Chapter 130: Would Rather Always Be Sick

Chapter 130: Chapter 130: Would Rather Always Be Sick

Nan Zhi ladled Lu Shixu a small bowl of millet porridge, mostly broth with only a few grains.

But the porridge was cooked to perfection. The grains had burst open, and a thin, creamy film floated on the surface. The essence of every single grain had dissolved into the broth.

Now that it had cooled a bit, it was warm but not scalding. Sipping it slowly felt just right, soothing the entire path from his throat to his stomach.

It even sparked a powerful thought in Lu Shixu’s mind: ’This is the best millet porridge in the world.’

However...

He tilted his head and saw Nan Zhi sitting with Nan Yi at the adjacent table.

Food was spread out in front of Nan Yi as well: a small, store-bought cake, along with some of Nan Zhi’s homemade pancakes, crispy fried meatballs, and a small bowl of peanut paste.

The sheer variety and effort put into it stood in stark contrast to Lu Shixu’s simple bowl of millet porridge!

But Lu Shixu didn’t mind in the slightest.

His heart ached and swelled, as if years of repressed emotions were about to burst forth...

Forcing himself to remain calm, he carefully picked up his spoon and began to eat the porridge.

His mind was completely immersed in feelings of pleasure and contentment. Before he knew it, the small bowl of porridge was empty.

Lu Shixu, still wanting more, asked Nan Zhi if there was any more millet porridge.

Nan Zhi frowned. "If your stomach hurts, it’s probably not a good idea to eat too much."

Lu Shixu replied, "Okay, I won’t have any more then."

His only regret was that he had eaten that bowl of millet porridge too quickly.

CRUNCH CRUNCH.

Nan Yi was chomping forcefully on the crispy fried meatballs.

Nan Zhi’s attention was immediately drawn back to him. She said softly,

"Don’t eat so fast. Slow down."

Nan Yi obediently slowed his pace.

Lu Shixu knew exactly what was going through the little boy’s mind.

He found it amusing.

And because Nan Zhi was there, he was willing to be endlessly patient with Nan Yi.

He leaned back in his chair, silently watching the mother and son.

Without him even noticing, the pain in his stomach had eased considerably.

Lu Shixu wasn’t happy about it. On the contrary, he found it a pity.

’If a simple stomachache could keep her eyes on him...’

’...then he hoped he would never get better.’

Unfortunately.

Nan Zhi had softened toward him, but only a little.

Seeing that Lu Shixu was feeling much better, she immediately got up to send him on his way.

"Call your assistant and have him come pick you up."

Lu Shixu started to say it wasn’t necessary.

But when he happened to look up and meet Nan Zhi’s gaze, the words on the tip of his tongue naturally changed to:

"Okay."

Less than twenty minutes after the call, Tao An rushed over.

He hurried through the restaurant’s entrance.

"Sir! Are you all right, sir!"

Unable to hide his anxious expression, he was certainly a loyal subordinate.

Nan Zhi gave Tao An a rare second glance.

For some reason, Tao An suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Nan Zhi said, "Please take him with you. We’re closing up to rest."

Tao An hesitated. "Sir..."

"Let’s go."

Lu Shixu changed his mind when he heard Nan Zhi say the word "rest."

Just as he was about to leave, he paused again.

"I’ll be back in a week."

Nan Zhi wasn’t listening at all; she was too busy checking if Nan Yi had eaten too much.

Lu Shixu’s figure lingered in the doorway for a long time before he slowly, reluctantly, departed.

Nan Yi looked with concern at the slightly dazed Nan Zhi.

"Mom?"

Nan Zhi snapped out of it, shaking her head with a smile and saying it was nothing.

-

The first thing Zhu Jin did after leaving Nan Family’s Small Restaurant was call his old friend, Zhong Yu.

His first call didn’t go through, so he persistently tried a second time.

Zhong Yu finally answered, her voice tinged with exasperation.

"I’m in a meeting..."

"I just went to Nan Family’s Small Restaurant! You have no idea how blown away I was!"

Zhu Jin was so excited he was dancing and waving his arms on the side of the road, oblivious to everyone around him.

He scared passersby into giving him a wide berth.

Many curious onlookers stopped to stare.

Zhu Jin paid them no mind, saying excitedly,

"She may have rejected my invitation for the Gourmet Record selection... but that doesn’t matter! I’m going to write an article about her! It’ll be published in next month’s issue of *Gourmet Delights*! Hmm, or maybe I’ll just make her a cover feature? It’s been a long time since I’ve done that, so I’m a bit rusty on the procedure. I’ll have to talk to the people at the magazine..."

Zhu Jin was the former editor-in-chief of *Gourmet Delights*, but his word still carried more weight than anyone else’s at the magazine.

Because he was the largest shareholder.

As for a cover feature in *Gourmet Delights*...

Zhong Yu was surprised to hear this. She hadn’t expected Zhu Jin to be so earnest!

He’d been rejected, yet he was still determined to do an interview and put her on the cover of the magazine.

’Is that girl, Nan Zhi, really so skilled that her craft has reached the pinnacle of perfection?’

After a moment of contemplation, Zhong Yu cut off Zhu Jin’s rambling.

"Are you free tomorrow? I want to go."

Zhu Jin was speechless for a couple of seconds.

"...You want to try the food at Nan Family’s Small Restaurant too? You’ve got the right idea! Their Texas Roasted Chicken is to die for, just as good as Mr. Ren Yunqing’s! It’s a shame Mr. Ren hasn’t been active for years; I wonder if his skills have improved even more. Oh, and their Yan Du Xian..."

Zhu Jin was probably so excited that he seized the chance to gush to Zhong Yu, chattering on and on without a break.

Zhong Yu, utterly fed up, simply hung up on him.

Zhu Jin: ???

’Whatever, it doesn’t matter,’ he thought. ’I need to rush home and write my review anyway!’

This was a formal food review, completely different from the casual stuff he posted on Weibo!

In the past, writing a food review article required Zhu Jin to rack his brains, weighing every word with extreme care.

But this time was different. Every nerve in his body was buzzing with excitement from that lunch. Inspiration crackled like a trail of fire, and Zhu Jin even felt he could crank out the article before the day was over!

Zhu Jin was fired up and ready to go.

Meanwhile, Zhong Yu was lost in thought.

She was still in the conference room, flanked by her subordinates. Everyone was looking at her.

But Zhong Yu seemed oblivious, still mulling over what Zhu Jin had just said.

Zhou Ling, sitting in the second seat to her right, spoke up.

"Director Zhong?"

Zhong Yu was pulled back from her thoughts.

"Yes?"

Seeing that all eyes were on her, she explained,

"That was Zhu Jin."

Her words were enough to get everyone excited.

Zhu Jin was the chief consultant for their new documentary. His opinion was extremely important!

Zhou Ling asked happily,

"Did Mr. Zhu have a restaurant to recommend?"

Their meeting had just hit a dead end over the selection of subjects.

If Zhu Jin could give them some new inspiration, it would be a huge help!

Zhong Yu didn’t answer, however.

Instead, she frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then said,

"Zhou Ling, that segment you submitted yesterday..."

Zhou Ling instantly forgot everything else. Her heart leaped into her throat as she waited for the verdict—

"Let’s use it in the final film. I’ll edit it myself."

"O-Okay!"

Zhou Ling was so overjoyed she almost leaped out of her seat!

For the rest of the meeting, her smile never left her face, no matter how much Director Zhong fumed or scolded!

When the meeting finally ended, she rose from her seat, humming a little tune, basking in the envious gazes of her colleagues.

Just as she walked out the door, she received a phone call.