Rebirth of Chinese Entertainment, starting with the strategy of 95 flowers to counterattack

Chapter 210 The Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix Battle Dudu

Gu Yang stood in front of the stove, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his well-defined forearms.

Chen Duling stood to the side, holding freshly washed vegetables in her hands, but her eyes couldn't help but dart towards Gu Yang.

This guy can even cook?

Gu Yang's knife skills are extremely fast; he cuts potato shreds into even, thin strips and removes the seeds from green peppers cleanly and efficiently.

Even the way he chops garlic exudes a sense of effortless style!
His movements of heating the pan and pouring oil were fluid and effortless. With a flick of his wrist, minced garlic was added to the pan, and with a sizzle, the aroma burst forth instantly.

Even cracking garlic looks this handsome?
The firelight illuminated his profile, outlining his deep features.

A drop of sweat slid down his temple, past his Adam's apple, and finally disappeared deep into his collar...

It's just cooking a dish, why sweat so profusely?
Dudu unconsciously swallowed.

? ? ? ? ?

Chen Duling snapped out of her daze, quickly looked down at the greens in her hand, and felt her ears burning.

What kind of nonsense is she thinking?

Why can't she calm down when she's with Gu Yang? She always tends to overthink things...

"What do you need me to do?" Chen Duling asked softly.

Gu Yang turned his head to look at her, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Could you help me chop the vegetables?"

"Oh!"

Wearing two layers of gloves, Chen Yao stood at the other end of the kitchen counter, meticulously arranging the food.

She arranged the sliced ​​cucumbers in order of size, with the spacing between each slice accurate to the millimeter.

"Chen Yao," Gu Yang said without looking up, "could you hand me that soy sauce over there?"

Chen shook his head, put on a new pair of gloves, picked up the soy sauce bottle, and carefully handed it over: "Be careful not to spill any on the table."

Gu Yang: "..."

Chen Duling couldn't help but laugh out loud, but Gu Yang glanced at her and she immediately pursed her lips to suppress it.

An enticing aroma gradually filled the kitchen.

Gu Yang prepared four dishes and a soup:
The garlic-flavored pork ribs are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with golden minced garlic.

The stir-fried vegetables were a vibrant green, cooked to perfection.

The hot and sour shredded potatoes are cut evenly and have a tangy and spicy flavor that whets the appetite.

The tomato and beef brisket stew has a rich broth, and the beef brisket is tender and soft.

Winter melon and barley soup is light and nourishing, and it's Chen Duling's favorite.

Looking at the dishes on the table, Chen Yao rarely showed a satisfied expression: "Director Gu, you've been hiding your true abilities."

"The plating looks a bit messy, I'll fix it!"

Gu Yang wiped his hands and said casually, "Just some home-cooked food."

Chen Duling stared at the bowl of winter melon soup, a slight thought stirring in her heart.

She had previously mentioned on WeChat that she wanted to drink her mother's winter melon and barley soup, and he actually made it for her today.

Is it a coincidence or...?
The three sat around the dining table. Dudu first ladled out a small bowl of soup, blew on it gently, and then elegantly took a sip.

"It tastes good." Her eyes lit up.

Chen Yao picked up a piece of garlic-flavored pork rib, and her eyes lit up the moment she took a bite: "This is really delicious!"

Seeing their satisfied expressions, Gu Yang smiled and said, "Eat more if you like."

The three chatted while eating, their conversation ranging from program schedules to their respective jobs, creating a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.

Although Chen Yao doesn't talk much, her occasional comments are always insightful.

Gu Yang skillfully steered the conversation, occasionally making Chen Duling laugh.

"By the way," Chen Yao suddenly looked at Gu Yang, "I heard your company is preparing for a new project recently?"

Gu Yang nodded: "Yes, there are a few new dramas."

Chen Duling paused with her chopsticks, then casually asked, "Has the lead actor been decided?"

Gu Yang looked at her with a half-smile: "What, interested?"

"Just asking." Chen Duling lowered her head and ate her rice, but her ears turned red.

Chen Yao looked at the two of them, a slight smile playing on her lips, and then lowered her head to continue drinking her soup.

Just as the three were having a pleasant conversation, footsteps suddenly came from the doorway.

"It smells so good!" Meng Ziyi's voice came from afar. "Xiao Ye, hurry up, or they'll finish eating!"

Zhou Ye followed behind her, holding an empty bowl in his hand, his face full of reluctance: "Sister Meng, this isn't quite right..."

"Then why are you holding a bowl...?"

"..."

Sister Meng, you see through it but don't say anything!
Meng Ziyi, already acting like a familiar face, pushed open the door and entered, her eyes fixed on the dishes on the table: "Wow! Garlic ribs!"

Gu Yang raised an eyebrow: "What brings you here?"

“Those two girls can eat so much!” Meng Ziyi plopped down in an empty seat. “There were only two dishes, and both were my creations.”

"Sister Meng, I also made a Sichuan pepper chicken!" Zhou Ye hurriedly added.

