The growth system comes at the age of 30

Chapter 117 Surprise
Tang Garden Restaurant.

While Chen Jingle was riding his electric scooter at full speed, Li Beixing and Zhou Manlin had already arrived at the store and were sitting down.

Ten minutes earlier than the agreed time.

Zhou Manlin looked at Li Beixing next to her and said in amazement: "Why are you dressed so beautifully? I didn't ask you to come here for a blind date."

Li Beixing rolled her eyes: "I should be the one asking you this. I've never seen you dressed so beautifully when I went shopping with you before."

Zhou Manlin smiled and said, "That's different. I'm treating them to dinner today. If I dress too casually, it would be a bit disrespectful. What about you?"

Li Beixing tucked her hair behind her ears: "Same!"

"Hey~~"

Zhou Manlin saw through her thoughts at a glance: "Why are you still nervous?"

Li Beixing snorted softly: "Why are you so nervous? I don't know what you are talking about."

"You're so stubborn, Xingbao~"

"Ha~!"

The two of them joked with each other.

At this time, Zhou Manlin's eyes lit up: "Hey, he's here."

Li Beixing quickly followed her gaze and saw Chen Jingle walking in leisurely.

Zhou Manlin pretended to be surprised: "He dressed up carefully, and he is even more handsome than the last time we met. Oops, I am a little moved."

Li Beixing: “…”

Did you do this on purpose?

Seeing her angry look, Zhou Manlin couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh out loud. It was so funny.

Li Beixing said angrily: "Alright, alright, I'm here, don't talk nonsense later!"

"Okay, just beg me." Zhou Manlin smiled.

Li Beixing clenched his fists: "Zhou Manlin, just wait!"

……

"Sorry for being late."

Chen Jingle was a little embarrassed.

He was already almost 10 minutes earlier than the agreed time, yet he was still the last one to arrive.

Zhou Manlin smiled and waved her hand: "No, no, it's not the agreed time yet. I came here in advance to confirm the appointment. There are a lot of people today. I'm afraid that they will give my seat to others before I come, so I have to wait."

"Aren't they afraid of ruining their reputation by doing this?" Chen Jingle was surprised.

Zhou Manlin blinked. "It's similar to airline overbooking, because some guests may not arrive on time, so they just need to make room before the guests arrive."

"I understand." Chen Jingle suddenly realized.

Li Beixing didn't say anything, his eyes fell on the bag Chen Jingle was carrying.

Chen Jingle put the bag on the table and said to Li Beixing with a smile, "Please help me pass on Mr. Long's two paintings to Mr. Liu, Mr. Li."

"Ok."

This was something that had been agreed upon before, and Li Beixing did not refuse.

Chen Jingle took out another scroll from his bag: "And your portrait, I've also painted it and brought it with me."

Hearing this, Li Beixing was stunned.

Ah? This is already drawn?

Chen Jingle hadn't told her before, so she thought she would have to wait for a while. She was pleasantly surprised, but also a little nervous.

"What portrait? Chen Jingle, you can also paint?" Zhou Manlin was surprised.

Chen Jingle said with a smile: "I drew it for fun, I didn't expect anyone would like it."

Zhou Manlin turned her head and looked at Li Beixing: "Xingbao, why didn't you tell me?"

Li Beixing glanced at her and said, "You didn't ask."

This time it was Zhou Manlin's turn to bare her teeth.

Li Beixing looked at Chen Jingle with a look of joy and anticipation: "Is it really finished?"

Chen Jingle said with a smile: "I just don't know if you can accept this style of painting."

"Open it quickly and take a look!" Zhou Manlin urged.

She was very curious about Chen Jingle's painting skills. She had only seen his calligraphy works posted on WeChat Moments before, and she felt that they looked pretty good. He should not be a fraud.

Li Beixing slowly unfolded his own painting.

hiss~!

When the painting was fully unfolded, Zhou Manlin widened her eyes and took a deep breath.

She also studied fine arts. Although she changed her career later, she still had the basic skills in art-related industries, so she was more shocked than Li Beixing.

This is because the portrait of Li Beixing painted by Chen Jingle blends freehand brushwork and realism very well. It seems to be freehand brushwork, but it is also full of meticulous structure. The character as a whole seems realistic, but it is not entirely realistic.

But every detail of these two gives people a harmonious feeling and does not seem abrupt.

The character in the painting has bright eyes, white teeth and a sweet smile, which perfectly replicates Li Beixing's appearance. Zhou Manlin was stunned by the sight.

Even the teachers and professors at Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts may not be able to produce Chinese paintings of this quality.

sharp!!
She couldn't help but ask, "What is your relationship with Mr. Bai Bohua?"

This painting vaguely bears the shadow of Bai Bohua's paintings of ladies, but not much.

Chen Jingle shook his head: "It doesn't matter, but I really like Mr. Bai's style and I have learned a lot from his works."

"Then who is your teacher?" Zhou Manlin asked curiously.

Chen Jingle still shook his head: "I don't have a teacher. I taught myself."

Zhou Manlin's eyes widened with an expression that said, "Are you kidding me?"

As an art student, she is very clear that having a teacher to guide and not having a teacher to guide are two completely different concepts.

If someone told her that she could become a master of Chinese painting purely through self-study, she would think that person was an idiot.

Chinese painting has developed to this day, and many people standing on the shoulders of their predecessors have still failed to become masters. How can you, a self-taught person, become a master?
impossible!
It's impossible!

Li Beixing couldn't help but snicker, "Are you stupid? Chen Jingle is indeed self-taught. He has a very good talent, or should I say, a very good one, and he is improving very fast. It doesn't make any difference to him whether he has a teacher or not."

"You really taught yourself?" Zhou Manlin couldn't believe it.

