Hearing Qiao An's nonsense about kissing and first kisses, Du Xiaoruo's cheeks quickly flushed red, her face full of bewilderment. She whispered "I'm sorry" to Qiao An, and then hurriedly ran back to her bedroom.
Back in her room, her heart was still pounding. She reached out and touched her burning cheeks, wondering why she was so nervous.
In her previous life, Du Xiaoruo was exhausted from making a living. Although she had never been in a relationship, she was still a relatively open-minded person. After all, she had lived in a romantic city like France for more than ten years. In terms of sex, she was always very open-minded. She believed that it was a natural behavior between people in love and there was nothing shameful about it.
No girl is immune to spring fever. Du Xiaoruo had even imagined kissing her lover, envisioning it as a French kiss filled with pink bubbles. But in reality, it was a forceful kiss reeking of alcohol.
Du Xiaoruo was very confident in her strength when it came to the matter of forcibly kissing Qiao An, so it was highly unlikely that Qiao An was lying.
Du Xiaoruo automatically imagined the scene from last night: Qiao An, who was over 1.8 meters tall, was pinned against the wall, looking weak, helpless, and pitiful, while she herself was like a thirsty, scumbag woman who kissed her but refused to take responsibility.
If the roles were reversed, and Qiao An were a poor young man, she could toss him a card, give him a cold, indifferent look, and utter a sarcastic remark from her thin lips.
"Man, is it too much to ask for a kiss from you for a million dollars?"
But the current situation is that Qiao An is the domineering CEO, while I am the penniless guy. Reality is much crueler than fiction.
Wait, wait.
Du Xiaoruo slapped her forehead and realized she had overlooked something: Qiao An was 27 years old and his son was 9 years old. He said this was his first kiss?
You big liar!
No, no, there are also cases where they only have sex and don't kiss. It's also possible that the virginity is gone, but the first kiss is still there.
This whole thing has become a tangled mess, the more you think about it, the worse it gets. Du Xiaoruo, in a fit of despair, lay back on the bed, thinking, "I'm a terrible woman, I kissed him, who cares?"
Two knocks came from outside the door. Xiaoruo, who had just been acting all high and mighty, immediately sat up, blushing as she smoothed the stray hairs at her temples. She ran barefoot over and carefully opened the door.
Qiao An looked at her messy, bird's-nest-like hair, and the smile in her eyes deepened.
"Secretary Kim brought Lele and the others back."
Du Xiaoruo's tense nerves relaxed instantly. Lele and Xiaoshu were back, and with two more children in the house, the atmosphere wouldn't be so awkward.
"Mom, I'm home."
"Mom, Xiaoshu is back too."
The two children greeted Du Xiaoruo through the door and then quickly ran back to the living room, urging Secretary Jin to install the motion-sensing game console for them.
After Lele and the others returned, the camera crew that had been filming them also returned, and the staff turned on the home security cameras.
In the live stream room,
Wow, I haven't seen my wife for a whole day and night! I miss her so much, waaaaah~~~
My wife is still in bed. She's such a lucky woman. Even though Mr. Ha has finished exercising and started working, she's still lazing in bed.
Last night, Xiaoruo and Boss Ha went to a bar and were even photographed. They probably stayed out quite late.
[Sigh, I worried for nothing. I thought Du Tiancheng's matter would affect Xiaoruo's mood, and I worried all night. Turns out she went to a bar with her husband to have fun.]
After washing up, Du Xiaoruo changed into a set of light purple knitted loungewear. Du Xiaoruo had never seen these clothes before. Every now and then, a stylist would come over to update the clothes in the walk-in closet, so new clothes would appear unexpectedly from time to time.
The clothes were a loose and relaxed design with a low neckline. Since she had no plans to go out today, Du Xiaoruo didn't wear any jewelry, revealing a section of her smooth and slender neck.
As soon as Du Xiaoruo stepped out of the room, she was startled by the scene before her.
