Chapter 28: Visiting as a Guest, Stunning!

Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Visiting as a Guest, Stunning!

Chen Qiyun had been living quite the good life these past few days. She was full after every meal, and there were even desserts, snacks, and fruits afterward. Goodness, she had never enjoyed such great conditions before.

At home, it was always the same old dishes century after century. You either ate it or you didn’t, and if you didn’t, you were a picky eater and disobedient! Please! She was already in the eighth grade, yet she wasn’t even allowed to judge whether the food was good or not. It was absolutely ridiculous!

"It would be even better if I could live at Uncle’s house!" she thought. "Every morning when I wake up, Chen Jingle would have breakfast ready for me, and when I come home from school, a hot lunch and dinner would be waiting."

Just thinking about it made her feel incredibly pleased. Unfortunately, that was impossible in reality.

Fortunately, the current situation wasn’t entirely unacceptable. At worst, the first bowl of food at home was a bit tough to swallow. But in order to enjoy the next two delicious bowls, she would usually finish it as quickly as possible and then head over to Chen Jingle’s place to continue eating. After several consecutive days of this, her overall mental state had vastly improved, and she seemed to have even gained a couple of pounds. Even her deskmate noticed.

In the past, Chen Qiyun always looked like a malnourished Little Douding. Even the teachers would ask if her family was struggling financially. Over the last few days, her vitality had visibly increased. Although she was still a Little Douding, she no longer gave off the impression of being malnourished. Therefore, during evening self-study, her deskmate asked her, "Hey, Chen Qiyun, has something happy happened to you lately?"

"What?" Chen Qiyun looked up in confusion.

"I saw that you’ve been smiling this whole time," her deskmate pointed out. "Is there something making you happy?"

The aloof and cool Chen Qiyun immediately deadpanned, "You saw wrong."

"Alright, maybe I was mistaken." Her deskmate smiled with pressed lips, feeling a bit of secret regret. It seemed she still wasn’t considered Chen Qiyun’s good friend. She would have to keep trying.

In truth, Chen Qiyun was a pretty good person. Although she wasn’t very talkative, she would always help out if someone needed a favor, as long as it wasn’t an unreasonable request.

"She’s actually a softie on the inside!" her deskmate thought. This adorable contrast was just too cute. Moreover, despite having average grades, she was incredibly skilled at gaming, earning the admiration of many boys. Anyone who could make the mischievous troublemakers in the class completely submit to her was naturally considered impressive. Without even realizing it, this little deskmate had already become Chen Qiyun’s fangirl.

Actually, Chen Qiyun was just reminiscing about the sweet soup she had eaten that afternoon. She never expected that an ordinary mung bean and kelp soup could be made so deliciously. After being chilled in the fridge, the refreshing qualities of the mung beans and kelp were brought out to their absolute peak. It was much tastier than ice cream! Having tasted it once, it was truly unforgettable. In comparison, the mung bean sweet soup cooked by her grandma and mom could only be considered mung beans mixed with sugar water.

Chen Qiyun was deeply curious. "Where did Chen Jingle learn all his skills? I haven’t heard about him signing up for any culinary classes or schools. Could he really reach this level just by teaching himself? Is his talent that good? It’s not like he has a mystical mentor in a ring, right?"

Unable to figure it out, she decided to drop it. As long as she got to eat, who cared about the details! As long as Chen Jingle was willing to share delicious food with her, Chen Kaka would be the only sun in her heart! Complete loyalty! Of course, if there ever came a day when she couldn’t get his food anymore, that loyalty would be severely discounted. After all, loyalty came with a price! You know?

"Wearing this shouldn’t be considered impolite, right?" Chen Jingle wondered as he stood before the mirror, examining himself from left and right.

Today he was going to Liang City’s house for a meal, and he had heard that Liang City’s parents would be home as well. If it were just Liang City and Teacher Zhong, he would have dressed more casually. However, with elders present, he couldn’t leave a bad impression. In the end, he settled on an outfit primarily consisting of grayish-black tones—relatively simple and unadorned, but of good quality.

He then grabbed his gifts and headed out. He still chose to ride his little electric scooter, as it wasn’t far anyway. Before leaving, he sent Liang City a message, letting him know he would arrive in about ten minutes. Although Liang City had told him to just get there before noon, he couldn’t possibly show up right before the meal started; that would be far too impolite. Thus, he had chosen to set out at ten o’clock. To accommodate this, he had specifically coordinated with the system to adjust his daily schedule, moving the morning’s practical class to the afternoon’s original free activity period.

