Chapter 48: Surprise, surprise, double surprise. The surprise is me, the joy is you. ...
"Sister Min, that was a close call! Leon suddenly stopped and asked me where I was. It scared me!"
After hanging up the phone, Bai Ying let out a long sigh.
Acting has always been her weak point, and Qin Yonglian almost saw through her clues during the video call just now.
"Hmm, the more normal your tone, the less likely the other person will notice anything unusual. Even if they do, speak slowly. Practice a few more times and you'll get used to it."
Min Jie shared her experience as a veteran, "Practice makes perfect. My husband is still often surprised by my surprises."
Surprise? Surprise?
Yes! That’s right!
The girl worked overtime to complete her heavy academic workload and quietly flew to Shenyang, just to prepare a well-intentioned surprise for her boyfriend.
"By the way, why haven't you left yet?"
There was a hint of disgust in the old lady's tone. The two of them glanced at the young man with curly chestnut hair who was playing with his mobile phone on the sofa, and the atmosphere suddenly became a little subtle.
"Madam, I'm Haozi! Your beloved, all-in-one, double-sided, luxurious boy!" Feeling the meaningful gaze, Su Jiahao immediately assumed the air of a movie star. "I'll be waiting for you two distinguished guests here."
"Your acting skills are better than Jiajia's. You should ask her to arrange a role for you." Sister Min's face was serious, but there was a smile in her voice.
"No no no, ma'am, I have to politely decline your kind invitation. I can't adjust my schedule at the moment because I am currently Miss Min's personal bodyguard and local guide." Su Jiahao stood up and pretended to straighten his clothes.
Bai Ying held her chin with both hands and smiled, revealing a row of small white teeth, and watched with great interest the old and the young acting online anytime and anywhere.
They ran into each other at the airport. Min Jie was traveling with her older sister, while she was in Shenyang on a business trip, and they happened to have booked the same flight. As soon as they met, they excitedly hugged each other on the spot.
As for this Senior Su who appeared out of nowhere...
Meeting Bai Ying's questioning gaze, Su Jiahao coughed lightly and said, "My eldest brother is a representative of outstanding young entrepreneurs in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. He was invited here to attend the annual Industrial Economic Summit Forum."
Bai hummed a sound, then slowly formed a question mark, with two large characters written on his face: [What about you?]
"I have to escort Sister Min and also serve as an interpreter for my eldest brother."
"translate?"
"The Russian Ministry of Commerce also sent trade representatives to the meeting. I helped my brother translate into Russian."
"Huh? You can actually speak Russian?"
Because her grandfather studied in the former Soviet Union and speaks fluent Russian, Bai Ying has a natural affinity for people who speak Russian.
"Ahem, the whole sentence just now should be: I'll contact Leon on behalf of my brother and ask him to help translate the Russian."
Su Jiahao remained calm and said, "In short, I help big brother translate Russian."
Bai Ying: Huh? That reason is too...
"Yingying," Sister Min hugged Baiying and gave her a look that meant only understanding and no further questions. "Our translator Su is very busy, so please don't ask any more questions."
Bai Ying tried to hold back her laughter. The drop of sweat on someone's forehead was about to drip down from her eyebrow onto her face.
call!
It was really stressful. Su Jiahao raised his hand to wipe away the sweat on his head.
He just came to follow up on the news interview of Hong Kong Financial Channel. After all, his family owns a few percentage points of shares in the local TV station.
As a shareholder, he has an obligation and a responsibility to care about the company and its employees.
Sister Min came here purely for sightseeing, and there were group activities in the daily schedule. Seeing that the old lady was properly arranged, Su Jiahao felt relieved to leave with Bai Ying.
As he walked into the elevator, Senior Su's tense shoulders relaxed and his eyes fell directly on the girl's lonely backpack. Only then did he realize that she might have come here without telling Qin Yonglian.
"Junior, didn't you tell Leon that you would be coming to Shenyang? We are staying at his hotel, maybe we can run into him as soon as we get out of the elevator."
"Hey, keep it a secret for me. Leon's been really busy lately, so I didn't tell him because I didn't want to distract him. Actually, I just need to show up at the right time and give him a double surprise."
"Double surprise?" Su Jiahao blinked.
Bai Ying held up two fingers, made a victory sign in the air, and said with a smile, "Yes, one is me, and one is you. What a rare opportunity."
Su Jiahao couldn't help but imagine the scene. It was rare to see Qin Yonglian frightened.
So Senior Su leaned back and joined in the laughter, "That's right, but... the surprise was me, and the joy was you."
*** ***
"Bai Ying!"
A call from the heart, sonorous and powerful, like a sharp blade cutting through the air covering the entire street.
Qin Yonglian and Zhen Yan stopped at the same time and looked at each other quickly.
