Two Keys

Lunch was eaten at the restaurant. During this period, the number one private room had hardly been open to the public.

In the kitchen, Tao Bo, wearing a white chef's uniform, was carefully chopping garlic with a knife.

Why wasn't he chopping vegetables? He was too slow and couldn't even cut them properly. Wang Jun had arranged for him to start with the ingredients, chopping minced garlic and ginger.

When Tao Bo saw his two cousins enter, he immediately put on a long face and said to Tang Zhi Chu, "Brother, can you talk to Mom for me again? I can't do this as a chef!"

Tang Chao was a bit surprised. His cousin was actually working as a prep cook here?

However, Tang Chao bypassed Tao Bo directly and went to find Wang Jun.

Tang Zhi Chu, on the other hand, said, "I'll give you three months. If you can get on the stove, I'll talk to your mom. If not, I'll pretend I never said anything."

"But I don't like being a chef!"

"Then what do you like to do?"

Tao Bo fell silent.

"Since you don't like it, then use a few months to prove how much you dislike it. If you can get on the stove, I'll believe you don't like being a chef. If you can't, it'll prove you actually do like it."

Tao Bo's eyes widened. It felt a little off, but also somewhat reasonable. "Okay, three months. You said it. No backing out. If you go back on your word, give me that Fairy's WeChat from last time."

"Fairy?"

Tao Bo thought for a moment before replying, "Never mind, I can't be tricked anyway."

"Alright, I won't trick you. I'm your brother, don't you trust me?"

At the back door of the kitchen, Tang Chao handed Wang Jun a cigarette.

Wang Jun took it, and then the two of them went outside.

Wang Jun and Tang Chao were very familiar with each other. They often played together when they were kids, or rather, Wang Jun used to take Tang Chao around. Back then, Wang Jun was more of a "street-smart" type than Tang Chao, essentially the little boss of their circle.

"Brother Jun, I didn't expect you to really settle down and become a chef," Tang Chao said with some emotion.

Wang Jun was smoking and asked, "How are you doing?"

Tang Chao shook his head. "I don't know. Sales are tough right now. For a ten-million-dollar deal, I should get five percent, which is fifty thousand. But after all the 'greasing the wheels' and daily client maintenance, I end up with nothing left in my hands. Can you believe it?"

Wang Jun smiled but didn't reply. Tang Chao represented Wang Jun's past life.

Wang Jun had no advice to offer him, so he simply became a listener.

After complaining, Tang Chao lit another cigarette. "Actually, I'm doing okay. It's just my good brother who's having a hard time."

"Good brother?"

"It's Zhi Chu. We both know Uncle Er's situation, and Zhi Chu's personality is so rigid. If you weren't here at the restaurant, I don't know what he'd do in the future." As he said this, Tang Chao looked at Wang Jun and then added a thank you.

Wang Jun opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but held back. In Wang Jun's eyes, Tang Zhi Chu had already changed a lot.

Tang Chao continued, "Uncle Er wants him to find a girlfriend, right? I'm planning to introduce someone to him and let him use my twenty-thousand-dollar car for a while."

After speaking, Tang Chao moved closer, exhaled a puff of smoke, and said like an experienced person, "To change someone, you only need money and women. I, as his brother, don't have money, but I can help him with women and a car."

Wang Jun laughed. "You're quite the big brother."

Tang Chao patted his chest. "Of course! We brothers from the 'Pao Ge' society never back down!"

In the kitchen, after comforting Tao Bo and seeing that he had gained some motivation, Tang Zhi Chu went to the front hall.

There was a small corridor leading to the front hall, and a woman in her thirties was leaning against the wall.

It was still spring, but she was already wearing stockings, though her calves were hidden by boots.

"Auntie," Tang Zhi Chu called out.

The woman looked over and walked a few steps forward. When she reached Tang Zhi Chu, she reached out and patted his head, standing on her tiptoes due to the height difference.

The woman seemed a little annoyed, so she simply hugged Tang Zhi Chu and patted his back.

"I won't say anything cheesy, I just wanted to hug you."

The woman felt Tang Zhi Chu's body stiffen and let go of him. She then smiled and said, "You really should find a girlfriend."

"Ahem. I'm working on it."

"Let me know if you take a liking to anyone, and I'll help you brainstorm. Oh, right, I'll give you a key to my apartment. Come over and hang out when you have time. It's not far, and you know I travel for work all the time. You can even bring girls over!"

After speaking, the woman slipped the key into Tang Zhi Chu's pocket. "Your Auntie is here to help take care of your dad, and your Uncle gave you a hundred thousand. If you refuse even this, your auntie will be sad."

Only then did Tang Zhi Chu accept the key.

He knew his auntie meant well. If he were to pursue a girl, his old house was really not presentable.

His auntie's full name was Tang Huiwen. She was the most educated among Old Tang's children, holding a master's degree.

After his auntie finished her studies, her older brothers and sisters already had children. At that time, their father, Tang Zhi Chu's grandfather, was still alive and had paid the bulk of the cost for his auntie's apartment.

Everyone outwardly agreed, but inwardly, there were many complaints. Only Tang Zhi Chu's father didn't care about such things, which led to his auntie and father having a closer relationship.

When his father fell ill, his auntie was the first to visit him.

"Thank you."

Tang Huiwen smiled and went to the front hall.

After lunch, Tang Chao pulled Tang Zhi Chu to the parking lot next to the restaurant.

There was a Hongtu parked there. Hongtu was a car brand Tang Zhi Chu hadn't encountered in his previous life, but in this world, it was considered a top-tier domestic brand, with a reliable reputation and sales.

Tang Zhi Chu knew this car belonged to his cousin.

Tang Zhi Chu thought his cousin was going to take him somewhere, but Tang Chao directly handed him the keys.

"Call me 'Big Brother,' and you can take this car."

Tang Zhi Chu turned to leave.

Tang Chao was stunned for a moment, then immediately grabbed Tang Zhi Chu.

"It's not me, your big brother, lecturing you, but you really need to change your personality. What about your second uncle? You're participating in a dating reality show, right? Aren't the girls on dating reality shows all rich and pretty? How are you going to manage without even a car? Are you really expecting those rich girls to be blind and fall for you? If it were me, I wouldn't even dare to go."

Tang Chao held onto Tang Zhi Chu and went on a tirade.

"Your dad is like this too. Why not just have you do blind dates honestly? He had to make you go on a dating reality show? It's like making you, a total newbie, start in hell mode. Having a car would at least give you some confidence, don't let those rich girls look down on you too much."

"But, we can't lose heart. It's normal if rich girls don't take a liking to us. Don't worry, after you finish your dating reality show, your brother will introduce you to a girlfriend, I guarantee she'll be beautiful."

Tang Zhi Chu looked at Tang Chao. Tang Chao's words seemed quite sincere.

Tang Zhi Chu wasn't pretending to be cold; it was just that in his memory, this Tang Chao didn't seem like such a generous person. He might have been loyal, but he wouldn't do things that didn't benefit him.

Could it really be because he had a good relationship with his father?