Financial freedom starts from graduation

Chapter 26: The Highest Kindness is Like Water (Two in One)

"You are……"

The first time Lu Jin saw this man, he felt that he looked familiar. With a good memory, he quickly remembered the man's name, "Zhou Wang!"

Zhou Wang, who was bumped into for no apparent reason, was trying to recall where he had seen this rude young man.

Knowing that Ding Yi was holding a birthday party at the Wanda Hotel, Zhou Wang quickly recalled some memories and pointed at him:

"Road... what's the road?"

"Lu Jin!"

Lu Jin's face darkened. Am I so unforgettable?

Especially since the person who didn't remember him was Zhou Wang, whom he had been paying attention to for a while, the feeling of disgust in his heart was even stronger.

The process of their acquaintance was very ordinary. One day half a year ago, Lu Jin, who went to Caiyun University to give Ding Yi a Christmas present, happened to run into Zhou Wang, who was sending Ding Yi back, at the door of the girls' dormitory.

At that time, Lu Jin didn't think it was a big deal. After all, they were a little far apart, and a goddess like Ding Yi must have no shortage of suitors in school, so he didn't take Zhou Wang, who looked like a poor student, seriously.

The reason why Lu Jin remembered Zhou Wang's name was that not long ago, he had tried his best to secretly win over one of Ding Yi's best friends. When they were in bed, the best friend, who had a somewhat resentful look on her face, told him everything she knew about Ding Yi.

When Lu Jin learned that Ding Yi had never been in a relationship, he was extremely excited.

Such a beautiful girl, and it’s still an original package that no one has opened. Even novels don’t dare to write about it like this!

But Ding Yi almost got together with a boy, and that boy was Zhou Wang.

At first Lu Jin was still a little wary, but after finding out about Zhou Wang's basic situation, he knew he was overthinking.

This kind of loser is not even qualified to be his opponent.

At this moment, he didn't expect to meet the other person here again.

Compared to him, Zhou Wang was not too surprised.

That Christmas was the last time Zhou Wang and Ding Yi were alone during their college years.

It was a coincidence that the two people, who did not go out to celebrate the festival, happened to meet on campus and took a walk together.

The process was uneventful, perhaps hiding some of the charm of the boy and girl, but when they finally reached the brightest street lights, the light from the real world pulled the shadows of the two apart again.

"This is Lu Jin, a brother of my old friend... Zhou Wang, my classmate."

Ding Yi's introduction was quite standard, but at least at that moment, Zhou Wang took a look at the Porsche Cayenne behind Lu Jin and finally felt relieved.

There was no such thing as “Don’t bully the young and poor” resentment, nor any such passion as “Thirty years in the east”. It was just plain and dull. The moment Zhou Wang turned around, he gave up all thoughts.

It doesn’t matter what the relationship between Lu Jin and Ding Yi is. What’s important is... he and Ding Yi are not from the same world after all!

"Are you here for the birthday party too?"

Lu Jin glanced at Zhou Wang's clothes and sneered, "Dude, your fake clothes look pretty real!"

At this time, Zhou Wang was wearing the LV formal suit. Although it was a formal suit, the style was actually more casual. This way he could express his solemnity for Chef Luo's hospitality, but it did not seem too restrained. In Zhou Wang's opinion, it was just right.

But in Lu Jin's eyes, he subconsciously felt that these must be knockoffs that Zhou Wang bought from somewhere just to save face...

Insert some cool facts - in fact, most people who can afford luxury goods have very low discernment. On the contrary, those who can't afford anything can often talk about it very well.

For example, do you think Jack Ma cares about the series and material of the clothes he wears?

All he had to do was to take the clothes from his life assistant.

There was one thing that made Rang Lu Jin very strange. The waitress next to Zhou Wang, who was supposed to be leading the way for him, was of very high quality. She kept smiling during the conversation between the two and waited quietly by the side.

"Yeah, I think it's real."

Today, Zhou Wang is no longer the boy standing in the shadow of the street lamp. After his mentality has calmed down, he finds that he can even play a joke on Lu Jin.

