Chapter 75: A Pig Teammate p1
The world was vast… so vast that perhaps one could live a lifetime without meeting their soulmate. The world was also small… so small that perhaps that destined person was just a few steps away.
Mi Hongdou carefully examined the author’s page. There were about ten long novels, equally divided between romance and yuri. “The Kettle and the Heart” and “Spy Game” were categorized as romance. Mi Hongdou, not wanting to jump to conclusions, read a few chapters of each and confirmed that the films were indeed adapted from these novels. So, if both Pan Xiang and Jiang Lingling were telling the truth… Pan Xiang was the sophisticated, knowledgeable older sister with long, flowing hair whom Jiang Lingling adored?
This world was truly full of surprises.
“Are you sure you don’t want to have some breakfast here?” Jiang Lingling, seeing Mi Hongdou engrossed in reading, felt a twinge of displeasure and abruptly invited her again, wanting to interrupt her. It was like owning an adorable kitten and wanting to show it off to your friends, hoping for compliments. But… if your friends, while praising the kitten, reached out to hold it, you would feel a little unhappy. That was Jiang Lingling’s current mood. She couldn’t resist showing off her favorite author’s words, but she was also reluctant to share.
“No…” Mi Hongdou waved her hand dismissively, not noticing Jiang Lingling’s subtle emotions. Sharing reading materials between friends was normal. Jiang Lingling’s thoughts were so convoluted that even Mi Hongdou, with her two lifetimes of experience, couldn’t always keep up.
No longer trying to be gentle with the world, Mi Hongdou spoke more directly, “Jiang Lingling, besides fried chicken and chicken rolls, have you tried anything else from your restaurant? It’s really… um… not very tempting.” The kind-hearted Mi Hongdou still tried to be tactful.
Jiang Lingling raised an eyebrow and glanced at the table laden with seemingly delicious food. “Really? It looks quite good, I think it’s delicious.”
“I think, in life, you can’t just rely on imagination, you have to be realistic.” Mi Hongdou’s words had a double meaning. “If you keep imagining and building up expectations, you’ll be disappointed when you face reality.”
“Pfft…” Jiang Lingling chuckled. “You’re exaggerating. It’s just food, how can I be disappointed by food? If this restaurant’s food isn’t good, I’ll just buy another one, it’s not a big deal.” Jiang Lingling thought Mi Hongdou was just joking, and Mi Hongdou was speechless. Jiang Lingling, sometimes surprisingly perceptive, had noticed her feelings for Ji Junxin, but at other times… incredibly clueless.
Seeing that her subtle hints weren’t working, Mi Hongdou hesitated. After all, what Pan Xiang had told her involved Gu Tiansheng and Director Pan, she couldn’t just reveal it to Jiang Lingling. And Jiang Lingling was just fantasizing about her favorite author. Even if she couldn’t stop her, it shouldn’t be a problem, right? Mi Hongdou thought this and decided to give up on enlightening Jiang Lingling.
But…
She still asked, “Jiang Lingling, are you in a relationship?” Seeing Jiang Lingling’s expression change, she quickly added, “Just asking, I don’t have any intentions towards you.”
So, after all this time, suffering as a single dog, being constantly tormented by CPs, you really didn’t notice anything! Jiang Lingling’s heart was deeply wounded, adding to her earlier embarrassment. She decided to ignore Mi Hongdou for now.
So, Jiang Lingling just shook her head, her face full of displeasure.
In her previous life, Jiang Lingling came out seven or eight years later, so she hadn’t met that person yet. Mi Hongdou hesitated, but she couldn’t possibly be Pan Xiang, right? After all, Jiang Lingling’s admiration for the author was based on her writing and unrealistic fantasies, just a devoted fan, at most. Mi Hongdou looked at Pan Xiang, who seemed to be still a minor, she didn’t seem like Jiang Lingling’s type. So… it couldn’t be Pan Xiang, or Jiang Lingling would have been killed by Director Pan long ago, how could she have publicly come out?
After careful analysis, Mi Hongdou concluded that there was no real relationship between Jiang Lingling and the author, Pan Xiang. Which meant that Jiang Lingling could fantasize all she wanted, there was no chance of heartbreak. Mi Hongdou was relieved and mentally awarded herself a small red flower for her friendship.
But fate and love, how could they be accurately predicted by others?
“It’s okay, you’ll find someone eventually,” Mi Hongdou comforted the seemingly dejected Jiang Lingling.
Jiang Lingling scoffed. “Look who’s talking, you and Ji Junxin haven’t made any progress either, and you’re telling me I’ll find someone?”
