Amidst the playful banter between the two, Ye Chen had already pushed out a cart full of dishes, with an apron around his neck and a mask on his face, and he said with a chuckle, "Today is our Miss Tongtong’s twenty-fifth birthday, so we should celebrate it properly."
"Wow, Ms. Tongtong, I didn’t know today was your birthday! How did I not know?" Fang Qin was taken aback.
"Hmph, it’s not today, my birthday has long passed!" Zhang Yantong snorted lightly.
"No, it hasn’t, today is your lunar birthday, which is usually about a month later than the solar calendar! Hehe, I checked the old calendar, and today is your lunar birthday, so you’re the birthday star today!" Ye Chen chuckled.
"Right, right, Ms. Tongtong, since Ye Chen is so thoughtful today, you should properly play the role of the birthday star!" Fang Qin laughed excitedly.
"Alright then, I guess I’ll reluctantly be the birthday star today!" Zhang Yantong laughed heartily.
"Dinner ti!" King Guangmu leaped up and jumped off the sofa imdiately, eager to start eating. He couldn’t wait to clean all the dishes on the table. Fang Qin glared at King Guangmu and said angrily, "Idiot, you’re not the birthday star today. How dare you touch the chopsticks before the birthday star says so?"
"I... I dare not!" King Guangmu shook his head imdiately.
"Hmph!" Fang Qin snorted coldly and then took Zhang Yantong by the arm, saying with a smile, "Birthday star, you must sit at the head today!"
Blushing, Zhang Yantong let Fang Qin pull her to the seat. Ye Chen stood aside like a chef, and after Zhang Yantong was seated, he placed the last dish in front of her and said with a smile, "This dish is specially prepared for the birthday star!"
"What is it?" Zhang Yantong asked curiously.
"Birthday noodles! Longevity noodles!" Ye Chen said as he lifted the lid, and the aroma imdiately filled the air. The scent of the noodles made Fang Qin and King Guangmu’s eyes light up, staring intently at the bowl of noodles as if it were the most delicious dish in the world.
"Are these longevity noodles?" Zhang Yantong stared wide-eyed at the bowl of noodles, the pale noodles with two floating petals on top not only looked beautiful but also slled so good that one couldn’t help taking a deep breath. Ye Chen asked with a smile, "If it’s not longevity noodles, what could it be?"
"I think it should be a bowl of dragon whisker noodles, right?" Fang Qin said excitedly on the side.
"No. I think it should be a piece of art!" Zhang Yantong added.
"Wow, I agree, it looks just like a piece of art!" Fang Qin nodded imdiately.
"Alright, whether it’s an art piece or just regular food, isn’t it ant to go down our stomachs anyway?" King Guangmu urged eagerly, "Let’s eat quickly, otherwise these art pieces will lose their artistic value!"
Puchi...
Zhang Yantong chuckled, covering her red lips, and then glanced at Ye Chen, saying, "He’s right, no matter how beautiful an art piece is, it must have its value, right? If it doesn’t have its value, what good is the art piece?"
"Okay, to realize the value of this art piece, let’s eat!" Ye Chen took off his apron, and Zhang Yantong habitually stood up to take Ye Chen’s apron and mask and put them in the kitchen. She said with a smile, "Let’s eat!"
A group of people sat down around the dining table.
King Guangmu started eating without hesitation and, after a round of sweeping, had eaten almost half of the dishes on the table. Zhang Yantong had thought there were too many dishes prepared, but now it seems Ye Chen really foresaw this; if they had cooked the usual amount, it might have been problematic. Almost all the dishes on the table were nearly cleaned by King Guangmu.
"Hehe, Brother Chen, I won’t hold back!" King Guangmu grabbed a chicken leg and looked at Ye Chen, Zhang Yantong, and the others with a grin. Watching King Guangmu eat, Zhang Yantong was a bit stunned, realizing soone could eat at such a level. It was truly impressive.
"Eat... eat!" Zhang Yantong nodded quickly. She chewed slowly, eating only half a bowl of rice, while King Guangmu had already eaten three large bowls.
"You’re such a foodie!" Ye Chen glared at him, annoyed, and said, "I really shouldn’t have let you co!"
"Brother Chen, who made your food so delicious? Otherwise, I wouldn’t have eaten so much!" King Guangmu chuckled.
Once the al was over, Fang Qin imdiately drove King Guangmu away. Reluctantly, King Guangmu left, but not without saying, "Brother Chen, I haven’t had my after-al fruit yet!"
