The gathering was held at an old hot pot restaurant, the same one Jiang Xia had seen on the roadside after eating at Wang Ming's house last time. It was called Lao Shan Cheng Hot Pot, and it did quite well in later generations.

Jiang Xia told his family that he was going out to have dinner with his classmates and wouldn't be home for dinner, and then he immediately called his wife.

"Baby, I've come to pick you up?"

“Okay.” Standing in front of the mirror, Lin Yanwan said with a smile.

She wore a plain white dress, her jet-black hair cascading down her back like a waterfall. At her age, she didn't need makeup at all; her face was plump and full of collagen.

Meeting the best man at the most beautiful age, hmph, he's really lucky.

Eager to see his wife, Jiang Xia went out and took a taxi. Not long after, he gently knocked on his wife's door.

Lin Yanwan emerged in sandals, her delicate toes peeking out, looking quite adorable. She glanced at Jiang Xia, a slight smile playing on her lips, her eyes gleaming with a mischievous glint: "Sir, who are you looking for?"

"Looking for my wife."

Who is your wife?

"It's you."

After saying that, Jiang Xia stepped into the house and closed the door behind him, ignoring the meowing Yu Yuan beside him. The next second, he pulled her into his arms and deeply inhaled her faint fragrance.

"I haven't seen you for five years, I miss you."

"You just spout nonsense. There's no way it's been five years."

"It felt like an eternity," he declared emphatically. "Five years! Do you know how I got through those five years?"

"Are you saying that even Jesus couldn't keep me?" Lin Yanwan asked with a strange expression.

"You forgot the first part, I'm definitely going to eat the baby!" he chuckled.

"They're all glib and smooth-talking."

"I think you mean verbs?"

Subconsciously recalling a scene of someone with their eyes closed, clutching the sheets, only able to breathe heavily, Lin Yanwan blushed slightly and gently pushed him away.

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll throw you out."

Jiang Xia smiled, keeping the playful banter between husband and wife to a minimum. He looked around the house but didn't see Xiaoman come out to greet him, so he asked, "Where's Xiaoman?"

"You're starting to miss your sister-in-law again, aren't you?" Lin Yanwan gently pinched him and continued, "My mom is taking care of her today."

"That's great, finally no more little light bulbs following us around." He cupped his wife's face and whispered, "Baby looks so beautiful today, like a fairy."

"Your lips are so moist and pink, I even put on some peach-scented lip balm. Want to kiss me?"

Jiang Xia nodded hurriedly.

"Then keep thinking about it."

He was dumbfounded. How come this wasn't the storyline he was supposed to be telling?

Taking advantage of Jiang Xia's inattention, Lin Yanwan suddenly stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek, saying slyly, "It's getting late, let's go out quickly."

"First seduce, then reject, and finally give alms—you know how to do the reversal," he muttered, touching his cheek.

Lin Yanwan felt a surge of joy.

Watching her take out the key and lock the door, Jiang Xia couldn't help but say, "Baby, how about you give me a key to the house? Or you can teach Yuyuan how to open the door."

"You wish!"

If she gives him the key before they're even married, won't he be able to come and go as he pleases? Who knows, he might sneak into her bedroom one night. What would that make her?

Do you know how anxious I was during those ten-odd seconds when you opened the door?

"Can't you wait? Tang Sanzang still had to go through eighty-one tribulations before he could obtain the true scriptures."

The two bickered, but held hands tightly as they walked slowly toward their destination, the hot pot restaurant.

"By the way, have you booked your room yet?"

"I didn't book. These days aren't peak booking season, so there are definitely seats available."

"That's true."

"By the way, how did Shen Ying do on the exam? Old Wang didn't tell me, but I know she didn't do well."

Lin Yanwan thought for a moment and said, "I estimate it will be just enough to get into a second-tier university."

"Although a second-tier university is pretty good these days, everyone around me did well on the exams, so the difference in their expectations must be huge. I just don't know what Lao Wang will choose."

Jiang Xia put himself in their shoes and thought about it carefully. After all, the two of them were different from him and his wife.

Wang Ming is currently in a one-sided love affair. If he impulsively abandons the top-ranked Central Academy of Fine Arts and goes to become an alumnus of Shen Ying's school, only to find that things don't work out, the impact on his future would be enormous.

"what you think?"

"It's best if they go their separate ways, but with the cat and mouse as a bond, I believe their relationship won't fade even in a long-distance relationship. Ultimately, as long as Old Wang digs hard enough, what's there to worry about in winning the beauty's heart?"

Lin Yanwan nodded slightly. Her mother-in-law's words were very true. Two people in love are equals. Love is about tolerance and understanding. If either party chooses to compromise, they may not be truly happy together.

To put it bluntly, it's okay to be affectionate in a relationship, but there should be limits.

The two chatted and laughed, and soon arrived at the Laoshancheng Hot Pot Restaurant.

Jiang Xia requested a private room and sent the room name to the other two via text message. Not long after, Wang Ming and Shen Ying walked in, chatting and laughing.

"Old Wang, this is really not right of you. This shop is right near your house, and you took so long to get here. You'll have to drink a bottle of wine as a penalty later," Jiang Xia said with a smile.

“Yingying didn’t know the way, so I went to pick her up.”

"Then you should accept the invitation. Please sit down. Do you expect me to treat you?"

Jiang Xia pushed the menu over, saying, "Order whatever you want. Today's bill is on the company's tab, so eat as much as you want."

Lin Yanwan secretly pinched his thigh and whispered, "The TV station hasn't even transferred the payment yet, the account balance is zero, how dare you?"

"It's alright, I'll cover it first." Jiang Xia patted her hand without changing his expression; he could afford this amount of money.

People in Chongqing usually only order a few things for hot pot: tripe, duck intestines, duck blood, and spicy beef. They used to also have kidney slices, but people in Jiangxia don't dare to order those now.

Add some fish, crispy pork and other dishes that everyone likes, and there are more than a dozen plates in total, plus a few side dishes, piling up the whole table.

The hot pot was bubbling away, its spicy aroma filling the room and constantly stimulating everyone's taste buds.

The two boys were drinking beer, while Lin Yanwan and Shen Ying were drinking the only one.

Jiang Xia raised his glass. As the company's boss, he had to say a few words as an opening.

"Everyone has worked hard lately for the company. I've invited you all here today not just for a get-together and a meal."

"Our contract with the TV station was for twelve episodes, and we have now delivered all twelve episodes, so we can say that we have successfully completed our mission."

"As for whether Tom and Jerry will become popular, we'll have to see the ratings after June 30th, but I believe they won't be low."

"So, in order to maintain a positive and enthusiastic work attitude in the future, I'm giving everyone a break these few days so you can get some rest."

"Alright, that's all for now."

"cheers!"

...(Ahhh, my benefactors, please give this kid a break! There's one more chapter, I'll finish it in a bit! Wait for me!)