Movie/TV series: Starting with Ode to Joy, I opened my own private kitchen.

Page 29

Su Chang chatted with Brother Ding for a while longer, and then he tentatively asked Brother Ding, "Are there any quality assets for sale in Kyoto? Preferably real estate or something like that."

Upon hearing this, Tan Zongming was taken aback, and a look of doubt appeared on his face. He couldn't help but ask, "Su Chang, are you coming to Kyoto to develop your career?"

Su Chang waved his hand and explained with a smile, "No, it's just that I just started a company and want to acquire some high-quality assets. I've been looking in Shanghai for a long time but haven't found anything suitable, so I asked Brother Ding. After all, Brother Ding has a large family business and a wide network of connections, so maybe he can introduce me to some good resources."

Upon hearing this, Brother Ding patted his chest without hesitation and said, "No problem. It's a bit late today, you can come tomorrow and choose for yourself."

Tan Zongming secretly planned to quickly have someone find some high-quality assets for sale in Shanghai and introduce them to Su Chang. He thought to himself, "Su Chang seems to have a lot of cash flow; I need to maintain a good relationship with him."

After chatting for a while, Tan Zongming led Su Chang to say goodbye and leave the club. Tan Zongming took Su Chang to a five-star hotel and then left quickly, probably because he had to rush back to the courtyard.

Su Chang checked the time and saw it was still early. Unable to sleep, he asked a waiter if there were any bars nearby. The waiter said there was one on the tenth floor of the hotel. Su Chang went straight to the bar, and upon arriving on the tenth floor, he found it to be a quiet bar, quite crowded.

Su Chang went to the bar, found an empty spot, ordered a cocktail, and slowly sipped it while enjoying the view of the bar. Suddenly, the woman next to Su Chang looked up and asked the bartender to order another drink.

Upon hearing such a pleasant voice, Su Chang looked in the direction of the sound and was immediately struck by its beauty—it was the Fairy Sister! He secretly guessed that she must be the female lead in some TV series. He quickly checked in.

"System, sign in!"

"Ding! The host has checked in next to Xu Hongdou, the protagonist of 'The Windy Courtyard'. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Grandmaster-level medical skill."

"Grandmaster-level medical skills? Does this mean I'm supposed to treat Chen Nanxing?"

Su Chang now realized that the "Fairy Sister" was actually Xu Hongdou from "The Windy Courtyard." Looking at Xu Hongdou's slightly forlorn expression, Su Chang couldn't help but feel a ripple in her heart.

He thought to himself, "Judging from her appearance, her best friend Chen Nanxing must have been diagnosed with a terminal illness. I just don't know the exact situation. I guess I'm using this master-level medical skill to treat Chen Nanxing. But how am I going to tell Xu Hongdou this?" Su Chang hesitated, unsure whether he should approach her. He drank his wine while secretly observing Xu Hongdou.

Xu Hongdou seemed to sense Su Chang's gaze. She turned her head and looked at Su Chang. Su Chang's eyes revealed a hint of concern, and the corners of her mouth slightly turned up, as if she wanted to say something.

Xu Hongdou felt a surge of irritation. She had absolutely no interest in dealing with handsome men right now, especially since her best friend was about to die. She frowned and continued drinking, burying her head in her wine.

Su Chang didn't say anything either. He sat quietly beside Xu Hongdou, keeping her company. Time passed by, and it was already midnight when Xu Hongdou had drunk enough. She picked up her handbag and prepared to go home.

However, due to drinking too much, Xu Hongdou was dizzy and unsteady on her feet. She collapsed towards the ground as soon as she stood up. Su Chang, who had been watching closely, quickly reached out and caught her.

After being supported by Su Chang, Xu Hongdou was startled and tried to break free from Su Chang's grasp. However, her body was no longer under her control, and as soon as she shook off Su Chang's hand, she fell to the ground again.

Without hesitation, Su Chang put his arm around Xu Hongdou's waist. His voice was deep and gentle: "Don't be afraid. I'm just worried you'll fall. I don't mean anything else."

Xu Hongdou looked at Su Chang in a daze and realized that he was the handsome guy who had been sitting next to her drinking all night. Whether it was because she had drunk too much or because she trusted Su Chang too much, she actually fell asleep in Su Chang's arms.