"Don't tell me, don't tell me... The workmanship is really good. I can't even see a thread. The style is also quite similar to the new LV model."

Lu Jin tugged at Zhou Wang's shoulder and said in a rather surprising tone.

"puff!"

At this time, Bella on the side couldn't hold it in any longer and couldn't help laughing.

Seeing Zhou Wang and Lu Jin looking over at the same time, Bella quickly apologized: "Sorry..."

This was indeed a low-level mistake. After all, she was a professional and generally wouldn't laugh.

Lu Jin was a little puzzled, but seeing Zhou Wang "putting on a brave face", he began to have some evil thoughts.

As long as Zhou Wang is brought to the main table, with the sharp tongues of Ding Yi's girlfriends, they will definitely ridicule Zhou Wang for wearing fake goods. Then we will see whether he still has the face to stay here.

Lu Jin sneered in his heart, so he put his arm around Zhou Wang's shoulders affectionately, "Come on, the private room is over there... Hey, go and do your thing, I'll take him over."

Zhou Wang dodged Lu Jin's hand without leaving a trace, and glanced at Bella. When he saw her nod, he knew that the direction was correct, so he walked forward with Lu Jin.

Lu Jin looked at Bella, who had been following them, with some surprise, thinking that this waitress was too dedicated, but he didn't take it seriously.

When they arrived at the entrance of Shanhe Hall, Lu Jin was about to push open the door of the private room, but he saw Bella suddenly walked quickly to the front and pushed open the door of the larger Jinxiu Hall next door.

"Mr. Zhou, this is the one. Please come in. I'll go inform Chef Luo."

Lu Jin just stared at Zhou Wang as he walked to the door of Jinxiu Hall, and then Zhou Wang turned around and smiled at him.

"Although I'm not here for the birthday party, thank you for your kindness... Well, I just discovered today that you're quite interesting."

After Zhou Wang finished speaking, he walked into the private room. Bella helped him close the door and at the same time pressed the earphone, saying something.

Then Lu Jin saw a young waiter jogging over and standing guard at the door of Jinxiu Hall.

"Don't let anyone disturb Mr. Zhou's meal."

Bella instructed, then quickly walked towards the kitchen.

It was not until this moment that the somewhat confused Lu Jin came to his senses, but his head was still buzzing.

He looked at the young waiter's wary eyes and realized that the "others" Bella was referring to were obviously himself.

But what he cared about at the moment was not this, but what the woman had just said to Zhou Wang.

Chef Luo?

Which Chef Luo?

Could it be that……

Lu Jin couldn't believe it, but the scene before him didn't seem fake.

At this moment, he recalled the texture of Zhou Wang's clothes when he touched them just now. It seemed that they might not be fake...

But... just Zhou Wang?

Why should he?

Impossible, absolutely impossible!
Lu Jin was puzzled.

……

"Senior Jiang, we actually saw you at the hotel entrance just now."

In the private room of Shanhe Hall, after exchanging names with Jiang Mo, Yu Peipei said with a smile.

"is it?"

Jiang Mo was slightly stunned when he heard this.

"Yes, we saw you get off the Alpha. By the way, the friend who sent you here looks quite like one of our classmates."

Li Sheng said jokingly.

"That's quite a coincidence."

Jiang Mo politely responded, and the topic ended again. Li Sheng and Yu Peipei looked at each other and saw a hint of helplessness in each other's eyes.

This senior sister Jiang's personality is really as cold as her appearance. They have been trying hard to find topics, but the effect seems to be minimal. Jiang Mo lowered her head. Perhaps because the word "friend" they said touched a nerve, she subconsciously opened her phone and took a look.

After the two added each other as WeChat friends, Jiang Mo took the initiative to send a message. The content was very simple, just her name: "Jiang Mo."

It seems very ordinary, but in fact it is a breakthrough for Jiang Mo.

But what made her feel uneasy was that Zhou Wang had not responded yet, which meant that until now, she actually didn't know Zhou Wang's name.

