Jincheng Garden
Cheng Yu picked up a piece of braised pork with chopsticks and put it in her, with a desperate expression on her face. Xia Ningmi was standing next to her. Her mood had become very bad because of this dish, but nothing could be seen mouth mouth.
The next moment, Cheng Yu frowned slightly: "President, you put too much dark soy sauce, the meat has a strong dark soy flavor."
These past few days, Cheng Yu has been like a guinea pig, trying out Xia Ningmi's braised pork with preserved vegetables every day. She is almost ptsd to this dish and feels like vomiting when she smells it. Yet she can still give suggestions under such circumstances. She feels it would be unacceptable if she is not named the best employee this year.
When Cheng Yu first learned that Xia Ning wanted to learn how to cook pork with preserved vegetables, she admired Du Yuanzhe. But after being a guinea pig for a few days, she only felt sympathy for herself.
Xia Ningmi frowned: "The dosage is not clearly stated in the online tutorial."
In the past few days, while learning how to make pork with preserved vegetables, "a little" and "appropriate amount" have become the words Xia Ningmi hates the most.
Cheng Yu walked into the kitchen, took a look, picked up a small spoon and said, "Dark soy sauce is only used for coloring. It's okay to put less. Just put half a spoon when you make it."
Xia Ningmi wrote down the dosage.
Cheng Yu breathed a sigh of relief, finally no longer having to suffer.
Xia Ningmi looked at the wasted food in the trash can and decided never to cook again. She would rather work overtime in the office than step into the kitchen.
......
The agreed day came in a blink of an eye
At 5:30 in the afternoon, Xia Ningmi returned to Huahu Apartment after getting off work.
Du Yuanzhe pointed to the kitchen and said, "I have prepared all the ingredients."
Xia Ning walked into the kitchen and saw pickled mustard greens and a large piece of pork belly on the chopping board. She soaked the pickled mustard greens first according to what she had practiced a few days ago. Her previous experience told her that if the pickled mustard greens were not soaked properly, the taste of the pork belly would be seriously affected.
Next, Xia Ningmi did not turn on the fire to cook the meat, but left the kitchen and returned to her room.
Du Yuanzhe looked at her in confusion as she went upstairs.
After a while, she came downstairs with something, which was... a small electronic scale.
Puff——
Du Yuanzhe couldn't help laughing out loud: "Boss Xia is really talented."
Xia Ningmi ignored him with an indifferent expression and returned to the kitchen to begin weighing the things she would need in a methodical manner. She weighed the pork belly first, and then matched the dosage of other things according to the weight of the pork belly.
The first thing she weighed was peanut oil.
Du Yuanzhe was amazed. It was the first time he saw someone weighing oil before cooking.
She didn't even know how much oil to put in. How can this pork with preserved vegetables be edible?
Xia Ningmi weighed the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, cooking wine and other seasonings in turn. She weighed all the things she needed in one go and put them aside for later use.
It was only then that Xia Ningmi started to cook. She had obviously memorized the recipe for Braised Pork with Preserved Vegetables and followed the tutorial step by step without any unnecessary movements.
Du Yuanzhe watched her wipe off the moisture on the cooked meat bit by bit, leaving no area untouched. He guessed that she must have been splashed with oil, perhaps more than once.
People who have just started cooking will basically encounter this problem, and Du Yuanzhe has been splashed with oil many times.
Xia Ning lit a pan and heated the oil. She took a deep breath and slowly put the pork belly into the pan. She stepped back subconsciously and waited until there was no mess in the pan before she stepped forward to fry the pork belly. She took it out when it was golden brown and then moved on to the next step...
Half an hour later
Xia Ningmi placed a plate of braised pork with preserved vegetables that looked barely presentable in front of Du Yuanzhe.
Du Yuanzhe watched the entire cooking process and confirmed that this was not a weird dish, so he picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth with confidence.
The taste is average, not good nor bad.
Du Yuanzhe said, "It's hard for President Xia."
Xia Ningmi said calmly: "I have done what I promised."
Du Yuanzhe gestured, "Mr. Xia, don't you want to eat?"
Xia Ning didn't even look at the pork with preserved vegetables on the table: "I don't like it."
She has been dealing with pork belly these days and she doesn't want to eat any dishes with pork belly as an ingredient recently.
Du Yuanzhe stood up and said, "Then I'll go cook now."
Xia Ningmi stopped him: "I've already ordered takeout. Since you like preserved vegetable and pork, then eat it all."
