Three Women Make a Show

The restaurant opened for business, and its popularity was as high as its signature dishes. As soon as the soup base was poured from the large ladle into the bowl, the rich aroma of meat wafted out. Sprinkled with spicy rooster topping, the spiciness was unmistakable, the red oil was vibrant, and the thin, white, yet incredibly chewy rice noodles were served. The first bowl served amazed the diners who tentatively walked in, making them eager for more.

Liu Chang'an scanned the QR code on the table, glanced at the menu, and although he wasn't in a hurry to order, he decided to try the rice noodles on the first day of opening. He hadn't paid much attention to the trivial matters of the opening, but there was no reason not to care about the quality of the food.

"What would you like to eat?" An Nuan warmly greeted Zhu Juntang and Bai Hui.

"It seems there's no choice right now," Bai Hui said, glancing at the menu. "The only drinks are soy milk, the only main dish is rice noodles, and the only snack is Dongdong Brand Chicken Leg... Huh? Haha... What's Dongdong Brand Chicken Leg?"

"It's so expensive!" Zhu Juntang suddenly exclaimed.

The three of them looked at her together. Liu Chang'an's first reaction was surprise, but then he understood. He turned his head away, not taking what she said as customer feedback. Bai Hui and An Nuan were both shocked. Even Zhu Juntang said it was too expensive. Could it be that there was really a problem with the restaurant's pricing?

Zhu Juntang was very satisfied with everyone's reaction; this was exactly the effect she wanted. The Baolong Center Building Two often exuded a sense of "I'm an ordinary female protagonist, I understand life, I'm down-to-earth." Today, Zhu Juntang decided to take advantage of An Nuan's unpreparedness to thoroughly crush her arrogance. Zhu Juntang could be elegant and noble, but she could also exclaim "So expensive!" like an ordinary girl. Zhu Juntang always believed that the ability to exclaim "So expensive!" was the essence of ordinary people's lives, and she cleverly grasped this point.

"It's alright... After all, we need to make money. If you can't accept the price, you don't have to eat it. There are poor people everywhere in this world, but there's no shortage of rich people either." Bai Hui was already a "little rich woman," so she spoke with confidence. She didn't want to do this kind of business. She originally thought buying houses was very profitable, but she heard that investing in stocks was even more lucrative. So Bai Hui asked her cousin, Zhong Qing, Zhong Qing recommended a few stocks to her. Bai Hui saw a stock of a company related to biotechnology and genes. She remembered that Liu Chang'an was a biology student, so it was probably a good one. Therefore, she bought this stock.

Unexpectedly, the stock price kept rising after she bought it. Now, Bai Hui felt a wonderful sense of wealth increasing every day. Therefore, she became more and more certain that although Liu Chang'an was an annoying person, the fortunes of people and things closely related to him would change. For example, she used to be very poor, but after Liu Chang'an sat next to her at the same table, she made a small fortune. She also made a fortune after a chance encounter with him at Window of the World. Furthermore, her decision to buy stocks was somewhat related to him, and all of these things kept rising.

"You know, if each of us orders a bowl of noodles, a cup of soy milk, and a Dongdong Brand Chicken Leg, four people would... um... um... a lot of money, maybe enough for some ordinary students' living expenses for a month." Zhu Juntang's tone was heavy with a sense of compassion.

"Even if the families don't give a single penny, the various subsidies that impoverished students apply for at school shouldn't amount to such a small amount for a month's living expenses, right? How can they survive like that? Our school has such an accountability system. If a student's university education cannot continue simply because of issues with the distribution of school subsidies, it's a very serious problem." An Nuan looked at Zhu Juntang strangely. She knew that Zhu Juntang was very wealthy, but she wasn't familiar with Zhu Juntang and hadn't interacted with him much. Today, she felt that this person was quite pretentious. When talking about serious social issues, he sounded exactly like the political news in Taiwan.

Zhu Juntang wanted to express her sympathy for the poor, but Liu Chang'an looked at her gently and said, "Please stop making these remarks, Miss. You're the kind of girl who seems to have diamonds falling off her clothes when you walk."

"No way!" Zhu Juntang looked down at her shoes with great concern. Today, her shoes were studded with diamonds, and if one or two were to fall off, her obsessive-compulsive disorder would make her very uncomfortable... It wasn't that she was worried about the diamonds; diamonds are actually quite cheap in most cases.

