The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 499 The Bifang has burned out

After returning to Yunzhong Community from the airport, Qin Huai went straight to Luo Jun's house.

The tea party was scheduled for 3 p.m., and it was already 1:57 p.m. Qin Huai knew very well that Gong Liang would definitely arrive early, given his habits. Moreover, Gong Liang lived downstairs from Luo Jun, and he was usually quite free; for him to arrive at the 3 p.m. tea party at 2:30 p.m. would be considered late.

As expected, it was Gong Liang who opened the gate to Qinhuai.

Seeing Qin Huai arrive so early, Gong Liang was also a little surprised and greeted Qin Huai with a smile: "Master Qin, you're here so early today too!"

Qin Huai smiled and said, "Making desserts always requires advance preparation."

As Qin Huai spoke, he craned his neck to peek inside and found that no one else was in the living room except Luo Jun sitting on the sofa watching TV, where the show Luo Jun had been watching recently was playing. Zhang Shumei wasn't there; Luo Jun had probably sent her away with some made-up excuse.

Chen Gong didn't come, which shows that Luo Jun was alone with Gong Liang before Qin Huai arrived.

"Hasn't Zhao Cheng'an arrived?" Qin Huai asked knowingly.

Upon hearing Qin Huai's words, Luo Jun turned and glanced at him, replying in a strange tone, "Not yet."

Qin Huai felt that Luo Jun was acting strangely today, but she didn't have time to think about it too much. She thought that his act was not over yet, so she could only continue acting: "I'm really sorry, Mr. Luo. I'll urge him. There are a lot of desserts to make today. Don't worry, we will definitely have all the desserts on the table before four o'clock."

After saying that, Qin Huai hurriedly went into the kitchen, closed the kitchen door tightly, and sent a message to Zhao Cheng'an urging him to stop slacking off and come quickly, as Gong Liang had already arrived.

The kitchen door was tightly closed, and Qin Huai couldn't hear the sounds outside clearly, only vaguely making out a few words of conversation between Gong Liang and Luo Jun, who were speaking relatively loudly. Luo Jun told Gong Liang that today was his first time formally attending a tea party, and asked him to prepare plenty of snacks to entertain Gong Liang, speaking in the most polite and amiable tone possible.

Not at all like Luo Jun.

Qin Huai only belatedly realized something was off when he was kneading the dough. He wondered what was strange about Luo Jun's strange tone of voice earlier. Actually, it wasn't strange at all; Luo Jun was the epitome of a loving elder speaking to a younger person in a gentle voice and tone.

This state applies to Luo Jun...

Luo Jun = a loving elder?
Qin Huaiguang couldn't help but shudder a few times just thinking about it. He didn't dare to think about how Luo Jun had managed to get the information out of Gong Liang last time. He only felt that Bi Fang had indeed sacrificed too much for the tribulations of other spirits.

The real acting talent isn't E'shou, it's Bifang, because Bifang really brought E'shou to life.

At 2:07, Zhao Cheng'an arrived late. The first thing he did upon entering the kitchen was to take out a frozen durian from the refrigerator and start eating it. While eating, he took out the pre-prepared ingredients he had brought from the Yunzhong Canteen from the bag and asked Qin Huai if he had helped him knead the dough.

Qin Huai pointed to the row of temperature-controlled fermenting doughs on the shelf: "Everything is ready. You'll make the chestnut pastries again today. Did you bring the coconut flakes? Give them to me."

“Okay.” Zhao Cheng’an handed the coconut flakes to Qin Huai, then asked curiously in a low voice, “Why did I feel that Mr. Luo was acting strange just now?”

Qin Huai also lowered his voice: "If you feel something is strange, that's right. No matter what happens later, don't show any surprise. Remember, Mr. Luo has always been this kind of person: kind, virtuous, and understanding. Beneath his seemingly unapproachable exterior lies a heart of gold, understand?"

Zhao Cheng'an: ?

Zhao Cheng'an's bewildered face was filled with incomprehension.

"If you want to get out of here alive today, you'll understand."

Zhao Cheng'an understood.

Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an worked swiftly and efficiently in the kitchen, making pastries as if they were six people at once. Batch after batch of pastries came out of the oven, and Qin Huai adjusted the batches based on whether they tasted better after cooling, whether cooling for a while didn't affect the texture, and whether they were best eaten hot, demonstrating the excellent scheduling skills of a breakfast shop chef.

The other spirits and monsters also arrived one after another.

Chen Gong and Shi Dadan arrived together at 2:27 PM, empty-handed. As soon as Shi Dadan arrived, he went into the kitchen and cut a plate of fruit before going out.

Chen Huihong arrived at 2:32 PM, not empty-handed, but carrying a bowl of vegetable salad she had personally mixed. There was clearly too much salad dressing, and for some reason, the salad contained salad dressing, mayonnaise, and ketchup all at once. Perhaps Chen Huihong had bought too much sauce while researching cooking techniques recently and wanted to find an opportunity to pour it all in.

