Chapter 46: Did the two of them hit it off?

"Déjà vu" is a very ordinary phrase, but it stirred up a thousand waves in Yu Wan's heart like a boulder.

You should know that real people from ancient times probably wouldn't have seen her in this modern style anywhere else, unless...

She carefully examined the aloof woman before her and said with a faint smile, "Where have I seen Lady Guan before?"

Xue Xiujun was surprised, "What? You two have hit it off?"

He Jing growled, "Shut up!"

Lady Guan gazed wistfully out the window at the distant horizon, or perhaps a horizon beyond her reach.

"A long time ago, or you could say a long time later."

Xue Xiujun couldn't help but complain, "Is this some kind of riddle? What's going on?"

Yu Wan understood. Since the other party had come to her door in person, she didn't need to deny it.

"Imperial Jade Liquor?" she tried to give the code.

This is a famous joke, originating from Teacher Zhao's skit.

Lady Guan looked at her with surprise, her clear eyes narrowed slightly, her eyes reddened with excitement, and she almost stood up in a fit of rage.

She struggled to suppress her excitement, her voice trembling, "One hundred and eighty a cup!"

To make sure there were no mistakes, the two carefully exchanged several rounds of coded signals.

Don't drink and drive.

Don't drink and drive!

"Fight fraud with everyone."

There is no deception in the world!

The two women looked at each other with teary eyes, their hands clasped together.

Fellow villager!

Without saying a word, Yu Wan grabbed the other person's hand and said, "Let's go, let's talk somewhere else."

"Okay!" Lady Guan quickly followed in her footsteps.

Xue Xiujun was increasingly confused. "What are they saying? It's all so hard to understand. You've been by the boss's side for so long, haven't you noticed that she has another identity? Could it be that someone planted someone next to you? If so, you're in big trouble."

He Jing remained silent, but his expression was not good.

Yu Wan led Guan Niangzi back to her room, carefully checking to make sure no one followed before closing the door.

Turning around, Lady Guan had already removed her veil, revealing a face of unparalleled beauty.

"Wow! You look so beautiful!" she exclaimed.

No wonder this woman always wears a veil; her face is stunning enough to amaze the whole world.

With no outsiders around, Lady Guan stopped putting on airs, threw her veil on the table, rushed over, hugged her tightly, and burst into tears, a stark contrast to her public persona.

"Waaaaah... That's great! My intuition was right!"

Yu Wan let her hug her and silently waited for her to finish venting.

I don't know how much she suffered, she cried for a long time.

After that, Lady Guan recounted her experience.

Guan Niangzi, whose real name is Guan Yanling, grew up under the pressure of her parents' "tiger parenting" approach in her previous life. She never fell out of the top three in her school from childhood to adulthood, and was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She was recommended all the way to the top and eventually obtained a doctoral degree. On her first weekend after starting her job at the research institute, she woke up one morning to find herself in ancient times.

After listening, Yu Wan smiled and said, "I saw you once before when I was queuing up to buy pastries at Fu Rui Ju, and I thought you were very special."

Guan Yanling confessed, "Actually, I saw you too. You were with a very handsome guy! Lots of girls were secretly looking at him. But at that time, I didn't know you were the proprietress of Yu's Restaurant."

“That’s A-Su, from my shop.” Yu Wan never imagined that they would have such a connection.

They didn't know each other in their previous lives, but being strangers in a foreign land, they inevitably felt a special closeness.

"And you, how did you get here? When did you arrive?" Guan Yanling asked curiously.

Yu Wan sighed softly, "I also came here suddenly before the New Year, and I still don't understand what happened."

Guan Yanling rested her chin on her hand, thinking. "Then I arrived a while earlier than you. Oh, by the way, what year did you arrive?"

"2025".

"Me too!" Guan Yanling exclaimed excitedly.

It was a strange feeling; two strangers in this unfamiliar world seemed to have found solace in each other.

Suddenly, Guan Yanling burst into tears.

"Waaaaah... Sister, can I have some barbecue? I miss the taste of home so much! I've only ever studied since I was little, I can't cook. I've tried to cook since I came here, but I just can't make it taste like I want."

Yu Wan was both amused and exasperated. "Then why didn't you come to eat earlier? Why did you wait until now?"

Guan Yanling's face was streaked with tears, and she looked like a child, her eyes filled with grievance.

"I'm scared! What if I make a mistake and people think I'm crazy? My reputation is just starting to improve."

Yu Wan remembered hearing some gossip about her before, saying that women from the Guan family were cursed to be widows, and that she had caused the deaths of two of her fiancés.

Guan Yanling said indignantly, "Gossip is truly terrifying. This is also the reason why the original owner chose to give up her life. Actually, it has nothing to do with her. Her two fiancés, the first one had a congenital illness and was a sickly child. However, he eventually couldn't take it anymore and passed away. The man's family was no good either. They helped to hide the illness and actually wanted the original owner to marry him to bring good luck."

Her second fiancé was a womanizer. He tried to seduce a married woman, but his plan backfired. One night, while her husband was out, he attempted to sneak into her house and force himself on her. He fell while climbing the wall, hitting his head, and died after lying in bed for several months. Of course, her family wouldn't reveal such a despicable act, so they blamed everything on her. I discovered all this after I arrived. These people are truly wicked; they needlessly caused the death of a young girl.”

Yu Wan couldn't help but sigh, "It's a good thing you were here, otherwise who knows what would have happened to her parents. So you've come to me now, aren't you afraid of me?"

