Chapter 252: Getting Something on Him

Chapter 252: Chapter 252: Getting Something on Him

In the end, it was Nan Yi who reached out to Lu Shixu first.

Nan Zhi paused, slightly stunned.

Lu Shixu was also surprised.

But he reacted quickly, taking Nan Yi’s arm to give her a boost.

With a push from her little hand, Nan Yi quickly scrambled into the tall SUV.

Lu Shixu extended his hand again and said in a low voice,

"Let me help you."

"I can manage on my own."

Nan Zhi politely declined, using the running board to get into the vehicle.

Lu Shixu then closed the door for her.

In that instant, he faintly overheard Nan Zhi ask Nan Yi,

"Why were you willing to let him help you?"

Nan Yi’s reply was quiet, but full of self-assured logic:

"I figured it’s better to tire him out than to tire you out, Mom."

An almost imperceptible smile touched the corners of Lu Shixu’s lips.

On the entire drive back to the village, Fu Chao kept trying to start new conversations, determined not to give Lu Shixu and Nan Zhi a chance to talk.

However, Lu Shixu had never been a man of many words, except when he was with Nan Zhi.

He didn’t engage with any of the topics Fu Chao brought up.

As for Nan Zhi, she looked a little tired.

After the three Cubs next to her fell asleep one by one, she also leaned against the window and slowly closed her eyes.

Fu Chao finally had no choice but to fall silent.

Lu Shixu casually glanced up and saw Nan Zhi in the rearview mirror.

She seemed to just be resting quietly with her eyes closed, reclining in her seat.

Yet her presence seemed to fill the entire car with the boundless essence of spring...

The mountain breeze was perfect.

「Before long.」

The car arrived at the entrance to the village.

By now, the sky had completely darkened.

As soon as Nan Zhi got out of the car, she saw Qi Pei’er perched on a large rock at the village entrance, chin in her hand as she stared into the distance. She looked utterly pitiful.

"What are you doing here?"

The words had barely left Nan Zhi’s mouth.

Qi Pei’er leaped down from the rock and ran over to Nan Zhi.

"You guys are so mean! You went to town and didn’t even invite me!"

"It was Fu Chao’s idea."

Nan Zhi explained with an innocent look, casually passing the blame.

Fu Chao, who was in the middle of a stretch and a yawn, was completely baffled.

Qi Pei’er grumbled in dissatisfaction, then pointed at her own little darling, Qi Zhang.

"You, you little rascal! How could you just abandon your auntie like that!"

Qi Zhang just giggled and acted cute.

Qi Pei’er didn’t forget to greet Nan Yi and Qing Xi.

Finally, her eyes landed on Lu Shixu, who was also getting out of the car, and she shot Nan Zhi a deeply meaningful look.

The gossipy expression written all over her face was the classic look of a friend ready for some juicy details.

Nan Zhi gave her a helpless look, then turned back to Lu Shixu.

"You should head back first."

Lu Shixu acknowledged her.

Like a loyal knight whose escort mission was complete, he departed in silence.

Nan Zhi seemed momentarily lost in thought.

Qi Pei’er nudged Nan Zhi’s arm, cleared her throat, and was just about to start teasing her...

When a flicker of movement in the corner of her eye made her realize Nan Yi was standing right in front of her, staring at her curiously with wide eyes.

Qi Pei’er flinched and quickly changed the subject.

"It’s a good thing you’re back. I have something to tell you."

"Mm."

Nan Zhi’s response was absent-minded.

She had, of course, noticed Qi Pei’er’s behavior and assumed she was just saying it to avoid talking in front of Nan Yi.

But to her surprise, Qi Pei’er gave Nan Yi a quick greeting and immediately pulled Nan Zhi aside.

Nan Zhi was confused. ’It’s just gossip, is all this fuss really necessary?’

In truth, Qi Pei’er really did have something important to say.

She deliberately lowered her voice.

"Listen, earlier this afternoon, I heard that Lai Liang guy cursing someone out!"

