Liu Zhaowen slept until after 1 p.m. before groggily waking up. Before he even opened his eyes, he smelled the stench of alcohol fermenting in his stomach all night. Although it was the smell coming from his own body, it didn't stop Liu Zhaowen from feeling disgusted with himself.

After taking out a change of clothes from the closet and washing up, I opened the doors and windows to ventilate the room. As I was heading to the balcony with the clothes I had just changed out of and the bed sheets and pillowcases I had taken off, I saw my cousin Liu Xiaoyan walking on the sofa, playing on her phone and eating snacks.

"Xiaoyan, why did school start so early this year? Last year, it seemed like school didn't start until mid-September," Liu Zhaowen asked casually.

“Yes, school started particularly early this year. I wonder if winter break will start early.” Liu Xiaoyan reached for the snack plate on the table, but this time she found nothing. Then, as if she remembered something, she looked up at Liu Zhaowen and said, “Brother, lunch is in the pot. Your second aunt told you to heat it up yourself if you’re hungry.”

"Okay, leave it. I'm not that hungry." Liu Zhaowen saw Liu Xiaoyan grabbing at empty air and casually said, "I brought back some braised food last night and put it in the refrigerator. You can have it as a snack."

Upon hearing the words "braised food," Liu Xiaoyan's eyes lit up. She went straight to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and rummaged through it to find a lunchbox with the Xu's Fast Food Restaurant logo printed on it. After glancing at the packaging, she couldn't help but mutter, "Why is this from a fast food restaurant? Is it even edible? There are several shops outside my school that specialize in braised food, but the taste isn't very good."

The effects of the alcohol hadn't completely worn off, and Liu Zhaowen didn't have much of an appetite. He just wanted something salty and spicy. Just then, Liu Xiaoyan came out with some braised food, so he asked, "What flavor is this braised food?"

"It looks spicy, I see chili peppers in it." He casually placed the braised food on the coffee table, rummaged through the TV cabinet for a few disposable gloves, and handed one to Liu Zhaowen. "Brother, how long have you been working? How come you came back drunk so late at night? When I passed by your room this morning, the smell was awful, it almost suffocated me. Drinking so much at such a young age, be careful of getting a beer belly!"

Hearing his cousin say it was spicy, and that the top of the box of braised food happened to be his favorite—braised duck feet, Liu Zhaowen's appetite was immediately whetted. He took the disposable gloves, put them on, and reached for the duck feet, holding them in his hand. He turned to his cousin, who hadn't sat down yet, and ordered her without any politeness, "Is there any milk in the fridge? Can you get me one?"

"If you hadn't told me earlier, I would have had to make another trip now. Honestly." Although Liu Xiaoyan complained, she still obediently went to get two bottles of pure milk. Finally, she could sit down, put on her gloves, and start eating.

Liu Xiaoyan's first target was those chubby little mushrooms, each one round and plump. Wasn't this blatant temptation to commit a crime? How could she tolerate this? Absolutely not!

The braised mushrooms are all bite-sized; you pick one up with your fingers and pop it into your mouth. No need to bite; just press it with your tongue, and the slightly solidified braising liquid melts instantly in your mouth. The unique, rich flavor of the braising sauce explodes in your mouth. Almost instinctively, your tongue moves the mushroom to your back teeth, and as your teeth snap together, a burst of icy broth sprays out from inside the mushroom, sending a shiver down your spine.

tasty!

It's such a shame my roommates can't have some of this delicious food, but no worries, I can just take pictures and show them! Hehe!

Liu Xiaoyan's lips curled into a wicked smile as she pulled out her phone and snapped a series of photos of the braised food. The weather was perfect, the lighting was ideal, the composition was flawless, and the braised food was simply amazing. Every shot was a professional-level masterpiece, requiring absolutely no editing.

Just as the cousins ​​were chatting and laughing while eating braised food, Liu Zhaowen's cell phone, which he had placed in the bedroom, rang.

It’s over!

Hearing the phone ring, alarm bells went off in Liu Zhaowen's mind. He received the message from his boss after leaving the company last night, intending to reply after the event; however, after the event, he went to a second event with Liu Tong and didn't return until two or three in the morning; he went straight to sleep after returning home and only just woke up; he felt dizzy and lightheaded after waking up.

In short, from the moment he started attending the event, Liu Zhaowen completely forgot about replying to his superior. So this phone call was definitely an attempt to reprimand him.

Liu Zhaowen hurried back to his bedroom. His hand had barely grasped his phone when the ringing stopped, and the screen displayed "Missed Call +1". Since he hadn't answered, he'd check the situation first. Liu Zhaowen's fingers flew across the screen. First, he checked his QQ email; relieved to find no unread messages, he opened his boss's chat window—43+ unread messages.

He'd received so many messages; could it be something important? Liu Zhaowen's heart tightened, and he quickly opened the chat window, scrolling to the first unread message.

How's the project going?

'Is it not ready yet? This proposal must be submitted to the client tonight!'

"Going to eat?"

''

'You haven't replied to my messages for a full twelve hours! What's going on?!'

Call me back immediately after you see the message.

After reading all forty-three messages, Liu Zhaowen felt three black lines appear on his forehead, and a flock of crows cawing overhead. Honestly, even the most clingy and affectionate girlfriend he'd ever had had never bombarded him with messages like this. If it were something important, he could ignore it, but this was all utter nonsense!

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