Can this kind of relationship be considered as friendship?
Just when Li Sheng and a few other classmates were thinking of taking the opportunity to chat with Jiang Mo to avoid an awkward atmosphere, the door of the private room was pushed open and Lu Jin walked in with a gloomy expression.

"Lu Jin, you're finally back. Everyone is starving. Can we serve the food?"

Ding Yi hurried over.

There was no disguise to her voice, and everyone, including those who were taking pictures and talking in the private room, looked over unconsciously.

It was almost 7 o'clock, and those who had arrived early had already been sitting for more than an hour and were really beginning to feel a little exhausted.

"Lu Jin, is Chef Luo preparing some hard dishes for us? That's why he took so long?"

A young man at the inner table came over, touched his belly and said with a smile: "For this meal, I didn't even have lunch. If you don't have two king crabs or something, don't even think about satisfying me."

"Ah, Young Master Zhang, this is all you want. King crab is nothing. That's the chef who won the national competition. Shouldn't you prepare some dragon liver and phoenix marrow for everyone to taste today?"

Another girl in an evening gown also came over with a giggle and joked.

"Hey, Xiao He, you're right. A chef of this caliber is most likely making imperial court cuisine. There's actually a famous dish called 'Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix'!"

"Wow, we are in for a treat..."

Because Ding Yi had already announced it in the birthday group in advance, more and more people joined the topic with smiles on their faces, and they were obviously looking forward to the legendary chef personally cooking.

At this time, when Li Sheng and others had not arrived yet, Fang Lu, who had been socializing everywhere, was also explaining science to the students:
"This man is called Lu Jin. His family is quite wealthy. He helped Xiao Ding arrange today's dinner. He said that the hotel's executive chef would personally cook for us..."

"Executive Chef?"

Although everyone had no idea what was going on, they still subconsciously exclaimed in amazement.

But no one noticed that Lu Jin, who had been silent for a long time, was looking increasingly ugly.

He originally just wanted to explain to Ding Yi in private, but now everyone was looking at him, and even with his demeanor as Mr. Lu, he didn't know what to say for a moment.

Ding Yi was not a fool. He had already sensed something was wrong from Lu Jin's long silence. The smile on her face was disappearing.

"Brother Lu Jin, what's going on?"

"It's like this, Chef Luo had some urgent matters, so..."

Seeing that Ding Yi had changed his address, Lu Jin, knowing that the other party was angry, quickly explained, "I didn't expect this to happen, but don't worry, the restaurant has already let another famous chef take charge, and the dishes will be served soon!"

No one expected this result, and the atmosphere became a little dull for a moment.

Young Master Zhang, who spoke first, looked obviously unhappy, but he didn't know what to say. However, the girls didn't care.

"So we were hungry for two hours and just waited in vain, okay, okay..."

"Hey, Mr. Lu, if you don't have the ability, don't bother. If I had known earlier, I would have gone to Sofitel to eat seafood. I don't have to wait. Where can I eat five-star food? It's five-star."

"Stop talking. This is Xiao Ding's birthday. It's not our turn to express our opinions. Of course, it's just that Master Lu doesn't seem to care about our feelings..."

Several girls dressed in luxury goods were smiling throughout the whole process, and their tone was teasing, but every word was heart-wrenching.

Lu Jin never expected that he would be the first to bear the venomous tongue of Ding Yi's group of fake girlfriends, and he was sweating profusely for a while.

"Alright, alright, it's my fault for not being well prepared. I apologize to everyone. Just make do with it and have an ordinary five-star meal. I'll make amends to everyone another day!"

At this time, Ding Yi, who had taken a deep breath, had regained his smile and chuckled.

"What are you talking about? It's your birthday and you're the oldest. Why would we have any objection?"

"Yeah, it's not your fault. Even if you treated us to a roadside meal, we would definitely lick the plates clean!"

"Xiao He, how do you lick it? Can you show me how?"

"Damn it, this is a public place!"

Seeing a group of girls laughing and making noises again, the atmosphere in the private room seemed to return to normal, but Lu Jin's mood became even worse.

Although it seemed that Ding Yi helped him out, Ding Yi didn't even look at him during the process, making him feel that all his efforts for so long were in vain.

