noveltune Chapter 332 Taking you to the Zhang family.
Chapter 332 Taking you to the Zhang family.
Ye Fan stood up and stretched: "Come on, come on, my stomach's growling! I'll take you to try some authentic Huaiyang cuisine. I have important business to attend to after lunch!"
Gu Lan paused in her hair-drying motion, keenly catching the meaning in his words, and raised an eyebrow suspiciously: "Serious business? It's the National Day holiday! What 'serious business' could you possibly have?"
She took a few steps closer, sizing him up, her eyes full of scrutiny: "Ye Fan, you're not in such a hurry to become some kind of 'simp,' are you?"
Her tone carried the sharpness and ruthlessness characteristic of an older sister.
Ye Fan's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself, "Damn it! My cousin's intuition is way too accurate! Even a dog's nose isn't that sharp!" He did want to find the ancestral spirit, but he wasn't a sycophant!
He immediately straightened his back, his face displaying utmost composure: "Hey! Sis, what kind of person do you think your brother is? How could he possibly be a simp! Your brother really has something important to do, something serious! Alright, alright, food is the most important thing, let's go!"
Without another word, he pushed Gu Lan toward the door, saying, "The Huaiyang cuisine at Black Pearl Restaurant is guaranteed to satisfy you, a future legal elite!"
Gu Lan was pushed along by him. Although she was full of suspicion, seeing his eagerness to prove his innocence, she was too lazy to ask him any questions before dinner. She just snorted and followed him downstairs.
As expected, driver Lao Li was still quietly waiting in the basement.
The two got into the car, and Ye Fan said directly, "Old Li, to the Black Pearl Restaurant."
"Okay, boss." Old Li started the car smoothly and drove away from the underground parking lot.
Soon after, the two arrived at the elegant Black Pearl Restaurant.
Ye Fan, familiar with the place, ordered several signature Huaiyang dishes: braised lion's head meatballs, braised shredded tofu, squirrel-shaped mandarin fish... The dishes were exquisite and the flavors were authentic.
After a satisfying meal, the dinner was over.
Ye Fan wiped his mouth with a napkin and said to Gu Lan, "Sis, you can arrange your own time this afternoon. You can rest or go buy some daily necessities. If you need a car, just call Lao Li anytime; he'll be there whenever you call."
He paused for a moment, then added, "Oh, by the way, I'll get you a car in a couple of days. What brand do you like? A sedan or an SUV?"
Gu Lan replied without hesitation, "Something ordinary will do, like a Volkswagen or a Toyota, it'll save you the hassle."
Upon hearing this, Ye Fan rolled his eyes, giving him a "Are you kidding me?" look: "Sis! Who do you think you are? You're the head of the legal department at the Red Bean Group now!"
He waved his hand dismissively: "BBA? Porsche? Bentley? Or a flashy sports car? You pick whatever you like!"
Gu Lan was both amused and exasperated by his extravagant display. She frowned and thought for a long time, but seemed to have little concept of or preference for luxury cars, and couldn't come up with a reason for it.
Seeing her troubled expression, Ye Fan immediately made the decision: "Alright, I see you can't decide either. Let's go with Sister Zhu Yan's style. I know you like silver; it's understated yet sophisticated. That's it!"
He didn't give Gu Lan a chance to object, directly took out his phone, opened Wu Shaojie's WeChat, and typed rapidly: "Old Wu, order me another car. A Bentley Flying Spur, silver, with the same configuration as the two I had last time."
Almost immediately, my phone vibrated.
Wu Shaojie: OK! Don't worry, I've got it covered!
Ye Fan waved his phone screen in front of Gu Lan, raising an eyebrow smugly: "Done! Just wait to collect the car, Minister Gu!"
......
The two walked out of the Black Pearl Restaurant, and the afternoon sun shone warmly on the street.
"Alright, sis," Ye Fan said, gesturing with his chin towards the subway entrance not far away without stopping, "You're free this afternoon. If you want to go anywhere or buy anything, just call Lao Li. I'm off!"
After he finished speaking, before Gu Lan's probing and knowing gaze could fully lock onto him, he turned and quickly merged into the flow of people on the sidewalk, heading straight for the subway entrance.
It's quite a novel experience. He's been in Nanjing for over a month and has ridden in many luxury cars, but this is the first time he's ever experienced the subway.
This "down-to-earth" approach was, to some extent, a strategy for him to avoid his cousin's sharp gaze.
I swiped my card to enter the station and squeezed onto the subway heading towards the university town with the flow of people.
The carriage was quite crowded, mostly with young people who looked like students.
Ye Fan found a corner to lean against, feeling the pulse of the city's underground, but his thoughts had already drifted to his destination.
The campus was indeed much quieter than usual during the National Day holiday.
The main road was sparsely populated, and the plane tree leaves rustled in the breeze. The students who stayed behind either lived far away and couldn't return, or, like Xian Zuling, wanted to save on travel expenses and use the holiday to do some part-time work or study quietly.
Ye Fan navigated the paths with practiced ease and arrived at the secluded bamboo grove courtyard.
Pushing open the half-closed courtyard gate, the lingering aroma of stir-fried vegetables and the soft clatter of pots and pans wafted from the direction of the kitchen.
"Huh?" Ye Fan was a little surprised. "Haven't eaten yet? Or did you just finish eating?" He followed the sound to the kitchen door and leaned against the door frame to ask.
"Ah!" A short exclamation came from the kitchen, accompanied by the slight clattering of dishes.
The spirit offering sacrifices was clearly startled by the sudden noise. It turned around abruptly, still clutching a wet rag in its hand.
When she saw the familiar smiling face at the door, her tense shoulders instantly relaxed, and her face was full of disbelief.
"Ye... Ye Fan? You... why are you back?" she stammered, her clear eyes wide open. "Didn't you go home? You still had several days of vacation left..."
She never expected Ye Fan to appear here at this time.
"Yeah, something came up and I had to come back." Ye Fan gave a vague explanation, his gaze sweeping over the clean dishes hanging on the sink behind her. "Just finished cleaning up? You had lunch pretty late."
"Yes," Xian Zuling nodded softly, "I just finished eating and washed the pots and pans."
She suddenly remembered something, immediately put down the dishcloth, subconsciously wiped her hands on her apron, and asked with concern, "Have you eaten? I...I'll make you something right away!"
That ingrained sense of "job" responsibility made her instinctively reach for the refrigerator.
This little girl never forgets that she's there to cook for Ye Fan.
Ye Fan felt a warmth in his heart and quickly waved his hand to stop him: "Don't rush, I've already eaten. I just ate out."
He walked into the kitchen, picked up a freshly washed apple from the counter, weighed it in his hand, and got to the point: "Let's tidy up and go."
"Huh? Go? Where to?" Xian Zuling was even more confused, unable to keep up with Ye Fan's jumping thoughts.
"I'll take you home," Ye Fan said succinctly.
"Go home? Go...to my home?" Xian Zuling was completely stunned, then a troubled look appeared on her face. "But I already told my mom I'm not going back for National Day...and..."