Du Yuanzhe looked at the plate of pork with preserved vegetables, which barely had a good appearance and aroma, and said bitterly, "I want to eat takeout, too."
Xia Ningmi looked at him coldly: "Because of this dish, I have been busy for a week. Do you know how much time I wasted?"
Du Yuanzhe sat up straight immediately: "I will finish it!"
But he still ordered himself a bowl of noodles. He couldn't just eat the vegetables without any preparation.
Xia Ningmi ordered takeout from the hotel for herself, a portion of rice and a portion of sweet and sour fish. The aroma wafted out as soon as she opened the takeout box.
Du Yuanzhe secretly swallowed his saliva and continued to eat the pork with preserved vegetables reluctantly.
[From now on, I can no longer let Xia Ning learn how to cook. In the end, I will be the only one who suffers.]
The two people sat opposite each other, but the dishes they ate were completely different.
Du Yuanzhe didn't want to be tempted by the smell of fish, so he started the conversation and asked, "Boss Xia, do you still want to know about the future?"
Xia Ning raised her eyes to look at him.
Du Yuanzhe said: "I can tell you, but I need to ask you something first. I hope you can answer truthfully."
If he wants to change his fate, he can't do it alone. Xia Ningmi is a good partner, not to mention it's related to herself.
Xia Ningmi retracted her gaze and said, "You say."
Du Yuanzhe asked, "I know that Mr. Jiang and your grandfather have verbally agreed on your marriage with Jiang Chelin. You two are a couple who are only one step away from getting officially engaged. But why don't you like Jiang Chelin?"
[According to the novel, the female supporting character Xia Ningmi is cold and indifferent, and Jiang Chelin is the only person she cares about. But now it is obviously inconsistent with the plot of the novel.]
Xia Ning asked back: "Why should I like him?"
Du Yuanzhe said: "From what I know, he showed up when you were most helpless and brought you warmth, and you fell in love with him because of that."
Helpless?
Xia Ningmi said calmly, "The first time I met Jiang Chelin was at my grandfather's birthday party. At that time, my mother and Zhou Heng were divorced, and she left me to my grandfather. I did feel helpless because of the unfamiliar environment, but it was not the most helpless compared to what I had experienced before."
"As for giving me warmth, that's nonsense. Jiang Chelin only said one sentence to me."
Du Yuanzhe immediately asked: "What?"
Xia Ningmi said, "Because we are of similar age, Old Jiang always asked him to look after me. Jiang Chelin had already made an appointment with his friends to go out and play, but he didn't want to take me with him, so he threatened me, saying, 'If you dare to complain to my grandfather, I won't let you go.'"
"Do you think this is warm?"
Du Yuanzhe was dumbfounded.
This plot is too biased.
System, what is going on?
Sizzle, sizzle——
Xia Ningmi heard the crackling sound again, and she suspected that Du Yuanzhe had a bigger secret.
Without getting a response from the system, Du Yuanzhe could only think for himself and said, "Falling in love with Jiang Chelin was the beginning of your misfortune, but now that you don't like Jiang Chelin, maybe your future has already changed."
"Or maybe you will like Jiang Chelin in the future?"
Xia Ningmi asked him: "Why does liking Jiang Chelin make me unhappy?"
Du Yuanzhe said: "Jiang Chelin only likes Wei Lingling, and you will do something bad to Wei Lingling because you can't get her. Jiang Chelin will deal with you because of this, and then Xia's company will be bankrupted by him."
"Xia's bankruptcy is my future?"
"right."
"That's all?"
Du Yuanzhe hesitated for a moment and then nodded: "What do you mean by only this? Isn't it serious enough? If Xia's company goes bankrupt, you will be left with nothing."
[Death is too scary, so don't tell her]
"Even if Xia's company really goes bankrupt, I won't be left with nothing. I won't be unable to transfer my assets."
[You are dead, how can you transfer your property?]
Xia Ningmi lowered her eyes. As expected, she died before the Xia family went bankrupt.
"Since you're going to say it, don't hide it."
Du Yuanzhe's face froze, and he asked unnaturally, "What does President Xia mean?"
Xia Ningmi said: "In the future you see, I have nothing, but I know very well that this is even more impossible than the Xia family going bankrupt, unless I can do nothing at that time."
"Vegetative? Or dead?"
Du Yuanzhe sighed: "Don't be so smart, please!"
"Which one?"
Du Yuanzhe couldn't bear it: "The most serious one."
