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墨書 Inktalez
Song Pearl boiled water and brought a cup of tea to Wu Qiang and Zhang Yunye. She then took out a piece of paper listing the ingredients that Wu Qiang had mentioned earlier. Initially, she thought about calling someone to deliver them, but after some consideration, she decided to go pick them out herself.
As Wu Qiang said, she hadn’t taken care of him much, and now that he had made a request, she should do it personally.
She still had a knot in her heart; the meal she prepared for Qing Wenyu in the morning had issues. It turned out to be alive after cooking, so she needed to be extra careful this time. No matter how miraculous it seemed, the food was cooked by her own hands, not conjured up by magic; how could it possibly contain something alive?
She grabbed a basket and left the house.
Hearing Song Pearl's car leave, Wu Qiang and Zhang Yunye continued their conversation while playing chess.
"Regardless, I must thank you for what you've done over these past two years," Wu Qiang said as he placed a black piece on the board, smiling at Zhang Yunye across from him.
"Survival of the fittest; if I want to establish myself in your territory, I have to find something to do. Everything I've done is what I wanted to do, and I've profited from it. You don't need to thank me."
As the game progressed, Zhang Yunye gradually gained the upper hand; the outcome was clear as he casually placed another piece.
"What a talented individual! The moves you make leave no room for retreat. It's no surprise that Jinmai Group could collapse within two years." Wu Qiang looked at the board; there was no need to continue this game—he had already lost.
"What a pity!" he sighed.
"Is it a pity for your efforts?"
"In my position, I must strategize. I've invested too much into Jin Mai's rapid development." Wu Qiang took a sip of tea. The fragrant tea was slightly bitter in his mouth. "If your opponent were me, I wonder how long I could hold on?"
Zhang Yunye smiled, his expression bright like that of a youth.
"If you hadn't left Jin Mai, there wouldn't have been any competition from me. It was you who allowed me to bring down Jin Mai. However, with the company that has collaborated with Jin Mai for years pushing it to the brink of bankruptcy, Qing Wenyu has contributed significantly as well."
"Qing Wenyu is no simple character; despite his young age, he is known locally as a ruthless industry leader." Wu Qiang did not comment further.
"Now the Qing Family dominates the market and is gaining recognition domestically. Yet, Qing Wenyu hasn’t forgotten loyalty as you suggested. He still maintains a harmonious relationship with Pearl. I think giving substantial funds to Song Zhenbao for favors was not a wise move... Testing someone to such an extent can lead to resentment. If Pearl finds out, she might hold it against you."
Wu Qiang chuckled dismissively. "It doesn't matter if Pearl holds a grudge against me; as long as she can live peacefully and happily in this life with someone who truly loves her by her side, my efforts will not be in vain! As for Qing Wenyu, he truly... does not leave a good impression in my memory!"
"Now they are doing quite well, but we have pushed this trouble of Song Zhenbao onto Pearl. Should we help her get rid of it?"
"It is a trouble. Even if we don't push her, it will come anyway. There's no need. Two years have passed; perhaps I am overthinking. But you and Pearl... Is there really no hope?" Wu Qiang looked at Zhang Yunye with deep meaning in his eyes.
"This question should be clear. Time is the best explanation. In any situation, the first person Pearl thinks of will not be me, and besides, she is very hostile towards me!" Zhang Yunye said with a smile.
"Hostile? Did you do something to deceive her? Pearl is a simple-minded child; I haven't seen her show hostility towards anyone!" Wu Qiang asked Zhang Yunye seriously.
"Deceive? If you consider my secretly protecting her as deception, then I have indeed deceived her!" Zhang Yunye smiled as he picked up the tea in front of him. He didn't like tea and only took a small sip before putting it down.
When Song Pearl returned with a large bag, she happened to hear Zhang Yunye's pure and clear laughter. She put the items in the kitchen and walked to the study door to see the two of them.
Seeing Zhang Yunye frowning while drinking tea, Song Pearl smiled gently; he was still the same boy from a few years ago! He didn't like drinking tea that was too strong.
She found another cup and replaced Zhang Yunye's drink with juice, then refilled Wu Qiang's hot water.
Then she brought over a fruit platter with peaches and jujubes that Wu Qiang had specifically requested and placed it beside them.
Wu Qiang noticed that Song Pearl had returned, and his serious expression quickly relaxed into a gentle smile. "You've bought everything back; go prepare dinner. I still want to chat with Yun Ye!"
Zhang Yunye casually took a peach, took a bite, and praised it for being delicious, focusing intently on eating the peach like a child, completely ignoring Wu Qiang's words.
Song Pearl keenly noticed that he must be sulking with Wu Qiang. She glanced at the chessboard; winning at chess yet still unhappy—this person's temper really isn't great!
Two mountain chickens and a fresh fish had already been processed in the resort's back kitchen. Song Pearl busied herself in the kitchen, and soon several refreshing dishes were ready.
The dishes were distinct between meat and vegetables, looking fragrant and delicious, not inferior to those from a restaurant.
The meat dishes included stir-fried mountain chicken, clear stewed catfish, and white-cut goose meat. The vegetable dishes were also according to Wu Qiang's requests: stir-fried green chili with green beans, lettuce stir-fried with chili, and stir-fried broccoli.
