Chapter 21 [Two-in-One] Gouwa is Sister Feifei...
Having an overly outstanding older brother is both a blessing and a curse.
The good fortune all belongs to his parents; the misfortune all belongs to Zhou Mingye. :)
Because he had never won against Zhou Shilin since childhood, Zhou Mingye rarely competed with him anymore. Anyway, there are many people in this world who are not as good as Zhou Shilin, so what difference does it make if there is one more Zhou Mingye?
But seeing Zhou Shilin today stirred up that long-dormant competitive spirit once again.
Zhou Mingye subconsciously straightened his back and even raised his hand to tidy his bangs: "Yeah, you came so early today?"
"I just happened to come over to discuss something with Dad."
"Wow," Zhou Mingye exclaimed in surprise, "You actually consult with him? Aren't you the one who calls the shots in the company?"
Zhou Shilin glanced at him and slowly said, "After all, he is still the chairman in name only."
“…Heh.” Zhou Mingye walked up the steps and “accidentally” bumped into Zhou Shilin as he entered the room.
Zhou Shilin raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at Tian Xu, who hadn't left yet: "What did he just say to you?"
“Uh…” Tian Xu hesitated to speak, but he always told Zhou Shilin the truth. “He asked me if I liked agarwood.”
The question came as a complete surprise, but Zhou Shilin didn't show much surprise on his face: "What did you say?"
"Of course I'm saying you definitely don't like... right?" Tian Xu said, sounding less confident.
Zhou Shilin straightened up slightly and said to Tian Xu, "You can go first."
"...Yes, President." Tian Xu did not linger at the Zhou family's house and left quickly.
He was afraid that if he walked too slowly, he would actually hear the president say that he liked porcelain.
After Tian Xu left, Zhou Shilin also entered the house. Zhou Mingye was sitting on the sofa eating fruit. When he saw him come over, he seemed to hesitate for a moment, and finally stood up as if he had made up his mind and said, "Um, I have something to tell you. Come with me for a moment."
He didn't wait for Zhou Shilin's reply before walking upstairs. Zhou Shilin stood there for two seconds and looked at him before following him.
Zhou Mingye called Zhou Shilin to his room and even locked the door. Zhou Shilin glanced at him locking the door, then slowly walked to the sofa and sat down: "What is it? Speak."
There was a small sofa in Zhou Mingye's room, just big enough for one person. It was currently occupied by Zhou Shilin, so Zhou Mingye had to pull over a chair from the table and sit down opposite him: "There's something I want to tell you."
"Oh, I'm all ears."
Even though Zhou Shilin was sitting in a lower position, his aura was overwhelming. Zhou Mingye hesitated for two seconds, then blurted out, "I think I've fallen for Chen Ci."
After saying this, he stared intently at Zhou Shilin's expression, trying to discern any clues from his face.
Unfortunately, Zhou Shilin didn't even raise an eyebrow, calmly looking at him and asking, "Are you sure you've fallen for Chen Ci?"
This question left Zhou Mingye bewildered: "...What do you mean?"
Who else could he like if not agarwood?
Zhou Shilin's expression finally changed a little, but based on Zhou Mingye's understanding of him, this change was a mockery.
"Didn't you know she was a twin?"
Zhou Mingye: "…………"
He didn't know! Nobody ever told him!
He was stunned for a full five seconds, thinking that Zhou Shilin was playing a trick on him: "You're lying to me, right?"
Zhou Shilin looked at him: "Don't you feel that she's different sometimes?"
Zhou Mingye opened his mouth, about to speak, when Zhou Shilin spoke up again: "Oh, you think she has a bad memory?"
Zhou Mingye: "..."
"No, wait, if she really is a twin, why didn't you tell me then??"
Zhou Shilin said, "I wasn't sure at the time either. Later, I confirmed with Mr. Wu from Pupu Paradise that she does have an older sister named Shen Feifei."
"..." This explanation sounded perfectly reasonable, but Zhou Mingye just felt that he was deliberately trying to make a fool of himself.
"So you're not kidding, she really is a twin?"