Xia Ningmi deliberately misunderstood: "It turns out he is a vegetable."
Du Yuanzhe raised his head suddenly: "How can being in a vegetative state be more serious than being dead?"
Xia Ningmi said calmly, "Xia's bankrupt, they definitely don't have the money to treat me, it would be better if I died."
Du Yuanzhe looked at her expression, his eyes still calm, and asked in confusion: "After hearing the news in person, President Xia didn't feel anything at all?"
Xia Ningmi shook her head: "It's just something that didn't happen. Who can be sure that it will happen?"
Du Yuanzhe smiled bitterly: "Mr. Xia's psychological quality is much better than mine."
Xia Ningmi continued to ask: "Was my death an accident or man-made?"
"It was probably an accident. You were hit by a large truck on your way home from work. The truck driver later admitted that he was driving under the influence of alcohol."
Xia Ningmi disagrees with this statement: "It is not difficult to make a person confess willingly."
"What do you mean?" Du Yuanzhe's pupils shrank, but he immediately shook his head: "Impossible, if it was really man-made, why didn't the author of the novel write it?"
Xia Ningmi said coldly, "What if Jiang Chelin did it? Everyone has a bias. The author is partial to the hero of the novel, so of course he won't let him bear the blame. It's more appropriate to deal with it vaguely."
Du Yuanzhe felt a chill in his heart: "This is murder, how could Jiang Chelin be so bold?"
Xia Ningmi said, "This is not just murder, it also involves the Xia family. Many people are willing to take risks for the sake of profit. Moreover, if Jiang Chelin takes action, he will definitely make it perfect. As long as the truck driver refuses to give in, he will be invincible."
Du Yuanzhe frowned: "But Jiang Chelin already has Jiang."
Xia Ning looked at him: "If there is a chance, I will create all conditions to annex the Jiang family."
Du Yuanzhe looked at her: "Including murder?"
Xia Ningmi shook her head: "Not included. The country is much stronger than we think. No crime can be tolerated."
Du Yuanzhe heaved a sigh of relief. He really didn't want Xia Ningmi to be an unscrupulous person. He said, "So, there are indeed many things in the novel that are not true. We can't believe everything in the book."
"But..."
Xia Ningmi, who had just felt a chill all over her body, suddenly calmed down and said, "All the speculations just now are the most extreme possibilities. With Jiang Chelin's arrogance, it is unlikely that he would use such a despicable method."
Du Yuanzhe was stunned.
[I was already suspecting that you were going to take the initiative, but now you say it's unlikely. Are you kidding me?]
Xia Ningmi said, "But my suspicion that the novelist might have blurred some things remains unchanged. The plot you saw is not necessarily the truth."
This is the point she wanted to make!
Du Yuanzhe nodded in agreement.
The topic became serious at this point, and the two put the dishes in the dishwasher and returned to the living room.
Du Yuanzhe wanted to ease the tension and suggested, "How about playing a game?"
They haven't played games together since he came back.
Xia Ningmi nodded.
The two played games for several hours in a row, and only went back to their rooms to rest when they felt tired.
......
Xingcheng
As soon as Du Yuanzhe and Xiaopang walked out of the airport, they saw the program crew's car.
"Teacher Du, I'm here to pick you up and take you to the hotel. We'll officially start recording tomorrow."
Du Yuanzhe nodded: "Thank you for your help."
The hotel was booked by the program team, and Du Yuanzhe and Xiaopang's rooms were opposite each other.
Du Yuanzhe put down his luggage, walked around the room and said, "The production team is quite generous."
Xiaopang said, "This variety show has a very novel content and has caused a huge response since it was first aired. The production team must have received a lot of advertising cooperation. If they have money, they can be generous."
"Brother Zhe, the show has four regular guests. Jin Hao is the host, responsible for comedy and warming up the audience. Wang Tianjing is straightforward and outspoken. He often said the wrong things and offended people when he participated in the show before. This show is mainly about acting. Wang Tianjing has gained a lot of popularity because of his good acting. Hou Yu and Lin Bin are both idol actors. They have the worst acting skills, but they have the most fans. They are open in the show and know how to respect their predecessors. The evaluation is not bad."
"The focus of the role-playing game is to find clues to perfect your own role, and at the same time, you have to analyze the character's behavior habits and possible connections with other characters. The guests will focus on playing the game and looking for clues, and basically there will be no intrigues to steal the spotlight."
