Chapter 33: Hot Pot
“The link wasn’t sent by me.”
Late at night, Han Cheng suddenly sent a WeChat message.
Jiang Yu was just drifting off when the ding of the notification woke him up. Seeing Han Cheng’s message only made him more irritated. In the middle of the night—was he sick or what? He tossed the phone aside and went back to sleep.
It wasn’t until he woke up the next day that Jiang Yu looked at Han Cheng’s WeChat message and seriously thought about what it meant.
If the link wasn’t sent by Han Cheng, then who sent it? And why send that link?
Ordinary people couldn’t get their hands on Han Cheng’s phone. Other than his family and… Ji Xu?
Jiang Yu speculated for a while, cursing Han Cheng inwardly for saying something without explaining it clearly. In the end, he decided to ask Han Cheng directly.
He wanted to send a WeChat message, but then thought: if someone could use Han Cheng’s phone to send him a link, then the person who saw his reply might not necessarily be Han Cheng either.
So Jiang Yu called him directly.
The call connected, and it was Ji Xu’s affected, deliberately soft voice. “Jiang Yu, are you looking for A-Cheng?”
A-Cheng?
Jiang Yu’s scalp tingled. That sickeningly intimate nickname matched that scumbag Han Cheng all too well.
“It’s nothing.” Hearing Ji Xu’s voice, Jiang Yu felt more certain of his guess. If the WeChat message wasn’t from Han Cheng, then it was probably Ji Xu up to his tricks—after all, Ji Xu had a history of deleting all of Jiang Yu’s contact information from Han Cheng’s phone.
Jiang Yu was about to hang up when Ji Xu called out from the other end, “Jiang Yu, did you see yesterday’s trending topics? If not, you can check them now—they’re still up there.
“Take a good look. I hope you’ll take the initiative and leave, instead of waiting for Han Cheng to dump you. And the Han family won’t allow a kept little star to cling to Han Cheng either. If you keep hanging on to Han Cheng, the methods the Han family uses won’t be as gentle as mine.”
“You should be asking Han Cheng about that—when he’s finally willing to let me go. After all, he loves me deeply. The last time he saw me, he kissed me so hard my lips were almost broken, drooled all over my face, so enthusiastic I could barely take it. I wonder if he’s that enthusiastic with you too. When he kisses you, did he wash his face? Could you smell my saliva?” Jiang Yu finished mockingly and decisively hung up.
Looking at his phone, he let out a smug, cold laugh. Hope that disgusts you to death.
Starting the morning in a bad mood, Jiang Yu only drank a little rice porridge for breakfast. Aunt Chen noticed he didn’t seem very happy and called Wang Huan over.
“Brother Yu, let’s go eat hot pot. A new hot pot place just opened nearby. New places usually have good ingredients and discounts—only today. Tomorrow it’ll be gone.” Seeing that Jiang Yu hadn’t eaten much in the morning, Wang Huan showed him a newly opened hot pot restaurant on the delivery app while they were waiting for Aunt Chen to cook lunch.
Jiang Yu didn’t feel like going out. Wang Huan persuaded him, “Brother Yu, humans are social animals. Staying cooped up all the time isn’t good for your body or your mind. Come on, treat it as a change of scenery—see more of life, don’t keep focusing on just one thing.
There are many things worth pursuing in life. Love only takes up one-third of it. Friendship and family are also indispensable parts of life. This colorful world—there are still so many people waiting for you to meet—”
“Stop. Since when did you start studying philosophy? I’ll go, okay?” Jiang Yu’s head was about to explode from the nagging. With a mouth like that, Wang Huan was wasted as an assistant—he’d be more suited to being a manager.
Aunt Chen fully supported Jiang Yu going out to eat. Afraid he wouldn’t be used to hot pot, she even stuffed two red-sugar buns into his hands.
Carrying two buns to eat hot pot—Jiang Yu figured that was a first.
Jubaifu Hot Pot City had two floors, built in a traditional Chinese pavilion style. The interior décor matched the classical architecture, and every table was separated by folding screens, so diners wouldn’t disturb one another.
Even though it was the first day of business, the place was already buzzing with people, far busier than expected.
Wang Huan and Jiang Yu stood in the waiting area at the entrance, unable to get inside at all. In front of them were many people holding queue numbers and waiting for tables.
The staff at the door explained to every newcomer that it was peak dining time and both floors were already full.
“Who owns this place? How is it this busy? Let’s just go home and eat the red-sugar buns.” Jiang Yu was, after all, a celebrity who occasionally showed his face. With sunglasses and a mask tightly covering him, he still felt many people eyeing him.
There were too many people. Jiang Yu was already having second thoughts and wanted to leave.
“No idea who owns it—probably an old, well-known brand,” Wang Huan said, standing on tiptoe to look at the sea of heads ahead, also thinking about leaving.
“This place is owned by Wang Yifeng.”
A familiar voice sounded from behind them.
Wang Huan and Jiang Yu turned around. Han Cheng and Ji Xu, also wrapped up tightly, walked in.
Wang Yifeng? Jiang Yu remembered—wasn’t Wang Yifeng the male lead in the Qi Sheng film he had chosen?
“No wonder there are so many people. They’re probably all fans,” Wang Huan said with sudden realization.
A young girl nearby heard him and spoke up, “You didn’t know this is Wang Yifeng’s hot pot restaurant? We’re all his fans. His restaurants are a nationwide chain—quality and prices are guaranteed. You won’t lose out coming here.”
