Chapter 62 Brother-in-law [VIP]
The young man had taken a bath earlier, and even after drying himself off, he still seemed to be damp. His eyes were dark and shiny, his hair was fluffy, and his skin was full of water, making him look very healthy.
He stepped up to the man: "Have you been waiting long?"
Fu Qingyan put away his phone: "No, I just arrived."
She took two steps back, opened the passenger door with her other hand, a faint smile on her lips, and tilted her head slightly to indicate that she should get in.
He was extremely gentlemanly in every move he made.
Qingran subtly raised an eyebrow, then stepped past the man and got into the car.
Fu Qingyan closed the car door for him, walked around to the driver's seat, got in, fastened his seatbelt, started the car, and merged into traffic.
During the weekday rush hour, the roads were extremely congested, with cars lined up in long rows like ants carrying food.
The occasional sharp honking of horns outside the car window was irritating, but the atmosphere inside the car was quiet and peaceful, with a faint, ambiguous feeling emanating from it.
In the quiet, the man gripping the steering wheel asked, "What time does Qingran usually get off work?"
Qingran replied truthfully, "In the evening, it's usually eleven o'clock."
Fu Qingyan: "It's so late."
“There’s no other way,” Qingran said in a calm tone. “To support myself in a fast-paced metropolis like Yong City, I have to work hard.”
He gave a hint, and Fu Qingyan took the opportunity to ask, "Are you working hard all by yourself?"
Qingran hummed in agreement: "Sometimes when I'm free, I don't even have anyone to talk to. I think it's better to go out and make money."
"Am I not someone who can speak?" Fu Qingyan joked.
Qingran said meaningfully, "Mr. Fu is a very busy man, how could I dare to disturb him?"
"Between us, it seems like you're the one who's busy?" the man said. "Besides, if it were you, any so-called disturbance would just become a rare moment of relaxation."
Qingran: "Mr. Fu is really good with words."
Fu Qingyan: "Qingran".
Qingran raised her eyes in confusion: "Hmm?"
Fu Qingyan: "I call you by your name, but you call me Mr. Fu. Isn't that a bit too formal and polite?"
The man looked through the rearview mirror and saw Qingran lower her eyelashes as if burned by his gaze, leaving him with a fair and delicate profile.
He pursed his rosy lips: "Then what should I call you?"
"Call me by my name."
Qingran opened her mouth, and after a long while, she softly uttered two words: "Qingyan".
The young man's voice was clear and melodious, like dewdrops gathering on grass blades in the early morning, carrying a crystal-clear coolness.
Hearing this was like adding fuel to the fire for Fu Qingyan, igniting a spark that had somehow appeared in his heart.
The collar seemed a bit tight, making it hard to breathe, so the man reached up and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt.
A gaze drifted lightly to his neck, and upon noticing this subtle stare, Fu Qingyan's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
I'm very thirsty.
After passing through the most congested section of the road, the traffic became smoother, and the black car, like a galloping horse, arrived at its destination half an hour later.
It was a private kitchen that was not open to the public.
The private chef is a descendant of the imperial chefs who have prepared for state banquets. To ensure the quality of every dish, the chef only serves three tables a day, and the tables are usually booked by the wealthy elites of Yong City well in advance.
Fu Qingyan's family has a long-standing relationship with Chef Wang here, and sometimes they can come over for a meal without making a reservation.
But today's meal is different.
Led by Chef Wang's apprentice, who was acting as a waiter, the two entered a private room. The apprentice brought tea and snacks, and then took out today's menu.
The private chef's menu is not fixed and changes daily based on the ingredients.
Fu Qingyan let Qingran order first, and then poured a cup of flower tea for the two of them.
The tea served here changes with the seasons; in spring, it's mostly goji berry and chrysanthemum tea, jasmine tea, and rose tea, among others.
He picked up the clear rose tea and drank two cups in a row, attracting the attention of his apprentices who were waiting nearby.