Wu Qiang pulled his old friend Zhang Yunye to sit at the table, looking at the spread of dishes before them. He said to Zhang Yunye, "It's not easy to eat my daughter's cooking. She has never lifted a finger in the kitchen. I'm still benefiting from your presence today..."
"You can always have my cooking whenever you want," Zhang Yunye replied.
Song Pearl found a bottle of high-proof liquor and was about to pour it for the two when Zhang Yunye quickly stopped her, saying, "I brought some wine, let's drink this instead!"
He playfully winked at Song Pearl, rummaged through a pile of gift boxes, opened one, and took out a beautifully packaged aged liquor.
As he unwrapped it, the room was already filled with the rich aroma of the wine even before the bottle was opened.
Song Pearl felt her heart race upon smelling it.
She had tasted this wine before when Qing Wenyu kindly took her on a trip and they encountered Zhang Yunye, drinking this very type of wine. One cup got her drunk, and then she broke the distance between herself and Qing Wenyu...
Song Pearl blushed at her moment of distraction and hurriedly accepted the bottle of wine that Zhang Yunye handed over.
"This wine is very potent!" She poured half a glass for both of them and then went to the kitchen to fetch two snakes.
With a swift motion, Zhang Yunye threw two sharp flying knives that pinned the snakes to the wall.
Song Pearl stared in amazement; it had been years since she had seen such skill. Indeed, he was a bodyguard!
As Song Pearl closed her eyes, two crushed snake gallbladders fell into their glasses.
"There are only two snakes, so there's no gallbladder wine for you!" Zhang Yunye wiped his hands and smiled at Song Pearl.
"I don't want this; it's bitter," Song Pearl said dryly.
"Pearl hasn't had alcohol in years. You're a girl; it's not good for you to drink," Wu Qiang said as he swapped Song Pearl's glass of wine for juice.
"I wonder if Qing Wenyu would like to join us for a drink?" he asked Song Pearl.
"Better not. I didn't inform him in advance," Song Pearl replied immediately.
She still wasn't used to disturbing his life. Although they were married, everything had to be scheduled in advance, and spontaneous decisions were rare.
"Alright!" Wu Qiang didn't mind. "Then let's eat."
"What about that Electronic Pet in your hand?" Zhang Yunye's gaze fell on Song Pearl's fingers.
"I took it off because it was uncomfortable," Song Pearl's heart raced for a moment as she looked up at him. "Do you remember this?"
"If you don't like it anymore, I want to play with a few," Zhang Yunye said with a mischievous smile, like a playful child.
"I forgot where I put it; I might have lost it," Song Pearl replied, lowering her gaze.
Zhang Yunye showed a regretful expression. "If I had known, I would have asked you for it earlier."
"What Electronic Pet? I've never seen one," Wu Qiang was confused by their conversation. "Electronic Pets aren't that special; if you lose one, just buy another."
He took a bite of his dish.
"This green bean is good; try it!" Wu Qiang enthusiastically urged Zhang Yunye to eat.
However, Zhang Yunye aimed his chopsticks at the stir-fried mountain chicken. Song Pearl nervously watched his movements, not because she was afraid of him but because she feared that the mountain chicken might suddenly come to life.
Even though she knew that was impossible, she still widened her eyes to watch.
"Pearl, what are you staring at? It's rude to just gawk while someone is eating!" Wu Qiang noticed Song Pearl was dazed and nudged her.
Song Pearl smiled awkwardly. "I'm not hungry; you guys eat. I'll pour you some wine."
While they were talking, a piece of chicken had already made its way into Zhang Yunye's mouth, and Song Pearl breathed a sigh of relief. How could it possibly be raw? Qing Wenyu actually made up such a story, and she believed it, worrying for so long.
"Aside from being a bit undercooked, there's nothing wrong with this dish," Zhang Yunye said after swallowing his food, giving an honest evaluation.
"Not fully cooked?" Song Pearl's face turned as red as an apple. She had never realized that the dishes she made were always half-cooked. She couldn't help but glance at Wu Qiang.
"I think it's quite good, very tasty," Wu Qiang said as he picked up some shredded lettuce and put it in his mouth. "The flavor is very authentic."
"Here, try this," Zhang Yunye said, placing a piece of fish meat on the plate in front of Wu Qiang.
"How could it be raw? The fish soup is this white!" Wu Qiang said in disbelief as he put it in his mouth. The fishy taste of the sashimi spread to the back of his tongue, and he quickly took a sip of wine.
"This stew really isn't great!"
"I'll take it back and fix it," Song Pearl said, her face flushed as she stood up to take the dishes away.
"No need, the flavor is quite pure and suits my taste," Zhang Yunye said with a smile, stopping her. "You should try it too!"
Song Pearl sat down helplessly and picked up a piece of chicken to taste. The flavor was no different from what she had eaten before; there was no sense of it being undercooked.
"I think it's quite delicious. Have you both had too much to drink?" She had originally poured half a cup of wine for Wu Qiang and Zhang Yunye, but after Zhang Yunye took the snake gall, he filled his cup to the brim.
Unknowingly, their cups were already nearly empty. Perhaps drinking too much can create illusions! (To be continued...)
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