"Hmm." Zhou Shilin leaned back on the sofa and nodded slightly. "The one you met at the TV station was her older sister, Shen Feifei. The one who helped you out of a predicament and gave you merchandise was Chen Ci."
Zhou Mingye: "..."
666.
So, who is it that you actually like?
Before Zhou Mingye could recover from the twins, Zhou Shilin threw him an even bigger question. He sat in his chair, his expression shifting rapidly. After thinking for a long time, his eyes glazed over, and he said with a hint of despair, "I'm a scumbag."
He didn't even know who he liked!
He doesn't like both of them, does he?
Zhou Shilin got up from the sofa and patted his shoulder: "Let's eat first."
"..." Zhou Mingye grabbed his hand and looked up at him. "And you? Who do you like?"
Zhou Shilin didn't answer, and Zhou Mingye's gaze on him gradually turned angry and contemptuous: "You're not a scumbag too, are you?!"
Zhou Shilin: "..."
After listening outside for a while, Mrs. Zhou saw that the two of them were about to come out, so she quickly went downstairs. Mr. Zhou was already sitting at the dining table. Seeing her running over like a thief, he asked, "You really went to eavesdrop?"
"Shh, keep your voice down." Zhou's mother gestured for him to shut up, then sat down next to him. "Luckily I overheard them; they were indeed talking about girls!"
Her words piqued Zhou's father's curiosity. After all, it was hard not to be curious when two people who were completely estranged from the opposite sex were locked in a room talking about girls: "What did they say?"
Mrs. Zhou clicked her tongue and shook her head: "I didn't hear very clearly, but it seems that the two brothers have fallen for the same girl."
Mr. Zhou: "..."
The two brothers have looked alike since they were little, but they don't need to look like each other like this.
"Sigh, if that's really the case, Mingye definitely has no chance. He's never won since he was a kid."
"...You can't say that, feelings are a different matter."
As the two were talking, Zhou Shilin and Zhou Mingye came downstairs together, and Zhou's parents immediately shut up.
Zhou Mingye had just suffered a major setback, and he didn't say a word at the dinner table. His parents also didn't ask him anything, and the whole dinner was unusually quiet.
Zhou Shilin was very satisfied with the dining environment tonight.
After dinner, the driver picked up Zhou Shilin and also took Zhou Mingye back to his residence. Zhou Mingye only moved out of his family home after his debut. The Zhou family has many houses, so he doesn't have to worry about not having a place to live. However, since it was Astral's promotional period, the company arranged for them to live together in a large rented apartment for easier management.
After Zhou Mingye returned, he sat on the sofa in a daze. Jian Shu came out to get a drink and passed by Zhou Mingye, asking, "What are you doing sitting there?"
Zhou Mingye said, "There are two cakes now. They look exactly the same, but one has matcha filling and the other has strawberry filling. I'm thinking about which one I want to eat."
Jian Shu glanced at the coffee table but didn't see the cake he was talking about: "You've been choosing for so long and still can't decide, is it possible that you don't want to eat either of them?"
"..." Zhou Mingye finally moved. He slowly raised his head and looked at the brief description in front of him. "There's such an answer?"
“Of course.” Jian Shu looked around again. “So where’s the cake?”
"..." Zhou Mingye stood up from the sofa and went back to his room without saying a word.
The brief description in the living room: "..."
Ha, this is young master Shijie, even his cake has to be eaten by himself.
He took a sip of his drink and went back to his room.
After returning to his room, Zhou Mingye took a shower and couldn't help but mentally complain to Jian Shu. He was the one who said he liked Chen Ci before, and now he's the one who says he doesn't like anyone. He's said all the good and bad things by himself.
He dried his hair, picked up his phone, and sat down on the sofa. He still couldn't quite believe Zhou Shilin had told him that Shen Ci was a twin. After thinking for a while, he decided to verify it with Shen Ci herself.
Chen Ci had just finished showering and was about to watch the show when she received a message from Zhou Mingye.
Zhou Mingye: Heroine, you have an older sister named Shen Feifei?
Chen Ci: "..."
She had never told Zhou Mingye about this, just to avoid trouble, but she didn't expect him to find out anyway.
