In the restaurant of Haicheng International Hotel, Yan Yincheng was dining with Xie Shi, Yin Shulan, and Jiang Chang'an, the head chef and the general manager of the catering department of the hotel.
On the table was a delicate small cake with several candles on it. It read "Happy Birthday, Master".
It was Xie Shi's birthday today, and this cake was prepared by Jiang Chang'an. Xie Shi had come to Haicheng at Jiang Chang'an's invitation to be a judge for their cooking competition.
"Mr. Yan may not know that in our culinary world, there's a saying that only when a chef gets a 'not bad' from Mr. Yan can their cooking skills be considered truly qualified and on par with the master. But over the years, apart from the master, it seems no other chef has received such praise from Mr. Yan. I think the master probably has no match in Country C now."
Jiang Chang'an was a kind - looking fat man. His voice was calm and steady. Although he was flattering, it made people feel comfortable.
"That's not necessarily true," Xie Shi said with a raised eyebrow and a smile. "There's a mysterious master chef in Haicheng who has been personally affirmed by Mr. Yan. Maybe she's even better than me."
"Really?" Jiang Chang'an was quite curious. "There's such a talent in Haicheng. I wonder which master she studied under, what kind of cuisine she's good at, and what awards she's won. Do I have the honor to invite her to our hotel to show her skills?"
Yan Yincheng choked on a mouthful of soup and couldn't help coughing. Yin Shulan took out a tissue and wiped his lips, frowning and saying, "Be careful."
After finally stopping coughing, Yan Yincheng didn't notice that his face had turned bright red. He tightened his lips and said seriously, "There's no chance. She's not available." But in his heart, he thought, Want Zixi to cook for you? Dream on! There's no way!
Just then, his phone rang. Recognizing the caller's number, he quickly took out his phone and answered it.
"Zixi?"
"Brother Cheng..." A long - missed address came from the phone. The woman's gentle and melodious voice made these two words sound extremely tender. Yan Yincheng's heart skipped a beat at this address, and the corners of his lips involuntarily curled up, but he tried hard to suppress it.
In the eyes of Xie Shi and the others, his current expression looked like he was having a facial spasm.
"Cough, cough, cough." Yan Yincheng coughed twice violently to hide his joy and replied, "What's up?"
Because he was feeling sweet inside, he didn't notice that his voice had become gentle.
Xie Shi and Yin Shulan glanced at each other. One was snickering, while the other was smiling helplessly.
"Where are you now? Is it convenient for you to talk?" Xu Zixi asked.
Yan Yincheng said, "Me? I'm with..." He originally wanted to say elders, but there was Jiang Chang'an, who wasn't much older than him. Saying elders would give Jiang Chang'an an extra seniority for no reason. He paused for a moment and continued, "I'm having dinner with friends. It's convenient for me. Just say what you want."
Accidentally, Xu Zixi picked off the nose of the toy bear on the sofa. She angrily pressed the small thing back onto the bear's face and thought to herself, Does he even need to pause before saying they're friends? It seems this Xie Shi has a special relationship with him! Humph!
"I remember you said you're going back to Fengcheng for a wedding the day after tomorrow, right?" This question sounded rather gritted - teeth.
On the other end of the phone, Yan Yincheng didn't notice at all and said, "That's right."
"I've thought it over carefully. The two kids just got to know you, and they're longing to spend time with you. The day they look forward to most in a week is the day they can see you. Although you don't have time this weekend, we don't necessarily have to let the kids see you on the weekend, right?"
Hearing Xu Zixi mention them, the two kids beside her immediately brightened their eyes.
Yan Yincheng thought for a while and followed her words, saying, "Well... You do have a point. I'll ask Wei Shu to check my schedule for tomorrow. If there's nothing important, I'll cancel everything. You can ask Aunt Li or Aunt Zhang to send them to me."
Did he mean that he would take care of the two kids all day tomorrow while she continued to go to work?
Xu Zixi: "..." Taking a deep breath, she looked at the two eager kids and managed to hold back her anger. See, his true intention is showing, right? It's only the second time he's met the kids, and he only wants to see them but not you. Humph, you heartless man, always just talking nice!
As if hearing her inner thoughts, he said the next moment, "Of course, if you can also free up your time tomorrow, I'll be even happier."
The corners of Xu Zixi's lips couldn't help curling up, but she still pretended to decline, "This... It's not very appropriate, is it? The project really needs people now, and I have a bet on. Time is precious."
"That's true. You can go to work at ease. I'll take good care of the kids. Hello? Hello? Hello? Zixi?"
In Haicheng International Hotel, listening to the busy tone in his ear, Yan Yincheng looked confused. Why did Zixi suddenly hang up the phone?
Xie Shi had been eavesdropping. Seeing how clueless he was, she immediately reached out and pinched him, scolding with a smile, "Are you stupid? When a woman says no, she means yes! No wonder you haven't managed to win her over for so long. If you keep going like this, you're destined to be single for the rest of your life. Do you know that?"
Yan Yincheng sat there blankly. "Aunt Shi means that Zixi actually wants to be with me?"
"I'll ask you, how did she talk to you just now?"
Yan Yincheng repeated Xu Zixi's words and said, "Doesn't this mean she's rejecting me?"
"First! 'This... It's not very appropriate, is it?' She used a rhetorical question. She's practically throwing the opportunity in your face! Don't think about anything. Just answer, 'There's nothing inappropriate about it. I decide!' Second, she said her time is precious. She's hinting to you that if you invite her, the loss of this little time can be ignored."
The angrier she got, the more she poked his head. "You, you're just like your father. You're so thick - headed!"
Yin Shulan couldn't help saying, "Ashi..."
Yan Yincheng suddenly looked enlightened. "Thank you, Aunt Shi. I understand. I'll call her right away and tell her that as long as she agrees to stay with me tomorrow, I'll cover any losses."
Saying that, he was about to press the redial button. Xie Shi quickly held down his hand. "Wait! You can't call now!"
Yan Yincheng was confused again. "Why?"
Xie Shi said, "She hung up on you angrily, which means she still cares about you. But if you call now, it'll just add fuel to the fire. She definitely won't listen to your explanation. Instead, she'll think you're just giving in to her, being perfunctory, and not sincerely inviting her."
"What should I do then?" Yan Yincheng asked blankly.
"Just let her be angry for a while. After she sleeps it off and calms down, you should take the initiative to go to her place with flowers and invite her. Give her a surprise. Then there's a 99% chance she won't reject you."
Yan Yincheng suddenly understood again and nodded. "Okay, I understand!"
At first, Jiang Chang'an thought Yan Yincheng looked cold and unapproachable. Unexpectedly, when faced with a problem that any man would encounter, he would show such a reaction, which made people couldn't help laughing.
He said, "The master is right. The relationship between men and women is really a great art. I've suffered a lot on this issue."
"Really?" Yan Yincheng became interested. He moved his chair closer to Jiang Chang'an and asked humbly, "What are the tricks?"