As she explained, her eyes kept sizing up the three people bundled up like bank robbers.
With Wang Yifeng opening a new store, many celebrities had come to show support. The girl had already spotted several stars while sitting there, yet she still couldn’t tell who these three “robbers” were. She simply asked, “Which three celebrities are you? Can you sign an autograph and take a photo with us?”
Her companions stood up too and crowded over.
“Sorry, we’re just here to eat today, not to work.” Wang Huan stepped in front of Jiang Yu. Han Cheng blocked Ji Xu, then took a bright red invitation out of his pocket and waved to a staff member.
A pretty young waitress saw the invitation in Han Cheng’s hand and hurried over. “Hello. May I see your invitation?”
Han Cheng handed it to her. After a glance, she said, “Second floor, Room 208. It seats eight people. May I ask how many are in your party?”
“Four.” Han Cheng, wearing sunglasses so his eyes couldn’t be seen, pointed toward Wang Huan and Jiang Yu.
“No need. We’ll come back another day when it’s less crowded. We won’t disturb you at lunch today.” Jiang Yu refused instantly—he had absolutely no desire to eat with Han Cheng and Ji Xu.
“You two are going to be in the same production. Perfect timing—have a meal together and talk about the script.”
“I didn’t bring the script.”
“I did,” Han Cheng said. His hands were empty, and who knew where the script actually was.
“I—”
Jiang Yu was about to make another excuse when Han Cheng said calmly yet sternly, “Behave.”
Just those two words made Jiang Yu back down. When that bastard got angry, he really knew how to torment people.
With the invitation, the four of them were led upstairs by a waiter. The private rooms upstairs all had doors, but even through them you could hear bursts of laughter from inside. Jiang Yu even caught some familiar celebrity voices—it seemed quite a few people had come to show support.
Room 208 was very large, with a TV and air conditioning. The two big sofas were big enough to sleep on.
The dining area consisted of two long tables pushed together, with four cushioned seats on each side.
Han Cheng and Ji Xu sat together; Wang Huan and Jiang Yu sat opposite them. The waiter turned on the TV and the air conditioner.
Once inside, Han Cheng and Ji Xu took off their masks and sunglasses. The waiter exclaimed in delight, saying she liked them both and wished them a long life together.
Ji Xu and Han Cheng affectionately thanked her.
Jiang Yu didn’t move. He stayed fully covered, sitting on his chair. The waiter glanced at him a few times, then politely asked Han Cheng and Ji Xu what kind of soup base they wanted.
Ji Xu was afraid of breaking out, so he wanted a clear broth. Han Cheng indulgently agreed. The waiter then looked at Jiang Yu and Wang Huan.
Wang Huan smiled cautiously and nodded in agreement with the clear broth. “Clear broth is fine for me.”
Everyone looked at Jiang Yu. Jiang Yu said bluntly, “I want spicy. Pure spicy.”
The waiter glanced at Han Cheng and Ji Xu and politely suggested, “Then would the four of you like a yin-yang pot, or two separate pots?”
Jiang Yu answered first. “The four of us are grown men—sharing a yin-yang pot would be awkward. Two separate pots.”
“Certainly,” the waiter replied, still smiling perfectly.
The four of them each marked the dishes they wanted on their menus, and the waiter left with the four menus.
The TV was playing one of Wang Yifeng’s earlier movies. It was pretty good. Jiang Yu took off his sunglasses and mask, tilted his head to watch the TV, and ignored the two people across from him who were practically holding hands.
Suddenly, a leg under the table kicked him. Jiang Yu looked up at Han Cheng sitting opposite him. In the height of summer, Ji Xu was hugging Han Cheng’s arm and leaning against his shoulder, looking blissfully in love.
When Ji Xu met Jiang Yu’s gaze, he raised his eyebrows in provocation.
Jiang Yu turned back to keep watching Wang Yifeng’s movie, drew his leg back, and put both feet under his chair.
Then a bare foot stretched over again. Jiang Yu was wearing beach shorts because of the heat. The bare foot couldn’t reach his thigh, but it brushed his shorts aside and stepped onto his knee. The big toe wriggled like a fat worm, rubbing against his knee.
Tch. So what if you’ve got long legs. There was something wrong with this table too—the width only fit a single hot pot, but it was quite long, enough to hold plenty of dishes.
The foot grew bolder, sliding inward along his knee. Fortunately, Han Cheng’s leg length had its limits, so he didn’t go too far.
Jiang Yu shot Han Cheng a look. Han Cheng looked back at him coolly, as if the smelly foot under the table wasn’t his.
Jiang Yu then locked eyes with Ji Xu’s provocative gaze again. Looking at Ji Xu’s smug, triumphant face, Jiang Yu almost felt sorry for him.
He really wanted to shout: Your man is using his foot to tease someone else under the table right now.
The soup bases were brought out quickly, with one pot placed on each table. Jiang Yu hadn’t expected this pleasant surprise. He briskly got up with Wang Huan and moved to the other table.
Before leaving, he kicked that foot once. Seeing Han Cheng frown slightly satisfied him—getting kicked on the foot must have hurt.
Jiang Yu and Wang Huan sat at the long table with the spicy pot. Jiang Yu was very satisfied with the table’s length—he was now about two meters away from Han Cheng.
Wang Huan was also someone who loved spicy food. Sitting with Jiang Yu, he quietly poked Jiang Yu’s arm and gave him a thumbs-up under the table.