A helpless smile appeared on Su Chang's face. Looking at Xu Hongdou in his arms, he couldn't help but feel a surge of protectiveness. He carefully picked Xu Hongdou up in a princess carry and walked towards the hotel room.

Upon entering the room, Su Chang gently placed Xu Hongdou on the bed. Looking at Xu Hongdou's captivating sleeping posture, his heart began to race. He couldn't resist the urge to kiss her, but ultimately restrained himself.

Just then, Xu Hongdou suddenly vomited. Su Chang looked at the mess in the room and felt even more helpless. He quickly called the front desk, booked a new suite, and asked a waiter to help Xu Hongdou clean up. He also had a new set of clothes bought for Xu Hongdou according to her size.

After all that, Su Chang put Xu Hongdou to bed in the new suite's bedroom, while he slept on the sofa in the outer room. The bedroom door was open, and he kept glancing into the bedroom, worried that something might happen to Xu Hongdou that night.

Chapter Fifty-Nine Birthday Banquet

On the sofa, Su Chang tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. The image of Xu Hongdou, the fairy-like beauty, kept flashing through his mind. After all, she was his dream girl from his past life. He remembered that Xu Hongdou had an older sister, Xu Hongmi—a true sister. Thinking back to his past life, watching the drama "With the Wind" and seeing the way the two sisters interacted, he was filled with envy. He was even considering how to bring Xu Hongdou back to Shanghai and add her to his harem.

The next morning, Su Chang was woken up early by a series of urgent phone rings. Still half-asleep, he took out his phone and saw it was Tan Zongming calling. He wondered to himself, "Why is he calling so early? What does he want?"

However, thinking about the birthday banquet he was going to help Tan Zongming's father today, Su Chang still mustered his spirits and answered the phone.

"Hey, Su Chang, I'm sorry to trouble you today. I'm already waiting downstairs. Please come down quickly." Tan Zongming's voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Okay, I got it, I'll be right down." Su Chang replied irritably and hung up the phone.

After getting up, Su Chang went to the bedroom first. He tiptoed to the bedside and saw Xu Hongdou lying quietly on the bed, her beautiful sleeping posture like Sleeping Beauty. Her long hair was cascading down the pillow like a waterfall, and her fair skin looked particularly charming in the morning light.

Su Chang gazed quietly at Xu Hongdou, a warm feeling welling up inside him. He thought of Xu Hongdou's drunken state the night before, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips. He hoped Xu Hongdou could get a good night's sleep, so he carefully left the bedroom and gently closed the door.

Su Chang quickly washed up and went downstairs to the courtyard with Tan Zongming. Along the way, Su Chang kept yawning, looking like he hadn't woken up properly. Tan Zongming teased him, asking if he had done something naughty last night. Su Chang rolled his eyes in annoyance and ignored him, continuing to curl up in his seat and close his eyes to rest.

When they arrived at the compound, Tan Zongming led Su Chang straight to the kitchen. Several kitchen helpers were already busy there. Tan Zongming introduced Su Chang to everyone and asked them to cooperate. Su Chang smiled and greeted everyone, then began leading the group into the work.

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Around nine o'clock in the morning, Xu Hongdou slowly woke up. When she found herself in a completely unfamiliar environment, she couldn't help but scream and sit up as if she had been electrocuted.

"what······"

With a dolphin-like scream, she stared wide-eyed in horror at the unfamiliar pajamas she was wearing, her lips trembling slightly, and tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.

She tried hard to recall what had happened last night, only remembering drinking at a bar. After drinking too much, a handsome guy who had been drinking next to her the whole night helped her up, and then she passed out. She seemed to have a brief period of lucidity afterward, but couldn't remember anything specific. Looking at the room, which was clearly a hotel room, she was filled with resentment, silently cursing that beast for doing such a despicable thing to her.

Xu Hongdou's gaze fell on the new clothes laid out by the bed. A hint of anger and disdain flashed in her eyes: "Hmph, does this beast think he can get rid of me with a set of new clothes? I'm not that kind of person!" While wondering if she had been taken advantage of all night, she got up cursing and hurriedly put on the new clothes before rushing to the bathroom to wash up.

