After two or three hours, Lin Chen had prepared a feast.
"Master Lin, wasn't it supposed to be ten dishes?" Chen Zhian asked, his eyes wide with surprise as he surveyed the table.
Lin Chen had prepared twelve dishes.
"President Chen, my delay caused the inconvenience," Lin Chen explained. "So I made two extra dishes as compensation."
"The take-out containers are in the cabinet. Feel free to pack up any leftovers."
Old Chen said, "Master Lin, please join us for the meal. We brought several bottles of fine wine we'd love to share."
Lin Chen shook his head. "Old Chen, I must decline. My wife and daughter are waiting for me at home. Please enjoy your meal."
With that, Lin Chen quickly departed with his food containers.
Chen Zhian said, "Dad, I guess our relationship isn't close enough yet. Master Lin will only join us for a meal when our bond is stronger."
"Hmm," Old Chen replied with a sigh of regret.
They soon began eating.
The first bite left them stunned.
They had previously considered the leftover dishes to be the pinnacle of culinary delight, but now, in comparison, the leftovers seemed utterly bland.
This was partly due to the nature of leftovers, but more importantly, Lin Chen's culinary skills were constantly improving.
"Dad, what do you think?" Chen Zhian asked.
Old Chen tasted two more dishes. "Absolutely exquisite. I never imagined food could be this delicious. A million a table is far too cheap for such a feast."
Chen Zhian nodded in agreement.
"I used to think a million a table was outrageous, but now I realize Master Lin is just making friends at that price, or perhaps he's simply setting a threshold."
"Now, I just hope that threshold gets even higher."
Old Chen: "Son, do you think we can reserve another table?"
"It's hard to say," Chen Zhian replied, shaking his head. "Three to five tables a month is too few. If I can secure one, I'll do my best, but it'll only get harder to book in the future."
"Hmm." Old Chen pondered for a moment. "Help the Xu Family with their business if you can. You should get to know Xu Guofeng better."
Chen Zhian's eyes lit up.
Xu Guofeng only had one daughter, Xu Mengyao, and her future would be tied to him. By helping the Xu Family, Lin Chen might be more likely to choose him in the future.
"Pour me a drink," Chen Xingguo said.
He rarely drank these days, but such an extraordinary meal felt incomplete without alcohol.
***
*Ring ring!*
After Lin Chen, Xu Mengyao, and Lin Xiaoqian finished their meal, the phone rang. It was Xu Guofeng calling, and Lin Chen quickly answered. "Dad, what's up?"
On the other end, Xu Guofeng said, "Lin Chen, President Chen Zhian called me and invited me to dinner."
"Our Xu Family doesn't have much history with the Chen Family."
Lin Chen smiled. "President Chen is a decent guy. If he's actively inviting you, you should accept."
Xu Guofeng asked, "President Chen is your connection. Is it appropriate for me to dine with him?"
Lin Chen paused.
"Dad, we're family. Don't worry about that. I'm not afraid you'll steal this connection from me, am I?"
Xu Guofeng cleared his throat. "I wouldn't, but I still need to mention that the Chen Family is your connection. Since you think it's fine, I'll accept his invitation."
"Dad, you don't need to ask me about these things in the future. When Xu Group grows stronger, Mengyao and Qianqian will be the ones who benefit."
"Why would I object to that?" Lin Chen said.
Xu Guofeng laughed on the other end. "You're right. But I still need to keep you informed. Some people might be closer than you'd like."
"Is Qianqian asleep?"
Lin Chen glanced at the balcony. "Not yet. She's out there with Mengyao. I'll give the phone to Mengyao so she can talk to you."
He quickly handed the phone to Xu Mengyao.
By the time he finished washing the dishes, Xu Mengyao had already hung up. "Honey, Mom and Dad miss Qianqian. She's sick, so they said they'll come over this afternoon to see her."
Lin Xiaoqian giggled. "Mommy, Grandpa and Grandma must miss Daddy's cooking!"
Xu Mengyao: "..."
"Qianqian, you're speaking the truth! Honey, you'll have to work hard again tonight. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Lin Chen's eyes twinkled. "I'll be busy for two or three hours this morning. My back will be sore. How about you give me a massage?"
Xu Mengyao eyed him suspiciously.