This time the source of the sound was right in front of them. A young man in a black jacket was jogging after several figures at the end of the road.
In the distance, there was a row of silhouettes that were obviously men, like young poplars standing upright in the wind, totally out of place with the petite and delicate girl.
Before Zhen Yan could react, Qin Yonglian had already followed with his long legs and big strides.
I chased them all the way to the street corner, where the young men I had met earlier had already gotten into a dark green jeep with a license plate that had the word "Military" on it.
As if sensing Qin Yonglian's inquiring gaze, the last young man to get on the bus turned around and looked at him deeply.
His brows and eyes, like a leopard ready to be released from its cage, were cold and sharp. Even in plain clothes, his straight back and sharp movements made Qin Yonglian judge him to be a specially trained military personnel.
Sparks flew between the two of them in mid-air, inadvertently revealing a tense atmosphere.
Qin Yonglian stopped and put away his relaxed expression, indicating that he had no other intentions.
The young man in plain clothes then lowered his eyes slightly and got into the car quickly and nimbly.
"Leon?"
Zhen Yan caught up with Qin Yonglian, followed his gaze, and asked, "Is he someone you know?"
"No." The man shook his head. "Forget it, let's go and have dinner."
AH Hotel is located in the bustling city center, with countless snack shops along the way.
Plaques with the names of various dishes can be seen everywhere on the road: Bean Cake, Northeastern Braised Pork Ribs, Farmer's One-Pot Dishes... They are all in view and very down-to-earth.
"Let's have some hot pot dumplings again." After looking around, Zhen Yan made the decision.
Qin Yonglian slowly raised his head and looked at his teammates, his face expressionless.
"What's wrong? Is my stewed winter melon not good enough?"
"Straighten your tongue when you speak!" Qin Yonglian held his forehead.
"Since you are absent-minded, I am helping you put your soul back into your body." Zhen Yan shrugged and said proudly.
Qin Yonglian kept thinking about the face he had just seen, and felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. It even looked very much like the heroic Bai Ying.
He had a vague suspicion in his mind, but he felt it was unlikely.
When they arrived at the restaurant, it was dinner time and hunger was taking hold in their stomach. Zhen Yan ordered two meat dishes, one vegetable dish and a soup, which were generous in portion. The inexplicable depression he had just felt was swept away and Qin Yonglian enjoyed the meal very much.
No wonder people say that the daily life of ordinary people is the most soothing to the human heart. Food is the magic weapon that heals everything.
He had been in Northeast China for nearly two months, and this wasn't his first time eating sweet and sour pork. Bai Ying had taken him there before when they were in Hong Kong.
Guo Bao Rou (Pork in Pot) is made from pork tenderloin and was created during the Guangxu period. It's deep-fried twice, instantly setting the meat in high heat. Deep-fried once to cook through, then browned twice, the dish is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. While seemingly simple to prepare, it's a dish that demands precise cooking and sauce preparation.
The sour and sweet taste was extremely vivid, just like the lively girlfriend in his memory.
"Is this restaurant old-school or new-school?" Qin Yonglian asked.
Zhen Yan was puzzled and made a gesture of "please enlighten me".
"The difference between sweet and sour pork can be found in the sauce. The old school uses white vinegar, while the new school uses tomato sauce."
Qin Yonglian curled his lips and repeated Bai Ying's words word for word, "Of course, it also has something to do with regional tastes and habits. White vinegar is commonly used in Heilongjiang, while tomato sauce is more common in Liaoning."
"When it comes to classification, it reminds me of the four major colleges in Hogwarts."
Zhenyan is also a senior gourmet. After listening to Qin Yonglian's narration about the long history and taste evolution of sweet and sour pork, he was very interested.
"I definitely belong in Gryffindor, but you, well, even the Sorting Hat can't tell me apart."
"I remember the motto of Hogwarts is: Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus* (Do not disturb the sleeping dragon)." Qin Yonglian raised his eyes slightly.
"So what?"
While Director Zhen was distracted, Qin Yonglian quickly picked up his chopsticks, picked up the last piece of sweet and sour pork on the plate, and deliberately circled it in front of him before leisurely eating it into his mouth.
"It's nothing, I just told you." Qin Yonglian slowly wiped his lips with a tissue to hide his smile.
"You are indeed practicing black magic!" Zhen Yan, who was not satisfied, pinched his eyebrows and hummed softly.
It is obviously Qin Yonglian who talks more and eats more. How hateful!
*** ***
On the other side, Bai Ying and Su Jiahao had a pleasant dinner in the hotel's Chinese restaurant.
She received a picture of dinner from Qin Yonglian and learned that he and Zhenyan went to a nearby street shop to eat sweet and sour pork.