After she finished tidying up and was about to leave, she suddenly saw the blanket on the sofa. She went over and found obvious signs that someone had slept there. She blinked in surprise, a hint of doubt rising in her mind: "Could it be that I misunderstood him?"

She frowned, thought for a moment, and then found a sticky note in the room.

Xu Hongdou picked up a pen, hesitated for a moment, then wrote her phone number on a sticky note and left a note below: "Call me when you get back, Xu Hongdou." Her expression was somewhat complicated. She wondered if this man had actually done anything beastly to her. Thinking about her looks, he probably had. If he hadn't, then was there something wrong with him, or had her looks diminished?

After putting down the note, Xu Hongdou pondered for a while before taking a deep breath and rushing to the hospital with mixed feelings.

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At noon, the birthday banquet was bustling with activity and filled with laughter. The paper-wrapped chicken, in particular, was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate, winning unanimous praise from the elders, who declared that they would invite Su Chang to their home to cook in the future.

Once all the dishes were on the table, Old Master Tan gave Tan Zongming a wink, and Tan Zongming understood immediately, leading Su Chang to Old Master Tan's side.

"Come, Xiao Su, come and sit down!" Old Master Tan greeted him warmly.

"This paper-wrapped chicken is absolutely delicious! Xiao Su, your cooking skills are amazing! You can even make a dish like paper-wrapped chicken that's almost lost to time. Come to my house and cook for me sometime!" As soon as Su Chang sat down at the table, an old man gave Su Chang a thumbs up and said with a big smile.

Su Chang smiled modestly and explained, "Grandpa, you flatter me. I'm currently working in Shanghai, where I run a private restaurant. This time, it was Old Tan who invited me to help Uncle prepare a birthday banquet. If you'd like to try my cooking, you can dine at my restaurant, Pinzhentang, in Shanghai. Of course, if you'd like me to come to Beijing to cook, you can make an appointment in advance."

"Okay, okay... I'll have Tan contact you then," the old man said with a smile.

“Okay, no problem.” Su Chang quickly agreed.

"Little Su, your cooking skills are truly remarkable!" another old man exclaimed.

Su Chang quickly waved his hand and said, "You flatter me. I'm glad you gentlemen like it."

Grandpa Tan raised his glass and toasted Su Chang: "Little Su, you've worked hard today. Here! This glass is for you!"

Su Chang quickly picked up his wine glass, gently clinked glasses with Old Master Tan, and then drank it all in one gulp.

"Thank you, Grandpa Tan!" Su Chang said, though he still felt a bit suffocated. Although these old men all had kind and gentle expressions, their aura made Su Chang feel almost breathless. He finally understood why Tan Zongming didn't want to stay here (ccdj).

Seeing this, Tan Zongming could only smile and introduce them: "Su Chang, this is Grandpa Li, this is Grandpa Wang... They are all celebrities in Kyoto!"

Su Chang shook hands with each of the old gentlemen, feeling a little nervous, but he tried his best to remain calm and chatted with them with a smile.

"Little Su, come visit Kyoto more often when you have time. We old folks would love to have you! But you'll have to cook for us." Grandpa Li patted Su Chang on the shoulder and said kindly, clearly showing his fondness for Su Chang.

Su Chang nodded repeatedly and said, "Definitely, definitely! It would be my honor to cook for you gentlemen!"

After chatting for a few more minutes, Su Chang raised his glass to wish Old Master Tan a happy birthday, then bid farewell to everyone and left the room with Tan Zongming.

"Phew..." As soon as he stepped out the door, Su Chang let out a long sigh of relief and complained to Tan Zongming, "These old men have such a strong aura, I almost suffocated."

Tan Zongming smiled and comforted him, "You'll get used to it. They're all prominent figures in Beijing, the very elite, so they naturally have a certain air of authority. But they're all nice people, especially Grandpa Li, who really enjoys your cooking."

Su Chang nodded and said, "I hope I'll have the chance to cook for them again next time."

Tan Zongming then asked, "By the way, what are your plans for the future? When are you going back to Shanghai?"

"It's not certain yet. I need to go to Brother Ding's place this afternoon. What's wrong?" Su Chang asked.

