newbobooks Chapter 106 Tasting the Showdown
Chapter 106 Tasting the Showdown
"Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong!"
Zhang Liangjun felt very happy to hear this normal doorbell sound.
Andy walked to the door, saw the three people standing outside on the monitor, and then opened the door.
Zhang Liangjun immediately apologized, "Andy, I'm sorry I'm late, there was a bit of traffic."
Andy smiled and said to the three of them, "It's alright, it's not late, and the meal has only just started. Please come in!"
Ji Xiaotong took the silk scarf gift box and crab eight-piece gift box from Qu Xiaoxiao and handed them to Andy as a gift, smiling and saying, "Andy, we meet again!"
Andy smiled and led the three into the living room. Zhang Liangjun greeted everyone from 2002 in turn and then sat down on the sofa. Qiu Yingying was the most excited, waving a green onion in her hand as she greeted Zhang Liangjun.
Andy went to the break room, looked at the only two drinks available, and asked Zhang Liangjun and his group on the sofa, "I have green tea and coffee here, which do you prefer?"
"Get three bottles of mineral water!" Zhang Liangjun knew that Andy only drank mineral water, and he dared not try the drinks at Andy's house.
Ji Xiaotong saw that only Fan Shengmei was cooking in the kitchen, while Guan Juer was diligently typing on her laptop. Qiu Yingying was trying to help but was actually making things worse, so Ji Xiaotong got up and went to the kitchen. "Let me help you!"
Fan Shengmei said politely, "No need, I already said I invited you here for dinner!"
"It's alright, I'm just killing time anyway!" Ji Xiaotong said, and started chopping scallions.
It's impossible for Fan Shengmei not to feel resentful that she was the only one cooking among so many people. However, Fan Shengmei knew in her heart that she was the only one in this house with no way out—oh, and there was also the untold little earthworm, who had always lived cautiously for years. When Ji Xiaotong came to help her, Fan Shengmei suddenly felt a warmth in her heart.
Zhang Liangjun also noticed Ji Xiaotong's actions. He knew very well about Ji Xiaotong's saintly nature; occasionally indulging in this mama's boyish impulses was a good thing. He then glanced at Qu Xiaoxiao, who was warily scanning everyone present. "Xiaoxiao, why don't you go help too!"
"Ah, oh!" Qu Xiaoxiao was analyzing the situation when her train of thought was suddenly interrupted, but her obedience was ingrained in her bones, and she instinctively carried out the order.
Andy looked at Zhang Liangjun with slight surprise, increasingly confused about the relationship between the three.
Soon, the crabs were steamed and cooked. There were so many crabs that they had to be divided into several plates to fit them all. Guan Juer finally left the computer and, under Andy's direction, found the red wine and decanter, and poured red wine for everyone.
Fan Shengmei knew that Andy was a workaholic who was out of touch with reality and not very good at leading the atmosphere at a dinner party, so she raised her glass and said, "Thank you for the invitation, Andy, for giving us this opportunity to get together. I propose that this first glass be to Andy!"
"Thank you, Andy!" "Thank you!"
"Clang, clang!" Qiu Yingying and Guan Juer rarely drink, so they didn't control the force of their clinking glasses properly, making a louder sound than others! They almost broke their glasses. Zhang Liangjun was attracted by this scene and happened to make eye contact with Guan Juer, who managed to force an awkward smile.
Although everyone had their own ulterior motives, they appeared to be in perfect harmony, and the atmosphere was even somewhat lively.
Fan Shengmei pointed to the small bowl in the middle, "Come on, everyone, try this! This is the sauce Xiaotong made!" She first scooped a spoonful into her own dish, dipped it in the crab leg meat, and said, "It's really good! Xiaotong, is this your secret recipe?"
Ji Xiaotong smiled slightly, "It's not a secret recipe, it's just a formula my dad gave me, and it should be suitable for the tastes of people in the north."
"Yes, I just love Northern Chinese food! Northeastern Chinese and Shandong cuisine are both fine!"
Qiu Yingying laughed and said, "No wonder Sister Fan likes to cook stews!"
