Chapter 6 Maintenance
If the servant hadn't come looking for them, the two could have chatted for another half hour.
When I entered, the room was just filled with people taking their seats. The Tan Family Restaurant was very large and had a purely Chinese style.
Lin Zaoyi stopped at an appropriate distance, bowed slightly to the elders, and greeted them in turn.
Grandpa Tan nodded, "Ming girl, don't be shy, sit down and eat."
Mingxian: "..."
I wanted to remind them, but I felt it was unnecessary.
Why argue with an old person?
But Lin Zaoyi didn't want to let it go. She walked to her seat, but didn't sit down immediately. She politely corrected him, "Grandpa Tan, my surname is Lin."
The old man said nonchalantly, "It doesn't matter, the surname Lin or Ming is fine, if all else fails, we can even change it to Tan."
I think it's feasible.
"I think we should change our approach to negotiation."
It might be an immense honor for others, because the surname 'Tan' is something that can be used with impunity in northern Beijing.
But Lin Zaoyi doesn't need it.
She maintained a flawless smile as much as possible, "Thank you, Grandpa Tan. I like the surname Lin."
Neither his attitude nor his tone was impeccable, yet the old man frowned, his gaze fixed straight at him, his cloudy pupils revealing a hint of dissatisfaction.
Lin Zaoyi greeted him with neither arrogance nor servility.
She was afraid, but she hadn't done anything wrong. Her father had cherished her for 18 years. Could he really just take away her surname with a single, casual remark?
The old man suddenly smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, sending chills down one's spine.
The atmosphere around them gradually grew tense.
The second branch of the Tan family couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. She looked so weak and frail, but who knew she was so stubborn? If she didn't want to change, she didn't have to. They could just coax her a few words.
The second wife noticed that her son was about to get up and help, so she quickly grabbed him and gave him a warning look to stop.
Mingxian stood up, and Tan's father followed suit. Just as he was about to smooth things over, Zhaojing spoke up: "Grandpa, Lin is fine, there's no need to change it."
Mingxian looked over in surprise, not expecting Zhaojing to speak up for her daughter, even when the old man was angry.
Zhao Jing has a lot of influence. The old man's originally angry expression softened a bit. "If she doesn't want to change it, then she doesn't want to change it. Let this girl be."
After they sat down, Tan's father patted his son on the shoulder and said, "Not bad, you have the responsibility of an older brother."
Tan Zhaojing didn't say anything, but just tugged at the corner of his lips.
Tan You gave Zao Yi a thumbs-up from outside her grandfather's sight. Lin Zao Yi understood the meaning of the gesture: it wasn't praising her for being brave, but rather insulting her for being awesome.
It can only be said that she wasn't talking about family, so she didn't have that much fear.
He squinted and gave a fake smile.
Tan You returned a genuine smile.
Feeling a little guilty for not being fair earlier, I deliberately half-stood up and picked up a piece of almond cake for her plate, saying, "Don't let its plain appearance fool you, it tastes pretty good."
Lin Zaoyi wasn't hungry; she hadn't finished digesting the bowl of noodles yet. But it wouldn't be right to just sit there without chopsticks, so she took a small bite. Just as Tan You had described, it was delicious.
Before she knew it, she had finished the whole thing.
Then, less than half a minute later, Tan You put another piece on her plate.
With everyone at the table, she lowered her voice and said, "You eat your food, don't mind me."
Tan You didn't take his words to heart. When he put the food in her bowl again, he felt a gaze on him.
Without bias, it was my cousin sitting across from me; his eyes and brows seemed colder than before.
Confused, he blinked and asked, "What's wrong, bro?"
The voice, slightly cold, hit her ear: "Eat your food."
"?"
He was eating.
What's going on with this weird behavior?
There were three almond cakes left, and Tan You, seizing the opportunity, picked up two of them and put them into Zao Yi's bowl.
Lin Zaoyi really thanked him.
She didn't eat any dishes at the meal, but she was already full from the pastries alone. Not wanting to leave any uneaten, she simply stuffed them all into her stomach. However, Tan You thought she liked them, and even as she was about to put down her chopsticks, he put the last piece into her bowl.
