Chapter 45 Chapter 45

"Mr. Cheng, simmer it on low heat for an hour. Turn off the heat, wait until the soup is no longer boiling, and then add a little salt."

It turns out that any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem.

Following Mr. Cheng's failed debut in the kitchen that morning, a phone call led to the Black Pearl Restaurant's master chef with decades of experience in making soup to come personally, bringing all the freshly killed soup ingredients and a new set of kitchen utensils, including a huge casserole. The one at home was completely unusable after being ruined by Cheng Shuze. He came to Mr. Cheng's house to provide him with one-on-one private cooking lessons.

The cost of a class taught by such a master teacher is not cheap.

However, Mr. Cheng obviously did not have the energy and time. He had to stay in the kitchen for two hours starting from preparing the ingredients. In the end, the master chef had to go through the complete process. Mr. Cheng only had to turn off the fire and add salt at the last step to get the finished ginseng chicken bone soup that he had carefully prepared and cooked himself.

After the chef from Jinlou left, Cheng Shuze waited for another hour, packed up his things, and went to the kitchen to turn off the fire.

There's no need to lift the lid; the sweetness of free-range chickens aged over two years old and the fragrance of nourishing herbs blend together, stimulating your deepest sense of smell and taste buds. The golden chicken soup beneath the casserole lid is filled with rich aroma, and the meat is so tender it seems to be melting off the bones.

It looks like it should be about the same.

Cheng Shuze took a small jar of salt from the table, scooped a small spoonful and sprinkled it evenly into the casserole, then took a soup spoon and scooped half a spoonful from the pot.

It seemed a little bland. Cheng Shuze frowned and recalled the taste of the soup Jiang Yiyu used to make.

A bit bland indeed.

He remembered that Jiang Yiyu seemed to have just taken the salt shaker and sprinkled it into the soup.

According to Jiang Yiyu's previous habits, it will definitely not be wrong.

Cheng Shuze picked up the salt shaker again and sprinkled it. Half of the salt poured out and fell into the golden soup.

This time it will definitely work. Cheng Shuze put the lid back on, placed the entire casserole into a specially made insulated box, and then zipped it up.

Jiang Yiyu was finishing work when she received the call.

There were no night scenes today, so we finished the whole day's filming at six in the afternoon. However, it was getting dark early now, and when we finished work at six o'clock, the whole road was already dark, like a deserted alley in the middle of the night.

He Shuzheng was trying to get people to meet up for dinner at a hotpot restaurant after work.

"What's the matter?" Jiang Yiyu took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to her and answered Cheng Shuze's call.

"Director Jiang, have you finished work today?" The voice on the other end sounded lazy.

Jiang Yiyun glanced at the scene where the orderly retreat had begun. The lights dimmed one by one, and darkness swept over. "They're wrapping up."

"Come over when you're done working. There's a parking lot downstairs in your hotel."

Jiang Yiyun's heart suddenly jumped: "You came? When did you come? Hello!"

After saying that, Cheng Shuze hung up the phone.

"Director Jiang, it's time for the dinner! Are you leaving or not?" He Shu made a trumpet shape with his hands and shouted to Jiang Yiyu from a distance.

Almost everyone was there, just waiting for Jiang Yiyu to finish her call.

"I...something suddenly happened here, so I won't go today. You guys have fun." Jiang Yiyu waved her hand.

Tang Ya raised her eyebrows: "Is it urgent? Do you want me to take you there?"

"No need, just have fun and don't worry about me." Jiang Yiyu put on her scarf and hat.

"Okay, when you're done give us a call and let us know the location."

Director Jiang had something to do and couldn't go, so a few people left arm in arm. When most people around them had left, Jiang Yiyu buried her face in her scarf and jogged towards the hotel.

The hotel is not far from the outside of the film set, and there is a large parking lot next to it. The crew's cars are basically parked here after work. Today the weather is cold and most of the crews have finished work early. The parking lot is crowded, and Cheng Shuze's car can't be found at all when looking around.