Chen Ci: Yes, actually the person you met at the TV station last time was my sister, but my sister doesn't like to interact with people, so I didn't tell you. I'm sorry.
When Zhou Mingye first learned about this, he was indeed a little angry, but then he thought that it was someone else's private matter, and it was their freedom to say or not say anything.
Zhou Mingye: It's okay, I'm just afraid my brother is lying to me... So why was it your sister who went to the TV station last time?
Chen Ci: Uh, I had acute gastroenteritis that day, it was pretty bad, so she went in my place. Don't tell anyone, okay? [crying emoji]
Zhou Mingye: ...Okay, I won't tell.
Chen Ci sent him a thank-you emoji, then ran to Zhou Shilin: "President Zhou, did you tell Zhou Mingye about Shen Feifei?"
After reading Chen Ci's message, Zhou Shilin got off the exercise equipment and picked up a towel to wipe his sweat.
Zhou Shilin: Hmm, he went to ask you?
Chenci: [Nods]
Zhou Shilin: Did he say anything else?
Chen Ci: No, but why did you suddenly bring this up with him?
Zhou Shilin: I had dinner at home today, and that's all for now.
Zhou Shilin: You don't mind, do you?
Chenci: I don't mind at all.
After all, she was the one who told the lie, but it seemed to be getting bigger and bigger, and she began to worry that she wouldn't be able to handle it.
Forget it, we'll worry about the future later.
Chen Ci: By the way, didn't I say I'd treat you to dinner? When are you free?
Zhou Shilin: You received the prize money?
Chenci: Yes!
Zhou Shilin: Then let's do it tomorrow night.
Chenci: Okay, I'll book the location and send it to you~
Zhou Shilin replied with an "okay" and stopped exercising, taking his pajamas to the bathroom.
After exchanging messages with Zhou Shilin, Chen Ci got up and went to the mirror to tell Shen Feifei, "Take President Zhou to Gouwa's place for crayfish tomorrow."
Since telling Zhou Shilin that she would treat him to dinner, Chen Ci had carefully selected several places. After all, President Zhou was a person of status, so she couldn't be too casual when treating him to dinner. Therefore, she chose restaurants with relatively nice decor, although they couldn't compare to the places where President Zhou usually ate, they were still acceptable.
The key is that every single one of them is a hidden gem of a restaurant with delicious food.
But after bumping into Gao Yang at the TV station that day, she couldn't stop worrying about him. Gao Yang was indeed a useless person; Li Linrui had even fought with him before, but who knew if he might go crazy and actually kill Li Linrui?
So after thinking about it, she felt that Shen Feifei should step in to resolve this matter.
The next day at noon, Zhou Shilin received the restaurant location from Chen Ci.
"Uncle Li's Restaurant?" Tian Xu frowned as he opened the location forwarded by Zhou Shilin. "This location seems to be near an old residential area... Miss Shen inviting their president to dinner is too casual!"
He specifically went online to check, but couldn't find any information about Uncle Li's restaurant. Sure enough, it was an unknown little restaurant.
After much deliberation, he finally couldn't resist sending a message to Chen Ci.
Tian Xu: Ms. Shen, isn't the restaurant you posted a bit too casual? You're not going to make our CEO eat at a roadside stall, are you?
Chenci: Don't worry, it's not a roadside stall! They have a shop!
Chen Ci: Their crayfish is incredibly delicious! You can only get it during these few months of summer! This kind of authentic hidden gem restaurant is hard to find unless you're a true connoisseur in City A!
Tian Xu: ...But the renovation looks a bit run-down.
Chen Ci: The restaurant's decor isn't pretty, but it's very clean! Besides, we're here for the taste, not the decor, right?
Tian Xu: "..."
Forget it, the president didn't say anything, so he doesn't deserve to have any opinions.
He sent the address to the driver and asked him to arrange the car first. After getting off work in the afternoon, he and Zhou Shilin set off for Uncle Li's restaurant, which Chen Ci had specifically requested.
It was rush hour and there was some traffic. Zhou Shilin sent a message to Chen Ci, telling her that she might be a little late.