"..."
This is going to overfeed her.
The old man wiped his mouth with a tissue, and before getting up, he glanced at the stubborn girl who was burying her head in her food. The kitchen had specially prepared almond cake for him, but he only ate one piece, and the rest went into her stomach.
He glanced over, a half-smile playing on his lips, and said, "That Ming—"
I almost called it wrong again.
"Lin girl."
The moment the old man spoke, Lin Zaoyi raised her head and said, "Grandpa Tan, please speak."
"Would you like the kitchen to pack one for you to take home?"
She wasn't sure if she was just imagining things, but she felt there was a hint of sarcasm in his words. She pursed her lips and said, "No need, thank you, Grandpa Tan."
Grandpa Tan stood up, leaning on his cane, and waved his hand in the air. "I'm tired. Please make yourselves at home."
As soon as the old man disappeared, Tan Jiani said, "Lin Zaoyi, I really admire you. Didn't you notice—"
"Jiani," her brother's voice interrupted her, "Are you full?"
"..."
Are you implying that she has nothing to do?
Tan You then realized what was happening and clicked his tongue, "Jiani, I've noticed you're becoming less and less adorable lately."
Tan Jiani chuckled. One by one, they were all catching her talking about it, and she couldn't tell who was closer.
Lin Zaoyi was completely confused and didn't bother to ask further questions, since Tan Jiani had disliked her for quite some time.
I took a sip of water and swallowed the last bit of almond cake in my mouth.
I'm too full, I need to walk a bit.
A figure approached her. She turned around, and Tan Jiani stopped in front of her, her voice not loud, "Lin Zaoyi, has anyone said you're pretentious?"
How was she supposed to respond to that?
He chuckled. "Playing the innocent or the fool?"
Tan Jiani smirked, "I'm too lazy to argue with you."
Lin Zaoyi: ?
She didn't make a fuss.
Tan Jiani walked towards her brother and asked, "Are you free this afternoon? Sister Yuan Lai organized a gathering and asked me to ask if you're available."
Tan Zhaojing: "I have other matters to attend to."
Tan Jiani guessed that her brother was afraid of making a fuss, so she passed by her cousin and asked, "Are you going? Duan Lin and the others are there, do you want to come along?"
Tan You wasn't interested at the moment and waved his hand.
Duan Lin...
Lin Zaoyi was interested in this person and wanted an exclusive interview with him.
It's okay, his secretary will probably give me a reply on Monday.
"Xiao Zaoyi," Tan You beckoned to her, "let's continue our conversation."
"To the pavilion?"
"Can."
The two had just turned around when they were called back, but it was Tan You who was called.
Tan You stopped and turned around. "Brother, is something wrong?"
Tan Zhaojing sat in a single sofa, his voice steady, "Come here and talk."
"Okay."
Tan You felt a mixture of respect and slight fear towards his cousin. Aside from being four years older, his decisive and efficient methods left him no choice but to submit.
I sat down opposite him. "What do you want?"
Tan Zhaojing slightly raised his eyelids, casually resting his arm on the armrest, "Busy lately?"
Tan You was somewhat flattered. "No, is there any work scheduled?"
Tan's cousin, Xingyao Media, is not directly in charge of the company. He is now the person in charge of the entire group, so he doesn't have to worry about trivial matters like assigning work.
They might show some concern out of consideration for that blood relation.
Then I heard my cousin say, "No."
"...Then why did you look for me?"
"It's okay, let's chat."
Tan You: "?"
Okay, let's talk then.
He waited for more than a minute without saying a word, and to make matters worse, he started looking at his phone. I couldn't see his screen from the distance, but I guessed he was browsing emails.
Feeling bored, he said, "Brother, why don't you go ahead and do your work?"
"Not busy." Tan Zhaojing locked the screen and looked over. "I heard you've been making headlines a lot lately with a female celebrity. Have you confirmed your relationship?"
Tan You: "Huh???"
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