“I haven’t…” Mentioning Ji Junxin, Mi Hongdou instinctively wanted to deny it again, but seeing Jiang Lingling’s knowing smirk, she couldn’t bring herself to say it. “…Hmph, mind your own business!” Unable to deny it, she could only resort to stubbornness.
Tsk, still playing tough… Jiang Lingling pointed at Mi Hongdou’s phone. “Mind my own business? And you’re asking me for information? If you’re so capable, why don’t you pursue her yourself, without reading guides?”
“Who said I’m researching to pursue her?” Mi Hongdou’s heart sank, her voice tinged with despair. “I’ve never thought about… being with her.”
Jiang Lingling almost dropped her chicken roll in shock. Fortunately, she caught it. Otherwise, she would be heartbroken. There were only two chicken rolls this morning, she had already eaten one, and if she dropped this half, it would be gone.
No, no, the chicken roll wasn’t important right now.
“You’ve never thought about being with her? Are you just playing with her? Mi Hongdou, if you’re that kind of person, we can’t be friends!” Jiang Lingling looked at Mi Hongdou with a condemning expression, practically accusing her of being inhuman.
Mi Hongdou was also shocked. “When did I say I was just playing with her? I mean, I’m not planning to let her know I like her, I’m not planning to be with her.” She glanced at Jiang Lingling. “But you were right about one thing, if you keep making assumptions about me, we really can’t be friends.”
“Why?” Jiang Lingling looked confused. “You clearly like her, why not let her know, why not be together? I think you two are a good match. Although… your names, you and your assistant Bai Tang, sound more compatible.”
“Jiang Lingling, can you stop making assumptions? Do you think there are so many women in this world who like other women? Look around, look at the bigger picture, same-sex relationships are rare. In such a small crew, there’s me, there’s you, that’s already enough.” Well, perhaps there was also Pan Xiang, who wrote so many yuri novels and whose sexual orientation was unclear, but Mi Hongdou was too tired to comment. “It’s not just about my feelings. Ji Junxin… she’s not…” Every word, although directed at Jiang Lingling, felt like a knife twisting in her own heart. The last sentence was especially difficult to say, but as soon as she said it, Mi Hongdou suddenly felt, yes, this was the truth, the painful truth she had to face.
Jiang Lingling was stunned by Mi Hongdou’s words. After a while, she asked, “How do you know I am? I don’t even know myself… and how do you know Ji Junxin isn’t?”
“…I just know.” Mi Hongdou stubbornly said, waving her hand, not wanting to continue this painful topic, and turned to leave. How could she not know? In her previous life, Jiang Lingling had joyfully and publicly come out, receiving her family’s blessings. And Ji Junxin had been with Zhang Zijing. Although it seemed that their relationship had been nipped in the bud by her and Qiao Rubai in this life, Ji Junxin was still… heterosexual.
Jiang Lingling opened her mouth, but this time, she didn’t call Mi Hongdou back. She was a little startled, not by Mi Hongdou’s words, but by the sudden sadness and exhaustion on her face.
No matter how much she liked Ji Junxin, how much she wanted to be with her, she wouldn’t force her… In Mi Hongdou’s eyes, Ji Junxin deserved a better fate. In this life, she would do her best to ensure that Ji Junxin had a good relationship, a good marriage, a happy family, and a lovely child… Mi Hongdou walked towards the chauffeured car, every step a stab of pain in her heart, but her steps were firm and resolute.
Wasn’t it said that eighty percent of people were bisexual, and another ten percent homosexual? That was ninety percent! Why was Mi Hongdou so certain that Ji Junxin belonged to the remaining ten percent? Jiang Lingling, holding her chicken roll, looked at her phone, she couldn’t understand.
So engrossed in this question, Jiang Lingling didn’t even consider why Mi Hongdou had so readily categorized her as part of the ten percent homosexual population.
Perhaps, stupidity was contagious.
Mi Hongdou left, leaving behind two unsolvable mysteries. Jiang Lingling watched her retreating figure for a long time, then turned and went back to the table laden with food.
She looked at the half-eaten chicken roll in her hand, then at the food on the table, then at her assistant, who had finished her steamed bun and was now eating congee, and after a moment of thought, walked over.
“Is it good?” Jiang Lingling asked bluntly, standing before her assistant.
The assistant swallowed the congee and hesitated, her face crumpling in a conflicted expression.
Jiang Lingling tapped the table. “Tell me the truth.”
