KFC

"..." Zhang Wei was dumbfounded. That voice belonged to Boss Su. Boss Su sounded so young that he had been surprised at the time, and the memory had stuck with him. What dad? What stomachache?

Su Yan hung up and said weakly to Liang Kui and the others, "Just leave me here. It's enteritis, an old problem. My medical records are at home, and my dad will send someone to take me to the hospital soon. There's no need to trouble yourselves."

"How can we leave you here alone to wait? Why don't we take you to a clinic first?"

Su Yan shook his head. "I don't trust clinics. They can turn no illness into an illness... I can hold on... You should go. Or the class monitor can stay with me alone."

Lin Qiang naturally nodded. Liang Kui found it a little strange, but Chen Wanwan was delighted. She had come along to get close to Liang Kui. Now that she could shake off Su Yan and Lin Qiang, she and Liang Kui could have some time alone together.

"Then we'll head back to school first. Remember to call me if anything happens." Chen Wanwan left her phone number with Su Yan. Su Yan nodded. "Thank you."

With the beauty leaving, Liang Kui naturally followed her.

After watching the two walk away, Su Yan tugged at his clothes and said energetically to Lin Qiang, "I'm fine now. Sorry for lying to you. Please keep it a secret for me, Class Monitor. I'll treat you to KFC next time."

"Ah... you were faking it?" Lin Qiang's eyes widened.

"Sorry, I really do have something urgent to handle, but I couldn't take leave, so... Please, Class Monitor, you have to keep it secret for me. I owe you one."

Lin Qiang let out a breath and said helplessly, "You had me worried for so long. Fine, I'll cover for you this once."

"Thanks! I'll definitely treat you to a meal next time!" Su Yan hurried off.

He could not retrieve his bicycle from the school, so Su Yan had to walk to the roadside and hail a car home. There, he changed into a suit as quickly as possible and put on gold-rimmed glasses that made him look more mature. With that transformation, he instantly went from a high school student to a young professional, like an elite white-collar worker.

Su Yan carried a basket of fruit and took a taxi directly to First-Class Residence.

KFC

Zhang Wei had lived comfortably since childhood. He had eaten his way across the country and traveled all over China and abroad, but he had never expected such enticing vegetables to be found in a noisy vegetable market.

It was his first time working in the restaurant industry, and he put one hundred and twenty percent effort into it. He wanted to build something substantial and prove his abilities. So he was not afraid of hard work. He personally went to the produce market to investigate all kinds of vegetables and fruits, pondering how to make his restaurant stand out and retain diners. Buying ingredients was a crucial hurdle. Some restaurant purchasers embezzled money while buying produce, while places with lax oversight could even end up purchasing rotten vegetables, dead fish, and other disastrous goods. Most restaurants tried to hire acquaintances for purchasing, preferably relatives, so they could keep a close watch. Of course, doing it personally was best of all.

He had bought Su Yan's vegetables by chance. That market was not far from the apartment where he currently lived. Next door lived a young couple and their picky little boy. He had heard from them about the oddball stall in that market, and their praise had been absurdly exaggerated. They said eating its vegetables could improve one's complexion and had even cured their son's picky eating. Zhang Wei had not believed a word of it. With nothing better to do, he went to the market and spotted that oddball stall almost at a glance, because it had the most customers.

Zhang Wei was puzzled. Could that stall's vegetables really have some miraculous effect?

With a try-it-and-see attitude, he casually bought a few things and took them home to cook. He knew his own cooking skills well enough—they were utterly ordinary. Yet that day, because the vegetables were so high-quality, the dishes seemed to carry several extra layers of sweet flavor once they came out of the pan. They were especially stunning. He even suspected that his cooking skills had improved in an instant.

After eating that stall's vegetables for a week, Zhang Wei became convinced as well. Their vegetables really did have beautifying effects. The skin on his face had become smooth, and even his constipation had been cured.

If he ordered vegetables like that for his restaurant, they would definitely attract many customers. Zhang Wei firmly believed it.

"Hello, Mr. Zhang. I'm Su Yan. Sorry to have kept you waiting."

A handsome, refined young man in a crisp suit entered the private room. Zhang Wei's eyes lit up. So the vegetable seller looked like a white-collar worker.

"You're not late, Boss Su. Please sit." Zhang Wei's first impression of Su Yan was quite good. He had originally expected an unreasonable, rough vegetable vendor. He had not expected Boss Su to be so young and refined, with the air of an educated man.

Zhang Wei personally poured Su Yan a cup of hot tea.

Su Yan took a sip and smiled. "The flavor is rich yet not bland, strong yet not astringent. Excellent Wuyi Mountains rock tea. First-Class Residence truly lives up to its reputation."

Zhang Wei said happily, "So Boss Su is an expert on tea. I don't understand tea myself. I only picked up a little from my father."

"Not at all. I only recognize tea from the Wuyi Mountains, haha." Su Yan laughed. He had cultivated all kinds of famous Wuyi Mountains teas in his space, so even if he had not understood them before, he did now.

Zhang Wei called over a server to bring up the dishes, and one dish after another arrived.

Pointing at a plate of mushroom broccoli, Zhang Wei said, "I've eaten dishes from many hotels, and First-Class Residence's food is one of my favorites in C City. But if this mushroom broccoli used your mushrooms and broccoli, its flavor could improve by several notches. Boss Su, you have such ability at such a young age. I really want to know what secret formula you have."