Crossing over, and then being blocked by a rich JK.

Chapter 502 His Refusal
For Yu Watanabe, having a meal with his elders is not something that makes him nervous or at a loss.

Therefore, after greeting and sitting down with Eda Sumire and Eda Akane, his subsequent actions were quite natural, without the slightest awkwardness, while the young lady of the Saintess seemed a bit uneasy.

It's normal for her to feel awkward, after all, this is Ayana's first time dealing with Sumire Eda, and even with Akane acting as a mediator, she still seems a little unfamiliar with each other.

Not everyone is naturally outgoing.

"Hey, what do you think of the food at this restaurant?"

After everyone had quietly started eating for a while, Jiang Tianqian was the first to put down her chopsticks and start talking.

She felt a sense of responsibility towards today's meal; she felt she should act as a mediator between her mother and Yu-ge and Ayana-nee, helping them chat as much as possible while avoiding awkwardness.

That way she'll feel like she hasn't messed things up.

"It's OK."

Watanabe gazed at the grilled beef tongue before him and gave a truthful answer.

Under the restaurant's soft yellow lights, the grilled beef tongue on the grill sizzled with oil. The aroma of cumin, chili, and beef mingled together under the heat of the flames, making it not only fragrant but also glistening with a thin layer of oil, which was incredibly tempting.

If I had to point out anything wrong with it, I'd only be nitpicking.

The dipping sauce and the marinating process of the beef tongue itself had some minor flaws; in terms of flavor, it wasn't strong enough.

But then again, considering the tastes of the Japanese people, the beef tongue already has a very strong flavor.

"You're not telling the truth."

Eda Akane blinked, as if she could see through Watanabe Yu's thoughts, and said those words directly.

In the past, she might have been fooled, but now, after spending so much time together, she's not so easily fooled anymore.

Or……

You-ge is not a good liar.

This is especially true when they are together in private.

"I'm telling the truth."

Watanabe Yu began to defend himself.

He felt that his evaluation was quite fair and did not contain any exaggeration, so how could it be considered that he did not tell the truth?
"How does it compare to what Ryoko-nee made?"

Jiang Tianqian didn't respond, but simply said those words to herself.

"...They're evenly matched."

After speaking, Watanabe Yu paused for a moment before giving his reply.

To be honest, he really hadn't expected Jiang Tianqian's question.

“Brother You, your silence earlier already speaks volumes.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Tianqian smiled, her brows conveying the thought, "I wasn't wrong, was I?"

Ayana-nee is absolutely right; Yu-ge is a very easy person to understand.

"Haha."

Watanabe Yu chuckled dryly twice, then looked away.

Now that things have come to this point, what else could he say? Besides, what Qian said was indeed the truth.

"Speaking of which, is that Hamabe girl really that good at cooking?"

Jiang Tianjin, who had been listening in, coughed softly and joined the conversation.

She had heard her daughter mention Hamabe's cooking skills more than once, and every time she did, her daughter would rave about it.

Yes, she knew that her daughter had a kind of devotion to food; if it was delicious, it was delicious, and if it wasn't, it wasn't. She might be a little tactful because of the relationship, but when it came to a more formal evaluation, she would definitely give an objective assessment.

and so……

She did develop some interest.

"It's comparable to the chefs outside."

Seeing her mother like this, Jiang Tianqian thought for a moment and gave an answer that was completely different from the past.

The concept of how good the taste is is indeed somewhat abstract. If we have to make a comparison, we can only first put forward a reference point.

"What kind of chef? Is it a chef from a business or executive hotel, or a chef from a long-established restaurant with a long history?"

Sure enough, after hearing her answer, Mom thought for a moment and then followed up with her example.

"Neither of those descriptions are quite accurate. To be precise, it should be the kind of shop where you start your own business and make a name for yourself through your skills."

Jiang Tianqian picked up the juice in front of her, took a sip, and then turned her head to look out the window at the sky that had turned completely gray.

In autumn, the speed at which it gets dark begins to match that of winter.

