Chen Xiao was so dumbfounded that he couldn't help but stare at Xiao Qing. The way he stared at Xiao Qing made Xiao Qing feel a little shy and turned her head slightly. She originally wanted to blame Chen Xiao, but the words came to her lips. , but couldn't say a single word.
There was only one voice in my heart: I dressed like this, wasn’t it just for him to see
"Chen Xiao."
Finally, someone came to break the embarrassment. From a distance, Old Man Xu saw Chen Xiao, laughed twice, waved to Chen Xiao, and made a gesture to let him pass.
Chen Xiao glanced at Xiao Qing, and then the two of them walked there together. Yayao also stood up obediently and followed Chen Xiao.
"Uncle Xu, happy birthday. May you be as blessed as the East Sea and live as long as the Southern Mountains." Chen Xiao walked up to Old Man Xu and smiled sheepishly: "I'm rude. I saw you were busy just now, so I didn't dare to come over first."
Old man Xu seemed to like this young man Chen Xiao very much. He smiled and said, "I have seen you for a long time. There are so many beauties around you, so you have become the focus of the evening."
As he said that, he deliberately looked at Yao Yao and Xiao Qing beside Chen Xiao with a joking look. Xiao Qing's family is a family friend of the Xu family. When they saw this scene, they respectfully said a few words of greeting.
Old Man Xu finally looked at Yaya, his eyes full of interest: "Well, this little girl is the one I heard Yifan talk about...that Yaya?"
In addition to curiosity, there was something else in Old Man Xu's eyes, but he didn't say anything. He just turned around and took the wine glass from the waiter's hand, and everyone clinked glasses.
Chen Xiao was a little embarrassed: "Uncle Xu, I came empty-handed today and I didn't prepare any gifts for you."
Old Man Xu smiled heartily: "I treat you just like my own son, so we won't pay attention to these false etiquette. It would be great if you can come and have a glass of wine."
Chen Xiao didn't show any pretense and drank it all in one gulp.
Originally, he was a poor boy with little money in his hands. The Xu family was extremely wealthy, and when a tycoon-level figure like Old Man Xu celebrated his birthday, naturally many people gave him various precious gifts. As for Chen Xiao... With his current financial resources, even if he spends all his money to buy something, he may not be able to catch the eyes of the Xu family. In this case, it is better not to buy it.
Chen Xiao smiled: "Then...Uncle Xu, let this year be like last year. Since I can't give you any gifts, I will go to the kitchen later and make you a birthday noodles with my own hands... Haha, what I made last year is still good. No, now I have been practicing for another full year."
Old Man Xu laughed, but Yaya next to him suddenly said innocently: "Yes, Chen Xiao's noodles are the most delicious."
Lu Bancheng, who was next to him, also exchanged greetings and was very polite to Chen Xiao in his words.
But Chen Xiao noticed that since he came over, the four people in suits under Phoenix next to him had been silent. The four of them stood aside and looked at him with strange eyes.
In particular, Chen Xiao noticed one detail: when the four people saw Xiao Qing, it was obvious that the four people's faces showed surprise and shock at the same time, but others did not notice it, so they quickly covered it up.
It's just that the four of them secretly glanced at Xiao Qing with curious eyes from time to time. Such glances were naturally not polite, and Xiao Qing's face gradually became a little ugly, and she only regarded the four of them as disciples. role.
Could it be that... these four Phoenix men have never seen Xiao Qing
Chen Xiao thought of this and looked at the four of them politely: "Uncle Xu, these gentlemen are..."
Old Man Xu smiled: "They are also some of my distinguished guests." Old Man Xu seemed reluctant to say more, and smiled politely at the four of them: "Four, I have some private conversations with the younger members of my family. Excuse me for now."
The four of them nodded and didn't say much, but they still couldn't help but glance back and forth at Xiao Qing.
However, the tallest among the four seemed to be the leader. After gently pulling his companion, he said: "Mr. Xu, please help yourself. We can just have some drinks."
Old Man Xu confessed to Lu Bancheng again. Lu Bancheng guessed what they had to say, so he smiled and said: "I just happened to go and see where that little girl went crazy. I haven't seen her for a long time, so don't stay here with you. Cause some trouble."
With that said, he left.
"Let's go, Chen Xiao, let's go to the kitchen together." Old man Xu looked at Chen Xiao with a smile, his eyes were very kind.
This is a common practice between the two of them.
