Chapter 164: Returning to Ximen City (5)

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Mo Lan and Qian Yin walked straight into the spotless, orderly kitchen. After washing their hands, they began preparing the meal. Liu Fei and Xiao Qi found the sight amusing, so they washed their hands as well and stood nearby, ready to lend a hand.

Qian Yin cooked while Mo Lan washed the vegetables. The other two watched once, then followed along. Before long, Liu Fei was washing plates and dishes, while Xiao Qi helped chop vegetables, occasionally glancing over to see how the others prepared the food.

With the four of them working together, the kitchen remained neat and clean, without the slightest mess. Fragrant aromas drifted through the villa, filling it with the warmth of home.

Drawn by the delicious smell, Boss Jin and An Feng headed toward the kitchen. Seeing the four of them working so harmoniously, like children in one family, and watching them laugh together from time to time, they realized that there was truly nothing left to worry about. What had to pass would pass. Having come to terms with that, the two of them rolled up their sleeves and prepared to help, only to be stopped by Xiao Qi and Liu Fei.

“You two can go outside and wait for the food. Don’t come in here and cause trouble.”

One of them held a knife, the other a plate, and together they blocked the doorway as though to say, This is our business. You are not allowed to touch anything. The sight was utterly adorable.

Mo Lan ladled the dishes onto plates and set them on the table. Then she smiled as she watched the scene. Things were actually quite good like this. Even away from the Mo family, she could still feel the warmth of home. She hoped that once Boss’s troubles were over, the Mo family would return to its former peace.

Qian Yin ignored everyone else and concentrated on cooking, her thoughts still occupied by Leng Xue. She had prepared many dishes that he liked. Although Leng Xue had always been the one taking care of her, Qian Yin had always paid close attention to his preferences.

“All right, we won’t cause trouble. Hurry up and bring the food out. We’re starving—truly starving,” Boss Jin said with a laugh.

He remained there for a while, watching them cook, before finally leaving with An Feng, both of them smiling.

Qian Yin had already prepared several dishes. For the final one, she decided to finish with a fish and make oil-poured fish. She left the bones in place and fried them first, then removed them and fried the fish fillets once before arranging them on top. Finally, she added chilies, garlic, and various seasonings, stir-fried them until fragrant, poured in a little oil, and let everything boil before drizzling it over the fish.

The final dish was complete. Qian Yin wore a satisfied smile and was just about to pick up her chopsticks to taste it when three pairs of eyes fixed themselves intently on her from behind.

Mo Lan was the first to speak. “You glutton, are you planning to sneak a bite again?”

Embarrassed, Qian Yin turned around with the chopsticks in her hand. Seeing those three pairs of eyes staring straight at her, she hurriedly waved her hands.

“I only wanted to see whether the dish was cooked properly. That’s all.”

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Every pair of eyes seemed to be saying the same thing: As if anyone would believe you. You obviously wanted to sneak a bite, and now you’re making excuses for yourself.

Still, the matter soon passed. Everyone carried the dishes into the living room. Qian Yin brought the fish over herself, then glanced around and discovered that Leng Xue truly was gone. She had prepared the food he liked, yet he would never appear again.

Once all the dishes had been placed on the table, An Feng and Boss Jin ate to their hearts’ content. Except for Qian Yin, who had something weighing on her mind, everyone else was delighted. They were all in high spirits.

The dishes were completely devoured. Aside from the bones, not a scrap remained. After eating and drinking their fill, everyone returned to their rooms to shower. That evening, they would attend a reception with Boss Jin to discuss the auction.

Qian Yin did not particularly want to go, so she stayed behind at the villa. She made her way alone to the top floor and gazed quietly downward. She had never realized that the top floor was so high. The nearby villas were lit up as well, as though many people were relaxing and preparing for the night.

Mo Lan had originally intended to stay and keep her company, but Xiao Qi dragged her away. She could tell that Qian Yin had something on her mind. Since Qian Yin refused to speak of it, they might as well give her some time alone.

“You’re already going—why do you have to drag me along?” Mo Lan complained.

In truth, she was not as fond of socializing with wealthy businessmen as people imagined. She would rather remain a straightforward police officer at the station. As for everything else, she always felt that it did not suit her.

“Mo Lan, coming with us to meet some prominent businessmen will broaden your understanding of the commercial world.”

By the time Boss Jin reached the destination, the others seemed to have already begun discussing business. Only their group remained at the side, speaking in low voices.

Mo Lan thought it over and stopped blaming them. She quietly listened to what they had to say, and it truly taught her a great deal. She saw many people who were full of schemes. They wore smiles on the surface, but their eyes could not deceive anyone.

There were also many honest businessmen, but they were poor with words and easily offended others. After meeting obstacles everywhere, they could only spend time with people much like themselves. They were also rather quiet, just like her.

Because of Boss Jin’s distinguished status, quite a few people came forward to speak with him. Boss Jin simply said that he had matters to attend to and was waiting for a few close friends. He had no intention of letting anyone else get too close.

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Some people were simply never meant to be friends. There was no need to get too close to them; associating with them might mean picking up their bad habits. Several wealthy businessmen stood nearby smoking, spraying spittle as they talked in loud, gruff voices and made exaggerated claims. They flaunted how noble and important they were without the slightest trace of restraint. People like that could not afford to lose.

Boss Jin merely watched. He did not explain any of it to Mo Lan, because she needed to understand these matters for herself. Only then would she avoid suffering the same kind of silent disadvantage in the future.

Xiao Qi and Liu Fei were not particularly interested in any of this. They simply watched quietly from the side, aware that this was the society of the elite, worlds apart from the society they had once known. There were many people at the reception, and every one of them appeared to have an extraordinary background. The venue was luxuriously decorated, with every kind of fine liquor available, and there was no shortage of beautiful women either.

Most of those present were businesspeople. Each carried or wore an assortment of valuable items, and nearly everyone attending came from the jade industry. There were no outsiders.

Everyone had distinctive characteristics. For instance, the man wearing emerald jewelry was clearly in the emerald trade. Even his teeth were made of emerald. One glance was enough to tell that he was extravagantly wealthy.

Another man wore yellow jade. Yellow jade was generally not considered especially precious, so among this group, his status was relatively low. Hardly anyone was willing to speak with him. He could only sit quietly to one side, observing the crowd and searching for someone worth befriending. His eyes rolled constantly, filled with calculation.

Mo Lan watched from nearby and thought about many things, but she still did not fully understand them. Although she could grasp the general idea, there were many matters that could not be understood deeply through superficial knowledge alone.

An Feng did not know how to explain it either. He had never personally handled business affairs. Even though the An family possessed many industries, they were not directly managed by members of the family, so the An family itself had little involvement in running companies. They generally invested in businesses rather than serving as company executives.

Xiao Qi did not understand these matters very well either. She was a straightforward person, with a mind that moved in simple, direct lines, and she was not suited to dealing with people like this. Her mother, however, was an investor and also ran the family’s liquor business. Perhaps she would have been perfectly suited to attending such business gatherings.

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