“I’ve never been ashamed of coming from the countryside. From the tone of Mr. Gu, however, there’s nothing but disdain for it.”
Qin Nian said no more.
It was a good first conflict. After directing the shoot, the director stepped in to ease the tension, “To make up for everyone having to go to the countryside tomorrow, we’ve brought in a chef to prepare a feast for you all today.”
It was the afternoon, the perfect time to discuss dinner plans.
Though participating in a variety show is work, one of the main concerns for most guests is whether they have fun and eat well.
So everyone was quite interested in the meal.
Qin Jiaxu smiled, “Are there any options to choose from?”
The director replied, “We’ve brought in two top chefs, one specializing in Western cuisine and the other in Chinese. Which would you all prefer?”
Before anyone could speak, Gu Huai interjected, “Let’s go with Western cuisine, shall we?”
Qin Nian didn’t know what Gu Huai was thinking, but he was always easygoing, “I’m fine with anything. Let’s see what everyone else decides.”
To Gu Huai, Qin Nian’s calm demeanor was just an act. In his eyes, Qin Nian was just a newcomer to the city, probably unsure of which hand to use for a knife or fork.
Looking at Qin Nian’s seemingly unruffled face, Gu Huai only thought about how to tear that calm facade apart.
The less Qin Nian reacted, the more it itched at Gu Huai, as if only seeing Qin Nian flustered and embarrassed would soothe his irritation.
Without waiting for others to voice their opinions, Gu Huai decided, “Let’s just have Western cuisine.”
He completely disregarded everyone else’s opinions. But then, growing up in a privileged environment, Gu Huai was used to having his way. In his mind, there was no need to consider others’ feelings.
Qin Nian spoke up, “Maybe you should ask for others’ opinions.”
Gu Huai sneered, “Nice words. Could it be that you don’t know how to use Western utensils and are too embarrassed to say so, hoping others will choose Chinese instead?”
If not for the sake of manners, Qin Nian would have rolled his eyes right then.
Qu Chun, ever the peacemaker, smiled and said, “Let’s go with Western cuisine then.”
Yu Xiaoting, who had been trying to curry favor with Gu Huai from the start, naturally followed his choice.
Xi Liyan didn’t look pleased but said nothing.
Huang Zixuan also remained silent.
Thus, the group’s first decision was to have Western cuisine.
The initial gathering wasn’t very harmonious.
Though the discord was only between Gu Huai and Qin Nian.
Qin Nian returned to the room arranged by the director to rest quietly.
With Gu Huai around, he should be cautious. Who knew what tricks Gu Huai might pull?
Childish to the point of being laughable.
Qin Nian silently criticized Gu Huai.
He couldn’t understand why an adult could be so immature.
Qin Nian glanced at the clock. At this time, he would usually be making soup for Feng Wang.
Feeling a bit bored, he wondered if Feng Wang would find the surprise he left.
He hoped it would be a pleasant surprise.
Back at the Feng residence, Feng Wang returned from the company. Upon entering, he found a small stack of CD cases on his desk.
In this age of digital storage, it had been a long time since Feng Wang had seen CDs.
He picked one up.
The case was simple and transparent, marked with today’s date, 8.17, in neat handwriting.
There were seven CDs in total.
Each was labeled with a date, 8.18, 8.19…
Yang Huan wouldn’t place anything on his desk without permission, so Feng Wang didn’t think these were from him.
He opened the CD marked with today’s date and inserted it into the drive.
Then he played it on the computer.
It was a video.
Feng Wang opened it.
After a brief moment of darkness, Qin Nian appeared in the center of the frame, with the Feng residence’s living room as the backdrop.
Qin Nian peered into the camera, as if checking whether it was recording him.
After confirming everything was fine, he returned to the camera.
He looked a bit shy, waving at the camera in greeting.
But he didn’t say anything.
He walked over to the piano and sat down. After a pause and several minutes of silence, he slowly raised his hands and began to play.
The melodious piano notes filled the beautiful afternoon.
Though it was an ordinary scene, it felt like a carefully directed shot.
When Qin Nian played, his expression was as usual, focused on the sheet music, occasionally pressing his lips together, completely absorbed.
With the piano music in his ears and the young man before him, Feng Wang, in a daze, couldn’t help but reach out. Only when his hand touched the cold screen did he remember that the young man was no longer at the Feng residence.
He felt sleepy, yet something seemed missing.
Qin Nian played for a full two hours before getting up. He approached the camera, blocking the lens with his clothes.
Clearly unfamiliar with the camera, he fumbled with it, and the screen suddenly went black.
Just when Feng Wang thought it was over…
The young man’s clear voice suddenly came through.
“Goodnight, Mr. Feng.”
Feng Wang’s breath caught.
For the first time, he felt he couldn’t do without this young man.
He was eager to see him, yet didn’t know what to do.
He opened the green social app. Though he and Qin Nian were friends, they had never chatted. Their conversation page was empty.
Feng Wang tried sending a first message: 【How was your day?】
Qin Nian’s avatar was a puffed-up golden cat, which, strangely, reminded Feng Wang of Qin Nian.
