Chapter 50 Affirming His Cooking Skills

After coming back from the wrap-up dinner with everyone, Ji Jingchuan lazily sat cross-legged on the sofa, participating in the chat in the small group from time to time.

Suddenly, the bedroom door opposite was opened, and Shang Que, who was supposed to be taking a nap, came out and walked out hurriedly.

"You want to go out?" Ji Jingchuan immediately sat up straight and asked habitually: "Where are you going? I'll drive you."

"go--"

Just as he opened his mouth, his phone dinged. Shang Que clicked it and changed his tone, "No need to go."

A guess popped up in Ji Jingchuan's mind: "Could it be that you had some announcement and found it was too late so you simply didn't go?"

Seeing that she didn't say anything, Ji Jingchuan laughed at her, "Ha! I guessed it right, didn't I? I told you to say you wanted to sleep as soon as you came back, and you didn't allow me to make any noise. Now you really overslept, didn't you?"

"Are you happy?"

"I--"

"Unfortunately, you guessed wrong. I have always had a strong sense of time. Unlike someone who can miss a flight because of oversleeping."

Ji Jingchuan retorted: "I did that on purpose to prevent scalpers from reselling the itinerary."

"I didn't say anything about you, why are you so anxious?" Shang Que sat down on the sofa opposite him, slowly poured a glass of water and drank it, explaining: "I woke up and saw that my mother sent a message half an hour ago saying that she was returning to China to see me. I thought she had arrived at the airport and was about to pick her up, but she just said that her flight was delayed and changed to next week."

"But I guess she changed her ticket because she missed her flight."

Shang Que knew Ms. Shang very well. She was casual in her work and cared about her reputation, and these two qualities were passed on to Ji Jingchuan almost one to one.

"Why are you silent?"

After Ji Jingchuan heard her finish, the smug look on his face had long since vanished. His eyes widened, and he was stunned for a long moment before he asked in disbelief, "What did you say? Who wants to return home???"

"Mother."

As soon as the words fell, Ji Jingchuan stood up and said, "I'm leaving first!"

"Stop." Shang Que stopped him, "Where are you going?"

"Suddenly I remembered that the gas stove at home was not turned off, I went back to check."

"You've been out for half a month. If the gas stove isn't turned off, you probably don't have a home to return to, right?"

Ji Jingchuan choked and said, "Then I'll go home and stay for two days. The house will get cold if it's not occupied for too long."

"If I remember correctly," Shang Que imitated his tone, "my living room has wooden floors. They've been damaged by water and need to be replaced and re-laid. It'll take at least ten days or half a month to finish."

"Hasn't it been half a month now?"

"We also need to redecorate. There will be formaldehyde in the renovations, and we can move in after the formaldehyde dissipates. This will take another two or three months."

Ji Jingchuan: ...

These are all his words.

"Ji Jingchuan, you are not nervous, are you?"

"How is that possible?" Ji Jingchuan sneered in disdain and said with a bluff: "This genius has seen all kinds of big scenes. Isn't it just--"

Shang Que walked over, pushed him back onto the sofa, and then grabbed his face with both hands and shook him left and right: "Don't worry, Mom will definitely like you."

Ji Jingchuan's voice suddenly stopped, and his erratic eyes moved to Shang Que's face after a while. He blinked his eyelashes twice and asked uncertainly, "Really?"

"Really." Shang Que patted his shoulder, "So I'm going to sleep now. Remember not to make any noise."

She yawned and walked away, muttering softly, "Who will cook for me when you leave?"

"Hey, hey, I heard it." Ji Jingchuan came back to his senses, stood up indignantly and followed him, "You said that just to coax me to stay and do your bidding."

The next second, the bedroom door slammed shut in front of him.

"Shang Que!" Ji Jingchuan was about to knock on the door, but then he remembered that Shang Que said he wanted to go to bed. He changed his actions, bent his fingers and flicked the door to show his anger.

The phone buzzed, probably a message from the WeChat group. But Ji Jingchuan had no time to care about it. Even though Shang Que had promised so confidently, he was still a little nervous.

No, it's very nervous.