Tan Zongming chuckled and said, "Alright, I'll take you there later. You can arrange when you want to go back to Shanghai. I'll be going back to Shanghai after I take you there; I have a lot of things to do at the company."

“Okay.” Su Chang replied, and then followed Tan Zongming to his friend’s table.

In the afternoon, Tan Zongming took Su Chang to the club again, but he left without getting out of the car. As soon as Su Chang entered, Brother Ding greeted her with a big smile and personally received her.

"Xiao Su, you're here!" Brother Ding said warmly, extending his hand to shake hands tightly with Su Chang.

Su Chang smiled and replied, "Brother Ding, hello there too! Sorry I'm late."

"it's okay no problem."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Manager Chen handed over another list. Su Chang took the list and carefully flipped through it. It listed not only real estate but also commercial buildings and even some companies. Manager Chen explained the details of these properties, commercial buildings, and companies to Su Chang in detail.

As Su Chang listened, he glanced at the list, silently calculating the prices of the properties. His gaze was focused and calm, his fingers lightly tapping the table as if he were deep in thought.

"I don't know much about these companies. I'll give this information to Jiang Lai and then go to investigate and acquire them in the company's name," Su Chang thought to himself.

After looking around for a while, Su Chang finally made a decision: "These courtyard houses and commercial buildings will do."

Ding Ge looked surprised. He didn't expect Su Chang to make such a decisive choice. He originally thought Su Chang would only buy a few houses or one or two commercial buildings. He didn't expect Su Chang to have such a big appetite. It's nearly 30 billion!

"Little Su, you have a great eye! These are all high-quality assets here." Brother Ding's attitude became noticeably more enthusiastic.

Su Chang smiled slightly and said, "Brother Ding, you flatter me. I just picked it randomly because I didn't want to waste money overseas."

After Su Chang paid, Brother Ding valued her even more and instructed Manager Chen to immediately handle the transfer of ownership. He had intended to invite Su Chang to dinner to further strengthen their relationship.

"Xiao Su, I'm treating tonight, how about we have dinner together?" Brother Ding asked with a smile, his eyes full of anticipation.

Su Chang was thinking about Xu Hongdou. He hesitated for a moment, then politely declined Brother Ding's invitation: "Brother Ding, I'm really sorry, I have other things to take care of. Maybe next time."

Brother Ding was a little disappointed, but he still said understandingly, "Alright then, Xiao Su, let's get together again sometime."

"Okay, no problem. I'll come and bother Brother Ding again later."

Afterwards, Brother Ding called over a beautiful female vice president to personally escort Su Chang back to the hotel. The female vice president originally wanted to find out about Su Chang's background, but Su Chang was preoccupied with his own thoughts and didn't say much along the way. After all, no matter how beautiful the vice president was, could she be as good-looking as Xu Hongdou? At that moment, he wished he could fly to the hotel immediately.

Chapter Sixty Visiting Chen Nanxing

Su Chang activated the system and started using the cashback card while in the car.

"System, use the cashback card!"

"Ding! The host has spent a total of 300 billion yuan and received a 50x cashback bonus, for a total of 15000 trillion yuan."

Upon seeing the figure of 15000 trillion yuan, Su Chang's heart skipped a beat.

Su Chang returned to the hotel and looked at the empty room, a sense of disappointment welling up in her heart.

He slowly walked to the sofa and sat down, his gaze immediately drawn to the label on the coffee table. It contained a message from Xu Hongdou, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips, instantly brightening his mood.

He eagerly dialed Xu Hongdou's number. Hearing her voice on the other end, Su Chang's heart raced. Upon learning that Su Chang was the man from last night, Xu Hongdou stiffly asked him to meet her in the hotel lobby at six o'clock that evening, then hung up before Su Chang could speak.

When Chen Nanxing saw Xu Hongdou meeting someone at the hotel, a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes. He teased her and asked, "Hongdou, have you found a boyfriend?" Although her face had lost its color due to illness, a beautiful smile still radiated from her.

Xu Hongdou rolled her eyes at her, feeling a little uneasy. She didn't know if Su Chang had actually done anything to her, so she didn't talk much about Su Chang, only vaguely saying she had business to discuss. Then, she said goodbye to Chen Nanxing's parents and hurriedly left the hospital.

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