Who wants to take the civil service exam after being reborn?

Chapter 597 "Humility" and "Hypocrisy"

"I'm home."

Chen eagerly took the backpack and drawing board from the cosplayer's hands, and then greeted Li Xianglan, who was walking at the back, with the same politeness as before: "Aunt Lan".

"Um……"

Li Xianglan's eyes flickered, clearly a little uneasy, and she nodded slightly, saying, "Chen Zhe is here."

His tone wasn't as warm as before, and seemed to carry a hint of awkwardness, as if they had just met.

"My identity has been exposed."

From such a simple detail, Chen suddenly had this premonition.

Although he was unaware of the specific details, Chen Zhe did not intend to expose them, keeping them in a delicate state of "I know you know, but I'm pretending you don't," which made things easier for him to do.

Have you bought groceries yet?

Yu Xian asked crisply.

Although she was kept in the dark, the small courtyard house immediately became much brighter whenever she returned.

Like a bright flame, it gently ignited the vitality of the entire courtyard, warming everything around it.

"Bought it!"

Wang Changhua didn't dare delay and immediately reported it.

"They're all washed and chopped!"

Wu Yu quickly added.

"great!"

Yu Xuan casually tied her long hair up, her bright eyes falling on her boyfriend: "Director Chen, come in and cook with me!"

"Order!"

Chen nimbly walked into the kitchen, turned the gas stove a couple of times, and a flame shot out.

It was like the opening ceremony of a love story in a hutong.

Next, the rapeseed oil sizzled in the pan, and wisps of bluish-white smoke danced in the air, though they were quickly swept away by the humming of the range hood.

Xianmei'er's cooking skills are naturally excellent. Sometimes she stirs the vegetables quickly and lightly, and sometimes she playfully flips the wok, making the vegetables jump up and fall back down.

Director Chen was also busy, quickly and efficiently handing out salt and vinegar.

Meanwhile, the two chatted idly.

Chen said that he visited the top leader of China Unicom today and the two reached some agreements, but they were all verbal and everything was still pending.

Yu Xuan said that he learned some new knowledge from a famous oil painter today, and he will review it later.

The sounds mingled with the clanging of the shovels, creating a strangely harmonious ambiance. Soft lamplight streamed down, illuminating the fine beads of sweat on Xianmei's nose.

She was glistening, like dew on the grass in the morning. Occasionally she would turn her head and smile at Director Chen, perhaps without saying anything, just wanting to see him, before turning back to continue cooking.

The warmth gradually blurred the windowpane, making the small kitchen feel even cozier and more inviting.

This is probably the life that Yu Meiren (a woman) hoped for.

It doesn't have to be too rich, and the area doesn't even have to be too big. Just enough to accommodate a family of three is fine. In this flame where they rely on each other, they can feel the tender warmth in their everyday conversations.

Unfortunately, this atmosphere was interrupted by the creaking sound of a door opening.

Wang Changhua sneakily peeked in.

"What are you doing?"

Chen asked, "We can't eat yet."

"I know."

Wang Changhua closed the door behind her: "There's nothing going on outside, so I came in to chat with you. I was worried you'd be too bored."

"It's not easy for us to talk if you come in!"

Xianmei glanced at it and said bluntly.

Wang Changhua pouted. He knew the Sichuan girl's temper and didn't dare to argue. He stood in the corner like a nobody, watching Yu Xian's movements as she tossed the wok and the timing of adding seasonings.

Neither of them paid him any attention and continued talking about everyday matters.

"Yu Xian".

Wang Changhua abruptly asked, "Should the oyster sauce be added at this time?"

"Yes."

The cosplayer said dismissively, "This is the best time to bring out the freshness; earlier or later, it just won't taste right."

"Oh~"

Wang Changhua nodded, as if she were memorizing a key point.

Chen looked at Wang Changhua with a strange expression, scrutinizing her from head to toe.

After a while, Wang Changhua asked again, "Should we put rock sugar in this braised pork?"

"This is the soul."

Yu Xian didn't even look up: "How can it be called braised pork without caramelizing sugar?"

Chen Zhe finally saw through it: "Wang Changhua, did you come here to learn how to cook?" Wang Changhua was seen through, and he couldn't deny it. He tugged at the colorful braided rope on his wrist: "Sometimes when you're all out, I want to cook something for myself at home."