This kind of emotion, which had never appeared when he gave his first concert in front of 100,000 people, occupied his mind for no reason after he heard that his mother was returning to China.

Unlike Shang Que, Ji Jingchuan didn't have a very deep impression of his mother. He spent most of his childhood with Shang Que, so after so many years apart, he was only worried about whether Shang Que still remembered him.

But his mother was different. Ji Jingchuan remembered that she asked the kindergarten teacher for leave to take him and Shang Que to the amusement park. He also remembered that she secretly took them to eat spicy strips and marshmallows when their grandparents strictly forbade children to eat junk food. The mother in his memory should be a very free and humorous person.

But what parent wouldn't want their child to excel? Even the old man who always told him that as long as he was happy, he got furious when he found out that he had secretly registered for the talent show.

Would his mother feel the same way? Would she also think that being a star was not a good thing for him… Oh, no, Shang Que was also a star.

But compared to Shang Que, his reputation wasn't exactly great. Would his mother think he'd grown up crooked? Would she be disappointed in him? Would she be glad... that she hadn't taken him away?

The more Ji Jingchuan thought about it, the deeper his frown grew, and his hand holding the phone tightened unconsciously. A sudden vibration made his palm numb, and he immediately came back to his senses.

He clicked on it and saw that it was a message from the variety show group. Jiang Yize posted a photo of his family making dumplings.

Ji Jingchuan thought about it and gathered everyone except Shang Que into a small group.

[Jiang Yize]: Hey, what kind of group is this?

【Lin Jinyi】：? Who pulled me?

[Ning Sheng]: It was Ji Jingchuan who invited us. Don’t we six have a small group already? Why are we inviting another one?

【Lu Zhixu】: No Shang Que, what, are you going to prepare a surprise for her? @The First Genius in the Universe

[Jiang Yize]: Sister Shang Que’s birthday hasn’t arrived yet.

[The First Genius in the Universe]: I have a question. How do you usually get along with your parents?

Although this question was baffling, Jiang Yize was the first to answer it seriously.

[Jiang Yizhe]: My parents are probably just like your average parents. They'll scold me if I do something wrong, praise me if I do something well, complain if I stay home too long, and nag me if I'm away for a long time. Oh, and they're also very stubborn. They pretend to be indifferent on the surface, but secretly they're watching my dramas and bragging to friends and family about having a famous son.

[Ning Sheng]: Exactly the same. When I was in school, they would always call to ask about my well-being. If I stayed at home for more than seven days during the holidays, they would ask why school hadn't started yet [crying]. But they both loved me very much. When I was in high school, I wanted to switch to studying art. Although they didn't understand, they supported my decision in the end.

[Lu Zhixu]: My father is quite strict. When I was a kid, I would be beaten if I made mistakes, and doing well was just what I deserved. My mother is a little gentler, but she also cares about my grades. Every time I did poorly on the exams, she would just look at me without saying a word, and the sense of oppression was quite strong.

Lin Jinyi: Just hearing your description gives me goosebumps. My dad is henpecked, and my mom is daughter-obsessed, so I'm the highest-ranking member of the family. I only ask my dad for money and where my mom is. I go shopping, eat, and get spa treatments with her.

Ji Jingchuan read their answers, still at a loss for words. He subconsciously felt that Ms. Shang was someone like Lin Jinyi's mother, someone who could be friends with her children, but he was also worried that she would be as demanding of him as Lu Zhixu's mother.

At this moment, another message suddenly popped up at the top of the screen.

[Jing Ya]: Don’t worry, your mother will definitely like you.

Ji Jingchuan said that he would no longer call him brother, so when he added Jing Ya back last time, he had the nerve to note his full name.

But at this moment, Jing Ya's sudden words made him stunned for a moment, and Ji Jingchuan asked vigilantly.

[The No. 1 Genius in the Universe]: Did Shang Que leak the secret to you?

Otherwise how would he know I was worried about this!

[Jing Ya]: ...You dragged me into the group. ?

Ji Jingchuan quickly stepped back and glanced at the names of the group: The Universe's No. 1 Genius, Lu Zhixu, Lin... (6)

Six people.