The entrance hallway and the carpet in front of the sofa in the living room were piled with bags of toys. Lele and Xiaoshu sat cross-legged on the carpet, eagerly waiting for Secretary Jin to install their new game console.
"Mom," Lele turned around and greeted her, "Aunt Xia bought us lots of toys."
At Xia Qingye's request, Lele has now started calling Xia Qingye "Auntie Xia" instead of "Auntie".
"So many?"
Du Xiaoruo walked over and sat down next to them, casually picking up an unopened drone. Just by looking at the packaging, she knew it must be very expensive.
Xia Qing is spoiling the kids way too much.
Just then, the doorbell rang again. Lele got up from the floor, first standing on tiptoe to look through the peephole, then turning back to ask Du Xiaoruo,
"Mom, it's the deliveryman, can you open the door?"
Who ordered the delivery?
Du Xiaoruo instantly became alert. Too many things had happened recently, and everyone was on high alert after Qiao Qingchuan's home invasion and murder.
Joan had already reached the door, pressed the conversation button on the door lock, and exchanged a few words with the other party.
"These are things that your Aunt Xia bought for you."
Qiao An opened the door, and the deliveryman brought in several more large boxes. Du Xiaoruo glanced at them and saw that they contained building blocks, remote control cars, Transformers, and other toys that boys like to play with.
Just as Du Xiaoruo was wondering if Xia Qingye was planning to move the toy store back, her phone rang.
Upon checking the phone, I saw it was Xia Qingye.
Du Xiaoruo pressed the speakerphone button, placed the phone on the coffee table, and Xia Qing's enthusiastic voice came through the speaker.
"Xiaoruo, have you received the toys? My parents bought them. Older people just spoil kids, there's nothing we can do about it."
Xiaoruo waved to Lele and Xiaoshu, "Come over here and thank Auntie."
Qiao An closed the door and saw the packages scattered on the floor. Then she noticed Du Xiaoruo's smooth nape and suddenly remembered that she hadn't given her the pearl necklace she bought at Xia's Jewelry Store.
There have been so many things to do these past few days that Qiao An completely forgot about this matter.
But where did the necklace go?
Joan remembered that the necklace was in the pocket of his suit jacket. He went into the dressing room, opened the cabinet where the suits were stored, and saw a row of suits of different colors and designs neatly arranged inside. He looked through them twice, but couldn't find the suit he had worn that day.
The home stylist comes over regularly to organize the wardrobe, and clothes that need cleaning are sent to the dry cleaners. Since the clothes are missing, they must have been sent to the dry cleaners.
Joanne walked out of the dressing room and said to Secretary Jin, who was playing a motion-sensing game with Lele and the others.
“Jin, I have a baroque pearl necklace in the pocket of a coat I wore last week. You can check with the stylist at home to see if it was sent to the dry cleaners along with the necklace.”
"good."
Secretary Kim gave a perfunctory reply, then excitedly told Lele, "Crouch down, crouch down! The enemy is firing at us! Quick, crouch down!"
Joanne stood behind the sofa and said again,
"The jewelry for the new product launch is provided by Xia's. Go to Xia's Jewelry brand department this afternoon to coordinate with Yu Pan and have him select the jewelry we need, and then submit a unified report to me for approval."
"Using Xia's jewelry?" Secretary Jin squatted down, turning to look at Qiao An. "Did Xia's agree?"
Qiao An rubbed her forehead, wondering how she could have hired such an idiot.
His tone was impatient and sarcastic.
"The Xia family did not agree to lend the jewelry. I wanted you to rob them and then swagger back and display the stolen goods at the press conference."
Secretary Kim was left speechless by his retort.
The live stream chat was filled with laughter.
[Hahaha, Ha is such a sarcastic person, always spouting sarcastic remarks.]
Am I the only one who thinks Secretary Kim deserved it? He was playing games while the boss was talking to him.
[Actually, although Boss Ha seems sarcastic on the surface, he really dotes on Secretary Kim and the others. He doesn't say much when he sees them playing games. If he were my boss, I'd be fired tomorrow for entering the company with my left foot first.]