The assistant sighed. “Since you asked, Miss Jiang, I’ll tell you… the steamed bun had thick skin and little filling, the dough wasn’t properly proofed, it was too dense, the filling was dry and bland. The vegetable congee had too many chopped stems, which were overcooked and too soft, it ruined the texture and tasted strongly of vegetables. They added dried shrimp, but the shells weren’t removed properly, and there wasn’t enough cooking wine, it tasted a little fishy.” She finished in one breath, glanced at the stunned Jiang Lingling, then quickly buried her face in her bowl and started eating, trying to minimize her presence.
A hand reached out and snatched the bowl away. Jiang Lingling sniffed the congee. It did have a slight shrimpy smell, but it couldn’t be as bad as her assistant described, right? “If it’s so bad, why are you still eating it?” she asked, puzzled.
The assistant glanced at the congee in Jiang Lingling’s hand, didn’t argue, but quickly went to the table, found an untouched bowl of congee and a clean spoon, and brought them back to Jiang Lingling.
Jiang Lingling hesitantly took a spoonful, blew on it, and ate it.
Then… she didn’t spit it out, of course, but her expression was slightly distorted.
After swallowing the strangely flavored congee, Jiang Lingling had to admit that her assistant had been very polite and reserved in her description. A bowl of vegetable congee, the stems not cooked properly was one thing, but why add dried shrimp? And if you added dried shrimp, why not add something to remove the fishy smell? It was incredibly fishy.
“It’s so disgusting, and you’re still eating it! Are you stupid!” Jiang Lingling repeated her earlier question, but this time, it wasn’t a question, it was a statement.
“It’s okay,” the assistant said calmly. “Yesterday’s stir-fried vegetables had half a box of minced garlic, the curry shrimp had the veins still in them, and the braised pork… was incredibly tough. Compared to those, this congee and steamed bun are edible.”
“…” Jiang Lingling was stunned. “It can’t be that bad. I sent a lot to Mi Hongdou, Ji Junxin, and even Director Pan yesterday. They didn’t complain.”
“Of course not.” The assistant looked at Jiang Lingling reproachfully. “I tried every dish yesterday before giving them the edible ones. And even those weren’t very good. As for what I ate… hehe…”
“You… why didn’t you tell me? I only had the fried chicken, and it was quite good.” Jiang Lingling was puzzled. “Why didn’t you tell me if it wasn’t good?”
The assistant was silent for a moment, then said, “Because after we moved to the estate, Miss Jiang, you were so happy about buying the restaurant, saying we could have food delivered from there, convenient and affordable, so clever. Seeing how happy you were… I didn’t want to ruin your mood by complaining about the food.”
Jiang Lingling was speechless. “But the food is so bad! If you don’t tell me, I might send it to other people, and then I’ll be the one being laughed at! Are you stupid!”
“…Miss Jiang, you promoted the chef who made you the chicken roll to head chef, and he has a discretionary budget. I’ve already suggested that he invite some skilled chefs from other restaurants to train them.” The assistant said seriously. “But it seems to have had no effect so far.”
“Of course not, culinary skills can’t be improved in just a few days!” Jiang Lingling put down her congee and picked up a shrimp dumpling. The taste was… incredibly ordinary, and bland.
The assistant, feeling defeated, lowered her head.
Jiang Lingling tried the steamed intestines with rice noodles, shumai, preserved egg and lean meat congee, and mashed potatoes with rice noodles… There were many flaws. They were edible, but truly ordinary, she didn’t even want a second bite. Thinking about the two baskets of shrimp dumplings she had enthusiastically given to Pan Xiang, Jiang Lingling felt a little sick.
But… looking at her pitiful assistant, she couldn’t bring herself to scold her. “Sigh, next time, just tell me. Hiring chefs to train them won’t improve the food quickly. Tell me, and I can find other solutions, like poaching chefs, or buying a new restaurant. We don’t have to eat this food anyway.” Jiang Lingling couldn’t bear to scold her, but she still had to make things clear.
“Mr. Dong said… Miss Jiang is busy filming recently, and I should learn to share your burdens.” The assistant’s face fell. “But I messed up again… will you fire me, Miss Jiang?”
“No.” Jiang Lingling smiled. “It’s okay, just remember to tell me these things in the future. I don’t need you to be super capable, just loyal. Like before, locking those troublesome actors in the bathroom, adding salt to their food, we worked well together, didn’t we?” Jiang Lingling said comfortingly.
The assistant cheered up a little. “Next time, we can put wasabi in their vegetables.”
“Yes, good idea.” Jiang Lingling smiled and nodded seriously. “See, you’re quite capable. Much better than Mi Hongdou’s assistant, Bai Tang. That assistant disappeared for months, at least you’re here helping me.”
The assistant thought about it and realized it was true. As an assistant, she was quite qualified. Her mood improved, and she and Jiang Lingling happily discussed whether to buy a new restaurant or poach some chefs.
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