Bai Hui and An Nuan stopped taking Zhu Juntang's words seriously and continued looking at the menu... There wasn't much to see, so they each scanned the QR code to order, tacitly refraining from letting one of them pay. An Nuan ordered two servings of rice noodles, two cups of soy milk, and two Dongdong Brand Chicken Leg. Bai Hui also ordered two servings of each, but only one serving of rice noodles, because Zhu Juntang didn't plan to eat them. She had tried them once and felt that if she ate them all, her lips would rot.

Zhu Juntang was somewhat dissatisfied. Liu Chang'an stopped her from continuing her performance, which must have been because he realized that she was more outstanding than An Nuan. That old man was very protective of his own.

"Your shoes are so pretty." An Nuan also looked down at Zhu Juntang's shoes. Even for girls, dancing in high heels is something that requires a lot of practice.

"Luckily, we wear the same shoe size. She has four pairs of identical shoes here, otherwise I wouldn't be able to afford the same shoes as her." Bai Hui was secretly delighted. She was very happy. Zhu Juntang wouldn't accept shoes that someone else had worn, so she gave them to Bai Hui. She didn't know how much the shoes cost, but where could Zhu Juntang's things be cheap?

"Four pairs that are exactly the same?" An Nuan might be able to buy several different colorways of the same style, but Zhu Juntang's four pairs of shoes are probably completely identical, right?

"Is there a problem?" Zhu Juntang asked, puzzled by An Nuan's confusion.

"No." An Nuan thought to herself, "You're probably a centipede spirit, covered in legs, so wearing four pairs of shoes would be just right."

"I can give you a pair too," Zhu Juntang said generously. She really liked them when she bought them, but she had already worn them today, so they didn't feel as new anymore.

"No need, I can't fit into your shoe size." An Nuan waved her hand. Given her height, if she wore size 3, 5, 3, or 6 like Bai Hui and Zhu Juntang, she would look top-heavy and unbalanced.

Zhu Juntang turned to the side, just about to look down at An Nuan's feet, when An Nuan quickly pulled her feet back and put them under the stool. Liu Chang'an hit Zhu Juntang on the head, and Zhu Juntang, in pain, clutched her head and glared at Liu Chang'an. Although she was very smart, no one could accept that being hit on the head would make them stupid!

Bai Hui if she would get hit if she looked down at An Nuan's feet. She found herself somewhat envious of Zhu Juntang being hit on the head by Liu Chang'an earlier, a thought that made her feel ashamed. What was this smug feeling?

However, it is certain that Zhu Juntang and Liu Chang'an have a close relationship caused by a secret reason that An Nuan is unaware of. Otherwise, why would Zhu Juntang appear angry and aggrieved, yet still humming and not intending to turn against them?

"But An Nuan's legs are really long." Since An Nuan's attitude was friendly today and she didn't have any veiled sarcasm, Bai Hui also sincerely praised An Nuan. It was normal to admire her, but praising An Nuan in front of Liu Chang'an was somewhat unpleasant. He was already very proud, why add fuel to his arrogance?

"They're as long as two bamboo poles, but the key is a well-proportioned figure. Your proportions are great, so you both look tall and slender." An Nuan praised the other person while feeling regretful herself, "I can't wear many cute styles of stockings. Those soft and cuddly stockings are basically only suitable for girls under 168cm tall."

"But you look good in dresses. Evening gowns require a tall and slender figure to be elegant, and you also look particularly charming in cheongsams," Bai Hui added.

Liu Chang'an watched them flatter each other without saying a word. He had reservations about the current friendly atmosphere. Girls were really superficial creatures. It would be naive to think that they appreciated each other.

"I suddenly remembered, if you two are combined, you become Qin Yanan," Zhu Juntang said with a sudden realization.

The two people who were exchanging compliments stopped, still maintaining reserved and polite smiles on their faces. They tacitly pretended not to have heard Zhu Juntang's words. After all, neither of them was familiar with the woman Zhu Juntang mentioned, so wasn't it normal not to respond?

It fell silent.

Zhou Shuling brought over the ordered food, not because the waiters were too busy, but because this table of guests was particularly important.