When Old Man Xu celebrated his birthday last year, Chen Xiao's family was already in decline, but for some reason, Old Man Xu was particularly fond of this young man from a poor family that his son brought back. Chen Xiao didn't have the money to give any expensive gifts - everyone else gave them cheap gifts, so you were embarrassed to spend dozens of yuan on a bouquet of flowers and just come here.
Therefore, since Chen Xiao has no money, he can only put more thought into it.
Last year, Chen Xiao made a bowl of longevity noodles for Old Man Xu. Originally, his cooking skills were only average, but he didn’t expect that Old Man Xu would be very happy after eating it. And looking at him, he definitely didn’t look like him. It was deliberately pretending. After eating Chen Xiao's face, such a business giant actually had a trace of true feelings in his eyes, which made people a little surprised.
So the two of them agreed that every year when Mr. Xu celebrates his birthday, Chen Xiao will come and make him a bowl of birthday noodles. Chen Xiao respected the old man of the Xu family very much, so naturally he would never refuse such a request.
But there is one thing: you can make noodles, but you can only make one specially for Mr. Xu.
First of all, Chen Xiao knows the level of his cooking skills. The Xu family naturally hires chefs who can cook food that is a hundred times better than his own. In front of people with the level of his own cooking, he really doesn’t dare to show it to everyone. Eating - I don’t know why Old Man Xu likes it so much. Does this Tycoon Xu have different taste buds from ordinary people
Secondly, Old Man Xu is celebrating his birthday and his house is full of guests. If Chen Xiao really wants to make noodles for all the guests, then he should just stay busy in the kitchen without doing anything else that night...
Chen Xiao looked at Old Man Xu and smiled slightly: "Uncle Xu, are you going now?"
"Of course it's now. I'm afraid I won't be able to leave even if I want to." Old Man Xu sighed.
Yaya and Xiao Qing next to them were both a little curious, but old man Xu glanced at the two girls, smiled slightly, his eyes full of the old man's sophistication, and said with a faint smile: "Two girls, lend me Chen Xiao for a while. Okay? My old man has something to say and I want to talk to him alone, so you don’t have to follow me."
Even though Xiao Qing was a little reluctant, she was too embarrassed to say anything. But Yao glanced at Chen Xiao, and when Chen Xiao nodded, she obediently stopped talking.
Old Man Xu is a man who has matured with age. He saw a trace of concern in Chen Xiao's eyes, as if he was worried about Yaya alone. He smiled and raised his hand to summon a middle-aged man who looked like an assistant. She pointed at him and said, "Take good care of this girl, don't let anyone bully her! If anyone dares to mess around here, have them thrown onto the road."
Xiao Qing couldn't help laughing at the side and said: "You don't have to be like this. With me here, no one will bully you."
"Yes, I almost forgot about our Miss Xiao." Old Man Xu laughed, then put his arm around Chen Xiao's shoulders and walked all the way to the kitchen of the mansion.
…
The kitchen of the Xu family's mansion is naturally different. Although it is not as good as the back-of-house kitchen of a luxury hotel, the area is many times larger than the kitchen of ordinary people.
Today is Old Man Xu’s birthday party. Naturally, there are many hired chefs busy in the kitchen. After Chen Xiao and Old Man Xu came to the kitchen, the person in charge couldn’t help being stunned. Old Man Xu waved his hand and said a few simple words. , after a while, everyone hurriedly retreated, leaving only the old and the young in the huge kitchen.
"Well, we have everything here. You can do whatever you want." Old Man Xu laughed, took off his suit, threw it next to the case next to him, and then opened the two shirts on the shirt inside. He picked up his buttons and rolled up his sleeves: "I'll help you chop onions."
In the Xu family's kitchen, all ingredients are naturally available, and all kitchen utensils are also available. Chen Xiao immediately rolled up his sleeves and got busy.
The old man chopped green onions while he cooked noodles - cooking noodles is an indispensable skill for a man who lives alone. Chen Xiao was very skillful and quickly made a pot of noodles.
Put it into a bowl, sprinkle with a little chopped green onion, and add two drops of sesame oil. The aroma will be fragrant. After Chen Xiao sprinkled some more sesame seeds into the noodle bowl, Old Man Xu next to him started to drool.
Just such a simple bowl of plain noodles, without the delicacies of mountains and seas, made old man Xu's eyes change slightly.