Chen Ci replied with a voice message: "It's okay, I was also delayed by something, but I booked a table in advance, so there's no need to rush."
Upon hearing this, Tian Xu, who was sitting in the front row, couldn't help but think to himself, "This little-known restaurant actually requires reservations in advance?"
After winding around, the car finally arrived at the old neighborhood where Uncle Li's restaurant was located. City A is developing rapidly these days; Tian Xu didn't know how Chen Ci had found a restaurant hidden in such an old neighborhood. Fortunately, the streets in this neighborhood were relatively wide, allowing their car to drive in.
Following the GPS location, the driver drove the car to the outside of Uncle Li's restaurant and parked it.
A car like that driving into a neighborhood like this is bound to attract attention; almost everyone on the street is looking at them.
Tian Xu opened the car door first and got out. Everyone looked at the young man in the suit and started whispering among themselves. Under the gaze of the entire street, Tian Xu unconsciously straightened his tie, then opened the car door and invited Zhou Shilin to get out.
The moment Zhou Shilin stepped out of the car, Tian Xu was certain he heard everyone gasp.
The voices of several aunties on the roadside praising how handsome the young man was, which seemed to directly hit his eardrums.
"Are they filming a TV drama? I think only male leads on TV are this good-looking."
"What film crew would come to our old neighborhood to shoot a movie?"
"Yeah, and the male lead on that TV show you're watching isn't nearly as handsome as this guy."
Two young men came out of Uncle Li's restaurant to watch the commotion. One of them, with blond hair, said to the person next to him, "Wow, this car is so cool. Could it buy the whole street?"
The person next to Zhou Shilin stroked his chin, sizing up Zhou Shilin's car and Zhou Shilin himself: "He looks like a big boss. Is he here to acquire us?"
"What? Does that mean our area is going to be demolished? Does that mean we're going to get rich?!"
Tian Xu: "..."
You're overthinking it.
He looked around but didn't see Chen Ci. "President, Miss Chen doesn't seem to have arrived yet. Why don't you wait for her in the car?"
Zhou Shilin glanced at his watch and didn't go back to the car: "She should be here soon, let's wait here."
"But it's too hot outside." Although the sun was about to set, the air was still stuffy. He glanced at Uncle Li's restaurant across the street, and it didn't look like the restaurant had air conditioning.
He couldn't help but complain about Chen Ci again, saying that it was bad enough that he had invited their president to such a place, but he was still late.
He was about to take the umbrella out of the car to shield Zhou Shilin from the sun when he heard the sound of a motorcycle engine approaching from afar. He looked up in the direction of the sound and saw a familiar-looking large motorcycle driving up and coming to a steady stop in front of them.
Shen Feifei's boots touched the ground as she removed her helmet. A gust of wind blew by, causing her hair to flutter in the air, shimmering in the afterglow of the setting sun.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Zhou, I'm late." Shen Feifei hung her helmet on the vehicle and stepped off the motorcycle.
Zhou Shilin shook his head and looked at her, saying, "I just arrived too. Are you the only one here?"
“Uh, yes.” Shen Feifei walked over and explained to him, “Chen Ci ate a bowl of instant noodles before going to bed last night, and her stomach started to hurt in the middle of the night. She originally wanted to come and eat today, but I told her to rest at home.”
Tian Xu: "..."
Ms. Shen's stomach doesn't seem to be in good condition; perhaps she should go to the hospital to get it checked out.
"But don't worry, she made the reservation in advance, and she's paying for tonight. We can just focus on eating."
Just then, the two young men who had been watching the commotion outside ran over and greeted her warmly: "Sister Feifei, you're here!"
"Okay." Shen Feifei nodded and said to Zhou Shilin beside her, "Let's go inside first."
“Okay.” Zhou Shilin replied and walked into the store with her.
Uncle Li's restaurant wasn't very big; there were eight tables inside and several more outside, and it was already quite full of people. The restaurant's decor was ordinary, but it was fairly clean. As they walked in, the other diners all stared at them.
Golden Retriever led them to the reserved table, where a young man in a black T-shirt came out carrying a bowl of crayfish to serve the guests. Seeing Shen Feifei at the table, he called out to her with some surprise, "Sister Feifei!"