It was only 5:30, but the outside was already shrouded in a hazy gray as the streetlights began to come on.

"If Ryoko knew you were praising her like that, she would be very happy."

Watanabe Yu picked up the conversation.

Actually, Qian's evaluation was quite fair, but as the saying goes, one should be humble when necessary.

"Hehe." Hearing Watanabe praise her, Eda Akane chuckled foolishly, then changed the subject and righteously defended herself, "I said the same thing to Ryoko-nee."

She has no inclination to be two-faced.

Although her mother had told her that sometimes she needed to wear a mask, so what?

She's still a student and hasn't entered the workforce yet, so she doesn't need to make things difficult for herself. In Youge's words, she can still be herself without worry.

"So you shamelessly went to their place to freeload a meal just for this?"

After pondering her daughter's answer for a moment, Eda Sumire turned her head and looked at the former with a half-smile.

That makes perfect sense.

It's no wonder, really.

"It's half and half, I couldn't go against my older sister's wishes at first."

Jiang Tianqian's expression faltered for a moment, but she quickly recovered and coughed lightly before giving her reply.

"Yumi, huh..."

Eda Sumire murmured something under her breath.

When she heard Yu Mei's name, she wasn't surprised at all. It's said that no one knows a daughter better than her mother, but you could also replace "mother" with "aunt".

After all, she took Yu Mei out to play quite a few times.

"Shouldn't Mom be more interested in how Brother You pulled me back than this?"

Seeing her mother's thoughtful expression, Jiang Tianqian immediately realized that she had probably made a mistake, so she changed the subject without thinking.

She was afraid that if they continued talking like this, things would explode, and then Yu Mei, who was so good to her, would also be dragged into it.

"I'm just waiting for the right opportunity to ask, aren't I?"

Jiang Tianjin rolled her eyes, raised her delicate hand, and flipped the grilled beef and tenderloin on the grill over.

To be honest, after listening to her daughter's story, she suddenly felt that the barbecue she usually enjoyed didn't taste so good anymore.

"By the time you open your mouth, it will probably be after several rounds of drinks and several dishes."

Jiang Tianqian made a comment about her mother.

My mom is great in every way, except that in her private life, she sometimes still follows the same principles she uses at work. That is, she always waits for the right moment to do things.

Of course, there's nothing wrong with doing it that way, since it's a safer approach, but she felt that perhaps being more proactive wouldn't be bad either.
—Because she tends to be more proactive in doing things.

"Then let me ask you, don't you think it's strange to talk about how she was steered back onto the right path in front of the person involved?"

Eda Sumire asked a question in return.

"..."

After she finished speaking, it was Jiang Tianqian's turn to fall silent.

She suddenly realized this as well.

"It seems so."

She scratched her cheek, and her expression suddenly became subtle.

“So.” Jiang Tianjin picked up the long chopsticks and put the grilled meat into her daughter’s bowl, then said, “But since you brought it up, I might as well ask, Yu, can I call you that?”

Her gaze fell upon Watanabe Yu across the table.

"of course can."

Watanabe Yu nodded.

"How did you do that?"

Upon hearing this, Eda Sumire nodded slightly, then asked bluntly.

She had previously consulted education experts and tried the methods herself, but unfortunately, the results were minimal each time.

“What you’re saying is problematic. I didn’t actually do anything, so there’s no question of ‘how I did it.’” Watanabe paused for a moment. “I just took Akane to our school’s school festival.”

He has always felt that many things cannot be completely persuaded through words.

One could even go so far as to say that it is very difficult for people to persuade each other.

This is especially true when both parties have developed relatively mature values.

Because no matter what you say, they have their own set of judgment standards, and what you think is just what you think.

"No guidance was provided at all?"

Jiang Tianjin frowned, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Are you trying to say to guide them patiently?" Watanabe Yu put down his chopsticks and gave a very serious answer. "If that's the case, then no. I've always believed that people are self-aware and will spontaneously pursue good things."

"uh-huh."

