Chapter 71 - 72: Before the Meal

"Of course, we have to order the beef noodles! You can’t come to a noodle shop and not try their signature dish!" Zhang He said this as she took the menu and started looking at it carefully. There’s no doubt about how seriously a foodie takes their food. Most of the people eating here were locals, and the menu mainly consisted of simple, home-style dishes. "I want to order some crispy fried pork, sweet and sour pork, corn with pine nuts, and some spicy and sour shredded potatoes. See if there’s anything else you want?" Uncle Zhang’s portions are usually big, and listening to Zhang He order four dishes plus a big bowl of beef noodles for each person... "Sister He, you might not know about Uncle Zhang’s portion sizes." Zhang He waved her hand, "Don’t worry, if we can’t finish it, we can take it to go. We won’t waste it." That’s good. Ruan Xingwen nodded, feeling relieved. He wanted to mention taking the leftovers to go but was afraid Zhang He would think he was being impolite, so he didn’t bring it up directly. He turned his gaze to Yu Xiaozhe, who hadn’t spoken since they arrived. "Brother Ze, is there anything you want to eat?" "What she ordered is enough, don’t eat too much for breakfast; it’s not good for the stomach." Yu Xiaozhe stayed quiet to let Zhang He and Ruan Xingwen have a chance to talk. He knew Zhang He was curious about Ruan Xingwen but didn’t know much about him, so he kept out of it. Now it seemed their conversation was going well, judging by the satisfied look in Zhang He’s eyes. Yu Xiaozhe didn’t get to finish before Zhang He interrupted, "Okay, okay, don’t talk about these things while we’re eating; it ruins the appetite!" "Xingxing, don’t you think? This is why I don’t like eating out with Brother Ze; it’s always ’don’t eat too much, don’t eat too oily, don’t eat too spicy’... it’s so annoying!" Ruan Xingwen also felt that talking about these things while eating was a bit of a downer, but coming from Yu Xiaozhe, he didn’t mind it as much. It felt nice to have someone looking out for him. "Sister He, Brother Ze is right; we should take care of our stomachs. Besides, eating too spicy is not good for the skin. Sister He, you’re so pretty—what if you get pimples?" Ruan Xingwen tilted his head and struck a cute pose, flashing a charming tiger-tooth smile. Zhang He felt instantly charmed, finally understanding the appeal of Ruan Xingwen. Ruan Xingwen’s looks could definitely rank high in the industry. But there are also many who are cuter and more handsome than him. Given Zhang He’s status, if she wanted to sign a new artist, just putting out a word would bring them running, even if it meant breaking their current contracts. Of course, Zhang He had high standards. Not only did they have to look good and be personally appealing to her, but most importantly, they had to have good character. So no matter how persistently those people sought her or Yu Xiaozhe, she wouldn’t sign them. Originally, Zhang He came today to see what kind of person could make Yu Xiaozhe so invested, offering the best contract possible and worrying that it might not be accepted, thus revising it again and again until they settled on the most "reliable" one. After spending the morning together, it wasn’t hard to see that Ruan Xingwen was a well-mannered, handsome young man. From the moment Ruan Xingwen knocked on the car window, he gave the impression of being humble and gentle, yet persistent in his own way. Most importantly, how could she refuse someone who matched her taste so perfectly? Of course, she’d help Yu Xiaozhe sign Ruan Xingwen! Even if it would please this cunning older man. Knowing well that she would love Ruan Xingwen, he deliberately lured her into coming today. Hmph, even if Yu Xiaozhe wants a convenient opportunity, he’d have to ask if she’d agree as Ruan Xingwen’s future agent! Thinking this, Zhang He pulled Ruan Xingwen, who was about to sit by Yu Xiaozhe, over to her side. "Xingxing, sit with your sister," Zhang He said, giving Yu Xiaozhe a playful glare when Ruan Xingwen wasn’t looking. Don’t think about taking advantage of Xingxing. Ruan Xingwen wasn’t really concerned about where he sat. But sitting next to Yu Xiaozhe gave him a lot of pressure, though he couldn’t quite explain why; it just felt a little nerve-wracking. "Wait, Sister He, is that all you’re ordering?" Zhang He nodded, "Yes." "Then you and Brother Ze sit tight, I’ll go talk to Uncle Zhang, and I’ll be right back!" With that, he got up and quickly walked downstairs, calling out as he went, "Uncle Zhang!" Visibly, Ruan Xingwen was in high spirits at the moment. Maybe it was the joy of having good food to look forward to, or perhaps it was the pleasure of having company for a meal. Zhang He also noticed Ruan Xingwen’s happiness, but she assumed it was because of Yu Xiaozhe... "Hmph, you better keep your smugness in check, or I’ll tell Xingxing. Let’s see if you can still smile knowing Xingxing might think you’re just a big bad wolf trying to eat the little white rabbit!" Yu Xiaozhe shrugged, "You can try, and see if Xingxing believes you or me?" "Hmph!" Zhang He shot him a glare. The two of them tidied up the utensils in front of them. The difference was, Zhang He only sorted out her own, while Yu Xiaozhe also took care of Xingxing’s set. Seeing this, Zhang He rolled her eyes at Yu Xiaozhe again. Witnessing an old tree blooming is truly an eyesore! A few minutes later, they saw Ruan Xingwen coming back up, though it seemed he had someone with him—a person with whom he seemed to have a good relationship, as he was smiling while talking to them. It didn’t take long for them to see who it was that made Ruan Xingwen so happy. It was Yu Yue... "..." "..." Yu Yue ignored their somewhat speechless expressions, cheerfully heading over to the table and greeting them warmly, "Brother, Sister He!" "...How did you know we were here?" "I didn’t know you guys were here. I thought we were signing with Xingxing today, so I planned to give him a surprise. I also wanted to visit grandpa. We just fired the caretaker yesterday and I’m not sure about the new one, so I came to check on things." Ruan Xingwen had returned with another pot of barley tea, thinking that with all the meat dishes Zhang He ordered, they’d need some tea to cleanse the palate. Hearing Yu Yue speak at such length, Ruan Xingwen wanted to offer him some water. Just as he was about to grab some unwrapped utensils, a clean cup was handed to him, "Use this one; it’s already clean." Ruan Xingwen looked up and smiled at him, "Thank you, Brother Ze." After pouring the tea, Ruan Xingwen handed the cup to Yu Yue: "Have some hot water first. Why are you wearing so little?" Yu Yue, who had been chatting joyfully with Zhang He, laughed even brighter upon hearing Ruan Xingwen’s concerned words, "Thank you, Xingxing!" Zhang He let out a sigh of relief and gave Ruan Xingwen a grateful glance. Phew, after all these years, she still couldn’t handle Yu Yue’s "enthusiasm."