"You're busy, don't bother with us." Liu Chang'an waved his hand, urging Zhou Shuling not to ask any nonsense like "How's the taste?" or "Is it too spicy?"

Zhou Shuling muttered a couple of things and then walked away. She felt it was necessary to do so; girls need to talk to her a lot of nonsense and ask her a lot of nonsense questions to feel valued.

"I wish you a prosperous business," An Nuan would say before eating.

"May your wealth increase." Bai Hui originally wanted to say something different from An Nuan, but there weren't any creative sentences available for this occasion. Unlike Liu Chang'an, she wasn't good at reciting poetry. Otherwise, reciting an auspicious poem would have made her seem more sophisticated than An Nuan.

"May you Longevity." Zhu Juntang originally wanted to say the same auspicious words, but she didn't want to seem like everyone else. After saying it, she felt a little proud that hers was different and full of a knowing meaning.

An Nuan glanced at Zhu Juntang, slightly bothered. Zhu Juntang's words were completely absurd. It wasn't a birthday wish, so why wish someone Longevity? Zhu Juntang couldn't possibly be that ignorant... An Nuan just remembered that Liu Chang'an had mentioned "Longevity" to her before. Could there be some special meaning or story behind it that she didn't know, and that Liu Chang'an and Zhu Juntang had some kind of unspoken understanding?

An Nuan casually turned her head to glance at Liu Chang'an. Her boyfriend was still treating the food with his usual serious attitude. Zhu Juntang showed an expression of disappointment, as if she had tried to exchange a glance with Liu Chang'an or to get some kind of tacit understanding that others could not know, but failed.

"The rice noodles are delicious," An Nuan said to Bai Hui across from her.

"Yes, it's really good." Bai Hui nodded. An Nuan seemed to suddenly become a little emotional?

Zhu Juntang started eating the Dongdong Brand Chicken Leg. If it weren't for the name, Zhu Juntang wouldn't have planned to eat it. Zhu Juntang only liked dishes made with meat picked from the chicken wings, or meat buns, which were also good. They were not oily or greasy, but fresh, tender, and delicate, unlike other meat buns that were too oily and meaty.

As they were eating, Zhong Qing walked over, whispered something in Zhu Juntang's ear, and then stepped back to greet a group of people walking towards them from outside the shop.

No one asked what it was about, but some were curious.

"Some city leaders are coming to inspect Baolong Center. We didn't receive any prior notice. Zhong Qing, go and receive them," Zhu Juntang said casually.

"There are even TV reporters filming us." Bai Hui is quite sensitive to cameras and video recorders. "Do you think they might come to this store to film?"

"Yes." An Nuan's expression was complicated. She saw a familiar figure, Qin Yanan's exceptionally tall and mature figure, which was the most eye-catching even among a group of leaders. She realized more and more that besides herself, many people were paying special attention to Liu Chang'an's shop, which he himself did not pay much attention to.

An Nuan believed this was absolutely no coincidence. The first time she met Qin Yanan, this woman had brought provincial leaders to the No. 1 Middle School and specifically requested Liu Chang'an's attendance. This time, she had also brought city leaders, all of whom happened to be in places where Liu Chang'an was. Could this be a coincidence? Could her... her cousin's situation be a coincidence?

"Really?" Although she didn't know why An Nuan was so sure, Bai Hui quickly put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth, took out a cute pink mirror and lipstick, and touched up her makeup. What if she was on TV? She had to look beautiful.

"Don't you need to go and greet them?" Bai Hui asked Zhu Juntang, turning her head to the side.

Zhu Juntang was earnestly eating Dongdong Brand Chicken Leg, which was surprisingly delicious and not greasy at all. Zhong Qing had only come to inform her and didn't expect Zhu Juntang to deal with anything. If even eating couldn't be peaceful, and one had to put down their chopsticks to engage in polite social interactions, where was the superior lifestyle of the wealthy? And were all those titles like president and general manager given to their subordinates just for them to guard the gate?

Just as An Nuan had guessed, the person who was clearly the highest-ranking leader among the group of inspectors chatted and laughed with Qin Yanan, looked around outside the shop, and then decided that today's working lunch would be at this noodle shop. The group looked around, ordered while looking at the items, and sat down with an appreciative and approving expression.