Across from him, Qingran saw that the menu was full of fancy dish names that made it impossible to tell what the ingredients were, and there wasn't even a picture of the corresponding dish.
She pushed the menu in front of the man and said without any hesitation, "You order, I don't understand."
Fu Qingyan smiled upon hearing this, ordered several dishes enough for two people, and after his apprentice left to relay the message, he said, "I didn't understand it the first time I came, but I've understood it after a few more times."
Qingran: "When did this private kitchen open?"
Fu Qingyan thought for a moment: "Eight years ago?"
Qingran: "Did you go to university eight years ago?"
Fu Qingyan: "Second year of high school." He was seventeen that year.
Qingran nodded, picked up her teacup and took a sip: "Eight years ago, I hadn't even graduated from elementary school yet."
The lips, moistened by water, were plump and glossy, just like rose petals covered in dew.
Fu Qingyan's eyes darkened: "You don't look very old."
Qingran looked up: "I'm almost nineteen." She's an adult now.
Fu Qingyan wondered, at nineteen, an age when she should be in university, why was Qingran delivering food alone in a big city? Was it because her family was struggling financially...?
"Knock knock." There were two knocks on the door.
Fu Qingyan snapped out of his daze: "Come in."
He thought it was Chef Wang's apprentice, Xiao Wang, bringing over the dishes, but when the door opened, two unexpected faces appeared.
What are you doing here?
Chen Siqi and Jiang Ling, who had been standing upright and looking very respectable outside the door, immediately relaxed when they saw that no business was being discussed inside.
Jiang Ling was very open-minded; he betrayed Fu Qingyan as soon as he entered the door.
"You said you had something to do when we invited you to dinner, but when we arrived, Xiao Wang told us that you brought friends. Of course, we had to come and say hello to the friend who made you stand us up."
He then found a seat and sat down, glancing at Qingran, who remained silent across from him.
Upon seeing it, he immediately gasped in amazement.
Influenced by Jiang Ling's exaggerated reaction, Chen Siqi followed suit and fell silent upon seeing it.
Wait a minute, they really thought it was a friend from their circle.
But Qingran's temperament was really unlike that of people in their circle, especially her breathtakingly beautiful appearance, like the moon over a cold mountain...
"Have we met before?" Chen Siqi felt that the face looked somewhat familiar.
Qingran's eyes curved into a smile as she looked at Fu Qingyan, who had said the same thing.
His smile was faint, like a white epiphyllum quietly blooming in the night, captivating even Jiang Ling, who was lesbian, so much so that she couldn't take her eyes off him.
Grabbing Qingran's hand familiarly, he asked, "Are you a newcomer to the entertainment industry? If not, are you interested in acting at my company? I'll be your backer and guarantee you'll become a superstar within a year!"
"Oh right, my name is Jiang Ling. Starlight Entertainment is my family's company, currently managed by my older brother, but he dotes on me..."
He grabbed Qingran and kept talking, as if he wanted to introduce himself and decide on her on the spot.
Fu Qingyan's forehead twitched as he looked at it, especially the hand that was holding Qingran tightly, which was very annoying.
The moment the thought flashed through his mind, Jiang Ling, who was holding Qingran, began to examine the hand from all angles.
Wow, your skin is so smooth, it feels like a peeled egg. There's a saying, "so delicate it could be broken with a touch!"
As he spoke, he repeatedly touched the back of his hand.
Fu Qingyan took a deep breath, stood up, pulled away the unsightly hand, and said indifferently, "You're being too presumptuous."
Chen Siqi observed this scene from the side and could only discern four words on the man's face: dignified and pretentious.
"Haha, sorry, it's because you're so beautiful that I wanted to find good talent for my company, I got a little excited." Jiang Ling apologized to Qing Ran with a silly grin.
Qingran shook her head: "It's okay."
Wow, her voice is so nice too.
Jiang Ling's eyes lit up, and she wanted to continue talking to him, but Fu Qingyan suddenly spoke up: "Jiang Ling."