"Hmm, Gouwa, long time no see," Shen Feifei greeted him. Gouwa went to serve the guests first, then returned to greet them: "Sister Feifei, what would you like to eat?"
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Zhou Shilin again: "This... is the guest you mentioned?"
"Um."
The golden retriever next to him deliberately asked, "So what should we call him? Not brother-in-law, right?"
Tian Xu, who followed him in: "..."
Don't call me "brother-in-law" like that!
Just as he was about to explain something, Shen Feifei said, "This is President Zhou, you can just call him President Zhou."
The golden retriever and its companion exchanged a glance and shouted in unison, "Hello, Mr. Zhou!"
Tian Xu: "..."
Sometimes I really admire their CEO; he can keep his composure even in situations like this.
Shen Feifei handed the menu on the table to Zhou Shilin and said to him, "Mr. Zhou, please see what you would like to eat. Their crayfish is especially delicious. Every flavor is good. You can try them all."
Zhou Shilin glanced at the menu she handed him and ordered a little bit of every flavor of crayfish. After he finished ordering, Shen Feifei said to Gouwa, "President Zhou, please add an extra pound of each flavor you just ordered, and also bring one serving of each of our signature snacks and desserts."
"Okay, Sister Feifei."
After Tian Xu saw that they had ordered their food, he bent down and said to Zhou Shilin, "Mr. Zhou, I'll be leaving now."
When Shen Feifei heard him about to leave, she immediately called out to him, "Assistant Tian, since you're already here, let's eat together. The crayfish here is really delicious."
"No, no..."
Just as Tian Xu finished speaking, Gouwa's eyes fell on him: "If Sister Feifei tells you to eat, then you eat."
Tian Xu: "..."
"No, Mr. Gouwa..."
"Gouwa is what Sister Feifei calls me," Gouwa interrupted him. "Outside, I'm called Sangbiao."
Tian Xu: "..."
"Ahem." Shen Feifei coughed and lectured Gouwa, "Gouwa, didn't I tell you to be polite to guests?"
The golden retriever standing nearby said, "Sister Feifei, our boss is very polite now. You can ask the neighbors if you don't believe me."
A mother who brought her child to eat at the restaurant heard this and joked with a smile: "Indeed, at least my daughter doesn't cry when she sees him now, she even giggles."
Shen Feifei glanced at the little girl next to her and said, "I feel like she's giggling at President Zhou."
The little girl laughed even harder when she heard this.
Zhou Shilin coughed lightly and said to Tian Xu, "Since everyone is so enthusiastic, why don't you sit down and eat with us?"
"...Okay, President." Tian Xu sat down in the empty chair. He glanced at Shen Feifei across from him and cautiously inquired, "Sister Feifei, are these people...your underlings?"
“No,” Shen Feifei said. “Li Linrui and I came here to eat before and happened to run into them. We had a small argument, but it was resolved in the end. They are reasonable people.”
Tian Xu: "..."
You used martial arts to reason with them, didn't you?
"Then... what about Uncle Li from Uncle Li's restaurant?"
"...Uncle Li used to run this restaurant by himself, but he was too busy, and his legs weren't very good either. He was planning to quit, but by some chance, Gouwa and the others stayed to work here. Although Gouwa isn't good at studying, he's very talented in cooking. You'll know it's worth the trip once you've tasted it."
As they talked, more and more customers came to eat, and the tables and chairs outside were quickly filled. The golden retriever even started queuing up the people who came later.
Tian Xu now believes it; reservations are indeed required here.
"Sister Feifei, your snacks and desserts, and the crayfish will be ready soon." Gouwa brought up the food that Shen Feifei had ordered and then went to prepare the crayfish.
Shen Feifei placed a bowl of iced tofu pudding in front of Zhou Shilin and said to him, "Mr. Zhou, would you like some iced food?"
Uncle Li's restaurant was renovated a long time ago and doesn't have air conditioning; there are only a few electric fans whirring inside. Seeing Zhou Shilin wearing a suit, Shen Feifei guessed he must be hot: "Why don't you take your clothes off?"
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