After resting, the sky had darkened. The chef hired by the Production Team had arrived early at the villa, and the place was bustling.
The dining room was lively, with the Western chef working in an orderly manner.
Seven people sat at a long rectangular table. Once everyone was seated, the chef served vegetable salad, cream soup, and red wine-baked snails in succession.
The portions were small but exquisitely presented.
In his past life, Qin Nian had often been compared to Qin Jiaxu and had been mocked and scolded by Liu Baixu for his dining etiquette, so he had learned it thoroughly.
However, in terms of taste, Qin Nian wasn’t accustomed to Western cuisine.
He casually took a few sips of the soup with a spoon.
Still not quite to his liking.
After picking at the three dishes, he set the spoon aside.
After the three courses came the main dish.
Tonight’s main course was a steak. The chef presented each person’s steak before them.
Qin Nian cut into his. The chef hadn’t asked how each guest wanted their steak cooked, preparing them to his own preference.
The steak in front of Qin Nian was clearly medium-rare, with traces of blood visible.
Already lacking appetite, the sight of the blood made him lose any desire to even try it.
Everyone at the table was cutting into their freshly served steaks.
Suddenly, a sharp “scrape—” filled the room.
Everyone felt their skin crawl.
Qin Nian turned his head. The sound came from Qu Chun, who had drawn everyone’s attention with the noise.
She looked a bit embarrassed. Her already unskilled steak-cutting became even more awkward under everyone’s gaze.
The knife and fork clattered against the porcelain plate, creating a jarring sound.
Gu Huai frowned.
“Oh, why are you all watching me? You should eat. If you keep staring, I’ll get shy,” Qu Chun joked, trying to ease the attention her repeated noise had drawn.
Watching Qu Chun’s apologetic smile, Qin Nian was reminded of his past self. Was he, in his previous life, also smiling apologetically and ingratiatingly when he made a fool of himself?
He quickly cut his steak into neat little cubes, his movements graceful and precise, like a noble. Qin Nian handed the cut steak to Qu Chun, speaking softly:
“Have mine. I’ll cut yours for you.”
Qu Chun blinked, seemingly in disbelief.
Qin Nian placed his plate in front of Qu Chun, then took hers and deftly cut it before handing it back.
Qu Chun, not particular about Western food, asked while eating, “Aren’t you going to eat, Qin Nian?”
Qin Nian smiled, “I’m not used to it. If you like it, you can have both.”
Gu Huai had intended to use the Western meal to see Qin Nian embarrass himself, but instead, Qin Nian not only handled everything gracefully but also helped someone else with their steak.
Even though Gu Huai disliked Qin Nian, he couldn’t deny that Qin Nian’s dining etiquette was impeccable. Yet he was unwilling to admit that Qin Nian could perform such a perfect act. He concluded that Qin Nian had learned these things to return to the Qin Family and integrate into Ning City’s upper society, replacing Qin Jiaxu.
With this thought, Gu Huai found Qin Nian even more detestable, so eager to join a class that wasn’t his.
He cut a piece of steak and said, not too loudly, “A pig can’t appreciate fine food.”
The words reached Qin Nian’s ears just as he was speaking with Qu Chun. He paused, glancing casually at Gu Huai across the table.
His eyes were unreadable. Though it was just a glance, Gu Huai felt he saw mockery in them.
“If you like fine food, have more,” Qin Nian said with a faint smile. After all, no one would describe their own meal as pig feed.
It was a roundabout way of insulting Gu Huai, but since Gu Huai had spoken the words himself, he had no reason to get angry. He could only clench his fists and pretend not to hear, lowering his head to eat. The once appetizing dishes now seemed tasteless.
After the meal, Qin Nian hadn’t eaten much, and neither had Xi Liyan.
Xi Liyan was always quiet, her gaze indifferent, not fond of conversing with the other guests. It was clear she wasn’t keen on socializing.
She wiped her mouth with a napkin, then tossed it on the table, “I’m full. You all continue.”
Qin Nian had a bit of dessert and also left the table.
His phone had lit up with a message.
【How was your day?】
Back in his room, Qin Nian looked at the message several times, surprised that Feng Wang had reached out.
Was it because he couldn’t sleep?
He checked the time. It was past eight in the evening. At this hour, he would usually be preparing to play the piano for Feng Wang at the Feng residence.
He thought of the CDs he had left behind.
Were they useful? If not, was he being presumptuous?
Lost in thought, Qin Nian replied honestly, 【It was okay, everything’s normal.】
To his surprise, Feng Wang replied almost immediately, 【What are you doing now?】
Qin Nian: 【Wondering if the CDs I left are of any use.】
Feng Wang, reading the message, could almost picture Qin Nian’s wide-eyed, earnest expression.
Though easily embarrassed, he was also remarkably straightforward.
As he sent the message, Feng Wang hesitated about his role. In what capacity was he showing concern for Qin Nian?
Employer? Friend?
Qin Nian quickly sent another message:
Qin Nian: 【Did you see the CDs I left, Mr. Feng?】
Feng Wang: 【I did.】
Seeing Feng Wang’s reply, Qin Nian could almost confirm that the CDs hadn’t helped with sleep, leaving him a bit deflated.