Besides, she didn't know what kind of car Cheng Shuze drove. He had a lot of cars. Apart from a few commercial vehicles he often drove, there were some that she couldn't recognize.

Jiang Yiyu walked around but found nothing. Just as she was about to pick up her phone to make another call, a car on her right suddenly turned on its high beams and shone them on her.

Jiang Yiyu turned her head and saw the license plate clearly when the high beam dimmed. It was the same Maybach that He Yue drove last time when he came to deliver something.

She opened the passenger door and climbed in, the warmth of the air comforting the chill she'd felt from the wind all the way. Seeing someone had taken the trouble to personally drive to this desolate film and television studio to pick her up after work on a cold winter night, Jiang Yiyun felt warm and relaxed, a bit lazy.

It had been almost half a month since they last met, and Cheng Shuze's eyes fell on Jiang Yiyu.

"What are you looking at? What brings you here so late at night?" Jiang Yiyu glanced at him. It wasn't the tense look they had when they had the worst argument, but more like the flirting between normal lovers, mostly with a hint of coquettishness.

"It's been a long time since we last met. I miss you a little bit."

Jiang Yiyun snorted lightly: "Come on, you didn't say you wanted to see me when we last met for two years, and it's only been a few days."

Well, he could only kneel down and admit his mistake on the topic of one to two years, Cheng Shuze abruptly changed the subject.

"Have you got a meal yet?"

"Not yet, just finished work. What, going out to eat?"

"No, I brought it." Cheng Shuze adjusted his seat back, took the thermal box from the back seat, unzipped it, and revealed the homemade casserole inside. He spoke clearly, word by word, "I made it for you myself."

The car, with the lights on, was silent for a moment. Jiang Yiyu blinked to make sure she had heard correctly: "You? You did it?"

"yes."

Cheng Shuze's tone was deliberately reserved but with a hint of anticipation for Jiang Yiyu's praise. His eyes were fixed on Jiang Yiyu's reaction.

Jiang Yiyu opened the lid suspiciously and leaned in to smell the still steaming chicken soup. She looked up at Cheng Shuze, then looked down at the soup, and then looked up at him again, repeating this several times.

Just smelling it, it looked quite decent, but she wouldn't believe that Cheng Shuze could have done it all by himself. When would Cheng Shuze learn to cook? He definitely wouldn't be able to handle this chicken.

Jiang Yiyu took the chopsticks handed to her by Cheng Shuze and turned over the whole chicken that had been stewed until crispy, which further confirmed her idea.

But forget it, considering that he was so thoughtful, Cheng Shuze used a spoon to fill a small bowl for her. Jiang Yiyun casually praised: "Not bad."

Cheng Shuze raised his eyebrows obviously, but then pretended to be nonchalant.

The usually cold business car was now filled with warmth. The warm fragrance shone on the glass, creating a white mist. Jiang Yiyu took off her scarf and hat, took off her coat, held the bowl, took a small sip, and then paused.

"Are you sure you made this soup?" Jiang Yiyu asked softly.

Cheng Shuze still didn't understand what was going on, and continued to be proud: "Yes, I made it all by myself from start to finish."

"Have you ever drunk it yourself?"

Cheng Shuze continued nodding: "Yes, I have."

Jiang Yiyun sighed inwardly, then put on a huge smile, saying affectionately, "Thank you for your hard work. It must have taken you a long time."

"It's okay, just four hours." Cheng Shuze was rarely humble.

"Have you eaten? Let me feed you something."

Jiang Yiyu was so gentle and affectionate that Cheng Shuze was flattered.

This was so sudden. Aside from the time they were in love and married, he hadn't heard Jiang Yiyun be so gentle and considerate in a long time. Yang Han had no other skills, but he was very good at guessing women's thoughts. It seemed that what he said was not all bullshit.

A thought flashed through Cheng Shuze's mind, and he obediently lowered his head and drank a sip of the soup that Jiang Yiyu handed to his mouth with affection.

Just a moment after swallowing it, Cheng Shuze's face changed and he coughed violently.

But Jiang Yiyun still smiled: "Is it delicious?"

