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

Chapter 621 Birthday (Part 2)

"Dahuang, how's business at the bubble tea shop lately?"

"Yuanyuan, you'd better stop dieting. It's your brother's birthday today, so you're allowed to eat as much as you want."

"Wang Changhua is crazy! She's even fighting over the last piece of beef. Go get another plate of it."

……

Inside the private room of the hot pot restaurant, a cloud of white steam rose, but before it could fully form, it was dispersed by the whooshing air conditioning.

The spicy and rich aroma of butter permeated the air, and these friends, who had been playing together since high school, gathered here to enjoy their food and share their recent lives.

Now that I'm a sophomore, the topics of conversation have changed noticeably compared to my freshman year.

When we first entered university, everyone would complain about "weird roommates, annoying professors, and unpalatable cafeteria food".

More than a year has passed, and for a normal sophomore, it might be replaced by "stupid group assignments, endless after-class experiments, and a headache-inducing GPA."

However, several of these people are "abnormal".

Let's not even talk about Chen Zhe. Cosplay Sister has already signed with an international gallery, and Huang Bohan is also starting his business from scratch. It seems like they're talking about classroom stuff, which suddenly sounds a bit childish.

Yuanyuan did mention taking the postgraduate entrance exam.

Chen said he should be able to get a recommendation for graduate school, and that Dean Shu was a leader with high moral standards, and even had all the conditions to become an "academic tyrant".

However, over the years, he has used his official power to put pressure on all the teachers who taught him when it came to his own postgraduate recommendation.

But those teachers all thought it was perfectly normal.

With a student like Chen, if he simply said he wanted to pursue graduate studies, Peking University's Guanghua School of Economics and Management would be eager to recruit him.

"I'll hang out with you guys."

Wu Yu said with dissatisfaction, "It really feels like I've accidentally wandered into the heavens. Even your high school wasn't this amazing."

That's because you were young back then.

Wang Changhua was clearly enjoying her meal. She stood on a chair, using serving chopsticks to scoop up tripe from the pot: "You can't see the shining highlights on us."

"Pooh!"

Wu Yu spat out: "What's it to you? You're just as stupid as me. Put your lapdog down!"

Wang Changhua then realized her inappropriate behavior and put her legs down with an embarrassed laugh.

At this moment, Chen checked the time; it was almost five o'clock.

We've been eating hot pot for about an hour, so it's about time to leave.

He first sent a message to Zhang Guangfeng, asking this trusted confidant to bring him a new outfit.

Then, he stood up and said, "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, my colleagues have a social engagement. They are all old friends who joined the company when it was first established. They insisted on celebrating my birthday, so I have to give them face. I'll have cosplay sister entertain them for me."

"Are you going?"

Completely kept in the dark, Wu Yu indeed said, "Let's just wait another half hour and finish eating."

"Forehead……"

Chen Zhe thought to himself that he knew there would be relatives and friends who would "hinder the male protagonist from doing great things".

Fortunately, I had made arrangements in advance.

"Let him leave if he wants to."

Wang Changhua spoke up, saying dismissively, "Everyone's so busy after school starts. We've finally managed to get together, let's chat a little longer."

"yes……"

Huang Bohan was a little slow to react, but his reasoning was more convincing: "I didn't even go to the milk tea shop today."

Seeing that her friends weren't quite done chatting, the cosplayer said, "It's okay, Director Chen can go do his thing. Let's continue chatting for a while. I'll go get a few more bottles of orange juice!"

Thus, Chen escaped unscathed.

At the door, Huang Bohan caught up and reminded me, "Mu Jiawen went to find Song Shiwei. She doesn't know I'm here for hot pot. She even asked me curiously why I didn't say anything for your birthday. I said, 'Who celebrates a guy's birthday? Only sissies celebrate birthdays...'"

Chen raised an eyebrow, feeling that Da Huang was cursing him, but he didn't have time to argue and hurriedly drove away.

Time was running out, so he called Zhang Guangfeng on the way to ask if they had arrived yet.