Li Beixing helplessly spread his hands: "We must admit that people have different talents."

"I know, but..." Zhou Manlin frowned and looked at Chen Jingle as if he was an alien, unable to accept this fact for a moment.

Li Beixing was very satisfied, his eyes curved into crescents: "Great painting, thank you!"

Chen Jingle waved his hands quickly: "You're welcome, as long as you like it. As we agreed before, if it weren't for Teacher Li's help, I wouldn't be able to sell so many paintings."

Li Beixing couldn't help but said, "Can you please stop calling me Teacher Li all the time? Just call me by my name."

Chen Jingle paused when he heard this and smiled awkwardly: "Sorry, I'm used to it."

Li Beixing rolled his eyes and snorted softly.

Zhou Manlin looked left and right and found it very interesting.

Oh~
……

At this time, Chen Jingle took out a palm-sized wooden photo frame from the bag: "By the way, this is for you, Miss Zhou."

"Ah I?"

Zhou Manlin was stunned at first, then took it and looked at it. It turned out to be a calligraphy work in a frame, with two lines of small cursive characters written on it:

“Smile often and good luck will come naturally.”

The black font, white background, red seal, and the natural wood-colored frame all blend in harmoniously.

Suddenly surprised: "Are you sure it's for me?"

Chen Jingle smiled: "As long as it's not too simple."

Zhou Manlin was very satisfied with this gift.

"How could I dislike it? This gift is amazing! Thank you, I like it very much!"

This calligraphy is extraordinary at first glance, full of charm and style. You can put it on your desk as a decoration and keep it well.

Look at them, they give gifts so elegantly.

She held the photo frame and showed it off to Li Beixing: "Xingbao, does it look good?"

Li Beixing smiled dotingly with a hint of helplessness, saying: "Chen Jingle's current calligraphy level is not worse than those famous calligraphers in the calligraphy association, so just be happy!"

“So I really earned it.”

Zhou Manlin was surprised, and smiled at Chen Jingle and said, "But I didn't prepare any gifts, so I can only give them to you next time."

Chen Jingle waved his hand: "Miss Zhou invited me to dinner, which is already very good. There is no need to discuss gifts."

"Eating is a way of expressing gratitude, while gifts are a way of giving and receiving. They are two different things."

"No need."

"..."

Li Beixing couldn't bear to see the two of them being so polite, so he interrupted them helplessly: "Okay, okay, stop being polite, put it away first, if you continue to be so polite, I'm afraid I won't be able to eat this meal."

Chen Jingle smiled sheepishly, while Zhou Manlin said with a stern expression: "I know."

He turned to Chen Jingle and said, "Let's order the food first. You can see what you want to eat."

"I've never been here. Just order." Chen Jingle waved his hand and didn't take the menu.

Zhou Manlin said bluntly: "Then I'll have some. Is there anything you shouldn't eat?"

Chen Jingle hesitated for two seconds: "Except for the internal organs, everything else is fine."

Zhou Manlin tilted her head and looked at Li Beixing, winking: "Oh, just like Xingbao."

"It's just a normal dietary restriction, why are you making a fuss about it?" Li Beixing rolled her eyes at her.

Chen Jingle chuckled: "Everyone has foods they don't like to eat. Some people are physically uncomfortable, some are psychologically uncomfortable, it's just individual differences. I feel that animal organs all have an earthy smell."

Li Beixing's eyes lit up: "Yes, it's the earthy smell. I told them and they all thought there was something wrong with my nose and tongue."

Finally found a soulmate.

"Okay, okay, then don't eat the offal. There are plenty of options on the menu."

Zhou Manlin ordered three signature dishes: secret crispy roast chicken, cheese beef balls, and stir-fried seasonal vegetables.

"Xingbao, would you like to order one?"

Li Beixing thought for a moment and said, "How about adding a soup? Or a dessert?"

Zhou Manlin thought for two seconds: "Soup, I remember the tangerine peel duck soup here is good. Desserts are a bit high in calories, I'm trying to lose weight recently."

Li Beixing glanced at her round breasts and didn't want to talk. He pinched Zhou Manlin's thighs under the table, which earned him a roll of the eyes.

Chen Jingle had even less objection, he was only responsible for eating.

……

This restaurant serves food very quickly.

The first thing served was the tangerine peel and duck soup.

Each person gets one bowl, which is a pretty big portion.

Tangerine peel, cordyceps flowers, and mallard duck; the ingredients are simple, but they are stewed to just the right degree of heat and taste delicious. It is indeed good, but Chen Jingle feels that there is still room for improvement.

Next up is the secret crispy roast chicken.

The color and aroma are very good. Chen Jingle tried a piece and found the taste to be OK, at least worthy of the environment and the price.

When you pick up the second piece, you can roughly tell how it is done.

It's not difficult to replicate.

The third dish is cheese beef balls.

Chen Jingle was quite curious about this dish.

There are only three in one plate, which is a bit small, but the beef balls are quite big, a little bigger than a ping-pong ball.

Zhou Manlin used a serving chopstick to pick up one for Chen Jingle first: "Try it. I think their cheese beef balls are very good. It's an innovative dish. They should have learned from White Swan, but they only add some cheese on the surface, and the amount of beef is larger. And the beef is added with tangerine peel. I think it tastes better than the one in White Swan."

"Uh, thanks, I can do it myself."

Chen Jingle was flattered, but more than that, he felt uncomfortable.

Li Beixing: “…” He silently kicked Zhou Manlin under the table.

What are you doing?
Doesn’t he have hands? Why does he need you to pick up food for him?!
Zhou Manlin turned her head to look over, her expression didn't change much, but there was a smile in her eyes.

Oh, she was anxious, she was anxious.

You should be more proactive. Did we call you out to be a mascot?

(End of this chapter)