Bai Mengling’s sudden appearance made the atmosphere in the restaurant somewhat strange. For the passersby who came to eat, it seemed like a juicy piece of gossip, but for Chen Tang, Liu Mengmeng, and even Liu Yan, who was still cooking in the back kitchen, this was clearly no small matter.
“We have a private room; I’ll take you there.”
Chen Tang displayed professionalism.
Bai Mengling knew exactly what Chen Tang was up to. Taking her to a private room would prevent any scene that might affect Liu Yan’s family business.
‘She really is thinking of herself as the mistress of the house.’
Bai Mengling let out a soft laugh, but of course she would cooperate. After all, she didn’t want to make an even worse impression on Liu Yan. He already thought she was troublesome, and if something like this affected him, he would probably really get annoyed with her.
At that moment, Shi Yiyi followed her into the shop.
“Hm? Shi Yiyi? You’re okay?”
“Chen Tang… classmate…” Shi Yiyi clearly knew Chen Tang. “Miss Bai came today to congratulate me on being discharged… I wanted to thank Liu Yan, so I begged her to bring me here. Please don’t mind too much…”
She meant they weren’t here to cause trouble. Bai Mengling hadn’t insisted on coming; it was only because of her request.
Bai Mengling said somewhat discontentedly, “Why are you telling her that?”
She sounded almost like a tsundere.
Chen Tang had no interest in why they had come. She just wanted to satisfy this eldest miss’s request as quickly as possible and send her back where she came from.
If Bai Mengling had any sense, she wouldn’t make a scene in the shop and pick on either her or Liu Yan.
But who knew how such an eldest miss would act? If the Hand of Fate exerted its force and made Miss Bai throw a tantrum here, it wasn’t impossible.
So Chen Tang remained quite wary of Bai Mengling.
Bai Mengling pulled Shi Yiyi to sit down, then looked at Chen Tang. “Help me recommend a menu suitable for someone who’s just recovered.”
“Sure. I recommend the herbal pork ribs. It’s a family recipe for gentle nourishment, perfect for someone just getting over a major illness. The craftsmanship is excellent, and it’s not bitter. Instead, it has a unique herbal aroma. I also recommend the lotus seed soup. For someone recovering, I’d avoid spicy dishes.”
Bai Mengling looked at Chen Tang with surprise. “You’re actually somewhat professional?”
“Even though I only started learning to officially run the restaurant this morning, I’ve been working here for quite a few years. Every year, I come to help Liu Yan.”
She said casually, “Of course I’m professional.”
“Childhood friends, huh? Impressive. You’re really close.”
There was an ambiguous tone in her words.
Chen Tang didn’t know what this woman was trying to do, but she stuck to her guns.
“I’ll remain unfazed no matter how the wind blows.”
“Do you have any personal requests? If not, I’ll go place the order.”
Bai Mengling then asked, “Do you have any favorites among Liu Yan’s dishes?”
“Taste is subjective, but I usually go for sweet and sour ribs.”
“Add that too.”
“Alright. Please wait a moment, you two.”
She flashed a sweet smile, showing no trace of the “Demon Ball School Beauty.”
And indeed, few people mentioned that nickname recently. Some even called Chen Tang the “Sweet School Flower.”
In fact, ever since last month, Chen Tang had been showing a completely different image. When she was with Liu Yan, she turned into a sweet little girl, like the girlfriend many men dreamed of.
After Chen Tang left to place the order, Bai Mengling turned to Shi Yiyi. “Yiyi! Did you see that? Chen Tang is way too much! She’s dating Liu Yan just to spite me! She’s standing up for him! You know, I’m completely innocent in this.”
She had told Shi Yiyi everything. Shi Yiyi sympathized with Miss Bai, but this was a matter within a rich and powerful family, and she didn’t know much about it. She couldn’t comment, but she personally felt this wasn’t good.
Then again, if some rich young master suddenly asked her to marry into a wealthy family, she would hesitate too. What if she got chewed up and spit out inside?
Liu Yan probably had the same worry.
Shi Yiyi felt she could understand.
“Heh, but Chen Tang probably didn’t expect that we’ve already contacted Liu Yan. In your name, Liu Yan should come to eat. I see the shop isn’t too busy. It was right to come an hour early, at eleven.”
As Bai Mengling said, Liu Yan already knew from his phone that Bai Mengling and Shi Yiyi had arrived.
Shi Yiyi had sent him a message earlier.
She came to visit Liu Yan as a thank-you.
That night, Chen Tang had answered the phone. Chen Tang said that if they wanted to eat, she would have to be present.
At that time, Shi Yiyi, prompted by Bai Mengling, had agreed.
She said no problem at all, so here they were.
Chen Tang really hadn’t expected Bai Mengling to be so scheming. She had underestimated the power of the Bai Clan. For this family, investigating someone in X City was far too easy. They had found out what Chen Tang and Liu Yan usually did during their breaks, except for things too private to dig up. The rest was pretty accurate.
So Bai Mengling had known all along that after finals, the two would come here.
That was why Shi Yiyi had called that day.
Just as Chen Tang was about to go take the order, she saw Liu Yan take off his chef’s uniform, hang it on a hook on the wall, and walk out of the kitchen.
“Hey? What’s this…”
“Xiaotang, give me the order. I’ll cook. Didn’t you say a friend of Xiaoyan’s came to eat? You take a break too, and eat together. It’s not busy yet; we can handle it.”
Liu Father’s sudden words stunned Chen Tang, and she immediately realized she had been tricked.
‘Oh man! So that’s how it is?’
She froze on the spot.
‘Damn, Bai Mengling has some skills! She tricked me! She never intended to meet Liu Yan alone.’
