanked him back.