"Yes!" Sister Meng didn't take it seriously, her eyes glued to the dishes on the table. "Xiao Ye, come sit down! Aren't you hungry?"

Zhou Ye stood at the door, his gaze sweeping over the dishes on the table, then looking at the bowl of winter melon soup specially served in front of Chen Duling, his lips drooping slightly.

"Isn't this a bad idea, Sister Meng? Aren't we disturbing this family of three...?"

Gu Yang: "..."

"Come and eat together!"

Zhou Ye gave a muffled "hmm" and slowly walked over.

Meng Ziyi had already served herself a bowl of rice and unceremoniously picked up a piece of pork rib: "Gu Yang, your cooking is pretty good! Much better than ours!"

Gu Yang asked curiously, "Sister Meng, how did you know I burned it?"

Meng Ziyi glanced sideways at Chen Duling and Chen Yao, her face full of disdain.

These two are clearly not as good at cooking as her. I should have brought an extra serving of scrambled eggs.

Chen Yao: "???"

Zhou Ye muttered under his breath, "What we call survival, this is what we call living..."

"Sister Meng, look how happy they are..."

When Zhou Ye saw Gu Yang, he immediately stood up and kept making sarcastic remarks.

Hearing her complaint, Chen Duling was in a good mood: "Would you like to try some winter melon soup? Gu Yang made it."

Zhou Ye glanced at her and said sourly, "No need, I'm full from drinking Sister Meng's Lao Gan Ma egg drop soup."

Meng Ziyi leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Don't be silly. If we eat a lot, they won't have any left! Wasn't this meal made for us?"

"!!!" Zhou Ye's eyes lit up noticeably.

Gu Yang shook his head helplessly, got up and went to the kitchen to get two more sets of bowls and chopsticks.

At the dinner table, each of the five people had their own thoughts.

Meng Ziyi picked up a piece of shredded potato with her chopsticks and exclaimed "Wow!" in an exaggerated way: "This knife skill, this cooking time, Gu Yang, you didn't graduate from New Oriental, did you?"

Zhou Ye immediately chimed in, glancing at Chen Duling: "Sister Meng, she's a top student from the Beijing Film Academy, unlike some who switched majors halfway through their careers~"

Chen Duling slowly scooped up a spoonful of winter melon soup, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Beijing Film Academy is indeed impressive, but..."

She gently blew on the spoon. "Our professor of aerospace dynamics at China Southern Airlines said that the key to judging the stability of a system is to look at the roots of its characteristic equation."

She looked up at the two of them and asked, "Do you know what this means?"

Zhou Ye paused with his chopsticks, looking completely bewildered.

Meng Ziyi retorted, "Stop using those technical jargon!"

Chen Duling chuckled: "Simply put, it's..."

She gave the two of them a meaningful look and said, "If you're not smart enough, don't try to use tricks."

Zhou Ye: "."

Seeing her sister get the short end of the stick, Meng Ziyi immediately launched an offensive.

She gave Chen Duling's chest a meaningful look: "Oh~ so you build airplanes, no wonder."

She even puffed out her chest.

"No wonder what?" Zhou Ye's eyes lit up, waiting for her hidden dragon to unleash its ultimate move. Meng Ziyi leaned close to her ear and whispered in a voice loud enough for everyone at the table to hear, "No wonder you have a built-in airport!"

"Pfft..." Chen Yao, who was drinking water, almost spat it out.

Zhou Ye's smile froze instantly. She secretly glanced at herself and realized she was almost in tears!

"Sister Meng!" Zhou Ye kicked her under the table in a panic. She couldn't get a word in edgewise on this topic; she was the one at the bottom!
"How about we change the subject?"

It feels awful to be unable to help.

"What to change for?"

Chen Duling slowly put down her spoon. "According to statistical principles, bust size and IQ are usually inversely proportional."

She gracefully wiped her mouth. "Of course, there are exceptions."

She gave Zhou Ye a meaningful look. "A double exception."

Zhou Ye: "???"

Why is she always the one who gets hurt?
Meng Ziyi was speechless for a moment, then suddenly slammed her hand on the table: "You!"

"Me?" Chen Duling raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with me? Am I wrong?"

She turned to look at Gu Yang, "Director Gu, what do you think?"

Gu Yang finally put down his chopsticks, the metal making a crisp sound as it collided with the porcelain plate.

The dining table fell silent instantly.

"Let's eat," he said casually, his gaze sweeping over the three girls.

Chen Yao picked up a piece of spare rib and put it into Meng Ziyi's bowl at the right moment: "Try this, it's cooked just right."

Meng Ziyi shoved it into her mouth, about to continue speaking.

Suddenly I noticed a whole chili pepper stuck to this piece of pork rib, and my eyes immediately welled up with tears from the spiciness.

Zhou Ye hurriedly handed her water, while Chen Duling elegantly wiped her mouth, keeping her accomplishment hidden.

These two brainless academic failures, how dare they compete with her?
If it weren't for giving Gu Yang face, she would have shut them up.

She was on the school's debate team and even served as the head of the presidium of the Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics debate team.