The girl narrowed her eyes, made a judgment, then smiled. “Okay, I understand, Uncle Liu. Here’s the order.”
She handed the slip to Uncle Liu and walked into the private room herself.
She saw Liu Yan pouring drinks for everyone.
Wait, why was Liu Mengmeng sitting next to them? Was this conversation suitable for her to hear?
She exchanged a glance with Liu Yan. He gave her a look that said, “Calm down, don’t panic.”
‘Right. After all, no matter what Bai Mengling does, the key point is still Liu Yan. He can face Bai Mengling calmly and doesn’t feel any guilt toward her.’
Liu Yan wasn’t stupid.
He had most likely anticipated this happening today. Maybe he even wanted a proper conversation with Bai Mengling to clear things up. Breaking up over the phone did seem too hasty and undignified.
Thinking this, Chen Tang showed a warm smile. She sat gracefully across from Bai Mengling and Shi Yiyi. “There are five of us. We’ll take six dishes and one soup. Liu Yan, go ask your dad to add a few more dishes.”
Bai Mengling raised an eyebrow.
“Miss Bai, although you’re treating Shi Yiyi to dinner, since you’re here, Liu Yan and I are the hosts. How could we let you pay? Besides, you’re his ex-girlfriend. He still has that much face. I’m sure Uncle wouldn’t take your money either. Consider this our treat. Please don’t be shy.”
She acted completely like the host, unfazed by Bai Mengling’s noble aura.
She was entirely disregarding it.
Shi Yiyi admired Chen Tang for this—when facing Bai Mengling, she herself would get nervous and start watching her words… but Chen Tang seemed so free. People like that wouldn’t have low achievements.
Because Miss Bai had intended to make her a secretary, she had already started honing her secretary skills, including judging people.
Liu Yan then went out to discuss the order with his father.
Chen Tang felt she had figured things out, so she directly said to Bai Mengling, “Miss Bai, did you come today to officially break up with your ex-boyfriend?”
“What do you think?”
“I think you don’t seem willing to give up. But save your energy. You know you can try to coerce him, but you won’t win his love. Of course, you could say something like ‘a forced melon isn’t sweet but it quenches thirst.’ I personally don’t mind. Whether Liu Yan minds as the melon is another matter.
But you know, it’s actually very easy to win him over. He’s a man who gets attracted to women easily.”
Chen Tang unhesitatingly revealed this kind of information. “If you comfort him a little when he’s unhappy, give him some benefits, he’ll be smitten immediately. Of course, he has morals, so even if he’s attracted to someone else, he’ll control his actions and his heart. So I won’t deny it: he definitely has feelings for you.”
This surprised Bai Mengling. “What—what do you mean? What are you trying to say?”
Chen Tang actually said that Liu Yan had goodwill toward her.
“See, Miss Bai, you’re so smart. Can’t you hear my implication? Or do you hear it but don’t want to admit it?”
Chen Tang sighed. “I mean, even though he knows he has some feelings for you, even though he knows he likes you a little, he still chose to give up on you. Can’t you understand that? It’s easy to figure out, Miss Bai. I’m telling you clearly: he gave you up. Unless you can make his favorability toward you reach a certain level, no amount of scheming will work.”
What was this woman saying…
Bai Mengling wanted to refute Chen Tang, but strangely… she felt Chen Tang wasn’t lying.
She actually felt Chen Tang was telling the truth.
“I have no reason to lie to you, Miss Bai. I’m telling the truth. Personally, I hope Liu Yan can be happy. Inheriting the restaurant isn’t easy. We woke up at five this morning, left at six, came here, prepped, and cooked. If he could latch onto you, Miss Bai, he could live a very refined life, traveling and having fun all year round. I would want that for him.
Honestly, if he really got together with you, I wouldn’t mind at all. But there’s still that problem, Bai Mengling: you can’t control your own fate. If you really like him and want to do something, I hope you can control your own fate first. As things are now, no matter what you do, if you can’t control your fate, you’ll only bring him trouble—or even danger to his life. I’m not lying to you.”
Chen Tang was far more direct than Bai Mengling had imagined. She was completely different from the image she had shown during their previous two encounters.
There was no fake crying, no fake posturing. Only the truth.
Liu Yan pushed open the door and walked into the private room.
All the girls immediately put on smiles.
“I talked to Dad again and ordered a few more dishes. Mom will bring them over later.”
He raised his glass. “Come, let’s use drinks instead of alcohol to toast Shi Yiyi on her recovery!”
The girls all stood up, their smiles seemingly free of charge, each one gentle and sweet.
“Cheers~”
Liu Mengmeng sat down cautiously.
‘Sister Tang was terrifying just now! So aggressive! Even Bai Mengling, the daughter of the Bai Clan, couldn’t refute her. If Brother Yan hadn’t come in, Miss Bai would have been completely embarrassed.’
The dishes hadn’t come yet, and Liu Yan had clearly anticipated this. He brought in a platter of assorted braised items.
“Dad started braising these last night. They’ve been stewing all night. Try them all… Ah, sorry, Yiyi, can you eat this?”
Shi Yiyi nodded. “The doctor said to just watch out for strong flavors and spice.”
Liu Yan acted calmly.
It was really just a meal among friends.
Bai Mengling finally composed herself.
She took a deep breath and said seriously to Liu Yan, “Liu Yan! I know what you’re worried about, so I’ll only ask you one question.”
For a moment, the room was silent.
“One year. In one year, I will master the Bai Group. I swear this. If I succeed, can you… give me a chance?”
It was almost impossible.
Liu Yan wanted to say that.
It was like Bai Mengling trying to seize power from her parents.
Technically, she was the heir, but a mountain cannot have two tigers…
“You don’t have to do this, Mengling.”