Du Yuanzhe watched two episodes of the show before coming and got to know the four regular guests. The stars go on variety shows not only to make money but also to increase their fame, and those who have a bit of brains will not expose their shortcomings under the camera.
Of course, those weirdos who think they are normal don’t count.
That night, the variety show director gathered everyone together for dinner to get familiar with each other in advance.
Since filming "The Legend of Yun Lan", Du Yuanzhe has become a well-known figure in the circle. Many people have heard of him but do not know him. Among the four regular guests, only Jin Hao knows him. This is because Jin Hao is the host and is accustomed to knowing the hot people and things in the entertainment industry.
At the dinner table, Du Yuanzhe met another guest, Ming Zhanshu, who was also an actor like him, but a veteran actor who debuted more than ten years earlier than Du Yuanzhe. His luck was just not so good and he never got the chance to be the lead actor. In the entertainment industry, he was known as the "golden supporting actor."
No conversation all night
At five o'clock the next morning, there was a knock on Du Yuanzhe's door, and then someone walked in before Du Yuanzhe could open the door.
Du Yuanzhe was startled when he noticed the movement and sat up, only to see a man standing at the head of the bed, holding a camera and filming him.
Du Yuanzhe breathed a sigh of relief: "We have to shoot so early?"
The photographer said, "Teacher Du, the director wants you to gather downstairs now."
Du Yuanzhe checked his phone and saw that it was only five o'clock. No wonder he always heard that filming a reality show must be very tiring. He could tell from the time he woke up.
After a quick wash in the bathroom, Du Yuanzhe changed his clothes and went downstairs to the lobby. After everyone arrived, the director team said, "All guests, please draw your role cards."
This was a routine on the show, and Du Yuanzhe was no stranger to it. He followed the crowd and drew a card.
[The only son of the county magistrate: He is engaged to the daughter of a groom, well-read in poetry, gentle and refined, has passed the imperial examination and is determined to get his name on the list of successful candidates]
"You guys make trouble!"
Du Yuanzhe had just finished reading the character card when he heard a resentful voice.
Jin Hao was holding the character card with a look of devastation on his face, and a few people came over to take a look out of curiosity.
[Wife of the County Magistrate: Gentle and virtuous, gentle and kind, in charge of the family's financial affairs, has an only son whom she dotes on]
Puff——
"Hahahaha~ Madam County Magistrate"
"Brother Hao, no, Mrs. Jin, what an impressive identity."
"I can't even imagine how Hao, with his loud and rough voice, can act gentle and virtuous."
Du Yuanzhe quickly got into character and bowed, saying, "Greetings to mother."
Everyone burst into laughter again.
Jin Hao gritted his teeth and said, "I seriously suspect that the program team is retaliating against me."
The show crew immediately denied the allegations: "We let everyone draw the cards in a fair and just manner. There is absolutely no manipulation involved."
Du Yuanzhe was laughing when he suddenly thought of something and asked hurriedly, "Who among you is my fiancée?"
Jin Hao's eyes lit up when he heard that, and he looked at Wang Tianjing and other male guests hopefully. It would be best if someone could accompany him in such an unfortunate event.
Wang Tianjing was the first to show his character card: "It's not me who disappointed Brother Hao."
[County magistrate: a seventh-rank official who is the parent of the people, fair and honest, upright and impartial]
Hou Yu stood up and said, "I'm sorry to disappoint Brother Hao."
[The daughter of a man who has been raised: well-educated and well-mannered, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and engaged to the only son of the county magistrate]
Du Yuanzhe breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't want to pretend to be affectionate in front of a man.
Jin Hao looked at the production team again with a resentful look in his eyes: "You said it wasn't revenge, but my character is the most outrageous."
Ming Zhanshu plays the teacher of the county magistrate's only son, while Lin Bin plays Ming Zhanshu's former student who also passed the imperial examination and has a secret crush on Hou Yu.
After looking around like this, it is indeed Jin Hao who is the most outrageous.
The production team had not expected such a card draw result, which made them suspect that they had manipulated the situation. Fearing that they would be beaten by Jin Hao, they immediately said, "All guests, please change your clothes and gather at the filming location later."
Du Yuanzhe followed the staff to the dressing room. He sat in front of the dressing table and watched the makeup artist put a wig on him. He sighed in his heart because he had just taken off the wig and put it on again not long ago.
One hour later
Du Yuanzhe, dressed in a white scholar's suit, took the program crew's car to the center of the quaint town. There was not a single modern element in this town, and the people coming and going in it were all dressed in ancient costumes. He inexplicably felt like he had traveled through time again.