Adhering to the eternal rule of the underworld that "there is darkness under the lamp", she took Su Jiahao to the Chinese restaurant where she would be most likely to expose her position.
"The chef here is a representative of the new generation of local chefs. His unique cooking style perfectly combines tradition and modernity. The utensils we use for eating are also famous works of art that combine bark painting and root carving."
"Not only does she know the chef's name, she even knows every corner of her boyfriend's hotel restaurant." Su Jiahao once again looked at Bai Ying with admiration.
After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Is this all that's required in a relationship? Knowing everything about the other person like the back of your hand."
Bai Ying didn't understand the senior's question and tilted her head: "Huh?"
The long, shiny black braid hung in the air. The girl tied the braid into a bun and easily rolled it into her hair without using a hairpin.
"It means knowing yourself and knowing your enemy?" Su Jiahao tried hard to search for adjectives in his mind.
Perhaps he just didn't know his aunt's third cousin's neighbor's sister well enough, which is why there has been no qualitative breakthrough in their relationship so far.
Bai Ying realized it and smiled, "The operational vehicle for my project this time is the kitchen of AH's hotels. You could say that all of AH's current chefs and their signature dishes around the world are in my mental library."
"Hey! I didn't expect Leon to be so good at dating!"
Senior Su nodded, looking thoughtful, and secretly took note in his mind: [As a qualified boyfriend, I must provide my girlfriend with all the support and help I can!]
After thinking for a moment, he sighed softly and continued to add notes: [The most important prerequisite is: become her boyfriend first!]
The two came out of the Chinese restaurant and walked back to the hotel lobby.
The lobby of AH was rebuilt from the former prince's palace. It is exquisite and elegant. The designer retained the Manchu Taiwanese architectural style to the greatest extent possible.
The house faces south and when you enter the vast courtyard from the gate, you will be greeted by a stone screen wall with a heavy sense of history. It takes two hundred meters to walk to the lobby.
The sky gradually darkened, and the lights in the yard were well arranged, with clear lighting and bright vision under the night sky.
Qin Yonglian raised his mobile phone and took a picture of the full moon in the sky.
"Bai Ying!" Zhen Yan beside him suddenly spoke.
Qin Yonglian was stunned for a moment, then raised his eyebrows and walked forward.
"Zhenyan, have you heard of the Chinese fable about Wang Erxiao herding sheep? He was bored, so he pretended to cry wolf to attract attention."
Zhen Yan shook his head, "Leon, the wolf is really coming!"
"Bai Ying!"
This time it was the girl's clear voice calling out. Qin Yonglian's heart skipped a beat and he slammed to a stop.
There was a restless "dong dong" sound in the chest, and blood suddenly rushed from the heart to every part of the body, and the whole person seemed to be revived instantly.
The man turned around suddenly, his face full of disbelief. The girlfriend he had been thinking about day and night was right in front of him, suddenly entering his field of vision.
Their eyes met, and the world stopped for a moment as they stared at each other.
The girl quickly smiled like a flower, swept across his excited heartstrings, and ran towards him.
Qin Yonglian was so overjoyed that he could not remain calm. He opened his arms to embrace Bai Ying, but he saw Bai Ying turn her toes and just passed him and headed straight for the person behind him, another man!
Onlookers Zhen Yan and Su Jia Hao:???
Qin Yonglian froze completely:???
Bai Ying had already run up to the young man and gave him a warm hug. The man was tall, but his face was hidden behind the light.
The hug lasted for less than three seconds, and soon Bai Ying turned around and struggled hard. It turned out that her arms were twisted by the man.
"Hey! Stop fighting!" Zhen Yan shouted in a mixture of Chinese and English: "No!!!"
Su Jiahao rubbed his eyes, feeling very confused. The plot was developing too fast and he hadn't caught up with the pace yet. What happened again?
Qin Yonglian reacted the fastest. With a step of his long legs, before he reached them, he saw Bai Ying's figure rising into the air, drawing a perfect semi-arc in the air.
The girl's newly tied bun came loose, and the long braid swept across the young man's face, revealing a stern expression.
It was the man that Qin Yonglian and Zhenyan had met on the street in the evening.
The young man ignored them, glanced at everyone indifferently, then lifted Bai Ying easily above his head and threw her to the ground with force!
-----------------------
The author has something to say: [Notes]
①This sentence comes from the work of writer Wang Zengqi.
② Regarding Guobao, oh no, it’s Guobaorou, the cooking method and distribution information come from the Internet.
③Gryffindor is Harry Potter's home. True Gryffindors are brave, just, and full of adventure in their lives, always pursuing truth. I'd love to breathe in the positive energy of the Lion House.
④The motto of Hogwarts comes from the Harry Potter series of novels written by JK Rowling.
[Breaking News: President Qin and Director Zhen were also huge Harry Potter fans back then.]
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