Eda Sumire nodded slightly, agreeing with Watanabe Yu's statement, and then gave him a look that said, "Go on."

"So there's no need to say so much nonsense. Just participate and it will be obvious which environment is better." Watanabe Yu shrugged. "Those who want to come to this environment don't need much explanation; they just need to start working hard. And those who don't want to come, no matter how much you talk, it won't help."

This is the core reason why he can't be a good teacher, because he's just too rational in that respect.

"that is it?"

Eda Sumire looked at him with some disbelief.

She felt it should be more complicated; if it were just this simple, then what was the point of all the effort she put in?
Even now, when she thinks back on it, she feels a sense of helplessness that she can't quite put into words.

"Yeah, what else?"

Watanabe Yu gave her a strange look, wondering if this decisive and capable woman had been scammed out of consultation fees by some 'expert'.
"..."

Eda Sumire didn't respond; she remained silent.

"Let me think about how to put it. Well, let me put it this way: people who need to be persuaded have often been persuaded many times before. In other words, your old-fashioned reasoning is useless; they've already developed resistance."

With that, Watanabe Yu sighed.

Those who expect to persuade others with old, commonplace principles are somewhat mysterious.

Because it's simply impossible.

"Of course, this is not a reason to do nothing. What I mean is that if you talk about principles too much, they lose their meaning."

Persuading someone verbally is a good strategy, forcing them is a bad strategy, and getting them to realize the value of those things and be determined to change themselves is the best strategy.

However, that's the awkward part. Some people are just lazy and need others to whip them to move forward. Trying to be gentle with them won't work.

"I have an idea."

After listening to Watanabe Yu's words, Eda Sumire seemed to suddenly remember something and looked at him intently.

"what idea?"

Watanabe Yu paused for a moment before asking the question.

"Are you free at the end of this month?" Jiang Tianjin paused, then changed the subject. "There's a small private party going on. I think you could come along. Many of the people at the party are bothered by similar things."

Many people are troubled by their children's education, especially those in her circle of friends. When they are not talking about work, they will talk about their children's education.

Almost everyone says that once their children grow up, it's not as easy to communicate with them as before, and sometimes they even make their children feel short of breath and feel suffocated.

Of course, her purpose in bringing Watanabe Yura over was not limited to that.

Yumi had explained it to her countless times; how could she not understand what Yumi meant? She simply wanted her to introduce Watanabe Yu to some connections.

Since that's the case, I might as well just go with the flow.

Anyway, it's just a matter of convenience. If Watanabe Yuu really solves their problem, he can also gain some favors along the way, which is the same for both parties.

"I do have some free time, but I'd better not."

Watanabe Yu shook his head under the puzzled gaze of the young lady.

"I want to know the reason."

Eda Sumire was also surprised, but she didn't show it very obviously; she just asked the question naturally.

"Because this kind of thing is very troublesome, it's like being a strategist in someone's love life." Watanabe Yu spread his hands. "Making analyses without understanding the situation and then talking so eloquently is somewhat detached from reality."

Doing things this way will only get you into trouble and cause big problems.

He didn't want to do something so thankless.

Moreover, he has already achieved his original goal.

As for whether refusing Eda Sumire's invitation would upset her, he didn't think so.

The reason is simple: having reached the position of Sumire Eda, and given that he and Akane know each other, she wouldn't be angry about something like this.

"That's it."

As he predicted, Eda Sumire simply nodded thoughtfully without saying anything.

"Everyone's situation is different, and specific problems need to be analyzed specifically."

Watanabe Yu picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of beef, and put it into the Saintess's bowl.

During the first half of the conversation about everyday life, the young lady was able to keep up with the conversation, but after she took control of the topic, she stopped talking.

"Mom, it's ready! Time to eat!"

Seeing that the topic had been discussed to a certain extent, Jiang Tianqian coughed lightly to change the subject.

"Alright, everyone, start eating. We can add more if there's not enough food. Don't be shy, Yu, Amamiya."

"Ah."

(End of this chapter)