After a while, everyone arrived and burst into laughter again when they saw Jin Hao wearing women's clothes and with exaggerated blush on his face.
Jin Hao's face was frozen. He felt that today might be the day he would be crowned the worst in his history of being blackmailed. He didn't want to be laughed at any more, so he immediately changed the subject and asked, "Tian Jing, why are you green-hatted?"
Only then did everyone notice that Wang Tianjing's clothes, from his official hat to his official uniform, were all green.
Wang Tianjing knew he would be discovered, so he said helplessly, "The program team said that in ancient times, officials of the seventh rank wore green official robes."
Several people didn't know much about history, so Lin Bin laughed and said, "So, in ancient times, officials of the seventh rank all wore green hats?"
Mingzhan wrote: "In ancient times, the green hat may have no other meaning."
Wang Tianjing immediately agreed: "That must be the case. The ancients were not stupid. Nowadays, everyone is playing a role. Don't say anything that is not in line with your status."
Ming Zhanshu said: "Not everyone's clothes are weird, just look at Yuanzhe and Xiaobin, they look very handsome."
Du Yuanzhe and Lin Bin were both wearing ancient Hanfu, but Lin Bin's was moon white. The two of them standing there, one handsome and the other delicate, were a pleasure to look at.
Jin Hao did not forget to cue Hou Yu and said with a smile: "Xiaoyu's apricot-yellow dress looks great too. I remember that Xiaoyu and Yuanzhe are engaged. They are indeed a perfect match, and their parents' orders are reliable."
Hou Yu lowered his head and said nothing.
The others all laughed when they saw the two of them, except Lin Bin, who had a weird look on his face. Before this, the program crew had been hyping up the pairing of him and Hou Yu.
Du Yuanzhe really dislikes this kind of pairing-up behavior on variety shows, but he can't break up the couples himself, so he can only pretend he didn't hear it.
The program crew said at the right time: "Everyone can go find clues about their own roles."
The filming officially began, everyone stopped joking and went to look for clues separately.
Du Yuanzhe knew that he had to play games if he wanted to find clues, but everything here was ancient costumes and there was not a single modern element, which meant that the games in this show all existed in ancient times.
Thinking of this, Du Yuanzhe saw a casino not far ahead and walked in without hesitation.
The casino boy asked, "Sir, would you like to play a round?"
Du Yuanzhe asked, "If I win the bet, what will be the reward?"
"It is what you want most."
It’s true!
This is a game point.
Du Yuanzhe walked to the gambling table and sat down, saying, "How do we bet?"
"Roll the dice to bet on the big or small, best of three. You have three chances, young master."
That means he can play a total of nine games.
Du Yuanzhe nodded in understanding: "Let's get started."
As soon as he finished speaking, the other person shook the dice vigorously for ten seconds before stopping: "Please guess, sir."
Du Yuanzhe pricked up his ears and listened carefully but could not make out anything. He obviously had no talent for hearing and could only rely on luck: "Big!"
One, two, three, little!
He is not lucky.
The second game continued and Du Yuanzhe still lost.
Du Yuanzhe said: "Just start over again."
Having already lost two games, there is no point in guessing the third game.
Du Yuanzhe stared at the dice cup, trying hard to catch the signal of the dice flipping, but it was useless. He only guessed correctly in the first round and lost the next two rounds again.
Du Yuanzhe lost confidence. Can he really win this game? The program crew is making things difficult for him.
Third chance
Du Yuanzhe said casually: "Big!"
Four, five, six, big!
Win the first game!
He had lost the excitement of winning the first time, and continued to guess: "It's still big!"
The person opposite opens the cup:
Four, five, five, big!
Du Yuanzhe was confused: "Is this a win?"
The servant at the side handed over an envelope: "Congratulations, sir."
Du Yuanzhe walked out of the casino with the envelope in his hand, and said meaningfully, "Casinos are a place where good and bad people mix together. There are countless people who steal and cheat. It's better not to come to such places in the future."
If the production team hadn't cheated in the previous bet, he would have dared to eat the envelope.
Rubbish program team, playing with my mentality!
Anyway, he finally got the clue. Du Yuanzhe opened the envelope:
[You have seen your mother and husband quarreling before, and the quarrel was particularly fierce. That was the first time you saw your gentle mother get so angry.]
Du Yuanzhe was thoughtful. This news seemed to confirm some of his guesses.
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