Xiaoruo and her family have a good relationship with Xia Qing. I love seeing them being so affectionate and helping each other; it's so heartwarming.
After having breakfast at home, Qiao An and Secretary Jin went to the company together, leaving Du Xiaoruo and the two little ones at home.
Du Xiaoruo asked the two children if they wanted to go out today. The two little ones shook their heads in unison, looking at the unopened toys scattered all over the floor. Home was paradise for them.
The children didn't want to go out, so Du Xiaoruo was happy to relax, snuggling into the sofa with her phone, ready to find a movie to watch.
As soon as I turned on my phone, I received a message from Director Kang in the group chat.
[Guests of the second season of Beibei Restaurant, your beloved Kangda has sent a friendly reminder: filming for the next phase begins tomorrow. Please gather at the entrance of Chenxiang Apartment at 8:00 AM.]
Xia Qingye, [Who is Kang Da Baobei?]
Mu Hua, [A 200+ pound beauty in her forties? Director Kang, you're going too far.]
Upon seeing this message, Du Xiaoruo suddenly remembered that today was the last day of recording at home, and tomorrow she would have to go back to the restaurant to suffer. This week at home had gone by so fast.
Just as I was thinking this, the doorbell rang again.
Xiao Shu was squatting by the door playing with his Transformers when he heard the noise. He stood up and walked to the door. He hadn't forgotten what his father, Mr. Ha, had taught him: to look through the peephole to see who was outside and only open the door after confirming it was safe.
But Xiao Shu is very short, and even when she stands on tiptoe, she can't reach the cat's eye.
When Lele saw the little book trying to jump upwards, she quickly put down the drone she was playing with, ran to the gate, picked up the little book from behind, and tried her best to push it upwards.
Although Xiao Shu is young, he is quite strong. It was very difficult for Lele to carry him. Because of the force, Lele's face turned red.
Seeing these two idiots' incredibly clever actions in the live stream, I couldn't stop laughing.
[Lele, is it that your eyesight isn't very good? Can't you just look for yourself?]
Haha, how hilarious!
Kids are really weird.
After seeing who was outside the door, Xiao Shu said to Lele, "Brother, put me down. It's someone we know in our family."
Du Xiaoruo asked, "Xiaoshu, who is that?"
Xiao Shu opened the door and called out, "Hello, Uncle Mu Hua." Then she turned around, her round little belly puffing out, and replied to Du Xiaoruo.
"Mom, Uncle Mu is here."
Mu Hua stood outside the door, his hands full of colorful bags of local specialties, looking travel-worn and exasperated.
[Hahaha, Uncle Mu Hua is here!]
Hello Uncle Muhua, goodbye Uncle Muhua, I, Xiaoshu, am going to stay at Mama Ruo's house from now on and never leave.
After putting down his things and exchanging a few pleasantries with Du Xiaoruo, Mu Hua prepared to take the small book with him.
Xiao Shu clung to the table leg under the restaurant counter, refusing to leave no matter what, crying so pitifully that he hadn't even cried like that when his father passed away. In the end, Mu Hua forcibly pulled him up and took him away.
The next morning at eight o'clock, the guests of Beibei Restaurant gathered at the entrance of the apartment. They hadn't gotten together for a week, and they greeted each other after meeting.
Mu Hua brought back some local specialties from his business trip and distributed them to everyone as soon as they met. Ni An didn't have to take care of the kids and went surfing at the beach during his vacation. His originally fair face was now at least three shades darker from the sun, and he was immediately surrounded and teased by everyone as soon as he appeared.
After everyone had gathered, a van with the "Beibei Restaurant" cartoon logo pulled up in front of them. The driver handed the keys to Mu Hua and reminded her,
"Teacher Mu Hua, the navigation system in the car has already set the destination. Please follow the navigation to reach Bei Bei Restaurant."