The richest man in K city actually pulled out a pack of pickles from the refrigerator like a magic trick!
Chen Xiao took a look - yes, they are really just ordinary pickles! The dignified real estate tycoon actually likes to eat this
But seeing Old Man Xu's expression of emotion, he pulled out two ivory chopsticks with trembling fingers, and in less than ten minutes, he ate a large bowl of noodles like a storm, as if he was still not satisfied, and clicked in his mouth. He chewed pickles and drank half a bowl of noodle soup.
He was holding ivory chopsticks, Patek Philippe on his wrist, and wearing a DG shirt. But at this moment, Chen Xiao seemed to have seen it wrong. The old man in front of him seemed to have turned into many ordinary people in K-market. Those old men who eat noodles at roadside noodle stalls at night.
After finishing the noodles, Old Man Xu was already sweating profusely. He lit a cigarette and handed one to Chen Xiao. Chen Xiao did not refuse and lit it generously and took a puff.
"Very good, very refreshing!" The old man smoked and rubbed his belly happily: "This is the smell!"
As he said that, he glanced at Chen Xiao: "You must be very strange and want to ask me, right?"
"Of course I'm surprised." Chen Xiao smiled bitterly: "I guess my cooking skills are average, but I really didn't expect you to..."
"Tch, your cooking skills are average. Your cooking skills are simply terrible." Old Man Xu said with a joking look in his eyes: "To be honest, the noodles you make don't taste as good as roadside noodle stalls."
Chen Xiao was stunned: "Then... then why..."
"But I just like to eat... Well, I just like the taste of what you cook." Old Man Xu shook his head, with an indescribable affection in his eyes as he looked around at the luxurious kitchen.
After he smoked half of a cigarette, he put it out, shook his head and sighed: "I'm old, I can't smoke more cigarettes. Alas, actually... Chen Xiao, let's just talk casually for a while, huh, I am too lazy to deal with those guests outside today. All year round, I don’t live for myself. Today is my birthday, so I have to live a good day for myself. Today, I don’t care about those guests outside, old man! "
He actually moved a chair and sat down.
Then, he looked into Chen Xiao's eyes: "You should know that I am not from K City, right?"
"...Yeah, I know." Chen Xiao nodded.
"I'm from the north." Old Man Xu smiled slightly: "I came to K City when I was young, and I didn't expect to take root here. After so many years, I can't even speak my hometown dialect. The local dialect of K City.”
"I came to K city when I was fifteen years old and worked as an apprentice in a factory. At that time, I met Yifan's mother, who was my later wife." When Mr. Xu said this, he sniffed and seemed to Unable to bear it any longer, he hesitated and lit another cigarette for himself. This time he only took two puffs before suffocating it again.
Seeing that Old Man Xu mentioned his wife, Chen Xiao stopped talking because he knew that Xu Ershao's mother had passed away many years ago.
"When I was young, I went through hardships. I can't explain a sentence or two clearly." Old man Xu's eyes glowed with a strange light: "Now, I have become famous, but I live in a magnificent Guangsha, Jinyi Yushi, but my heart is not as solid as before, and I often feel like walking on thin ice!"
He looked at Chen Xiao: "Back then, my wife used to cook noodles for me... Unfortunately, she wasn't very good at cooking. When cooking noodles, she would only cook the simplest plain noodles. At most, she would add an egg on top, and occasionally she could add a piece of noodles. Big steaks are already rare, haha!" At this point, he paused and smiled: "Why do I like the noodles you make? Boy, it's not because you make them delicious... but because you make them The noodles are almost as delicious as those made by my wife! Hahahaha... "
Chen Xiao said nothing. Although he was teased by Old Man Xu, he did not laugh. Because Chen Xiao's eyes were slightly moist when he looked at Old Man Xu.
"If you like it, I will make noodles for you every day from now on." Chen Xiao thought for a moment and said slowly.
"No need to do it." Old Man Xu was free and easy: "For nostalgic things, you can do it occasionally. Nostalgic every day, it becomes hypocritical. From now on, every year on my birthday, you can come and make me noodles. ”
"That's no problem." Chen Xiao smiled.
Old Man Xu waved his hand: "Okay! Let's not talk about reminiscing about the past. Now I want to talk to you about something serious."
Chen Xiao couldn't help but feel excited!