"Mr. Chen, we are already on our way."

Zhang Guangfeng said respectfully, "But there's no rush. We'll serve the dishes whenever you arrive."

"Don't!"

Chen instructed directly, "When you arrive, serve the dishes immediately, don't delay."

Although Zhang Guangfeng didn't understand the reason, it didn't stop him from saying to his colleagues in the car, moved:

"Mr. Chen is so kind. He was worried we'd go hungry, so he arranged for food to be served as soon as we arrived. Many bosses can't learn this kind of attention to detail in their entire lives. We should not only follow Mr. Chen in our careers, but also learn from him how to be a good person..."

The car was full of people. Although they scoffed at Zhang Guangfeng's flattery, they felt honored to be able to attend the big boss's birthday banquet.

These were all original employees, like Zeng Kun, Zhang Guangfeng, Ning Lianlian, Fang Qing...

Although newcomers like Jiang Fulühui and Yan Huaixing held higher positions in the company and were responsible for more important projects, none of them were called over, which highlights their different status in the boss's eyes.

Chen arrived at Fisherman's Village Restaurant around 5:40. He had been pressing the accelerator hard all the way there. A group of old colleagues were sitting neatly in the private room, and almost all the dishes had been served, with a cake in the middle.

Chen was quite satisfied.

The reason Zhang Guangfeng was asked to serve the dishes ahead of time was to save time, because he wanted to take photos and present a sense of "clinking glasses and lively conversation" in the photos.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with these elderly people who had gone back in time, and drinking a few cups of tea instead of wine, Chen took out his phone, took a picture of the table, and sent it to Yu Xuan.

Chen Zhe: We've arrived and are eating. Did you see the cake? They also bought the fruit and cream flavored one.

Yu Xuan: Okay, remember to drink less alcohol. Shall I pick you up tonight?
Chen Zhe: A few more leaders will be coming over in a bit. Go home first after you're done here. I need to deal with them.

Yu Xuan: Okay~, then tell me when you're done with your social engagements.

And so, this real photo proved to the cosplayer that she really did have dinner with her colleagues.

Then, Chen took another picture from a different angle and sent it to Sweet Sister as well.

Chen Zhe: You must have been waiting a long time. I'm having lunch right now, and my colleagues are very welcoming.

Song Shiwei: Okay, you go ahead and get busy.

Chen Zhe: Professor Lu, do you feel like you've been waiting too long? I'll be right there.

Song Shiwei: It's alright, Jiawen and I are still at Zhengjia Plaza.

"Zhengjia Plaza?"

Chen wondered what he could do there, but the city center was usually congested, and picking them up would probably take more time.

Thinking of this, Chen didn't have time for formalities and went straight to his colleagues to say:

I'm very grateful to all my friends for coming to my birthday party, but I had a little unexpected situation, so Guangfeng took care of everyone's food, drinks and entertainment afterwards.

Although leaving at this time is somewhat against the rules.

But Chen is the big boss, and his rules are the rules.

Before leaving, Chen cut the cake and shared a piece in front of everyone, as if accepting the kindness of his colleagues.

As they were going downstairs, Zhang Guangfeng caught up with them and handed them the new clothes.

Why change it?

The smell in the hot pot private room was too strong; such a strong smell shouldn't exist in a social setting. This was a way of checking for omissions and making the lie as believable as possible.

Although Chen Zhe and his colleagues only met for less than fifteen minutes, they managed to take two invaluable photos.

It made the cosplayer believe that her boyfriend was about to have dinner with his colleagues;
It also convinced Sweetie that her boyfriend was having dinner with his colleagues.

We drove to Zhengjia Plaza and were almost there around 6:30, but there was already traffic on the road.

It wasn't completely dark yet, and the traffic moved like a snail, taking forever to advance even a tiny step.

"The traffic was so bad that I just kept going in."

Chen called Song Shiwei: "You guys should just come to the South Gate and get on the bus. That way you'll save some time."

