Chapter 75: Your Loyal Worker

Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Your Loyal Worker

Fu Chao was cut off mid-sentence.

He, Nan Zhi, and the two curious kids all looked toward the side of the road—

A black SUV was pulling over, slowly coming to a stop.

Director Xie Yu stepped out.

He turned and lifted his daughter, Xie An’an, out of the car.

According to his profile, Xie Yu was already thirty years old, but he didn’t look it.

He had sharp, chiseled features, with narrow eyes and thin, cool lips, giving him a handsome, proud, and unyielding air. He looked like the campus dreamboat, the top student who always wore a white shirt.

In stark contrast to his cold demeanor, his daughter, Xie An’an, was a sweet, soft little mochi ball—pretty, adorable, and just like a doll from a manga.

She grew a little shy when she saw Nan Zhi’s group of four all looking at her and her dad.

Then, she noticed that the two older boys, Nan Yi and Qing Xi, were both standing on the ground while she was being held by her father. She started to feel embarrassed.

She said in a small voice,

"Daddy, put me down."

Xie Yu, who clearly didn’t understand the subtleties of a little girl’s heart, asked in genuine surprise,

"Didn’t you just say your feet hurt and you didn’t want to walk?"

His voice wasn’t loud, but it was loud enough for Nan Zhi and the others to hear.

Xie An’an’s face instantly turned bright red!

[Ah... so tiring. Another day, another dad who doesn’t understand his daughter.]

[Is Director Xie that dense? Can’t he see An’an is embarrassed?]

[This family can’t function without me!]

[It’s not that I’m into Xie Yu, I just want to be An’an’s mommy... I repeat, I am NOT into Xie Yu!]

[Forget Xie Yu, look at the other guests like Fu Chao. Not a single one of them has a clue.]

[And Qing Xi actually asked if the little sister hurt her foot... Talk about adding fuel to the fire.]

...

Qing Xi scratched his head in confusion, not quite understanding why the pretty little girl’s lip started to tremble after he spoke.

’He had just asked a normal question, hadn’t he?’

Only Nan Zhi noticed Xie An’an’s predicament.

For a moment, she forgot all about the original novel and its protagonists, seeing Xie An’an as just a regular child she’d happened to meet.

So, she waved with a gentle smile.

"You must be An’an, right? Auntie has some snacks here, would you like to come have some?"

She had brought three boxes of pastries with her, originally intending to share them with the other guests.

But she’d been sidetracked by Fu Chao and was only just now taking them out.

Just as expected, Xie An’an’s attention was captured, and she temporarily forgot her embarrassment.

Even Xie Yu looked straight over.

Xie An’an pointed at Nan Zhi in pleasant surprise.

"Ah! It’s you! The pretty auntie with the delicious fried rice!"

Xie Yu reminded her,

"An’an, don’t point at people."

Xie An’an quickly hid her hand behind her back, but she was still muttering,

"Daddy watches the pretty auntie’s cooking videos every day..."

Xie Yu froze.

He then bent down to place his daughter on the ground, using the movement to hide the flash of embarrassment on his face.

Nan Zhi, however, remained perfectly composed.

She didn’t misunderstand the situation, simply interpreting Xie Yu’s behavior as a love for food.

Fu Chao was a different story.

He suddenly perked up, his critical gaze sweeping over Xie Yu from head to toe.

Like a bride’s family inspecting a potential son-in-law.

The atmosphere instantly became... delicate.

Fortunately, the allure of Nan Zhi’s pastries was strong enough.

The delicate atmosphere didn’t even last a minute before everyone crowded around to look at the pastries.

Nan Zhi had made these pastries herself. She had just made them for Nan Yi a few days ago, and they had received rave reviews from the parents and children in their neighborhood.

Conquering a group of TV guests was only a matter of time—

Nan Yi took the initiative to introduce them. "This snowflake cake is delicious."

Qing Xi, not to be outdone, took a big bite and retorted, "Obviously, the egg yolk pastry is better!"

Xie An’an held her pastry preciously, reluctant to eat it. "I like the cloud slice cake more! It’s so soft, fragrant, and sweet!"

Xie Yu said nothing, just crunched away on a walnut cookie.

Fu Chao forgot all about observing Xie Yu and quickly picked out his favorite shredded radish pastry from the box.

’Great. Everyone had found something they liked, so there was no fighting!’

Just then, Qi Pei’er and Qi Zhang finally arrived.

They jumped out of their car in a flurry.

"Sorry, sorry! We got stuck in traffic because of an accident on the way. We’re late!"

Then they looked closer and saw a group of people huddled around a pastry box, not even looking up.

After hesitating for only a few seconds, they happily joined the fray for the food!

Qi Pei’er was cheerful and extroverted. Her voice was always a few notches higher than everyone else’s, and she radiated a brilliant energy, as if she had an endless supply of it.

As a prodigiously talented singer-songwriter who had penned massive hit singles, Qi Pei’er was also a master of flattery!

"Wow, this walnut cookie is so crisp and flaky it melts in your mouth! It’s not greasy at all, and your whole mouth just fills with sweetness! This is even better than the walnut cookies from that time-honored shop in Yanjing!"

"The egg yolk pastry is amazing too! The ratio of salted egg yolk to red bean paste is just right, the crust is crispy and soft, and the whole thing has this rich, milky fragrance!"

"So this is a cloud slice cake? No wonder it has that name! It’s snow-white, soft as a cloud, has a light, fresh scent, and it melts on your tongue like a snowflake! It’s sweet and fragrant, with a lingering aftertaste!"

"..."

Qi Pei’er’s flattery was truly on another level, delivered with masterful style!

Compared to her, everyone else’s "delicious," "very delicious," and "super delicious" seemed utterly inadequate.

Oh, and then there was Qi Zhang.

He had about a third of his aunt’s skill, raising his arms and shouting,

"Super delicious! I super love it!"

’Yes, a great hype team indeed!’

Nan Zhi let out a soft laugh.

Her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, a gentle, water-like joy overflowing from them.

Qi Pei’er stared, momentarily dazed.

Then, as if remembering something, she eagerly cut in,

"So, Nan Zhi, what identity did you draw? Should we team up for the next segment?"

Struck by a strong sense of déjà vu, Fu Chao snapped back to his senses.

"Wait... hold on! I was here first! Nan Zhi, we worked so well together last time, we can just do the same this time! You can’t abandon your loyal worker bee!"

As he spoke, Fu Chao dragged over Qing Xi, whose face was covered in crumbs.

"See? Here’s another little worker bee!"

Qing Xi looked utterly bewildered. "Huh?"

Even Xie Yu, not to be outdone, joined the fray.

His tone was unhurried, yet it carried a calm confidence.

"Work with me. The identity card I drew is ’Breakfast Stall Owner.’ It should be of some help to you."

’Some help?’

A breakfast stall plus Nan Zhi—that was practically a recipe to replicate the explosive success of last episode’s fried rice stall!

[W-w-what... they can do that?]

[Why not? Fu Chao only avoided starving last episode by clinging to Nan Zhi’s coattails.]

[Some of the fans must be fuming, hahaha! They’re badmouthing Nan Zhi behind the scenes, while their own idol is fighting to be her partner!]

[Now I believe the production team didn’t rig the drawing. The breakfast stall was probably meant for Nan Zhi, but Xie Yu ended up drawing it!]

...