*His back sore?* He can carry both of them up Mount Tai. How could cooking for a few hours make him so sore?
*He just wants a massage!*
"Alright, lie down on the sofa."
"Roger that!"
Lin Chen grinned and sprawled on the sofa.
Xu Mengyao began massaging his shoulders, while Lin Xiaoqian watched for a moment before saying, "Daddy, I'll help too!"
With that, she started patting his lower back with her tiny fists.
Xu Mengyao pressed his shoulders while Lin Xiaoqian thumped his waist. Lin Chen lay back in blissful comfort, thoroughly enjoying the pampering.
***
In the afternoon, Xu Guofeng and his wife arrived.
When they arrived, Lin Xiaoqian was studying math.
"Qianqian!"
"Little sweetie, where are you?"
Xu Mengyao opened the door, and Xu Guofeng and his wife entered.
"Grandpa, Grandma!"
Lin Xiaoqian ran happily toward them.
"Let Grandpa hold you."
"Grandma's strong enough now. Let Grandma hold you."
Yang Qingyue eagerly scooped Lin Xiaoqian into her arms.
"Dad, Mom," Lin Chen greeted with a smile.
"Grandpa, Grandma," Lin Xiaoqian said in her childish voice, "I did the problems Dad gave me, but there's one I don't know how to do."
"Grandpa will teach you," Xu Guofeng said with a chuckle.
Two minutes later, Xu Guofeng saw the problem Lin Xiaoqian had been working on.
He was a bit bewildered.
"Grandpa, how do I do this one?" Lin Xiaoqian asked.
Lin Chen had gone to the kitchen to cook, so Xu Guofeng called Xu Mengyao over. "Mengyao, are you sure this was for Qianqian? She's only two and a half—how could she possibly do this?"
Xu Mengyao nodded.
Xu Guofeng looked at the problem again.
He felt a bit existential. The problem Lin Xiaoqian had been working on required him to think carefully just to have a chance at solving it.
"I figured it out," he said.
Suddenly, Lin Xiaoqian's eyes lit up, and she began writing.
Lin Chen was a legend in calligraphy, and Lin Xiaoqian's talent wasn't far behind. She could write most common Chinese characters and had no trouble with numbers.
By the time Lin Xiaoqian finished writing, Xu Guofeng had also finished calculating. He was astonished to discover that her calculations were correct.
"Mengyao, what's going on?" Xu Guofeng asked, turning to his wife beside him.
Xu Mengyao replied, "My husband said Qianqian has a strong aptitude for math and has been continuously teaching her to nurture that talent."
"Lin Chen's math skills are exceptional, so Qianqian must have inherited them," Xu Guofeng said in surprise. "Lin Chen is good at math?"
They knew about Lin Chen's legendary calligraphy, painting, fairy tale writing, and culinary skills, but they had never realized he was also a math prodigy.
Xu Mengyao said, "He's quite skilled at math, but I'm not sure exactly how good he is. I haven't asked."
An hour later, Lin Chen had prepared the meal.
After three rounds of drinks, Xu Guofeng asked curiously, "Lin Chen, since Qianqian is so good at math, what's your math level now?"
Lin Chen smiled. "I'm not sure of the exact level, but I estimate I could probably rank among the world's top."
-----------------------
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out-if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
New Addition:
" The Clueless Girl Gets Fu**ed Every Day (18+) "
" Threatening Heroine at Start—Now the Male Lead Is Wearing the Green Hat (18+) "
" The Succubus Who Just Wants to Slack Off NPH (18+) "
" A Goddess Celebrity Brings Kids My Door, Working Construction Carrying (18+) "
" Houtarou Oreki in the Classroom of the Elite 18+ "
" My Harem of Beauties "
" High School DxD: Endless Plunder "
" Demon King Priest (18+) "
" I Became a Village Chief in the Primitive Age "
" Fantasy: I Claimed a Million Saintesses "
" After Rebirth, I Became the Obsessive Tycoon's Addiction "
" Starting with Catching Ghosts in the Girls' Dorm "
" Smut: Haughty "Husband" (18+) "
" The Prosperous Dynasty (18+) "
Your support means a lot-thanks in advance, legends!
many more are available 80+
patreon.com/RoyalStories
(End of Chapter)