He also had to inform Chen Qiyun that he wouldn’t be cooking at noon, so she didn’t need to come over.

When Chen Qiyun saw the message, she completely lost it. Pain! It was too painful! Who could possibly understand this feeling?

Her little deskmate watched as her expression constantly shifted, alternating between wide-eyed glaring and gnashing teeth. The deskmate opened her mouth but ultimately didn’t dare to ask. This aura felt far too terrifying.

"It’s just a casual meal. Why did you bring stuff?" Liang City immediately complained when he came downstairs and saw that Chen Jingle had brought gifts.

"Hey, there’s no such thing as mooching a meal empty-handed," Chen Jingle said, waving him off as he parked his electric scooter under Liang City’s direction. "Don’t worry, I just brought some random things. It’s not like I’m asking Director Liang for a favor, so what are you afraid of?"

Liang City rolled his eyes. "Get lost! If you call me Director Liang again, I’ll beat you to death!"

"If you want to hear me call you Director Liang, you’re going to have to work harder."

Liang City responded by flipping him the middle finger.

Liang City’s home was on the third floor. The apartments in this area all featured a post-millennium architectural layout: walk-up stairs with two units per floor, the other unit being right across the hall. Chen Jingle had visited once before, so he still remembered it.

Heading upstairs, Liang City knocked on the door. It opened quickly, revealing Zhong Jing holding Little Mingyue.

"Hello, Teacher Zhong." Chen Jingle raised a hand and greeted her with a smile.

Upon seeing Chen Jingle, Zhong Jing was visibly stunned for a moment. Why did he feel so different from her impression of him? Was he always this handsome? Recovering her senses, she hurriedly said, "Welcome, welcome! Please come in first."

"Do I need to take off my shoes?"

"No, no, just make yourself at home."

When Little Mingyue saw Chen Jingle, she reached out her arms excitedly, wanting to lunge at him, but her mother held her back. He was a guest today, so how could she let a guest help hold the baby? Besides, they hadn’t even fully stepped inside the house yet.

Liang City’s parents were sitting in the living room.

"Hello, Mr. Liang, Nanny Liang," Chen Jingle greeted politely.

"You must be Chen Jingle. Come in and have a seat. Oh my, you’re quite a handsome young man." When Nanny Liang saw Chen Jingle, her eyes instantly lit up. "Why did you bring gifts? You’re too polite; there’s no need for that."

Mr. Liang, on the other hand, looked like a teacher at first glance. He was a bit thinner than Liang City, carried a strong scholarly aura, and wore a friendly smile on his face.

Chen Jingle handed the bags he was carrying to Liang City. "Just a little something."

Liang City opened the bags and asked, "What is this?"

"Two bottles of Erathu Cabernet Sauvignon from South America. They aren’t very famous domestically, but the quality is decent. The doctor said drinking a little occasionally is good for the cardiovascular system. And then there are some pastries I made myself—candied date pastries."

Liang City had actually seen the name Erathu on the internet before. However, upon hearing this, Zhong Jing, who was standing to the side, exclaimed in surprise.

"Candied date pastries? Ah? Are they the ones from the state banquet?"

Chen Jingle nodded. "I learned it from watching a state banquet chef’s video."

"You were really able to replicate it?"

"About seventy or eighty percent. It’s definitely not as good as a top-tier head chef’s work."

"If it’s even seventy or eighty percent, that’s already incredibly impressive!" Zhong Jing said, her eyes widening.

The others looked utterly confused. "What state banquet head chef?"

"Mom," Zhong Jing explained, "this is a pastry made by state banquet-level masters specifically for our leaders and the wives of foreign heads of state. I’ve seen it on short video platforms. The craftsmanship is super complex, and it’s also known as the thousand-layer candied date pastry."

Seeing the portion size Liang City pulled out, she was even more shocked. "You actually made this much?!"

Chen Jingle chuckled. "Since I was making it anyway, I figured I might as well make a bit extra."

"This isn’t just something you ’might as well’ make; it takes way too much effort!" Zhong Jing marveled. "I feel like I can’t even bear to eat them."

"Don’t be like that; these pastries are made to be eaten," Chen Jingle said, hurriedly waving his hands.

"Help me hold the baby; I need to take a picture first!" Zhong Jing handed the child to Liang City, pulled out her phone, and beamed with joy. "I absolutely have to take a picture to show off such state banquet-level delicacies!"