"Actually, you have always had some doubts in your mind." Old Man Xu smiled slightly: "How do I know those old guys on the bad street? Also, why do those superpowers come to deal with me? Although I have money , he is just a worldly rich man, how could he offend those people? Have you always been strange about this?"
Before Chen Xiao could speak, Old Man Xu immediately shook his head: "Unfortunately, it's not convenient for me to tell you these things."
"..." Wouldn't it be said in vain
Old Man Xu laughed, but then he suppressed his smile and said seriously: "Chen Xiao, I never thought that you would take this road... Alas, in fact, you just live a simple life, just like before. Wouldn't it be great to do that for two years? When you finish your studies in the future, I will naturally not ignore you, and you are also very smart, young, willing to learn, and willing to endure hardship. In the future, I will arrange a good future for you, and you will Wouldn't it be best to live like thousands of ordinary people? Why...why be like this?"
Chen Xiao thought for a while: "Actually, Uncle Xu, I am a person with no ambitions. I never want to do anything to get ahead. I am very lazy at heart. When I was working in a fast food restaurant a few days ago, , I once thought... In the future, if I can open a fast food restaurant and be a small boss, it would actually be quite good to live like this."
Old man Xu was stunned for a moment, with a strange expression on his face: "Fast food restaurant owner... hehe!"
However, he quickly waved his hand and stared at Chen Xiao with a serious expression: "Chen Xiao, let me ask you something. Are you willing to leave K City?"
Leaving K City
What's the meaning
Old man Xu sighed and said slowly: "Kide College, although it is a famous school, it is built with money and is flashy. You are not young anymore. I am planning to send Xu Yifan to study abroad. If If you are willing, how about going with him? You don't have to worry about the tuition. I know that your child is very proud and refuses to accept gifts from others. If you feel that you can't bear it, then just take it as what I lent to you. , in the future, after you graduate, you will pay me back slowly after you make money. If you still feel embarrassed, when you pay back the money, you can give it to me along with the interest, how about that?"
Leaving K City? Going to study abroad? !
"Why?" Chen Xiao looked at Old Man Xu.
There are several meanings in his words: Why do you want to go abroad? Why are you helping me so much? Why do I have to leave
"Don't ask." Old Man Xu looked at Chen Xiao: "You believe that Uncle Xu and I will not harm you, right?"
Chen Xiao immediately nodded without hesitation.
"That's alright. Since you believe what I say, just think about what I say." Old Man Xu thought for a while: "Leave here... leave, these things now!"
Obviously, the "these things" that Old Man Xu mentioned were referring to the supernatural world!
Although Chen Xiao had doubts in his heart, there was no doubt that he trusted Old Man Xu. After thinking for a while, he slowly said: "Uncle Xu, of course I trust you, and I also believe that you are doing this for my own good. But... I can't agree to you immediately for such a big thing. Can you please let me think about it carefully? ?”
"Well, of course you have to think about it carefully. Moreover, if you go abroad, you and Xu Yifan will happen to be together. It will be easy to take care of each other."
After Old Man Xu finished speaking, he looked at Chen Xiao with deep meaning in his eyes: "Oh, by the way, there is one more thing... Well, that girl Xiao Qing seems to be very interested in you, right?"
Chen Xiao was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously wanted to deny it, but when the words came to his mouth, he suddenly felt a little unsure!
"Young people's affairs, in this regard, must be carefully considered and thought clearly. Xiao Qing is a good girl, but her family situation is a bit more complicated. Oh, I don't want to beat the mandarin ducks, but I just want to remind you that if If you want to be with her...then you have to be mentally prepared. Haha."
…
He and Old Man Xu left the kitchen and returned to the open-air venue outside. Old Man Xu didn't say anything more and left quickly, probably to meet Lu Bancheng and the others.
Chen Xiao looked around, looking for Xiao Qing and Yaya, but at this moment, four men in black suits walked over.
Tall, short, fat and thin, they are exactly the four guys under Phoenix who are "well-known in the supernatural world".
"Chen Xiao." The tallest one looked into Chen Xiao's eyes: "Do you have time? Go out with us. I have something to say to you."
Chen Xiao sighed.
What happened tonight? Why do people always come to talk to me
"It won't take long, at most an hour, and then we will send you back." The tall man said slowly.
After all, these four guys are Phoenix's subordinates. Chen Xiao is not sure whether the matter is related to Phoenix, so naturally he doesn't want to refuse.
"Okay." He nodded.
The tall man smiled: "Our car is outside."