Wang Gensheng arrived promptly at 3 o'clock. Since it was his first time visiting Luo Jun's house, Wang Gensheng politely bought some fruit. However, he soon realized that he was making a fool of himself by buying fruit in front of Luo Jun, a true master of fruit shopping.

An Youyou was a little late, arriving at 3:09. However, she wasn't really late, as the Yunzhong Cafeteria didn't close until 2:40. An Youyou was a junior supervisor of the helpers, and after get off work, she still had to coordinate with Huang Xi to finalize the helper arrangements for the next day. Arriving at this hour was already a result of running; An Youyou was panting heavily when she entered the room and went straight to the kitchen to help Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an.

Qu Jing was the one who was truly late.

Qu Jing was on the day shift today, finishing at 6 PM. To attend the afternoon tea party, she specifically asked a colleague to cover her outpatient appointment and requested a few hours off from the hospital to return early. However, a massive traffic jam occurred on her way back due to a chain-reaction collision, leaving her stuck on the road with no idea when she would arrive. She could only explain the situation via a group message.

Qin Huai thought it wasn't a big problem and told Qu Jing not to worry too much. Although the tea party was scheduled for 3 o'clock, the desserts wouldn't be finished until at least 4 o'clock, so it was fine as long as they could make it.

At 3:52 PM, the hot and freshly baked "Fanpo Bing" (a type of flatbread) and "Xie Ke Huang" (a type of pastry) will be ready.

Zhao Cheng'an had finished all his work and started eating durian. He not only ate some himself, but also gave An Youyou a piece.

An Youyou ate durian for the first time, and after taking a bite, she was already in agony because of the taste. But An Youyou knew very well that durian was expensive, and adhering to the principle that wasting durian was wasting money, An Youyou could only force herself to eat small bites of frozen durian.

“Master Qin, you told me before that Mr. Luo had a strange temper, but when I came in just now, I thought Mr. Luo was quite kind. His smiling face was almost exactly like those kind old people on TV. I have never seen an old person smile so kindly in real life,” An Youyou said softly.

Qin Huai discovered another of An Youyou's strengths: her keen intuition.

It felt great because Luo Jun was an actor.

It's safe to say that Luo Jun's years of watching TV dramas have definitely paid off; he's really learned a lot from them.

Qin Huai could only vaguely say, "Mr. Luo... has many facets and is a very changeable person. You don't have much contact with him now, but you'll know more as you get to know him better."

"Just go along with him in everything."

An Youyou nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

At 3:57, the Fanpo cakes and crab shell pastries were ready. The moment the oven was opened, the rich aroma of the Fanpo cakes—a mixture of sugar and oil, and coconut flakes—was released during baking, instantly filling the kitchen. Even with the kitchen door tightly closed, the aroma seeped into the living room through the cracks, causing Gong Liang to involuntarily take a deep breath.

"This is... a type of pastry!" Gong Liang's eyes lit up. "Master Qin can even make pastries!"

"What is a 'Fanpo cake'?" Shi Dadan's acting skills in pretending to be stupid had reached a level of perfection.

"Well..." Gong Liang was about to explain when the kitchen door opened, and the aroma of various pastries wafted out, the most prominent being the rich aroma of flour, sugar, oil, and milk after baking.

"Mr. Luo, the snacks are ready. Dr. Qu just messaged us saying she's still stuck in traffic and won't arrive for at least 40 minutes. She told us not to wait for her and to start eating as soon as the snacks are ready. You see..." Qin Huai carried the snacks out, with Zhao Cheng'an following closely behind. As Zhao Cheng'an served the snacks, he also popped a piping hot, freshly baked biscuit into his mouth.

Luo Jun slowly stood up, looking every bit the kind and easy-going old man: "Everyone, please eat first. Jingjing also told me to save a few of her favorite snacks for her."

Even though he was mentally prepared, Qin Huai was still startled by Luo Jun's appearance, tone, and the word "quiet" in his words, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart that everyone present was a true actor.

Only Zhao Cheng'an was not one of them.

Zhao Cheng'an was so shocked that he almost choked to death on the foreign woman's cake.

Luo Jun's dining table is a typical family dining table with only 6 seats.

With so many people gathered together, there's definitely not enough room for everyone to sit. Sitting at the table means playing a significant role in the upcoming storyline, so deciding whether or not to take a seat becomes a matter that requires careful consideration.

Luo Jun took his seat because he would be a major character no matter what he did next, and he was going to sit at the table and drink tangerine peel tea. After acting for so long, only warm tangerine peel tea could soothe his wounded heart. Moreover, he didn't have to act while drinking the tangerine peel tea, as he couldn't speak because his mouth was full of something.

Shi Dadan sat down because he ate the most; without him sitting at the table, it would have been difficult to finish all the snacks today. After sitting down, Shi Dadan didn't say a word and just buried his head in eating.

Chen Gong took his seat because he realized that Luo Jun had burned out and that if no one took over Luo Jun's role, Luo Jun would be unable to continue acting.

Qin Huai took his seat because he was required to; he was the owner of the game system, and if he wanted to strike and refuse to perform, Luo Jun would be the first to tear him apart.