It's understandable that traffic in Song Dynasty cities was so bad, but traffic in first-tier cities is just like this.

So, Chen drove slowly while searching for Sweet Sister's figure, and soon spotted the tall, aloof girl in the crowd, with Mu Jiawen and Cong Ni standing on tiptoe next to her.

Although they were a bit far away, their eyes swept over the car without any reaction.

Chen then realized that he was driving an X5 today, not an S600, which was why they didn't recognize him.

Just as he was about to roll down the car window and wave loudly, his gaze happened to sweep over a gift box in Song Shiwei's hand.

Under the bright headlights of the cars on the road, they looked so familiar.

It looks like the Longines logo!

"Fuck!"

Chen Zhe finally realized that he had been so busy all afternoon that he had forgotten he was wearing a Longines Master Collection watch on his wrist!
He hurriedly took off the watch, then remembered that Yu Xian seemed to have put the watch box in the glove compartment. He quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the glove compartment, took out the watch box, and put the watch back in. Actually, if it had been someone else's gift, Chen might have just thrown it out the window.

But this was something that the cosplayer had worked hard to create, and Director Chen was reluctant to part with it. He thought about how Song, the school beauty, rarely touched things in the car when she was traveling, and besides, there really wasn't a better place to hide.

So, hoping for the best, I stuffed the watch box back into the storage box and slammed it shut.

"Here, here..."

After finishing all this, Chen opened the window and waved to Song Shiwei and the others.

The three got into the car; Song Shiwei was in the passenger seat, while Mu Jiawen and Cong Ni sat in the back.

"Mr. Chen changed his car?"

After Cong Ni settled down, she asked with some curiosity.

"What does 'changing cars' mean?"

Chen glanced at the passenger seat out of the corner of his eye and replied with a smile as usual, "This is also a company car. I was using the S600 for reception today, so I drove this one."

"No wonder."

Mu Jiawen nodded: "We've been looking for the license plate 77777... Oh, right!"

Xiao Mou suddenly asked, "Did you and Huang Bohan have a fight? He didn't even come to your birthday party."

"There was no quarrel."

Chen touched his nose and said in a normal tone, "If it were a dinner party outside, he would have come over, but at Song Xiaohua's house, Da Huang was a little nervous. I don't think we need to force him. It's just a small birthday celebration, and Yuan Yuan also has something to do at home. She already told you, right?"

This was said to Song Shiwei.

She nodded slightly: "If Yuanyuan finishes her business, she'll come over as soon as she can."

"is it?"

Chen thought to himself that they probably didn't get enough from the hot pot and came over for a second meal.

But it still can't compare to me; this is my third meal already.

"Let's go to the Tokaido first."

Sweet reminded her as they approached the corner.

Is it Tokaido again?

Ah!
This is my third dinner tonight, and my fourth fruit cake.

After passing through the most congested section of the road, the visibility gradually improved, and Chen asked, "What are you doing at Zhengjia Plaza?"

"You'll have to ask your Song Shiwei."

Xiao Mou kept complaining, "You dragged me here half a month ago to pick out a gift for you, and you said you liked the Longines Master Collection. But the sales assistant said that the watch that's suitable for your age group is only available at the Capital Store, and they'd have to specially transfer it over."

Chen thought to himself, "Could it be that they're still getting the goods from SKP? That would be really interesting."

Did you buy me a gift?

Chen smiled and took Song Xiaohua's small hand.

This morning, from this very angle and in this very spot, he had also held the cosplayer's hand in this manner.

However, Sweetie's palms were a little cooler, as if she were hiding the moon's gentle glow at her fingertips.

"Ah."

Song Shiwei handed over the box she was holding, her voice soft and gentle, like a whisper in her ear: "Happy birthday~"

Chen took it with one hand, checked the model number, and sure enough, it was exactly the same as the one cosplayer had.

As the salesperson said, in 2008, there was only one model in the Master Craftsman series that was suitable for Director Chen's age.

"You sent such an expensive gift."