Zhou Shuling came out. Didn't she realize from this commotion that the leaders had arrived? Not to mention the suggestive look Qin Yanan gave her.

The TV station filmed the entire process and conducted a brief interview with Zhou Shuling, which lasted about half an hour. Qin Yanan only gave Liu Chang'an's table an "OK" sign before leaving, having not come over to say hello.

"We're on camera! I wonder if it'll be broadcast!" Bai Hui said excitedly, though she knew that TV stations wouldn't broadcast the whole thing on the news.

"Why don't you just film a video and upload it online? Wouldn't a lot of people see it? Maybe even more." An Nuan didn't quite understand Bai Hui's excitement. It would have been somewhat novel when online media wasn't so developed.

"How can that be the same? These kinds of videos with leaders involved are news. Can news be the same as videos you just randomly filmed?" Bai Hui shook her head, then shifted her body awkwardly. "Qin Yanan is different from me, an ordinary citizen. The camera avoided her from beginning to end. She probably didn't want to be on camera."

"There's nothing we can do about it. She's too beautiful. When a woman this beautiful appears in news reports about leaders, you can imagine all the vulgar and offensive language you'll hear." Zhu Juntang was very understanding. "Me too."

"She's probably doing this to get a boyfriend, right?" An Nuan asked her boyfriend, Liu Chang'an, Qin Yanan's cousin, who had never actually become engaged to Qin Yanan.

"There are too many influencer shops on the internet these days, and people are tired of them and don't really believe them anymore. On the contrary, shops that appear in serious news have a traditional store feel to them, making people more convinced that they're not just relying on hype and marketing. The audience for TV news isn't as large as many online media outlets, but those who watch this kind of news are ordinary citizens who genuinely care about daily life and society. I think the word-of-mouth generated by them is much more reliable than those influencer shops." Liu Chang'an nodded. "Qin Yanan wouldn't be so absurd as to use her position for personal gain by bringing such a large group of people here specifically for one guy. But casually mentioning this shop in the original itinerary and letting people come in for a look is something the leaders are used to and can understand, as long as they give her face."

"That was done with good intentions," An Nuan nodded casually.

"It was nothing for her. How many people in Junsha wouldn't give her face?" Zhu Juntang said dismissively. "I'd say I'm one of them... but I usually have to give her face too, otherwise she'll hit me."

Bai Hui and An Nuan burst out laughing. Zhu Juntang frowned slightly, wondering if she had lost face by saying that. Fortunately, Liu Chang'an didn't laugh, as he was quite aware that he still held a high position in Qin Yanan's eyes.

"I didn't expect Miss Qin to be so enthusiastic. The highest-ranking leader I knew before was Director Chen from the neighborhood office." Zhou Shuling excitedly ran over to report to Liu Chang'an. She wasn't stupid; this couldn't possibly be a coincidence.

"You go ahead with your work. I'll pick up Zhou Dongdong this afternoon and show her the way so she can come here to do her homework after school." Liu Chang'an got up to leave.

"Okay, okay, thank you for your trouble, you've worked hard." Zhou Shuling was too excited today, and her incoherent speech made her start to speak very politely to Liu Chang'an.

"That's all you've got." Liu Chang'an smiled, took An Nuan's hand, and walked out of the store.

Zhu Juntang and Bai Hui had already gone out first, asking Liu Chang'an and An Nuan if they wanted to go shopping together.

"No, you guys go ahead and shop. We're going to pick up Zhou Dongdong from school." An Nuan waved goodbye to them.

"Bye-Bye!"

"Goodbye!"

An Nuan's smile didn't disappear until Bai Hui and Zhu Juntang took the elevator upstairs. Looking at Liu Chang'an, she asked in a sweet and casual tone, "Guess what I want to ask you today?"

"Guess what color underwear I'm wearing today?" Liu Chang'an retorted. Honestly, he wasn't a worm in her stomach, even though the path to Longevity inevitably involved trying to get his worm inside her.

"Black."

--

--

Today I received a message from "Old Monk Too Young," who holds multiple titles including moderator and alliance leader. The message is as follows:

I just want to be a quiet, top student.

You can brag about it yourself.

Place at the end of the chapter

Blow it a little more flamboyantly