……

In the Jinxiu Hall.

Zhou Wang sat down alone at a round table with a drink menu on it, still feeling a little uncomfortable.

Isn't it a bit of a waste to eat in such a big private room by yourself?

However, a few minutes later, as the door of the private room opened, led by Bella, Zhou Wang watched a group of waiters pushing carts come in one after another and quickly set up a temporary stove on the spot. Only then did he realize that the "special dinner" Bella mentioned was really special.

The last person to come in was a middle-aged man wearing a chef's uniform and with a kind face. Seeing the other party walking towards him with a smile, Zhou Wang also stood up and shook hands with him.

"Hello Mr. Zhou, I am Luo Wenle, the executive chef of Wanda Vista Hotel. It is an honor to serve you."

"Chef Luo, you are too polite. I have heard of your name for a long time. It is my honor to eat the dishes you cook on the spot."

Just after taking a shower, Zhou Wang searched the Internet directly. When he saw the entry of Chef Luo Wenle, Zhou Wang was still shocked even though he had already had psychological expectations.

Having a personal entry is nothing these days, anyone can create one, but the various honors listed above cannot be made up.

Chef Luo Wenle is a legend in the culinary world. When he was just in his early twenties, he defeated many famous chefs and won the championship of the "National Chef God Competition". He has won the championship many times since then.

And through searching, Zhou Wang also corrected a misunderstanding.

That is, strictly speaking, the "executive chef" is no longer a simple chef, but a senior management of the hotel's catering department, and they rarely cook by themselves.

Therefore, the fact that such a person specially prepared a dinner for him meant much more than it seemed, which was why Zhou Wang was so polite.

Next, Luo Wenle carefully asked Zhou Wang about his dietary restrictions and cuisine preferences, and then he walked to the stove.

"Then I'll start."

Luo Wenle started to cook the first dish, and several chefs and waiters helped him.

"Mr. Zhou, this dish is called 'The Best is Like Water'. It is a signature dish of the hotel that I created myself. When I first participated in the Master Chef Competition, I won the championship with this dish."

While Luo Wenle was processing the ingredients, he smiled at Zhou Wang and said, "If you are interested, you can come closer. The essence of this dish actually lies in the processing of the ingredients."

Zhou Wang walked over with great interest and started to watch.

After taking a look, Zhou Wang finally understood why this dish was called "The Highest Good is Like Water", because its main ingredient is eel.

While chatting with Luo Wenle and watching him cook dishes on the spot, Zhou Wang gradually felt the fun of it.

For a chef of Luo Wenle's level, even his knife skills in handling ingredients are pleasing to the eye.

This was no longer just a dinner, but more like Luo Wenle using his superb cooking skills to bring him into an art appreciation of food.

Moreover, Luo Wenle himself is also very talkative. He can easily bring up various topics about food, and always makes them interesting and witty, which not only makes Zhou Wang smile knowingly, but also helps him gain a lot of knowledge.

Soon, the first dish was served on the table. At Luo Wenle’s suggestion, Zhou Wang ordered a bottle of red wine to make the dish taste better. It was a little expensive, at 5888.

But Zhou Wang knew very well that this price was insignificant compared to the value of the meal itself, so he didn't care. During the short break after Luo Wenle had prepared several dishes, he invited him to sit down, and the two of them drank and chatted together.

Zhou Wang enjoyed the meal both physically and mentally, and Luo Wenle deliberately showed that although the ingredients were sufficient, the portion of each dish was very small.

When Zhou Wang had almost finished the dishes in front of him, he stood up and continued to work. This frequency also ensured that Zhou Wang would not eat cold dishes.

Zhou Wang, who was half full, decided to take a break. He picked up his phone and found that in just a short while, a bunch of unread messages had appeared on his phone.

"Oh, I seem to have forgotten to reply to Jiang Mo..."

Zhou Wang patted his head and remembered something. He unlocked his phone and took a look. Several messages were sent by Li Sheng, mixed with his crazy complaints.

(End of this chapter)