Chen Zhe grasped Sweet Sister's hand again: "Does that mean I have no choice but to repay her with my body?"

Song Shiwei didn't speak, but Chen Zhe could feel that his hand tightened imperceptibly.

"Alright, alright, if you two want to be all lovey-dovey, wait until after dinner."

Xiao Mou urged, "How much longer until we get to the cake shop?"

"Just turn the corner."

Chen nodded and replied.

The journey was smooth. Sweetie didn't have the habit of rummaging through things in the car. She was just worried that her boyfriend was driving unsteadily, so she took the watch box back.

When they arrived at the entrance of Donghaitang, Chen, just like in the morning, kept the engine running, since he was only carrying a cake and was about to leave.

However, before getting out of the car, Sweetie probably thought that she would have to carry the cake later, so it would be inconvenient to carry the watch box.

Or perhaps they felt that simply leaving the gift on the seat after getting off the bus seemed unprofessional.

Anyway, people sometimes have sudden urges, and she suddenly wanted to open the glove compartment in front of the passenger seat.

Chen Zhe's heart nearly jumped out of his chest!
"what happened?"

The key was that he couldn't show it too obviously, so he forced himself to ask while suppressing his nervousness.

"I want to put it in."

Song Shiwei said calmly, "It'll be easier to get the cake later."

"It's okay, I'll carry the cake."

"Cong Ni in the back row quickly said."

Director Chen was very clever; he couldn't say, "Yes, give the cake to Cong Ni and don't open the storage box."

That would only make things worse, like trying to hide something obvious.

"This storage box is not easy to open; you need to use a little skill."

Chen smiled and said, "You go get the cake first, I'll put it in."

Sweet didn't notice anything unusual and went with Cong Ni to the Donghaitang store, leaving only Mu Jiawen sitting calmly in the car.

"Why don't you go?"

Chen, holding the Longines piano by Sweet Sister, turned to ask Xiao Mou.

"It's just a cake."

Mu Jiawen lazily scrolled through her phone: "What's the point of having so many people?"

Chen thought to himself, "If you don't go down, how can I take out [Cosplay Sister's Longines], put [Sweet Sister's Longines] back in, and then hide [Cosplay Sister's Longines]?"
"Go check, just in case they forgot to bring candles."

Chen was looking for an excuse.

"Don't worry, how could a chain store forget such a small thing? They've already prepared everything."

Mu Jiawen remained unmoved.

"I heard that Tokaido has also launched a few new milk teas."

Chen then offered another reason: "I don't know if it will pose a threat to Royal Tea."

"is it?"

Xiao Mou then sat up straight: "Are you crazy? Why would a cake shop make milk tea? No way! I have to go check it out!"

After she finished speaking, she pushed open the car door. Chen thought he had finally found an opportunity and quickly turned over to open the glove compartment.

But less than three seconds later, she was back.

"Forget it, I'm not the owner of Royal Tea, what's the rush? Let's go back and eat first!"

Behind Xiao Mou were Song Shiwei and Cong Ni, who were carrying a cake.

Because of Xiao Mou's delay, the golden time has been lost, so much so that Director Chen had just opened the storage box and hadn't had time to "switch the baby out with a cat".

But with everyone watching, he couldn't do anything, so he could only awkwardly close the storage box and pretend that he had just stuffed the [Sweet Sister's Longines] inside.

However, he secretly moved the real [Sweet Sister's Longines] to his own seat.

Fortunately, it was dark now, and the light wasn't so bright, so the scoundrel could only use his butt to push the watch box aside and pretend nothing had happened to start the car.

Donghaitang is not far from Zhujiang Imperial View. On the way, I received a call from Professor Lu, asking why I hadn't returned yet.

"It's already in the garage."

As Song Shiwei spoke, she opened the glove compartment in front of the passenger seat and casually took out [Cosplay Sister's Longines].

"My day..."

Chen suddenly felt the flesh on his buttocks spasm.

I was partly nervous, and partly because I had been holding the box for too long; in any case, my calves were trembling a little.

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(End of this chapter)