"You scoundrel, still thinking about eating?" Fang Qin glared at him, angrily saying, "The young couple has finally reunited. Can’t you stop bothering them? Hurry up and go, sister will buy you two pounds of fruit to take ho and enjoy!"
King Guangmu had a circle of black lines floating on his forehead, finally being pushed out by Fang Qin. As Fang Qin left, she turned to Zhang Yantong and said, "Ms. Tongtong, rember what I told you?"
"Huh?!" Zhang Yantong was taken aback, only then did she realize, and soon blushed. Fang Qin quickly reminded, "Did you forget? Do you want to repeat it?"
"No, no!" Zhang Yantong hurriedly shook her head, thinking how embarrassing it would be if those words were spoken out loud. She was afraid Fang Qin might say those embarrassing words in front of Ye Chen, and her face turned red.
"Alright, I’ll head out!" Fang Qin waved her hand.
Watching Fang Qin close the door, Zhang Yantong finally sighed in relief. She turned around to see Ye Chen washing dishes in the kitchen. Zhang Yantong relaxed; at least Ye Chen hadn’t heard the recent conversation, otherwise, she truly wouldn’t know how to explain it to him.
"Tongtong, what was Fang Qin talking to you about just now?" Ye Chen asked, puzzled.
"Huh?!" Zhang Yantong was dumbfounded. She turned around, then shook her head and said, "Nothing, she didn’t say anything!"
"Really? But I just heard Fang Qin say sothing needed repeating between you two." Ye Chen stared at Zhang Yantong in bewildernt. Zhang Yantong’s face was glowing red, her eyes unable to et Ye Chen’s, and she replied, "Nothing, just so work-related things!"
"Alright!" Ye Chen didn’t pursue further after hearing her words.
Finished with the chores, Ye Chen finally sighed in relief, then sat on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and watched TV. Zhang Yantong stood foolishly at the door, not knowing what to say to Ye Chen, her guilty conscience proving her lack of openness.
"What are you standing there for, co over and sit. You haven’t told why you called back this ti!" Ye Chen asked with a smile.
As soon as this topic ca up, Zhang Yantong imdiately got fired up. She thought about Ye Chen being away for so long and not returning, and how she was suddenly summoned by higher-ups recently to talk to her. They hoped she could remain confident in the party and state. Zhang Yantong was dumbfounded. Usually, such ideological education courses are for cadres with inadequate loyalty. Why was she receiving such education?
Through repeated inquiries, Zhang Yantong finally understood the reason. It was because Ye Chen had been causing trouble in Canada, not only driving away the Doomsday Family but also planning to establish his own power there. Though few were aware of this, the national intelligence network was naturally all-encompassing. After receiving this information, the high-level leaders fell silent, holding a nocturnal eting to discuss how to handle the situation.
However, after much discussion, they couldn’t co to any conclusion. Ultimately, it was Chairman Liu who made the decision. Chairman Liu believed Ye Chen was a person who valued relationships. If possible, they could give Li Ruo so ideological education lessons, but considering Li Ruo is not a party mber and wasn’t dostic, they decided to switch the target to Zhang Yantong. Zhang Yantong was key within the party and a governnt mber, so persuading Ye Chen through her would be more effective.
Thus, the senior officials decided to dispatch soone from the Central, but unfortunately, Elder Pang rejected it. Sending soone from Central seed like overkill, considering Ye Chen had the blood of descendants of Yan and Huang but wasn’t essentially a Chinese. Legally, Ye Chen’s actions had nothing to do with China. Therefore, even if they were to adopt Chairman Liu’s approach, they could only dispatch representatives from local governnts to persuade him.
In the end, Elder Pang’s suggestion was adopted, leading to Zhang Yantong being summoned for a conversation by senior leaders. Had it been soone from Central approaching Zhang Yantong with such content, she would probably have been frightened out of her wits.
"Are you planning to..." Zhang Yantong was instantly at a loss for words, realizing how hard it was to express, given Ye Chen hadn’t openly declared independence. Stamring for a while, she finally said, "Are you planning to go solo?"
"Go solo on what?" Ye Chen looked at Zhang Yantong, smiling eerily, giving the impression of harboring ill intentions.
"I an, leaving the country, leaving the party, and then establishing your own power abroad!" At this point, Zhang Yantong was montarily unsure how to further explain those words she uttered. Stamring for a while, she finally managed to say it. Ye Chen laughed heartily, "I was never a Chinese national or a party mber. I co and go as I please. Why can’t I establish my own power?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)