Chapter 490: Chapter 490
However, she did not rush over to find out what was happening. Instead, she leisurely walked toward the dining area, where a huge bottle of Snow Willow suddenly caught her eye.
Young buds were green, and the flowers were as white as snow.
"Wow, such a refreshing feeling, so beautiful!"
"My brother started growing them a while ago; I didn’t expect them to bloom already. And to be honest, they look pretty nice."
Tang Xiaowan smiled and nodded in agreement.
Then, Li Zihan continued to discuss the new Western restaurant he had opened with Tang Xiaowan, flipping through his smartphone album to show her the pictures.
"That’s quite nice, very elegant!"
"Of course, did you expect anything less from me?" Li Zihan replied proudly, "By the way, your Chihai Hotel... I heard the restaurant has several different levels of dining. I should visit and learn something when I have a chance, get a little inspiration."
"No problem, I’ll definitely arrange a top-tier suite for you, the same room your brother stayed in last time."
"During the wedding?"
"Yeah, let your brother sleep on the floor then."
"Aren’t there several bedrooms? I heard from my brother, that suite..."
As they were talking, Leng Lingxiao and Li Zishen arrived side by side, smiling like a refreshing spring breeze. Seeing this, Tang Xiaowan’s eyes flickered with confusion, and she quickly stepped forward to greet them.
"What about the greens, didn’t you prepare quite a lot?"
While Tang Xiaowan asked, she handed over the smartphone to Leng Lingxiao.
"They’ve already been taken to be washed; let’s try the lamb first, it was just delivered this afternoon," said Li Zishen, answering before Leng Lingxiao could put his phone away.
"Let’s go, then we’ll give it a try."
Tang Xiaowan nodded at Leng Lingxiao, and sweetly smiled, "Oh, good, I’m just getting hungry."
Soon after, the four of them sat down. The table was covered with a dark red tablecloth at the center of which was a huge silver hotpot stove, its body carved with exquisite patterns, shining with a gentle luster. The stove was divided into four separate areas, each equipped with a small silver pot.
Tang Xiaowan really liked such retro styles, so she observed it with special attention.
"Wow, this pot is not bad, quite nice!"
Hearing the praise, Li Zishen immediately showed a very satisfied smile on his face. He slowly stood up and poured a cup of hot tea for Tang Xiaowan.
She didn’t drink alcohol; he knew that.
Leng Lingxiao glanced at the chrysanthemum tea, gently took Tang Xiaowan’s hand, and tenderly cautioned her, "Eat less chili later, don’t overdo it."
"Don’t worry about it, I know."
"Good, take a sip of water to warm your stomach."
Seeing this, Li Zishen jokingly said, "What’s hotpot without spice?" He then turned to Nanny Chen, "You can go down; we’ll manage on our own."
With that, the servants left with Nanny Chen.
It was only then that Li Zishen picked up a glass and said with a smile, "Here’s to our bright future."
"Yeah, yeah, cheers!" Li Zihan swiftly chimed in, proactively clinking his drink with Leng Lingxiao, followed by Tang Xiaowan and her brother Li Zishen.
The atmosphere was warm, yet everyone had their own thoughts.
Soon after, Li Zishen pointed to the dishes on the table and said, "These have been prepared according to Qingcheng’s and Huang City’s specialties. I hope you like them."
Hearing this, Leng Lingxiao calmly replied, "Oh, I see, Mr. Li has really gone out of his way!"
Upon hearing this, Li Zishen quickly waved his hands: "It’s no trouble at all, no trouble. Xiaowan and I are very close friends; this little thing is nothing."
The word ’close friends’ was spoken with particular emotion.
Oh, it’s starting again. Headache!
At this moment, the silver pot was bubbling with delicious broth, red chili peppers and golden slices of ginger floating in the soup, emitting an enticing aroma.
As it heated up, the broth burbled.
Tang Xiaowan, looking at the uniformly silver dinnerware on the table, couldn’t help but recall the last dinner.
My goodness, could this be intentional?
Just then, Li Zihan suddenly spoke up, "Wow, the beef tripe is really good! Xiaowan, you have to try this; super tasty. Come on, have some more."
"No need, I can do it myself, thank you!"
But as soon as these words fell, Li Zishen gave Li Zihan a meaningful look.
Everyone was smart and caught on immediately.
"Alright, I’m starving, so I’ll leave you to it." Saying so, Li Zihan took a sip of hot tea and began to eat heartily.
Seeing this, Tang Xiaowan immediately couldn’t wait to pick a tender slice of lamb and submerged it into the bubbling hot soup, causing the meat to curl instantly.
She carefully picked up the meat, dipped it in a special sauce, and savored it in her mouth.
Wow, it’s so tender, so delicious!
Right, this hot pot is not bad as well, it could be slightly improved and introduced to the hotel.
With that thought, she took another taste.
During this time, Leng Lingxiao occasionally passed dishes to Tang Xiaowan, while she smiled sweetly, occasionally playfully placing a piece of meat into Leng Lingxiao’s bowl, their interactions filled with deep affection.
Li Zishen saw it all, feeling the pain in his heart, yet he didn’t show it and always responded with a smile.
Meanwhile, at Nanjiang Villa.
The place was not as lively as Li Garden, with the courtyard under nightfall being utterly silent. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn NoveI★Fire.net
Inside the study, Madam Lai sat upright on a three-seater sofa, staring blankly at a leather file bag, which showed parts of some photos.
Already quite slender, her short hair made her look even more delicate and lonely.
Knock, knock, knock, three knocks on the door.
Seeing no response, Nanny Wu sighed and slowly pushed the solid wooden door that was ajar. As someone who had taken care of Madam Lai’s daily life for many years, she had this privilege.
"Madam, have some porridge, it’s millet."
Nanny Wu said this and gently placed the tray down, then arranged a bowl of millet porridge, along with two small dishes of pickled vegetables, one by one on the coffee table.
"I’m fine, don’t tell... Tomorrow is the press conference, I can’t let Zishen get distracted."
Over the years, Madam Lai had been plagued by insomnia, and Nanny Wu thought it was just the old problem acting up again, or that discomfort in her neck was causing her poor spirits.
So, she moved closer and asked, "Madam, are you having a headache again? Shall I rub it for you?"
"No, I’m very well, extremely well!"
"Oh, then let me organize this for you." Nanny Wu looked toward the file bag and replied with a smile.
She was worried about it getting wet during the meal.
"Don’t touch it, don’t move it!"
Madam Lai’s outburst truly startled Nanny Wu, her hand already extended but quickly retracted, her heart suddenly pounding.
"Go on, I’d like to be alone for a while."
Nanny Wu didn’t dare say more, softly picking up the wooden tray and left the study thoughtfully.
The room lapsed back into silence.
Moments later, having collected her thoughts, Madam Lai made a call to Li Zishen’s third uncle, Lai Jingshan.
"Big sister-in-law, what’s the matter?"
"Are you... attending the press conference tomorrow?"
"Yes, big sister-in-law, rest assured, the kid Zishen has everything well planned and arranged."
Madam Lai clenched the phone, hesitating to speak.
Lai Jingshan on the other end also sensed her abnormality and asked with concern in a lowered voice, "Big sister-in-law, what’s wrong?"
"Nothing, it’s nothing, that’s all."
Without waiting for Lai Jingshan to ask again, Madam Lai quickly hung up the phone.
No... this isn’t right, it’s not okay!
Looking at the file bag on the coffee table, she felt her head was about to explode, so she hurriedly ran to the desk and took out a box of matches from the drawer.