With Gong Liang sitting down with Luo Jun, there was only one seat left at the table.

Chen Huihong sat down instinctively.

After sitting down, Chen Huihong realized that she was supposed to play an important role and had to say something. Almost the next second after sitting down, Chen Huihong regretted it. After looking around, she found that only black tea, green tea, and lemon tea had been prepared, but no chrysanthemum tea. She immediately got up and said that such a sumptuous feast could not be without chrysanthemum tea, and slipped into the kitchen to make tea.

After Chen Huihong fled, the seat became empty again.

An Youyou definitely wouldn't sit down. She was very self-aware about this matter; she even felt that she wasn't there to attend the tea party but to help out and incidentally freeload.

Wang Gensheng didn't know how to sit properly. He had barely spoken during the earlier chat, and even this old man, who loved reminiscing, knew when to start and when to shut up. Wang Gensheng had a very accurate understanding of his situation today—

He's just here for snacks.

After the snacks were served, Wang Gensheng took a small empty plate, picked up a little of each, and sat down on the sofa to happily enjoy his snacks.

Normally, if Chen Huihong doesn't sit in the last seat, Qu Jing should. In Qin Huai's version of the story, it's perfectly normal for Qu Jing, as Luo Jun's doctor, to have a seat.

But Qu Jing is still stuck in traffic.

Now all that's left is...

Everyone turned their attention to Zhao Cheng'an, who was standing at the kitchen doorway, silently munching on a durian.

Zhao Cheng'an: ...?
Didn't we agree that I wouldn't have any scenes to film today and that I only needed to make desserts? I'm a mayfly, and I'm sitting at the same table as Bi Fang. Seeing Bi Fang like that, I really can't hold back anymore.

Chen Gong said, "Master Zhao has worked hard for more than an hour. Please don't stand at the kitchen door. Please sit down."

"Yes, yes, Master Zhao, you've worked hard today too. Sit down quickly. I'll sit on the sofa with Lao Wang later. It doesn't matter where I sit!" Chen Huihong's relieved and cheerful voice came from the kitchen.

Wang Gensheng: ? When did Chen Huihong become so familiar with him that she even calls him "Old Wang"?
Zhao Cheng'an forced a shy smile, trying to fake his social anxiety, and walked to the table to sit down with trembling legs.

Qin Huai glanced at the scene on the table.

Kind of embarrassing.

I wonder if Gong Liang feels embarrassed.

Gong Liang clearly didn't feel awkward. He first warmly invited Wang Gensheng not to sit on the sofa, offering him his seat so he could eat standing up. Wang Gensheng waved his hand awkwardly, indicating that he could be socially awkward today and that sitting on the sofa was fine.

Then Gong Liang warmly invited An Youyou to sit down, saying he could give her his seat. An Youyou waved her hand repeatedly in refusal, saying she was there to help and would be fine sitting on the sofa and eating some fruit.

In the end, it was Chen Gong who characterized today's position as insufficient.

"This is the first time so many people have come to Mr. Luo's tea party," Chen Gong said with a smile. "Mr. Luo said he had a very pleasant chat with you, Mr. Gong, last time, and this time he specially asked Chef Qin to make so many of your favorite snacks. It would be a waste to prepare so many snacks if there were only a few people, so I took the liberty of inviting more people, but I didn't expect everyone to be available."

"To be honest, I rarely see Mr. Luo chatting happily with people he doesn't know well. Last time I was here, I felt that you and Mr. Luo were quite destined to meet."

"Mr. Luo is a person who likes both lively atmospheres and being alone. He usually seems to be aloof, but those of us who really know him know that he is actually very warm and enthusiastic."

“Mr. Gong, if you have some free time, you can come to Mr. Luo’s house more often and keep him company.”

"Definitely, definitely," Gong Liang quickly replied. "As long as Mr. Luo doesn't mind, that's fine."

"No need." Luo Jun swallowed the tangerine peel tea in his mouth and said softly, then quickly made amends after realizing that his tone had been a bit cold. "No need to go to such trouble."

Chen Gong said with a smile, "That's just how Mr. Luo is, cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and saying one thing but meaning another."

Luo Jun: ...

Although Luo Jun's expression remained gentle, Qin Huai felt that Luo Jun's teeth were about to be ground to powder.

Qin Huai quickly jumped in to smooth things over: "I made a lot of pastries today, I don't know if everyone likes them. Mr. Gong, Mr. Luo specifically asked me to make coconut cake, 'Fanpo cake', and milk tofu, which are your favorite pastries. The other pastries are fine, but I just learned how to make the 'Fanpo cake'. Please taste it and see if there are any problems. If there are, please let me know so I can make changes."

Gong Liang was truly moved by Qin Huai's words.

"Mr. Luo, it's no trouble at all. My daughter's competition officially starts next week, and I'll be free during that time. Starting tomorrow, I'll come to your house every day to chat with you!"

Luo Jun: ...

Luo Jun forced out a few relatively mild-sounding words through gritted teeth:
"It really doesn't need to be that complicated."

(End of this chapter)