ryethenovel Chapter 686: Removing the Social Mask
Chapter 686: Removing the Social Mask
Chapter 686, a high-energy chapter: Taking off the social mask, updated! Read now:
The day after Huang Erhe's wedding, Huang Xiaochuan was invited to Yanjing to attend an economic development seminar organized by Huaqing.
Wu Duo was too busy with official duties to go to the airport to pick Huang Xiaochuan up. By the time he arrived at the Yanjing Hotel where Huang Xiaochuan was staying, it was already past 11 p.m.
After a warm hug, Huang Xiaochuan said, "Why did you have to come over so late at night? Didn't I tell you, wait until you have time? I'm going to stay here for a few days anyway, I have plenty of time."
Wu Duo sat down without any hesitation and waved his hand, "Don't say that. Right now, I can't control my own time. Who knows what might happen tomorrow? Now that I have some free time, why don't I come and see you right away!"
After saying that, he looked around the room again and asked, "Is there anything to eat? I ate two pieces of bread around 4 p.m., and now I'm starving."
Huang Xiaochuan made a phone call to Gao Song, and about twenty minutes later, the hotel delivered several dishes and a bottle of red wine.
Wu Duo glanced at the dishes and laughed, "Oh! We're in for a treat today, Tan family cuisine!"
This was a reservation made by Gao Song with the Yanjing Hotel before Huang Xiaochuan even arrived in Yanjing, because the braised chicken wings alone would take three days and three nights to prepare. Huang Xiaochuan rarely came to Yanjing, so he always wanted to have a meal with Wu Duo. However, he did not expect that the meal would not be served until late at night.
Wu Duo looked at the bottle of red wine again, his face full of disgust: "Change it to white wine, change it to white wine. It would be a waste to drink red wine with such good food."
Huang Xiaochuan smiled and winked at Gao Song, who quickly brought over two bottles of Wuliangye in old-style radish-shaped bottles.
Wu Duo grinned, "That's great!" As he spoke, he opened the bottle, filled Huang Xiaochuan's glass first, then his own, and raised his glass, saying, "I'll take this opportunity to welcome you to Yanjing!"
Huang Xiaochuan also picked up his glass, but said, "Don't rush to drink. Drinking on an empty stomach is bad for your stomach. Eat some food first, and then drink later."
Wu Duo ignored the warning and took a big gulp, then said while eating the braised shark fin, "That won't do, this wine represents my sincerity."
Huang Xiaochuan had no choice but to drink a big gulp along with him, then pointed at Wu Duo and said, "You! You're so fussy!" After saying that, he also picked up his chopsticks and started to eat the sea cucumber.
The dishes on the table are all classic Tan family dishes. Tan family cuisine emphasizes the selection of the finest ingredients, so no expense is spared in the selection of ingredients. For example, the braised shark fin that Wu Duo is enjoying must be made with Luzon yellow as the main ingredient.
In addition, the ingredients are also very generous. For example, this braised shark fin dish requires a whole old hen, a whole duck, top-quality Jinhua ham, top-quality dried scallops, and other ingredients to be simmered for a long time.
Therefore, the preparation process of Tan Family Cuisine is particularly particular about controlling the heat, which is why reservations are required in advance.
Moreover, Tan Family Cuisine never uses MSG or other seasonings. It relies on a variety of top-quality ingredients to create clear or rich broths through long-term simmering to enhance the flavor.
With its carefully selected ingredients, perfect cooking time, and meticulous, slow and careful preparation, how could this dish not be delicious?
It seems Wu Duo was really starving; he didn't care about his image and kept eating.
He put down his chopsticks and let out a long sigh after he had eaten about three-tenths of his fullness.
"That feels so good!" He then raised his glass and said to Huang Xiaochuan, who was smiling and watching him wolf down his food, "Come on, let's have one, bottoms up!"
Huang Xiaochuan clinked his cup against Wu Duo's: "Bottoms up!"
Then, Huang Xiaochuan took the wine bottle from Wu Duo and refilled their glasses before they started eating and chatting.
Wu Duo said, "As far as I remember, this seems to be your first time visiting Yanjing, right?"
"Hehe! You're absolutely right. If the organizers of this academic conference hadn't called me repeatedly, I really wouldn't have wanted to come. As a southerner, I'm most afraid of the dryness in Beijing. Look, I even brought a humidifier with me." Huang Xiaochuan pointed to the humidifier placed in the luxury suite.
Wu Duo rolled his eyes at Huang Xiaochuan: "You! That's called being pretentious!"
Huang Xiaochuan laughed dismissively, "Say what you will. I think life is too short to be kind to yourself."
Then he brought up Wu Duo's shortcomings: "Back when you were studying at Shanghai University, who saved you when you were shivering in the winter? You're just blaming the cook after you've finished eating, that's really not nice!"
"Wow, you've even learned the word 'authentic'? I can't argue with you, alright!" Wu Duo put down his chopsticks.
Wu Duo then discussed with Huang Xiaochuan, "Wait for my news these next few days. Our big boss knows you're coming and says he wants to find time to meet you and have a chat. You know, the big boss has so many things to do, his schedule is packed every day, so we can't confirm when we can meet you yet."
As the two clinked glasses, they finished a bottle of wine in no time. Huang Xiaochuan wanted to open a second bottle, but Wu Duo stopped him.
"I'm not drinking anymore. I have things to do tomorrow. No, to be precise, I have a lot of work to do today."
Huang Xiaochuan glanced at the time; it wasn't today anymore, it was already 12:30 AM on May 24th.
"Then I won't keep you any longer. I'll send a car to take you home. Get some rest."
"Forget it, I'm not going back. I'll stay here tonight." Wu Duo checked the time and made a decision on the spur of the moment.
It was indeed too late, and if he went back now, he might disturb his family, so he nodded and said, "That's fine, I'll have someone arrange a room for you."
Wu Duo grinned mischievously, "Don't bother with that. You have two beds here, one for you and one for me. It'll save you some money. We've slept in the same room before when we were in college." Wu Duo was referring to Huang Xiaochuan's luxury suite, which had two guest rooms, each with a large bed.
Huang Xiaochuan pretended to be disgusted: "Get lost, I don't want to sleep with you."
"Tch! I haven't even complained about you, but you're complaining about me first?" Wu Duo and Huang Xiaochuan started making a ruckus again. Since there were no outsiders around, they simply took off their social masks.
In the end, Wu Duo stayed in Huang Xiaochuan's suite that night.
The next morning, the two had breakfast together, and Wu Duo did not ask Huang Xiaochuan to send a car to take him.
"Don't bother, the car that's picking me up will be here soon."
Huang Xiaochuan thought about it and realized it made sense. This guy was working with a big leader, so he must have a private car to pick him up.
"Alright! That'll save me the trouble. I'll walk you downstairs." Huang Xiaochuan said as he got up.
Wu Duo waved his hand: "Alright, alright, just let me off the hook! If the reporters take pictures again, that'll be a real mess."
The online sensation "1990, I'm Back," a heartfelt work by author Four Seasons Leeks, is available on Cola Novels.