Chapter 29: Chapter 27 Zhou Wang’s Gift (Two-in-One)
“Brother Dog, have you heard of ‘Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix’?”
Zhou Wang looked at the message from Li Cheng on his phone, along with the “mysterious smile” emoji, and felt a bit startled.
He glanced at Chef Luo, who was busy, and was tempted to ask, How do you know I’m about to eat that?
But before Zhou Wang could reply, another message from Li Cheng arrived.
“Sorry, I take back all the bragging, seems like ‘Hundred Birds’ isn’t happening… The vibe in the room is weird too!”
Zhou Wang asked, puzzled.
“Brother Dog, you might not know…”
Li Cheng roughly explained the backstory, and Zhou Wang was momentarily stunned. He instinctively looked up at Luo Wenle, who was carefully cooking his next dish.
So it had something to do with me?
Zhou Wang figured there must have been some sort of mix-up involved.
So, Zhou Wang snapped a photo of Chef Luo cooking and sent it to Li Cheng, who had been boasting about him.
“So, are you talking about this ‘Hundred Birds’ and this Chef Luo?”
Zhou Wang didn’t want to show off to others but didn’t mind a little boast in front of his close roommate. However, after replying to Li Cheng’s message, the real issue still needed solving.
Even though the two of them were strangers now, Zhou Wang still remembered how she had once encouraged him.
In his memories, Ding Yi was indeed a good girl. It wasn’t really anyone’s fault they didn’t end up together. He realized he’d never given Ding Yi a decent gift. Today seemed like a small opportunity.
“Phew, didn’t expect to cross paths with Ding Yi again so soon…”
Zhou Wang chuckled reflectively, then looked up at Luo Wenle, saying, “Chef Luo, could I trouble you to do me a favor?”
“Of course, no problem, Mr. Zhou. Please go ahead.”
Inside the Mountain and River Hall.
“Whoa, where did Zhou Wang get this picture? Looks quite legit!”
Li Cheng glanced at the photo Zhou Wang sent and couldn’t help but click his tongue.
Yu Peipei, sitting beside him and hearing Li Cheng’s exclamation, curiously leaned over to take a look.
“Hey, the background in this photo looks a lot like our private room!”
Yu Peipei pointed out a blind spot.
Fang Lu, waiting for the food beside them, also leaned in and, after a glance, exclaimed in surprise, “That’s Chef Luo Wenle! I just searched for his pictures…”
Li Cheng was taken aback for a moment, then laughed, “Brother Dog’s boasting seems pretty real. Those who don’t know might actually be fooled.”
Lu Jin, sitting alone, drinking sullenly, heard them discussing Zhou Wang, and couldn’t help but twitch his mouth, recalling a scene from earlier.
His face darkened even more.
Even if no one else knew, Lu Jin, at this moment, recollected with a vague feeling that what he heard could very likely be true…
Although he hadn’t stayed in an advanced suite at Wanda Hotel, the female servant accompanying Zhou Wang did dress somewhat like a hotel room butler.
If his guess was also true, then everything made sense…
Although recalling it made Lu Jin feel a bit uncomfortable, at least no one else knew about this matter, and passing it over would be just fine.
But the strange gaze from those at the main table was what really made Lu Jin feel uneasy.
And as the host, Ding Yi almost never sat down, seemingly laughing and chatting with everyone, but they all knew she was trying hard to keep things from being awkward.
The seating arrangement was quite interesting at the time, with Jiang Mo and Lu Jin at the outer tables, the former finding it more comfortable there, and the latter purely unable to stand the atmosphere at the main table.
After all, the teasing from those at the main table had to be endured by Lu Jin, but he felt no obligation towards Ding Yi’s classmates, who didn’t dare to say anything to him anyway.
The door of the private room opened, and Liu Zhiming, sweating profusely, beckoned the waiters to bring in more dishes.
Seeing him, Lu Jin, who was already getting angrier as he thought about it, felt like he found a target to vent.
“Manager Liu, why is it so slow today? It’s been so long, and only a few dishes have been served. Didn’t I tell you our room’s dishes are a priority?”
Lu Jin slammed down his wine glass and demanded without courtesy.
“Uh… Mr. Lu, the kitchen is really busy. Don’t worry, I’ve been pushing them. Please, everyone, start eating, enjoy what we have!”
Liu Zhiming smiled apologetically while cursing inwardly.
It’s only been a few minutes!
He wasn’t privy to Lu Jin’s inner turmoil, only feeling that Lu Jin was being even more stupid today than usual.
After Liu Zhiming left, the atmosphere at the main table remained fine, but at the outer table, Lu Jin’s outburst made it inevitably chilly.
Feeling still uneasy, Lu Jin saw Li Cheng and the others silent, frowned, and picked up a decanter, urging the table.
“Come on, drink with me. Why aren’t you all drinking? Let me pour you some!”
“They don’t really drink, and I can’t handle white spirits either. I’ll stick with red wine with you.”
The girls didn’t respond much. Only Li Cheng, sitting next to him, politely raised his glass.
“Come on, real men don’t drink red.”
Lu Jin insisted on pouring liquor for Li Cheng, “Dude, this is Year of the Rabbit Moutai. You probably don’t get to try this often. Give it a shot!”
Li Cheng’s face changed slightly, shaking his head, “I can’t handle white spirits, really.”
“Drinking isn’t about being afraid to get drunk. I’ve gone this far, and you’re not giving me face?”