Mu Hua took the car keys. "What? The restaurant moved?"
The show's driver and guests were old acquaintances; they smiled and waved, signaling to the director not to speak, and then ran off.
The previous season of Beibei Restaurant did not feature the concept of changing restaurants midway, which piqued the interest of viewers in the live stream.
Once inside the van, Mu Hua glanced at the address on the navigation app, a sense of foreboding washing over her. She muttered to herself...
"How could it be so remote?"
Ni An sat in the passenger seat and glanced at the navigation.
"Silver vine?"
Xiaoruo sat behind Ni'an and overheard their conversation. She felt that the place name "Yinge" sounded familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had heard it before. She tried to think for a while, but gave up after ten minutes. She really didn't like to use her brain.
It took the nanny van more than an hour to reach the address on the navigation. Mu Hua woke up the others who were already asleep in the car and gestured for them to look out the window.
Everyone stared out the window with sleepy eyes, stunned by the beautiful scenery before them.
Before your eyes lies a vast expanse of azure lake, like a sapphire adorning the green grass. Sunlight spills across the lake's surface, as if setting a layer of diamonds on the sapphire. Even more amazing is that amidst this picturesque scenery, several swans frolic in the shallow water.
A corridor stretched all the way to the center of the lake, and the group followed the corridor to a small island in the center.
The island is so small that there is only one building on the entire island. The building is a completely transparent cube, and the shimmering lake water is reflected on the glass, making it look like a giant light blue crystal jelly.
Not only were the guests stunned, but the viewers in the live stream were also in an uproar.
[Oh my god, is this a new restaurant? It's so beautiful! The production team really went all out this time.]
[Is there such a beautiful place in Wencheng? How come I didn't know?]
[This is a property of the Jinchan Group. This newly developed area was kept under wraps until now, and this is the first time it has been revealed to the public. As expected of a Jinchan product, it's absolutely stunning.]
[Golden Cicada? Isn't that Kim Hee-jin's maternal home?]
[While it's said to be her maternal family, Jin Chan's current boss, Jin Jin, has clarified that she has no connection with the Qiao family.]
[Heh, Qiao Qingchuan is utterly rotten. I heard he was arrested and forced into drug rehabilitation. Jin Jin, to protect Jinchan's stock price, of course wouldn't associate with such scum.]
Although the guests were all wealthy and influential, they had rarely seen such breathtaking scenery. They felt like they were visiting a grand garden, and formed a temporary senior citizen tour group, constantly praising the beauty along the way.
The Water Cube-shaped building has a small garden in front of it. To blend in with the surrounding scenery, the garden is filled with poppies with translucent petals, and several sets of outdoor coffee tables and chairs are arranged in a staggered manner among the flowers.
The interior of the cube-shaped space is decorated in a very simple way. In the center of the square is a Western-style kitchen with all glass walls, surrounded by pure white dining tables and chairs. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows is a stunning view of blue water, blue sky, and white swans.
The restaurant has a very high ceiling, nearly eight meters high, with countless crystal chandeliers hanging from the gray ceiling. When Mu Hua turns on the switch, the crystal chandeliers light up, making it a beautiful sight even during the day.
Amidst gasps of amazement, Director Kang, who had remained silent until now, appeared on camera with a beaming smile.
"Welcome everyone to the recording site of the third stage of the second season of Beibei Restaurant. I am the program's director, Kang Gaofei."
Mu Hua joked, "Director Kang, tell me the truth, has our program found a sugar daddy? This restaurant is too arrogant."
It was meant as a joke, but unexpectedly, Director Kang nodded with a smile.
"As you all know, we will have a special guest appearing at this stage. This guest is quite important, can you guess who it is?"
How could anyone guess that?
Mu Hua continued to tease, "Judging from this, you didn't invite Jin Jin here, did you?"
Upon hearing Mu Hua's words, Director Kang's smile grew even more enigmatic. "You're half right."
