Chu Fang invited the two women into the house, and they looked around the room.
"It's quite clean, and it has a warm, homey feel to it." He Yi looked at the whole house. The house was clean and tidy, with decorations on the walls and fruits on the table. It was a pleasant sight to behold.
This alone is enough to show that this handsome man is a good person, polite, clean, and a true gentleman.
He couldn't help but think more highly of Chu Fang.
If she didn't have a boyfriend, she would really like to have a passionate romance with the handsome guy in front of her.
Zhong Tingyue also looked around, circling the house, and asked, "Do you live alone?"
"Yes." Chu Fang nodded.
"Your salary isn't high. After deducting all kinds of expenses and daily costs, can you afford to rent a house?"
"Of course... ...no." Chu Fang teased for a moment, then complained, "Our crappy company only pays a basic salary of two thousand yuan, which isn't even enough for food, let alone renting a place. What are you thinking? I can only afford to rent a place because I have some savings. Maybe next month I won't be able to pay the rent and will be kicked out by the landlord."
“Then why are you renting alone? Why don’t you share with someone else?” Zhong Tingyue said.
"I don't want to share an apartment."
"Then why do you slack off at work all day?"
"I'm too lazy."
"So what exactly do you want to do?"
"Just loafing around and waiting to die."
“... ..."
The two of them sang in unison, while He Yi tilted her head, looking at them, and was momentarily stunned.
Chu Fang and Zhong Tingyue bickered briefly, then Chu Fang gestured for them to sit wherever they liked, while he went to the kitchen to cook.
Zhong Tingyue and He Yi sat down. The former frowned slightly, looking somewhat anxious, while the latter stared at the former with surprise in her eyes. Zhong Tingyue finally noticed her best friend's sharp gaze and asked in confusion, "Why are you looking at me?"
Something's not right.
Something's not right.
"Something's wrong with you."
“... ..."
Zhong Tingyue knew that her best friend was sometimes a little out of her mind, so she ignored her, stood up, and walked towards the kitchen, with He Yi following her.
The two women wanted to help out, since it was a bit awkward to let a man cook all by himself.
Chu Fang refused them, saying, "You two are guests, how can I let you cook? I can do it myself, and I can cook faster by myself."
After some tug-of-war, the two of them ultimately gave up and watched Chu Fang busily working at the stove.
He Yi leaned against the doorway: "Handsome Chu, do you cook often?"
"Just call me Chu Fang." He said while cooking, "I cook whenever I have free time, it's a habit."
Chu's mother instilled in him the idea that people should learn to cook for themselves, not for the sake of those so-called "words to win over a partner," but to please themselves.
Food is essential for human survival; no one in the world can live without it, and to live without it is to die.
Turning the food we depend on for survival into a delicious dish not only fills our stomachs but also brings us joy.
This is extremely rare.
"What are you doing right now?" He Yi asked, craning her neck.
"Cold preserved egg salad." Chu Fang made way for the other person to see, and explained, "I don't know if you know what preserved eggs are. Preserved eggs utilize the property of eggs to gel in an alkaline solution, turning them into an elastic solid..."
Zhong Tingyue watched Chu Fang work, blinking her eyes, while Chu Fang's voice rang in her ears: "The so-called cold preserved egg dish is to peel the preserved egg, cut it into equal parts, then chop the cilantro, chili and garlic, add the chopped garlic to a bowl to make a sauce, mix it well and pour it into the bowl, then put the preserved egg into the bowl and stir it evenly."
He poured the sauce over the dish, and the cold preserved egg salad instantly looked appetizing. He placed it in front of the two of them and nodded: "Try it."
He Yi gracefully picked up a pair of chopsticks, picked up a piece, put it in her mouth, raised her eyebrows, and gave a thumbs up: "Delicious!"
Chu Fang smiled.
As a chef, seeing diners enjoy their meal makes him happy too. He then gestured to Zhong Tingyue with his plate, and she picked up a piece, chewing it carefully: "It's not fishy, not astringent, and has no alkaline taste. The preserved egg is of very good quality."
"I will eat it."
The quality of the preserved eggs is paramount when making cold preserved egg salad, and his preserved eggs are quite expensive, reportedly selected from countless superior ones.
He sells one for tens of yuan.
In a short while, the remaining two dishes were ready: stir-fried beef with cilantro and a classic, home-style tomato and egg soup.
The four dishes and one soup laid out on the table resembled a vibrant painting.
He Yi took out her phone and snapped a bunch of photos, then exclaimed, "Thank you so much for your hospitality, Mr. Chu! You're absolutely amazing!"
Chu Fang wiped the water off his hands, turned down the air conditioning in the house a few degrees, and the three of them sat down together.
He Yi put down her phone, picked up the bottle of red wine, and gestured to Chu Fang: "Want some? Don't worry, it's very low in alcohol."
"Don't worry, he can drink more than you," Zhong Tingyue reminded her best friend.
She watched as Chu Fang drank until he got the rich woman, Boss Huang, completely drunk. After they finished drinking, Chu Fang showed no signs of being drunk. His walking posture and appearance were exactly like an ordinary person. At that time, he even had the brains to extort three things from her.
The more I think about it, the more I feel like I've lost out.
If I had known, bringing a male model might have been just as good as winning over that Mr. Huang.
He Yi said, "Wow, that's a huge amount."
Chu Fang smiled slightly: "You can only drink a little bit."
"A tiny bit, right?"
“... ..."
This was a perfect family dinner.
Perhaps because they were all young, or perhaps due to the effects of alcohol and food, the three of them got to know each other, reducing the feeling of unfamiliarity.
It took two whole hours to eat.
During this time, He Yi and Chu Fang chatted for most of the time, asking each other about everyday matters and giving each other a chance to get to know each other.
Chu Fang learned from He Yi that He Yi and Zhong Tingyue were not only roommates, but also college roommates, and the two were definitely best friends.
From childhood to adulthood, Zhong Tingyue had never had a boyfriend, even though she had many admirers pursuing her in college. Many rich second-generation men drove luxury cars and promised her a life of wealth and luxury, but none of them won her heart.
He has remained single ever since.
"As expected, my guess was right," Chu Fang thought. "Money won't win Zhong Tingyue's heart. I'll have to put in some effort to win her over."
Zhong Tingyue listened to the two gossiping about her, without refuting them, or perhaps it would have been pointless to refute them, and rolled her eyes at them.
He Yi happened to catch that eye roll and said, "Don't let her cold demeanor fool you, she's actually a 'closet pervert,' who knows, she might be really craving a man. I think it's good that you two try being together. You may be indifferent to each other, but love is something that grows over time."
He paused for a moment, then clapped his hands: "I think it's a good idea!"
Happiness came so quickly? ... Chu Fang was completely dumbfounded.
Zhong Tingyue's lips twitched slightly: "You've had too much to drink."
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