"That's right~, I also think that eating out all the time is expensive and wasteful."

Xianmei agreed with the idea and taught in great detail: "The order of reducing the sauce in braised pork is crucial. Add a circle of cooking wine, three rock sugar pieces, two tablespoons of light soy sauce... When reducing the sauce over high heat, you need to keep stirring, otherwise it will easily burn."

Wang Changhua listened attentively.

Chen was certain that the focused look on that face was a million times more intense than when he was in class.

Before long, several plates of delicious-looking side dishes were ready. Before taking them out, Wang Changhua shyly made one more request:
"Um... could you guys please not tell anyone that I'm learning to cook?"

"why?"

The cosplayer was confused.

"Oh well! I'll just agree to whatever you're asked to!"

Wang Changhua seemed unsure how to explain, so she left those words behind, picked up the braised pork, and ran into the main room.

What is he trying to do?

Yu Baibai stared blankly in the direction where Wang Changhua had disappeared, and then the adorable Chuanyin reappeared.

"who cares."

Chen smiled, knowing perfectly well what was going on: "Let's just pretend we didn't see anything."

……

While calling everyone to eat in the courtyard, Chen Zhe found an opportunity to quietly say to his secretary, "If Aunt Lan doesn't ask you about it later, you need to find a way to reveal that you've brought up the conflict with President Zheng."

"I?"

The secretary hesitated for a moment, but did not refuse.

"Adaptability" is a skill that a secretary should have, and this requirement is clearly part of the job.

The secretary is always meticulous in her work.

Soon everyone sat down together, busily eating and chatting, the atmosphere seemingly relaxed and pleasant.

But in reality, Chen Zhe, Wang Changhua, the secretary, and even Li Xianglan all had their own agendas.

The most innocent one was Xianmei, who kept asking, "How does it taste? Is there anything that can be improved?"

Chen laughed and joked, "You want to be a chef? These flavors are already the pinnacle of home cooking, okay?"

"Hey~"

Just then, the secretary suddenly sighed and gently put down the bowl and chopsticks.

"what happened?"

Yu Xuan asked with concern.

"I feel so down that I can't eat a single bite."

The secretary rubbed her chest, her voice low.

"Physical discomfort?"

Chen immediately followed up with a follow-up question, like a straight man playing the role of a comedian.

"Not at all."

The secretary shook her head: "I just don't know if this trip to the capital will be able to resolve the conflict with President Zheng. Otherwise, every time I think about how the company's business is being hampered, causing development to stagnate, I lose my appetite."

"what?"

The cosplayer and her friends all believed it to be true: "Wasn't the Retrospection project going well? How did it suddenly fall into this situation?"

"Don't listen to her nonsense, it's not that serious."

Chen pretended to be reproachful and said, "We're eating, why are you talking about these things?"

"Director Chen, who is this General Manager Zheng? Why is he trying to strangle us?"

Xianmei couldn't help but ask as well.

"Mr. Zheng is a senior leader, and I have always respected him. As for why he is blocking us, he probably has his own reasons."

Chen spoke casually, as if it hadn't affected him much: "Anyway, the business world is like a battlefield, and you'll always encounter some special situations. Just like when you're drawing, you'll occasionally run into difficulties in coming up with ideas."

Seeing his composure, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and then began to discuss the topic of "how power affects the market".

Wang Changhua's family also runs a business, so they've probably heard plenty of stories like this. He took the opportunity to embellish the story and tell a whole bunch of other tales.

As Chen listened, he thought to himself, "Shut up, Brother Hua, I'm not here to listen to your bragging..."

Finally, Li Xianglan wiped her mouth with a tissue and calmly asked, "Xiao Chen, have you started your own business?"

"Forehead……"

Chen hesitated for a moment before shyly saying, "It's just a small company I started with a few friends."

Li Xianglan sighed with emotion, realizing that "humility" was indeed Chen Zhe's nature.

He listened to Xianmei so well just now, going into the kitchen whenever she told him to. I thought he would be a "stay-at-home husband".

In fact, both "humility" and "hypocrisy" contain the character "虚" (empty/false), and it is easy to be misled if you don't carefully distinguish between them.

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(End of this chapter)