That’s right, six people.

No, we need to get rid of Shang Que. Then this sixth person——

Ji Jingchuan opened the group members and saw Jing Ya’s avatar on the list.

Ji Jingchuan: ...

He paused and looked at Jing Ya's words again.

Don't worry, your mother will love you.

Shang Que also said so.

But why are they both so sure?

Ji Jingchuan pursed his lips and asked, quoting that sentence.

【The First Genius in the Universe】: Why?

It showed above that the other party was typing. As Ji Jingchuan was waiting nervously and expectantly, Jing Ya sent an answer that seemed a little outrageous, but instantly soothed his heart.

[Jing Ya]: She likes people who can cook delicious food.

Ji Jingchuan:?

No wonder Shang Que was so sure, it turned out that he was sure of his cooking skills.

[The First Genius in the Universe]: No, how do you know that Shang Que took you to meet his parents?

[Jing Ya]: I have seen it.

But it was not Shang Que who took him to see him.

Jing Ya recalled the first time he met Ms. Shang. At that time, he and Shang Que had just been in love for a year, and he had attracted Shang Que to move in with him by virtue of his delicious cooking skills.

That day was Shang Que's birthday. After he prepared a sumptuous dinner, he went out to pick up the cake he had ordered in advance. When he just returned downstairs of the community, he received a message from Shang Que: Don't come back yet, my mother is here to see me!

Ms. Shang flew over from another city to celebrate Shang Que's birthday. As soon as she opened the door, she gave him a big hug: "Surprise! My poor baby, if you have to eat your birthday alone again-"

Before she could finish her words, Ms. Shang looked over her shoulder and saw the feast on the table. She was so surprised that her tone changed: "Is the food so good?"

She analyzed sharply: "Impossible, I searched before coming here, and there are no famous Chinese restaurants in this city, so these dishes-"

"I made it myself!" Shang Que bravely took the credit. "Are you hungry? Do you want to try it?"

"Really? My baby is amazing! He even knew Mom would be here." There were two sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table. Ms. Shang put the cake on the counter, walked over and sat down, picking up a piece of stir-fried beef. "It tastes good. Did you add cumin?"

Shang Que nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I added it."

"Is the corn in the pork rib soup sweet or sticky?"

“Sweet.”

"Where's the meal?"

"In the kitchen."

"What about him?"

"Downstairs." Shang Que answered subconsciously, then realized something was wrong. She raised her head and blinked innocently, trying to act coquettishly and fooled him: "Mom."

"Is Mom an idiot?" Ms. Shang remained unmoved. "There are men's shoes in the shoe cabinet, men's windbreakers on the hangers, and you're wearing a ring on your hand."

She poked Shang Que's face and said, "Call them up here. I've already cooked for you, and you're leaving them waiting downstairs?"

"I thought you'd be angry."

"I'm really angry, but his cooking is indeed delicious." Ms. Shang was picky, "Let's take a look at his appearance. If he's ugly, he's not allowed to enter the house."

Obviously Jing Ya's appearance passed Ms. Shang's test.

Ji Jingchuan is a good cook and handsome, and he has these two qualities perfectly, so Ms. Shang will definitely like him.

[Jing Ya]: Auntie doesn't eat sweet food, so don't make sweet and sour food. She likes spicy food, similar to Shang Que, but can't tolerate onions, ginger, and garlic.

[Jing Ya]: Her personality is a bit like yours. She likes to hear nice things. If she likes someone, she will praise that person directly and lavishly. Don't be afraid then, she is not sarcastic.

Ji Jingchuan realized belatedly that Jing Ya was giving him a trick. In fact, he was a little envious and jealous at first, because Shang Que brought Jing Ya to meet his mother.

But what Jing Ya said really calmed his nerves.

[Jing Ya]: She is easy to get along with, don't worry.

Ji Jingchuan pursed his lips and read it carefully. His fingers paused on the typing box for a long time. Finally, he ran to the information card interface and changed Jing Ya's note to [Brother Jing Ya].

[The First Genius in the Universe]: Thank you, brother!