This time the hint is quite obvious. The guest should be a member of the Jin family. Based on the analysis of the current members of the Jin family, it is impossible for 60-year-old Jin Jin to bring his nearly 30-year-old son to participate in the children's variety show. It can only be Jin Jin's son or daughter-in-law who will be on the show.
Director Kang smiled and took two steps back.
"Please welcome our guest stars for this season, Ms. Fan Yingjiao and her 3-year-old son, Jin Xingming."
The guests looked at each other, somewhat surprised, but still had to show proper etiquette. Mu Hua led the applause.
However, Xia Qing's smile remained forced throughout the entire conversation after hearing Fan Yingjiao's name. It wasn't that she had any past grudges with Fan Yingjiao; she simply disliked Jin Xizhen and therefore equally loathed everyone associated with her.
Amidst the sparse applause, the sound of high heels could be heard outside.
A woman wearing a tight-fitting lace fishtail dress and a bright red wide-brimmed hat walked into view. Her back was straight, her proud chin was slightly raised, and her exquisitely made-up face carried the disdain and aloofness often found on the upper class.
In the live stream room,
[Is Fan Yingjiao's chin so prominent that she can't lower it? She looks like a fortress wherever she goes.]
To be honest, I don't like Fan Yingjiao much. She's incompetent and loves to show off, always trying to portray herself as a queen.
But she has the qualities; not just anyone can be Jin Jin's daughter-in-law.
[Holy crap, isn't Fan Yingjiao Xiyou's daughter? Is she after Xiaoruo? If she dares to bully my wife, I'll go to Xiyou's official website and wreak havoc, damn it.]
[Calm down upstairs, hahaha, they haven't even done anything yet, and you've already imagined a palace intrigue drama.]
Fan Yingjiao curled her lips into a smile, nodded slightly to everyone, and spoke in a voice so sweet it was almost cloying.
"Hello everyone, I am Fan Yingjiao. You can call me Jiaojiao or Jiao'er."
Then she pulled out a big-eyed little boy with a bowl cut, wearing a suit and bow tie, from behind her.
"This is my son, Jin Xingming, who is three years old this year."
"Welcome, welcome."
Mu Hua stepped forward first, wanting to shake her hand, but then felt it was impolite to shake hands with a lady first. He kept saying "Welcome" to express his attitude as the store manager. He couldn't possibly bully a newcomer.
Apart from Mu Hua, the others didn't react much to Fan Yingjiao's appearance; they all stood blankly to the side.
Director Kang awkwardly rubbed his hands.
"Now that the guest stars have arrived, let me explain the third phase of the mission."
"In the third stage of the show's recording, please earn 500,000 yuan in revenue within a month. The ultimate reward is that the production team will donate a library to the Wencheng City Orphanage in the name of Beibei Restaurant Season 2."
After Director Kang announced the task, Xiao Shu raised her chubby little arms and asked in her childish voice,
"Where is our bed? I'm sleepy."
Director Kang affectionately tapped Xiao Shu's chubby cheek.
"All you do is eat and sleep. This time, our dormitories will need to be found by the guests themselves based on clues. The clues are hidden on this island. Have fun, everyone."
History always repeats itself.
Last time, when everyone returned from Guishan at noon, during the hottest part of the day, the shameless director demanded that they bring their families along to search for clues about the dormitories.
Fortunately, it was General Ha who saved everyone last time.
Mu Hua glanced at the scorching sun outside. Today's weather was even hotter than the day he returned from Guishan. The outdoor temperature was at least 30 degrees Celsius. In order to ensure an open view, there was nothing to cover the island. Going out to look for clues would be like being roasted alive.
"How about we call my dad and ask him?"
Xiao Shu naturally suggested that, after all, it was always their father, Mr. Ha, who saved them from dire straits.
Faced with Xiao Shu's outrageous suggestion, Mu Hua actually nodded and took out his phone to call Qiao An.
In the live stream room,
Hahaha, I'm so miserable, what kind of friends are these?!
