Chapter 1873: Anxious Family

She glared at the waiter and reprimanded, "These are our Chairman's parents. Remember that. If there is a next time, I will fire you."

The head waiter arranged two seats for Shi Youxuan and her husband in the best spot for viewing, then personally presented the menu and invited the two to order.

The menu had been redesigned and adjusted after Li Xueer arrived; among the ten signature dishes at the top, two were Li Xue's specialties.

Sashimi and Bird Returning to the Cage.

Sashimi relies almost entirely on knife skills.

Before a live fish can even react, thin slices are already cut from the fattest part of its belly.

As thin as cicada wings, they melt in the mouth, and the texture is exceptionally good.

Bird Returning to the Cage is actually an improved version of fried bird's nest.

The potato shreds Li Xue cuts are not only fast, but fine enough to pass through a needle, and the shape when fried is very much like a bird's nest.

So Zichen suggested she use boiled eggs and quail eggs to carve out big birds and small birds to place in the nest; they were vivid and lifelike.

These two dishes are ordered at almost every table.

Shi Youxuan also ordered these two dishes, but when they were served, it was Zichen who brought them over.

Zichen sat beside his mother, put his arm around her shoulder, and asked, "Why did you and Dad suddenly come here? You didn't even tell me beforehand."

Shi Youxuan: "We didn't come to see you, so why would we tell you?"

"Mom, it's not what you think. It must be Zihan who went back and talked nonsense, right? He just likes to exaggerate, don't misunderstand..."

Behind the glass, Li Xueer couldn't hear what they were saying, but she felt very anxious and uneasy.

The people who came must be the boss's family; they kept looking in her direction. Were they here to see her?

Shi Youxuan wanted to meet Li Xueer and invite her out for a chat.

She didn't care about the girl's family background, as long as she was a good person.

Being poor is not something to fear; what matters is a poor character. As long as the girl's character is upright and she gets along with her son, Shi Youxuan could accept her as her daughter-in-law.

Zichen did not appreciate his parents' "tolerance"; he did not agree to let Li Xueer meet his parents.

He said to his mother, "This isn't good. If you call her out, it will be misunderstood. There are already rumors about us, and it will affect the young lady's reputation."

Seeing Li Xueer looking over here constantly, Shi Youxuan had already guessed the young girl's thoughts.

"I see she is interested in you. Won't you consider it?"

"Hmm, I won't consider it. Don't play matchmaker blindly. Just finish your meal and go back..."

Compared to his wife's curiosity, Sheng Hanyu appeared very indifferent. He did not approve of his son marrying a cook; one cook in the family was enough, there was no need for two.

He believed Zichen should still find a wife from a family of equal social standing; on this point, his thoughts differed from his wife's.

In the end, Shi Youxuan did not get her wish; she didn't meet Li Xueer and went home.

Only after his parents finally left did Zichen breathe a sigh of relief.

But he relaxed too early.

When getting off work, another uninvited guest came to the office.

This one was a truly rare guest—Zirui.

Zirui was truly busy; a secretary is so busy every day that his feet barely touch the ground, even busier than him, the Chairman managing dozens of restaurants.

"Why are you here? You busy person, come and sit."

Zirui got straight to the point: "I heard you are getting hot and heavy with a female cook, and this person is also your employee?"

Zichen:...

Without thinking, he knew whose mouth was so fast.

Apart from Sheng Zihan, there was no one else; this guy specializes in gossiping about others while ignoring himself.

"Don't listen to Zihan's nonsense, there's no such thing. We just have a normal superior-subordinate relationship. You even believe the rumors outside."

Hearing his eldest brother say it wasn't true, a relaxed smile appeared on Zirui's face.

"I knew it. Eldest brother wouldn't be that unreliable. A female cook certainly won't do; she's not worthy of you."

"You are the eldest son; in the future, our family's eldest daughter-in-law must be from a family of equal standing, otherwise people will laugh at us..."

Zichen was speechless again.

Zirui's way of speaking and his tone were exactly the same as Dad's.

No, wait, Dad doesn't even demand so much anymore.

Of course, Zichen wouldn't be lectured obediently. Why should he?

He is the eldest brother; if there is any lecturing to be done, he should be the one lecturing his younger brothers.

"You have the nerve to lecture me? What about you? What about you? Don't give me those grand principles. Mom and Dad introduced so many girls from families of equal standing to you, and you didn't even look at them. And what about Shen Qingya? That girl is so good, so suitable. Everyone says you two are a match made in heaven, why don't you pursue it?"

"You have a mouth to talk about others, but no mouth to talk about yourself. I hate you double-standard people the most."

"I don't care. I'm full of anger right now, and it won't get better without a barbecue. You're treating."

Zirui was "extorted."

He smiled and accepted his fate: "No problem, I'll treat, you pay."

His monthly salary wasn't even as much as what his eldest brother earned in ten minutes.

If he were extorted by the "God of Wealth," it wouldn't be a matter of money, but a matter of face. Face is a big deal, so of course, he couldn't lose.

Who treats doesn't matter; what matters is that the brothers are all busy with their own things now, and it has been a long time since they sat together to drink and chat.

There's no time like the present; today is just right.

In the past, everyone would gather every weekend, but later, after Litian and Moli got married and had their own little families, such gatherings gradually became fewer and fewer.

Originally, there were the triplets causing trouble with them, so they didn't feel lonely.

But the triplets have boyfriends now, and now there are only the three of them left as bachelors!

They didn't want to gather with everyone else anymore.

When they gathered together, the topic was always about the three of them, all about introducing potential partners; every time, Lu Feifei and Su Qiangying would take out a stack of photos of young women, making them choose!

It was as if excellent people didn't deserve to be single!

So gradually, even if others had time, the three of them didn't want to attend anymore; it was pointless.

Of course, it was boring for the two brothers to gather alone; such occasions definitely couldn't do without Zihan, so Zihan rushed over quickly after receiving the call, and the three brothers sat in front of a barbecue stall, eating and chatting.

In a place like this, the biggest advantage was that there was no need to worry about one's image or mind one's manners; speaking loudly was perfectly fine, and no one else would care what was said.

Barbecue paired with ice-cold beer—as they drank, all three of them had a bit too much.

Zihan asked Zichen with a slurred tongue: "Big Brother, you don't want to find a girlfriend, is it because you're still thinking about Sister Gu?"

"Sister Gu is a very good person, but she is already a thing of the past; she has fallen in love with someone else and is no longer yours. You shouldn't be thinking about her; you should forget her..."

People are just like that; when talking about others, they have a whole set of principles, but when it comes to themselves, everything is still a mess.

Zichen: "Everything you're saying is nonsense. Even you have started lecturing me with grand principles? Who doesn't know what should be done and what shouldn't? The problem is, can it be done?"

Zihan and Zirui didn't answer, just kept pouring beer into their mouths.

That's right, everyone knows the principles, but doing it is so hard!