Guan Juer silently watched everyone, her face expressionless unless someone was paying attention.
Qiu Yingying peeled the crab legs and placed them on Zhang Liangjun's plate. "Brother Zhang, here you go!"
This immediately drew everyone's attention, and the scene fell silent! Andy, Fan Shengmei, and Guan Juer looked at Ji Xiaotong and Qu Xiaoxiao, while Ji Xiaotong and Qu Xiaoxiao looked at Zhang Liangjun!
Since Zhang Liangjun dared to bring the two of them to the Ode to Joy gathering, he must have expected this situation to occur. Qiu Yingying is known for being obsessed with looks and reckless; it's impossible for her not to cause some trouble.
"Thank you!" Zhang Liangjun broke the brief silence, then put some crab leg meat on Qiu Yingying's plate, gave some to Ji Xiaotong, and added some to Qu Xiaoxiao. The two of them immediately showed satisfied smiles.
However, Zhang Liangjun's actions did not end there. He handed the crab roe he had just dug out to Qiu Yingying, saying, "I don't really like eating crab roe or crab paste, but I do like crab legs. Let's swap!"
"Oh, okay, so Brother Zhang only likes crab legs. Then I'll peel some for you." Qiu Yingying seemed encouraged and peeled even more enthusiastically.
Qiu Yingying's antics have temporarily come to an end. Fan Shengmei raised her glass again, "The second glass is to Zhang Liangjun. Andy is also thanking you for your help on Yingying's behalf."
Zhang Liangjun also raised his glass, saying, "It's nothing, just a small favor."
Fan Shengmei glanced at Qiu Yingying, who was diligently peeling crab legs, and said to Zhang Liangjun, "Could you help us check on that scumbag Bai's current situation again? We've all been really angry about him lately."
“No need to investigate, I know,” Qu Xiaoxiao interjected. “That Bai Yanle is quite popular online recently. Someone uploaded his life story to the internet, and his family and relatives all know about it! Someone revealed that he has already left Shanghai and will at least wait for the online hype to die down before daring to show his face again!”
Zhang Liangjun gave Qu Xiaoxiao a deep look. He hadn't expected that Qu Xiaoxiao would find out what he had instructed Li Guoxiang to do. Although he hadn't intended to hide it, Qu Xiaoxiao's act of investigating behind his back was a cardinal sin, and she needed to be judged! He'd write it down in his little notebook, and she would surely pay a bloody price in the future!
The big data was pushed to specific groups, and the data was in the hands of Zhang. What Bai Yanle thought was a viral sensation was actually only within a local area, so Qiu Yingying was unaware of it.
"Really?" Qiu Yingying felt that today was the happiest day she had in a while! "It's such a pity that I didn't get to see this scumbag's miserable state with my own eyes!"
Fan Shengmei is good at reading people and noticed the eye contact between Qu Xiaoxiao and Zhang Liangjun, and she had some guesses in her mind.
Ji Xiaotong noticed that someone was being ignored, so she took the initiative to speak to Guan Juer, "Xiao Guan, you seem quite busy today! Is it something to do with work?"
Guan Juer was happy that someone still remembered her, and replied with a smile, "Yes, Sister Xiaotong, I'm currently an intern at Huaxin Securities. It's very difficult to stay on, so I have to work twice as hard!"
"It's good to be hardworking and ambitious, but you also need to pay attention to rest. Look at your dark circles under your eyes, have you been staying up late?"
"The main problem is that there are many things I don't understand in my work, which makes me inefficient and requires rework," Guan Juer said somewhat embarrassedly.
Ji Xiaotong once again flashed a saintly smile: "Then if you have any questions in the future, you can come and ask me. Don't wait until you make a mistake to correct it, that really wastes a lot of time."
"Okay, thank you, Sister Xiaotong."
At this point, Zhang Liangjun noticed that everyone had basically finished eating and were chatting casually after putting down their chopsticks. It was time to end the meal. "Everyone, we have something to do later, so we'll be leaving now. Thank you, Andy, and thank you all for the invitation!"