In arguing, no, in debating, she's a queen.

She also served as the chairperson of the World Chinese Debating Championship and was nominated for the school's "Top Ten Outstanding Youths".

……

The meal was filled with tension and conflict.

When the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix teamed up for the first time, they were two against one, yet they were completely overwhelmed by Chen Duling alone.

Meng Ziyi and Zhou Ye got a little impatient towards the end, exchanging winks and making faces, as if they wished they could develop a combined technique on the spot to give Dudu a "Lao Gan Ma face-smearing technique".

Gu Yang didn't say a word the whole time, but just watched Chen Duling with great interest.

So she had this side to her?
In his presence, Dudu would always blush and become speechless after being teased by his few words.

He thought she was just bad at talking, but now he realizes it was because he was too shameless.

When Dudu is in full force, her words are sharp and her logic is meticulous. When she's roasting someone, her eyes light up with an amazing intensity, like a proud little peacock.

So dazzling.

Gu Yang stroked his chin, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.

Dudu is so dazzling and has such a contrast.
It's more satisfying to bully them.

"Hmph!" Meng Ziyi stood up abruptly, the chair scraping loudly on the floor. "Zhou Ye, let's go!"

Zhou Ye quickly followed, not forgetting to turn back and threaten before leaving: "You, you just wait!"

"Gu Yang, if you've got the guts, don't come back to the company!"

Gu Yang: "..."

Chen Duling waved gracefully: "Take care~ Remember to drink plenty of Six Walnuts tea."

"."

The two walked away cursing, their backs radiating frustration.

Chen Yao finally couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Brilliant."

Gu Yang got up to clear the dishes. As he passed Chen Duling, he suddenly leaned down and whispered in her ear, "So, Duling is quite the talker."

The warm breath brushed past her ear, and Chen Duling froze instantly. Her sharp tongue vanished, leaving only burning earlobes and a racing heartbeat.

"Looks like," Gu Yang chuckled, "I'll have to find a different way to bully you from now on."

Chen Duling: "."

……

It was late at night, and only a dim floor lamp was lit in the living room of No. 10 courtyard.

Chen Duling, wearing a cotton nightgown, curled up on the sofa, holding an open book in her hands, but not reading a single word.

She looked down at her feet, which were soaking in the wooden tub.

Her feet were fair and slender, with a beautiful curve in the instep, and her toenails were neatly trimmed and had a faint pink tint.

The water temperature was just right, and the steam made her toes turn slightly red.

"Health programs say that soaking your feet can help you sleep."

She muttered to herself, gently stirring the water, creating ripples that reflected the light.

Suddenly, footsteps came from behind.

"Still up so late?"

Gu Yang's voice startled her so much that she almost knocked over the basin of water.

She turned around abruptly and saw him leaning against the door frame, his pajamas slightly open, revealing his collarbone.

"You... how did you get out? Weren't you already asleep?"

Before soaking her feet, Dudu went to scout out Gu Yang's room, just in case he came out and felt awkward.

She frantically tried to pull her foot back, but he grabbed her ankle.

"Why are you hiding?" Gu Yang squatted down and gently ran his fingertip across the back of her foot. "It's just a foot bath, it's not like I'm doing anything bad."

Chen Duling shuddered, her toes involuntarily curling up: "Chen Yao is still in the room."

“She’s reading a book,” Gu Yang chuckled softly, “and…”

He suddenly stood up and strode towards the bathroom, saying, "Wait for me."

Before Chen Duling could react, he returned carrying a foot bath basin with a few pieces of mugwort floating on the steaming water.

"Do you want to soak too?" Dudu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Ok!"

Gu Yang had already sat down next to her, then poured the water from his basin over to her, and casually put his feet into her basin.

? ? ? ? ?

Dudu was stunned!
"Gu Yang!" she exclaimed, trying to pull her foot back, but he held it in place.

“Don’t move,” he grinned mischievously, “the water’s going to splash out.”

Their feet touched in the water. His feet were a size larger than hers, with distinct knuckles and slightly protruding veins on the instep, radiating a burning heat.

"You—" her voice trembled, "You did it on purpose."

“Yes,” Gu Yang readily admitted, gently rubbing his toes against her sole, “It was on purpose.”

Chen Duling felt weak all over and bit her lower lip, afraid that she would make a strange sound.

The living room was eerily quiet. She could hear the sound of Chen Yao washing up in the bathroom, as if she might burst out at any moment.

The thrill of being discovered at any moment made her heart pound.

Gu Yang went even further, gently rubbing his sole against her instep, the water rippling and making a soft sound.

"Gu Yang..." she cried, almost in tears, "No!"

"Don't what?" He leaned close to her ear, his breath hot. "Don't stop?"

Chen Duling glared at him in embarrassment and anger, but the darkness in his eyes made her feel weak all over.

Suddenly, there was a noise coming from Chen Yao's door.

Chen Duling abruptly pulled her foot back, splashing water everywhere.

Gu Yang slowly dried his feet, leaving a message in her ear:
"To be continued tomorrow night."

(End of this chapter)