As she spoke, Qi Pei’er purposefully glanced left and right, terrified that someone else would overhear her secret.

Nan Zhi said, "He looks like he has a bad temper. It’s not surprising he’d curse at people."

Qi Pei’er waved her hands dismissively.

"No, no, no, what I mean is, he seemed unhappy with the production team, and he was really pissed off at that ’young miss’ too! I bet sooner or later he’s going to say something that’ll get him in trouble. It would be great if I could secretly record it and post it online... but unfortunately, he was too alert today. I had just pulled out my phone when he almost caught me!"

Nan Zhi sounded a little worried.

"Be careful. That Lai Liang doesn’t seem like someone you want to mess with."

Qi Pei’er swore that she was determined to see this through, no matter what.

Nan Zhi didn’t pay it too much mind, only reminding her to be careful.

-

Although Nan Zhi and the others were resting, on the internet, the storm was just beginning to brew.

A clip of Master Xu Jin’s segment was screenshotted and shared online, sparking a deeper discussion among viewers.

Topics like these even began appearing directly on major social media platforms:

#TheTraditionalPastriesOfYourMemories#

#HowToAvoidBeingLeftBehindByTheTimes#

#WhyAreWesternPastriesSoExpensive#

#SaveOurChineseDesserts#

...and many more like them.

These hashtags, which seemed completely unrelated to the show "Cubs," were actually all filled with discussions about Master Xu Jin, the man Nan Zhi and her group had met.

Many people felt that Master Xu Jin was a reflection of many people in the modern era.

The current situation, where the public was abandoning traditional pastries in favor of all kinds of Western ones, was also a worthy wake-up call.

These issues were all closely related to everyone’s lives, and similar examples could be found all around.

Therefore, the discussions were inevitably a bit more serious and earnest.

Quite a few major influencers also joined the discussion.

While the overall traffic wasn’t that high, the quality of the discussion itself was excellent.

In comparison, the other trending topic from the show "Cubs" had a much more... peculiar style—

#TheArtisticBeautyOfJapaneseCuisine#

#ThePrestigeOfAMichelinThreeStarChef#

#TheCubsCookingClassSchooledMeAgain!#

#MostHandsomeChefLaiLiang#

...riding the momentum from the show, the discussions were absolutely feverish.

Clicking on them, you’d see a ton of posts hyping up Lai Liang and Japanese cuisine, and the praise was so effusive it seemed genuinely heartfelt.

The way they described it, even the "Cubs" cooking class sounded high-end and sophisticated.

And then there was Lai Liang.

He wasn’t tall, and his looks could at best be described as refined.

But with the enhancement of his white chef’s uniform and his eloquent knowledge of Japanese cuisine, in many people’s eyes, he seemed to be shrouded in a brilliant glow. Countless people on every platform were praising how handsome he was, calling him ’oppa’ with every breath.

Anyone who didn’t know better would think Lai Liang had just debuted as an idol on the spot!

On second thought, Lai Liang’s current situation wasn’t that different.

Moreover, his popularity was far higher than Master Xu Jin’s.

The name Lai Liang successively dominated the trending lists on major platforms, with several topics hitting the number one spot!

The cooking class he taught during his livestream was also showered with praise, from his professionalism to his skills, while people also didn’t forget to express how moved they were for the children who got to eat such expensive sashimi.

The internet was highly efficient; in a short time, Lai Liang’s restaurant in Hai City was also tracked down.

Following that, people began posting photos they had taken with Chef Lai Liang when they had eaten at his restaurant, enthusiastically praising his culinary skills as masterful, even calling him the God of Cooking in Hua Country!

In addition, people claiming to know Lai Liang shared stories of his difficult life as a student abroad, saying that he had endured untold hardships to become an apprentice, with both hands covered in calluses. This, they declared, was the true spirit of a modern artisan!

In an instant, it was as if Lai Liang had been placed upon a pedestal by the masses!