[Boss Ha: That's going too far. I've saved you guys once or twice, and now you're really treating me like a cheat code?]
After Qiao An answered the phone, Mu Hua briefly explained the situation, but the other party remained silent.
After a long pause, Qiao An blurted out, "Are you crazy? How am I supposed to know where your dorm is?"
Then he hung up the phone without hesitation.
Mu Hua shrugged. "Then let's find it ourselves."
It was incredibly hot outside. Xia Qing glanced at the blazing sun and suggested...
"Why don't we drink some water and rest for a bit before going out? We don't want to get heatstroke."
"Yes, yes, yes."
Mu Hua agreed to Xia Qingye's suggestion, and everyone gradually sat down to rest on the dining chairs next to the French windows.
Du Xiaoruo was already quite familiar with everyone at the restaurant and had finally managed to get along with them comfortably. But today, with the sudden addition of Fan Yingjiao, Du Xiaoruo started to experience some social anxiety.
She deliberately found a seat far away from Fan Yingjiao.
But Fan Yingjiao seemed to be deliberately picking a fight. After Du Xiaoruo sat down, she brought her water glass and sat down next to her.
With her red nail polish tapping on the crystal glass a few times, Fan Yingjiao wore a polite but insincere smile, her chin held high as if looking down on someone.
"I've seen you make ice cream; it's quite good for an amateur baker."
Du Xiaoruo nodded, turned her head and pretended to admire the scenery outside the window. On the surface, she was calm and composed, but in her heart, she had already begun to shed tears. "Big sister, I don't want to chat. Please shut up!"
But it seemed like Fan Yingjiao was deliberately targeting her. Seeing that the other woman clearly didn't want to talk, she continued in a condescending tone.
“We’re quite destined to meet. My family owns a grapefruit chain, you should know that, right? It’s a very famous national chain dessert shop. I myself graduated from Ferrandi, and I can teach you some professional dessert knowledge.”
"Uh-huh."
Du Xiaoruo picked up her water glass and took a sip of ice water. She was so embarrassed that she didn't know where to look. Why hadn't Mu Hua and Xia Qing come to rescue her yet?
Seeing that Du Xiaoruo's attitude was rather perfunctory, Fan Yingjiao felt even more eager to show off.
“This restaurant was a gift that my father-in-law, Jin Jin, prepared for me. He originally wanted me to open a high-end private dessert shop here, but my husband felt that running a dessert shop was too hard and kept preventing me from going out to work. I’m so distressed.”
The live stream chat has already started swearing.
[Damn it, this was a really good show, and the guests were all so easygoing and lovely, how did this piece of junk end up?]
Some people would die if they didn't boast a little.
Although Fan Yingjiao is quite vain, you can't say she's bragging; she's just telling the truth—her family background is indeed good.
Just then, Mu Hua's phone rang again. He glanced at the caller ID.
Joan?
Could it be that the cheater has really found their dorm again?
Mu Hua quickly answered the phone.
"Turn on speakerphone," Qiao An said crisply.
Mu Hua put the phone on speakerphone.
Joan's signature sarcastic tone emanated from the speaker.
"Fan Yingjiao, stop being so smug. Your husband won't let you go out to work? Are you being held captive? Should I call the police for you?"
Fan Yingjiao was completely stunned by the scolding. She had no idea that such a thing was possible, and that someone would specifically call to berate her?
Mu Hua and Xia Qing were almost bursting with suppressed laughter, and even the usually easygoing Ni An was trembling with laughter.
Joanne continued to mutter and curse.
"Can't you tell my wife doesn't want to talk to you? You'd better not mess with her. If you're really bored, just shake your head and listen to the water."
Mu Hua was so frustrated he was about to burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.
"I'm hanging up." Qiao An seemed relieved and was finally about to hang up.
He paused, then added,
"There's only one residential area in Yingge. Just call the property management and you'll know where the dorms are. Use your brains when you do things. Surely one of you out of the nine of you has a brain, right?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