Jiang Ling: "What?"
"Come out for a moment, I have something to tell you." The man stepped out, passing Chen Siqi.
Chen Siqi received the signal and nodded knowingly: "And me too, right? I understand."
Fu Qingyan: "..."
The three went outside, and Fu Qingyan closed the door and explained their purpose.
In short, he and Qingran had some private matters to discuss and it wasn't convenient for outsiders to be present, so he asked them to be considerate and not disturb them.
Jiang Ling let out a disappointed "Ah": "What private matters can't Chen Qilin and I know? I was thinking of having our two tables sit together so we could get to know each other."
Fu Qingyan smiled: "There will be opportunities in the future."
Jiang Ling: "Alright then." He wasn't being tactless; since it wasn't convenient now, they could get to know each other another day.
"Oh, right—"
Fu Qingyan: "He's not in the entertainment industry. As for whether he's interested in joining, I can ask him for you."
However, there's no guarantee which company I'll end up with.
He remembered that Yongming also seemed to have a subsidiary that did film and media.
Jiang Ling, who was completely unaware of Fu Qingyan's ulterior motives, nodded in satisfaction: "Then you two chat, Chen Qilin and I will go back to the private room next door first."
He walked away first, and Chen Siqi, who was mentioned later, glanced at Fu Qingyan before leaving.
Just as he felt that Qingran looked familiar, he vaguely felt that there was something strange about the atmosphere between Lao Fu and the handsome young man inside, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
Finally, he asked probingly, "He's not from that circle, is he? How did you two meet?"
Fu Qingyan raised an eyebrow, smiled without saying a word, patted his friend's shoulder, and turned to go inside.
Chen Siqi was left staring at his shoulder in confusion. What did that mean? Did their acquaintance have something to do with him?
"Excuse me, I was just a moment ago," Fu Qingyan said apologetically as he entered.
Qingran was smelling the fragrance of a cup of floral tea when she heard this. She glanced at the empty space behind the man, then asked nothing and simply said it was alright.
“They’re in the next private room,” Fu Qingyan said upon seeing this.
He said with a slight headache, "I originally planned to introduce you two when the time was right."
However, plans can't keep up with changes.
The man didn't explain what "the right time" meant, and Qingran didn't ask either. This unspoken understanding between them, this sense of detachment, was all the more captivating.
Before long, Xiao Wang brought the dishes up with his men. The two stopped chatting about irrelevant people and focused on the food.
The chef at the state banquet was incredibly skilled, preserving the original flavor of the ingredients to the greatest extent possible, resulting in a delicious and savory taste.
The two ate and chatted, and the meal ended at around 8 p.m.
Another half hour later, the car stopped downstairs at the hotel.
Night fell like a curtain over the city, and the light from the streetlights slanted in through the car windows, reflecting a cold light off the cold mechanical dial and illuminating the man's handsome features.
"Jiang Ling once told you to act in his company. Have you ever thought about entering the entertainment industry?"
Qingran turned to the side to unbuckle her seatbelt. A faint aura of spiritual energy appeared and disappeared, making the seatbelt even tighter.
"Hmm?" His handsome brows furrowed.
Fu Qingyan leaned over to help, getting closer so that he could see slender, jade-like fingers in front of him, and smell the delicate fragrance of shower gel and rose tea.
"I heard people say that if I enter the entertainment industry with this face without any connections, I'll only bring trouble."
Qingran spoke softly, her breath barely touching the man's forehead and cheek as she spoke.
The man stopped what he was doing and looked at him. His dark eyes appeared deep and unfathomable in the dim light inside the car.
"Who said you don't have it?"
His voice was soft and deep, and his burning palm slowly covered Qingran's slightly curled hand.
"Getting off work at 11 pm is too tiring and too late. When will I be able to wait for your next day off?"
A note from the author:
Thanks for the lightning strike, thanks for the watering, chirp!
Look! That idiot threw a grenade!
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