Guan Yanling looked at her with a trusting grin and said, "You must be a good person!"

Yu Wan sighed, "What if I was faking it?"

This person seems a bit naive... Could they be faking it?

With a face that could bring ruin to a country, Guan Yanling recklessly declared, "Since I've already been exposed, you can do whatever you want with me! All I want right now is a barbecue! I'd die happy if I could! If possible, could you add a fried egg?"

Yu Wan knew she was just saying it. How could someone who could bring Zuixianlou and Furuifang back to life give up her life for a barbecue?

However, she still cautioned, "Don't tell any third person about our secret."

"I understand!" Guan Yanling nodded obediently, then looked at her expectantly.

"I'm hungry, I want to eat barbecue skewers, but I want a private room. I have to maintain the original owner's aloof persona in front of outsiders, so I can't eat to my heart's content."

Yu Wan was amused by her, "Okay, okay, I'll grant your wish."

Everyone has their struggles!

Yu Wan arranged for her to wait in a quiet private room, saying, "You wait inside, I'll personally grill some skewers for you."

Guan Yanling expressed her gratitude with a heart shape, saying, "I love you!"

When Yu Wan opened the door to the private room, she happened to see He Suzhi passing by.

"Keep an eye on things and don't let anyone else into this private room."

He Jing glanced sharply at the woman inside the door. The woman had her back to the door, so her face could not be seen.

Are you alright?

"It's nothing, what could possibly happen?" Yu Wan thought for a moment, "She's my friend, so from now on, she doesn't need to pay when she comes to eat. It'll be on my tab. You should also tell everyone about that."

"Friends? Isn't this your first official meeting?" He Jing felt something was off; the two women were acting a bit mysteriously.

Yu Wan didn't explain. "I'm not talking to you anymore. I'll go get her something to eat so she doesn't have to wait."

Today, she was in a good mood. Since coming into this world, she had made some friends, but a special friend like Guan Yanling was one of a kind.

He Jing frowned as he watched her skipping steps; he had never seen her so happy.

He usually calculates how much money he's made, but he just sits there and laughs.

Who exactly is the woman in the private room, and is she really that important to her?

Yu Wan quickly returned to the private room with the plate of grilled skewers, filling the entire space with their aroma.

Guan Yanling quickly helped close the door, then started eating skewers in both hands, without any regard for appearances.

"That's the taste! I used to always order takeout from a certain barbecue restaurant, and their skewers tasted just like yours."

Yu Wan laughed and said, "It's not Little Yu's barbecue, is it?"

Guan Yanling was stunned, staring blankly at her, "It can't be such a coincidence, can it?"

Yu Wan smiled and nodded.

Guan Yanling clicked her tongue in amazement, "So we were destined to meet in our past lives, which is why we're truly friends who've never met! I've actually wanted to eat at your restaurant for a while now, since there's a subtle difference between takeout and freshly baked food. I never expected..."

"I never expected that we would meet in person in such a different way!" Yu Wan hadn't thought that such a coincidence would happen.

As they ate and chatted, they discovered that they were very compatible.

They made further discoveries: Yu Wan was a pragmatist, while Guan Yanling was a theorist.

Yu Wan relies more on her years of experience to get things done, and uses less of the theoretical part.

Guan Yanling used the business theories she learned in her previous life to bring Zuixianlou and Furuiju to where they are today, but she didn't know the specifics of how to operate them.

While eating kebabs, she also shared her business insights with Yu Wan, which greatly inspired the latter.

Through her conversation with her, Yu Wan realized that her naivety was not an act. She had probably focused on her studies since childhood, so her mind was relatively pure, but she always suppressed her inner self and would only release her true nature when the right opportunity presented itself.

"Thank you, A-Ling. I learned a lot today."

Guan Yanling waved her hand, "What are you thanking me for? I don't understand anything at all, I just know how to recite. I just recited it to you exactly as it was written in the book."

"How did these two shops become so successful?" Yu Wan asked curiously. "Didn't you say it was all because of you that they're where they are today?"

"Ahem!" A hint of embarrassment flashed in Guan Yanling's eyes. "Young Master Gao is just as smart as you, both of them are action-oriented. He understands as soon as I say something. So I only offer suggestions, and he handles most of the solutions."

Yu Wan's gossip instincts were ignited. "I heard that the Gao family used to be very unlucky. The young master of the Gao family was engaged to several women but failed to get married. After he got engaged to you, the Gao family suddenly had a change of fortune."

Guan Yanling's face showed a rare look of confusion. "That's right, I don't understand either. He's a man of few words, and we don't talk much when we meet."

Yu Wan asked with a smile, "Then how did you two get engaged?"

Guan Yanling whispered, "Actually, we're business partners."

It turned out that the two of them were burdened by too many rumors and gossip, and their parents were still unwilling to give up, worrying about their marriage every day. So the two of them came up with this idea.

After Guan Yanling had a hearty meal, she put on her veil and immediately reverted to her usual aloof self, completely losing the unrestrained manner she had displayed while eating the barbecue.

"I've been out for a while, I need to hurry back."

Yu Wan smiled and said, "Okay, you can come anytime you want in the future. I've already told them not to charge you any money."

Guan Yanling's beautiful eyes glistened with tears. "Awan, thank you. I'm so happy today. You can come visit me anytime from now on. You can eat whatever you want, and I won't charge you."