After Cheng Shuze finished choking, this time he finally saw a hint of murderous intent in Jiang Yiyu's eyes.

How could it be so salty when he added salt? He clearly followed Jiang Yiyun's steps exactly, so what went wrong? Damn it, Jiang Yiyun wouldn't think he did it on purpose.

Cheng Shuze's eyes flashed, and he nodded reluctantly: "Of course."

Jiang Yiyun held the bowl and looked at Cheng Shuze pretending to be calm. A smile appeared in her eyes. She scooped another spoonful of soup and handed it to his mouth: "Since it tastes good, drink more. You have worked hard recently."

"It's fine if you feed me." Cheng Shuze stared deep into Jiang Yiyu's eyes, without even a hint of rejection, and took the second sip.

Jiang Yiyu fed him three spoonfuls in a row, and Cheng Shuze drank them all without stopping. Jiang Yiyu finally put down the bowl.

“Isn’t it salty?”

"It's okay, I can drink it." Cheng Shuze was really calm, and even tilted his head to signal Jiang Yiyu to continue.

Jiang Yiyu rolled her eyes at him, dug out a bottle of water from the storage box, unscrewed it and handed it to Cheng Shuze.

"You drink first."

The soup she just took was indeed too salty for her, and it was a good thing that Cheng Shuze could still swallow so much. Jiang Yiyu was not polite either. She drank half of the bottle of water and handed it back to Cheng Shuze. Cheng Shuze drank it all from the place where she had drunk.

"This shouldn't be the case. I clearly used the same salt as you did, so why is it so salty?" After drinking the water, the tingling sensation in his throat gradually disappeared. Cheng Shuze frowned, puzzled.

"How did you put it there?"

"Just like you, just hold the can and sprinkle it." Cheng Shuze also gave a simple gesture with his hand.

Well, she finally understood why the soup was so salty.

"Don't you know how much you poured in?" Jiang Yiyu rolled her eyes. "How can your hand strength be the same as mine?"

She had little wrist strength, so she didn't sprinkle much. Cheng Shuze had strong wrists, and if he tried to imitate her, he would probably drop the whole jar of salt.

"Forget it, I'll take you out for dinner." Cheng Shuze asked after packing up his things.

Jiang Yiyun glanced at him and said, "Do you know where this is? Do you still want to go out for dinner?"

Cheng Shuze: “?”

Although Cheng Shuze wasn't a celebrity, he was well-known to the paparazzi. Firstly, his divorce announcement two years ago had garnered a lot of attention from the gossip media, and everyone was glued to him, eager for more scandals to boost their sales. Secondly, many celebrities wanted to cling to Cheng's influence, hoping to develop a story with him. If they caught him in the act, they might get a whole bunch of gossip.

Ever since she knew that Yunyi was Cheng Shuze's company, she had read Yunyi's gossip posts. Rumors about Yunyi's recruitment were flying everywhere, and Cheng Shuze's photos were completely flooding the screen.

Jiang Yiyu was too lazy to explain these things in the circle to Cheng Shuze, so she just called Tang Ya.

"How are things going over there, dear?"

Tang Ya's voices were noisy, as if they were in a crowded place. "Don't mention it. The crew is going crazy today. They're all on holiday, and the hot pot restaurant is packed. We've already got over 200 tickets, and we don't know what celebrities are there, and there are paparazzi. It's hard to squeeze in. We're going to eat clay pot rice. Are you done? Come over and eat."

"I won't come over. Please pack two portions for me after you finish eating."

"Okay, I'll pack it for you, right?" Tang Ya responded. "Two servings?"

"Shh." Jiang Yiyu hurriedly reminded in a low voice, "Be quiet, don't let anyone notice."

"Tsk tsk tsk, sure, baby. You can play with men like the wind. Do you want me to bring you something else?" They have been sisters for so many years. If Jiang Yiyu says one thing, Tang Ya will understand another, and vice versa.

Jiang Yiyun said firmly: "Get lost."

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Author has something to say: Question: What to bring/curious.jpg

Cheng Shuyi: I remember someone saying eating is not allowed on the bus. Is it my illusion?