Chapter 646: 642. Gathering of Friends (Seeking Subscriptions and Monthly Tickets)

Wang Chao was very excited about the arrival of Zhang Ran and the others, and it was a joy that came from the bottom of his heart.

Ever since Zhang Ran arrived at his home, Wang Chao had been busy running around, bringing out all the things he had prepared during this time.

Food, drinks, things to play with—everything was provided.

"Chao'er, stop busybodying," Zhang Ran said, watching Wang Chao bustle about.

"It's fine, Brother Ran. What would you like to eat? Let me tell you, my cooking skills are top-notch now," Wang Chao boasted.

If some of his friends or students were to see this, they probably wouldn't even recognize him; in the impression of many, Wang Chao had always been taciturn, and they had almost never seen him like this.

"Then we shall taste your handiwork." Zhang Ran stopped trying to persuade him; he could see Wang Chao's happiness, and besides, this was Wang Chao's home.

Wang Chao walked into the kitchen, took out his phone, and dialed his wife's number.

"When are you coming back?" Wang Chao asked.

"I have a meeting here," Liao Wei said briefly.

Wang Chao frowned and said, "Didn't I tell you? My brother is coming to our house today; we had agreed on this."

"Sorry, I ran into an urgent matter." Liao Wei's tone had no ripples.

Wang Chao took a deep breath and said, "I hope you can come back soon."

"Mm, I'll try my best." After saying that, Liao Wei hung up the phone.

Immediately after, Wang Chao called his daughter, Wang Ya. Wang Ya was easy to talk to; she had always had a good relationship with her father since she was a child, and it had always been her father who took care of her.

So, even though she was very busy with her internship, she had already agreed and was rushing home as quickly as possible.

Wang Chao cooked while chatting loudly with Zhang Ran and the others, trying his best not to let them feel uncomfortable.

Zhang Ran and Gong Nan looked at Wang Chao with some helplessness, then both of them ducked into the kitchen to help out on the side, which also made chatting less of an effort.

As for Qi Xiaoting, she wandered around the garden by herself.

"Dad, I'm back." Just as she had said, Wang Ya finished her work handover quickly and returned.

Seeing Wang Ya, Wang Chao immediately introduced her: "This is my daughter, Wang Ya. Xiaoya, this is your Uncle Zhang and Uncle Gong."

Wang Ya was slightly stunned when she saw Zhang Ran's overly youthful face, but she still said very politely, "Hello, Uncle Zhang. Hello, Uncle Gong."

From the way they were addressed alone, Wang Ya knew that this man who looked very young was actually older than her father.

"Hello, Xiaoya." Zhang Ran and Gong Nan both greeted her in turn and took out the gifts they had brought.

They weren't particularly expensive gifts; Zhang Ran didn't mind, but since he had come with Gong Nan, the value of their gifts had to be roughly the same.

Otherwise, if he gave something particularly expensive, it wouldn't look good for Gong Nan.

Even if the relationship was good, such subtle situations still needed to be paid attention to; otherwise, it wouldn't matter once or twice, but three or four times might lead to some discomfort.

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang, Uncle Gong," Wang Ya said with a smile.

"Xiaoya, go play with Uncle Gong's daughter, Xiaoting," Wang Chao said.

His purpose in having Wang Ya come back was to keep Qi Xiaoting company so that she wouldn't feel constrained or uncomfortable.

"Alright, then you go ahead and get busy," Wang Ya said very obediently.

After Wang Ya left, Zhang Ran said with a smile, "Xiaoya isn't the 'iron lady' you described at all; her personality is very good."

"Her, hehe." Wang Chao chuckled upon hearing this.

"She's only like this in front of me; deep down, she is still very strong-willed," Wang Chao said, a happy smile appearing on his face.

It was naturally a cause for joy that his daughter was close to him.

Soon the meal was ready, but at this time, Liao Wei still hadn't returned, and Wang Chao's expression was slightly unpleasant.

He had told Liao Wei about this several days in advance, and Liao Wei had agreed wholeheartedly, yet now she was nowhere to be seen.

Zhang Ran and the others didn't mind; they hadn't come here for Liao Wei, but for Wang Chao.

"Sorry, Liao Wei is a bit busy with work. Let's eat first," Wang Chao said.

Zhang Ran said, "It's fine, why don't we wait a bit longer? We aren't hungry."

"No need to wait. When my mom gets busy, she doesn't even know where she is. Let's eat first," Wang Ya said, taking the opportunity to help explain a little.

Before Zhang Ran could speak, Wang Chao also said, "Right, let's eat first. We must have a good drink today."

Zhang Ran and Gong Nan didn't refuse anymore, and so they began to drink.

They had been eating for nearly half an hour when Liao Wei finally returned.

Although Liao Wei was already forty-six, she was very well-maintained and dressed beautifully; she didn't look like someone in her forties at all.

At this moment, her face was slightly flushed, as if she had just come back from drinking.

"This is my brother, Zhang Ran, and Gong Nan," Wang Chao introduced them hurriedly.

"This is my wife, Liao Wei."

Zhang Ran and Gong Nan stood up to greet her, and Liao Wei also socialized with them with a smile on her face.

Yes, it was socializing!

At the very least, that was the impression it gave Zhang Ran; the smile on her face was too professional. However, he had no opinion on this; after all, he wasn't close to Liao Wei, and they hadn't even known each other before, so being greeted with a smile was already quite good.

After chatting for a couple of sentences, Liao Wei said, "I'll go up and change my clothes first. You all continue eating."

After saying that, she went upstairs.

However, she came down very quickly; she didn't stay upstairs after changing.

"By the way, Chao'er, how are the universities here in the United States? I want to have my Xiaoting come over to study; are there any places you recommend?" Gong Nan said.

He had brought Qi Xiaoting with him this time with this purpose in mind, and Wang Chao was now a university teacher; although it wasn't a famous university, it was still a decent one.

Moreover, he was familiar with these things and was someone worth trusting.

Wang Chao immediately said, "Universities here in the United States are easy to get into but hard to graduate from, though the education is still good. But our domestic universities aren't bad either; sometimes don't just look at rankings. In fact, some domestic universities have already surpassed universities here in the United States in certain fields."

Gong Nan gave a wry smile and said, "I know, but with the grades of this one in my family, let alone those universities, even the slightly worse ones have no hope. So I was wondering if she could come here to take a look."

Zhang Ran wanted to speak, but then he closed his mouth; he would wait and say it later, and besides, since they were asking Wang Chao, it wasn't appropriate for him to interrupt.

Zhang Ran did not know about Qi Xiaoting's academic situation, but as long as Gong Nan spoke to him about it, it would be a very simple matter for him to arrange which school Qi Xiaoting would attend, and it would not even occupy any enrollment quotas; the current Zhang Ran had the confidence to do so.