The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

After He Yuzhu entered the kitchen, Li Kaixin turned around and saw Li Huaide and the others staring at her. She touched her face and said, "Uncle Li, what's wrong with you? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"You two know each other?" Li Huaide deliberately put on a stern face. "So, were you pretending not to know just now, waiting to see your Uncle Li make a fool of himself?"

Wang Enlong and Zhang Bohai, who were sitting to the side, also revealed meaningful smiles.

"No, no!" Li Kaixin quickly waved his hand, explaining innocently, "Although Brother Zhu and I live across the hall from each other, we don't really have much contact, and I've never tasted his cooking."

"Oh, really?" Li Huaide asked with a skeptical look on his face.

Li Kaixin replied sincerely, "Really, Uncle Li, how could I dare to lie to you?"

Seeing his serious expression, Li Huaide immediately laughed and patted him on the shoulder: "Alright, have fun, sit down! I was just teasing you."

"I thought you were really angry, Uncle Li!" Li Kaixin sat down, pretending to be scared, and patted his chest.

Although he had guessed that Li Huaide was joking, some things still needed to be explained clearly, otherwise it would be bad to leave a lingering resentment.

When Li Huaide and Wang Enlong saw Li Kaixin's expression, they burst into laughter.

"Old Li, what are you laughing at? Why are you so happy?" Station Chief Zhao's voice came from the doorway, followed by Director Xie.

Upon hearing this, everyone at the table turned around and, seeing that it was Station Chief Zhao and Director Xie, stood up.

Li Huaide's smile widened as he greeted them, "Old Zhao, Old Xie, you've finally arrived! Please sit down, the food will be ready soon."

Station Chief Zhao and Director Xie smiled and nodded, then sat down in the empty seats.

Station Master Zhao's gaze fell on Li Kaixin, and a warm smile appeared on his face: "Kaixin, you're here quite early!"

"Station manager, I've only been here a short time either," Li Kaixin replied with a smile.

Seeing that everyone was present, Li Huaide turned and called out towards the kitchen, "Shazhu, everyone's here, we can serve the food!"

"Alright, Deputy Factory Director Li!" He Yuzhu's loud voice came from the kitchen.

While the dishes were being served, Director Xie smiled and looked at Li Kaixin: "Kaixin, what were you two talking about just now? It was so lively!"

Station Master Zhao also looked at him with curiosity.

Li Kaixin was a little embarrassed and didn't know how to respond. He didn't even know why he had made that gesture just now.

"I was just joking around with Kaixin," Li Huaide chuckled, then winked at Director Xie and Station Chief Zhao. "You didn't see the look on Kaixin's face just now..."

"Uncle Li! Please stop talking." Li Kaixin quickly interrupted.

Li Huaide laughed heartily: "Alright, alright, I won't say anymore, I won't say anymore."

He turned to Station Chief Zhao and Director Xie, giving them a smiling look.

Station Chief Zhao and Director Xie exchanged knowing smiles and didn't press the matter further.

"The food's here!" A loud shout broke the laughter and conversation at the table.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw He Yuzhu carrying a large plate of steaming dishes out of the kitchen.

A rich aroma wafted with his footsteps, causing everyone at the table to involuntarily sniff and pause their conversation.

My eyes followed He Yuzhu as he moved from the kitchen to the dining table, watching him serve dish after dish.

As the last dish, braised bear paw, was placed on the table, He Yuzhu wiped his hands and smiled broadly, "Distinguished leaders, the dishes are all served. Please enjoy your meal."

After saying that, he picked up the two lunch boxes that had been prepared in advance and hurriedly left the cafeteria.

When Li Kaixin saw the two lunchboxes, he guessed that He Yuzhu must have kept one for himself.

At this moment, Director Xie's eyes lit up when he saw the table full of delicious dishes: "Wow! Old Li, you've really gone all out today! I'm in for a treat."

"You should thank Kaixin for this," Li Huaide replied with a smile. "Otherwise, you wouldn't even be able to dream of this meal. I couldn't have made this decision on my own."

Director Xie was visibly taken aback: "Your factory manager, Director Yang, knows about this too?"

He also realized that today's dishes were indeed a bit overpriced; the ingredients alone would probably cost sixty or seventy yuan.

Li Huaide smiled and nodded, then stood up and picked up his glass: "Come on, let's toast to this meal."

Wang Enlong and Zhang Bohai went from being curious and doubtful at the beginning to being completely surprised.

However, as one of Li Huaide's capable subordinates, he quickly raised his glass as well when he saw Li Huaide raise his glass.

Seeing everyone stand up and point their glasses at him, Li Kaixin quickly stood up, somewhat at a loss:

"Uncle Li, what are you doing? How can I, a junior, be toasted by you? I'll drink one first."

As he spoke, he immediately downed the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Seeing this, the others at the table chuckled and downed their drinks.

Li Huaide put down his glass and said sincerely, "You deserve this drink. This meal is all thanks to you."

"Happy, Old Li is right." Station Chief Zhao also chimed in with a smile, "If he doesn't treat you this time, I'll have to treat you to a meal another day."

Li Kaixin felt even more embarrassed, her face slightly flushed.

"Alright, everyone, stop just standing there." Seeing Li Kaixin's embarrassment, Li Huaide changed the subject with a smile and said, "Get your chopsticks moving and eat while it's hot! The flavor of Tan family cuisine will be diminished if it gets cold."

Everyone then sat down with smiles on their faces and picked up their chopsticks.

Immediately, a chorus of tasting and praise filled the table.

Li Kaixin picked up a piece of the braised bear paw in front of him with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. The meat was tender and flavorful, with a rich aroma of sauce. He couldn't help but nod in praise: "Brother Zhu's cooking skills are indeed well-deserved."

"Of course!" Li Huaide became proud again. "Shazhu may be a bit straightforward, but his cooking skills are among the best in our area."

The conversation gradually shifted away from Li Kaixin, and everyone chatted about trivial matters at the factory and station while eating, occasionally raising their glasses for a drink, creating a relaxed and lively atmosphere.

Only Wang Enlong and Zhang Bohai kept glancing at Li Kaixin, still completely bewildered by the conversation they had just had.

Li Kaixin breathed a quiet sigh of relief and began to enjoy the delicious food.

He Yuzhu's skills are really good; he wasn't exaggerating just now.

She couldn't help but start thinking about how to get He Yuzhu to cook a few meals for her; he still had several bear paws in his storage space.