Chapter 28 Dinner for Four

"Ding dong~"

Doorbell rang.

"Hongdou should be here. I'll go open the door."

Chen Mo, who was washing vegetables, heard the doorbell. He immediately turned off the faucet, wiped his hands with a cloth, and spoke as he walked out.

"So enthusiastic, and yet he says there's no problem." Jiang Congwen muttered softly as he watched Chen Mo's quick back.

Chen Mo opened the door and it was indeed Xu Hongdou.

Xu Hongdou changed into a loose blue striped sweater and white home casual pants, and wore a headband. She took off the exquisite makeup she wore to work, and her bare face was as stunning as a lotus flower emerging from clear water.

As expected, she looks beautiful even without makeup, Chen Mo thought.

If a woman meets you without makeup, at least she doesn't treat you as an outsider.

"Here you are, come in quickly." Chen Mo stepped aside and said.

"Sorry, it took a while." Xu Hongdou said.

"No, the food was just delivered not long ago. You can sit on the sofa for a while and you can start eating right away." Chen Mo said.

"How can that be? Let me come and help too. Is there anything you need me for?" Xu Hongdou asked.

"No, for hot pot, you just need to wash and cut some meat and vegetables and put them on a plate. You don't need to cook."

"You buy things and we'll clean them up. We have a clear division of labor." Chen Mo looked at Xu Hongdou, who still looked a little embarrassed, and continued.

"And the kitchen is small, there's not enough space for three people."

"Then I'll wait for the meal?" Xu Hongdou saw that the kitchen was indeed not big and it would be too crowded for three people, so she didn't bother to be polite.

"Of course, just sit for a moment, it will be ready soon. There are washed fruits on the table, you can use them as a snack first." Chen Mo said with a smile.

"Okay." Xu Hongdou nodded.

Soon, Chen Mo and Jiang Congwen prepared the vegetables and meat and put them on the plates. Just like last time, they prepared a 2-pot dish, one spicy hot pot and one plain hot pot.

"What would you two like to drink?" Chen Mo took a can of Coke from the refrigerator and looked at the two of them.

Chen Mo had to drive back later, so he didn't drink.

"I want beer." Jiang Congwen said.

"Where's Anko?"

"I'll just have a Coke." Xu Hongdou said.

Chen Mo took out a can of Coke and beer from the refrigerator and gave them to the two of them.

"Then I have to drink alone." Jiang Congwen looked at the two of them drinking Coke and opened his own beer and said.

"Aren't you going to broadcast live tonight?" Xu Hongdou asked Jiang Congwen.

"No, the live broadcast equipment has been put away in the afternoon. We will move it over there tomorrow." Jiang Congwen explained after taking a sip of beer.

"Oh, I see." Xu Hongdou nodded.

"By the way, the video you shot today will be online." Jiang Congwen suddenly remembered and said.

"The post-production was completed and sent to me in the afternoon. I thought I wouldn't be doing a live broadcast today, so I just posted a video today."

Chen Mo nodded, he knew about this.

"Has it been sent?" Xu Hongdou asked, picking up the phone.

"It should be about time, right? I set it to be released at 8 o'clock." Jiang Congwen said after looking at the time.

"Have you all seen it?" Xu Hongdou looked at Chen Mo.

"I saw it this afternoon. It's well filmed. You can take a look." Chen Mo nodded.

"Let me see where it was sent." Xu Hongdou opened her cell phone and started looking for it.

"TikTok, an account that says 'the arts and sciences are inseparable.'"

"There is no separation between arts and sciences?" Xu Hongdou whispered.

"My girlfriend... um, ex-girlfriend, is called Li Jinting. She's the one you saw downstairs just now." Jiang Congwen said frankly.

After thinking it through and making up his mind, he no longer avoided it.

Xu Hongdou nodded suddenly, "Li" and "Li" are homophones.

At this time, the video had been released for a while and there were already comments on it online.

【Why is there no live broadcast tonight? 】

[What is this video, a music video?]

[This voice sounds right, but this person is obviously not me. AI can't change faces like this, right? ]

[Is it not important? Didn’t anyone notice that the girl in the video is pretty? 】

[That handsome guy is not bad either, he has about 70% of my style. ]

[Don't hurt your back when you talk upstairs. Even I dare to say that you are only slightly inferior to me. ]

[Wow, the average height of people online is 185cm, right?]

[If it were in real life, I would probably call him a handsome guy, but since this is on the Internet, I can only say that he is just average looking.]

[Can you delete this sentence and send it to me? ]

[Just based on their looks, I support this couple. 】

"Haha, you two are very popular." Jiang Congwen also took out his mobile phone to look at the feedback online.

Xu Hongdou was also watching her own video curiously. Judging from their appearance alone, the two of them were indeed a good match.

"Let's eat first." Chen Mo said.

Because the table was square, Chen Mo's position was right in the middle next to the two of them, so Chen Mo took on the task of brushing the meat.

Chen Mo first used the serving chopsticks to put some of the cooked meat into Xu Hongdou's bowl.

"Thank you, that's enough, that's enough. You don't need so much." Xu Hongdou said quickly as she saw Chen Mo gave her a lot.

Chen Mo nodded when he heard this, and poured the remaining meat in the strainer to Jiang Congwen.

"." Jiang Congwen.

Others just pick it up gently, but I just pour it out directly, like feeding a pig.

"Hongdou, would you like some vegetables?" Chen Mo asked.

"Okay, thank you, but not too much." Xu Hongdou nodded.

"The more meat I have, the better. Please help me shabu-shabu some more." Jiang Congwen said from the side.

"You rinse it yourself. You have hands."

"." Jiang Congwen.

"Do you dare to treat us any differently?" Jiang Congwen said speechlessly.

"Hongdou is a guest, and you too? You haven't moved out yet, this is your home." Chen Mo said as a matter of course.

Jiang Congwen kept muttering to himself, "I saw you opening the door just now, washing fruits and getting drinks for people, and now picking up food for people. This doesn't seem like my home."

Xu Hongdou was still focusing on the video and didn't pay much attention.

"There seems to be quite a heated discussion online about your last sentence 'add money'," said Xu Hongdou.

"is it?"

"Take a look." Xu Hongdou showed the phone to Chen Mo.

Seeing this, Chen Mo leaned his head over, and they both looked at the comments together.

[It was quite touching at the beginning, but the style suddenly changed at the end. ]

[My eyes are full of tears and I have the paper in my hand, and you are asking me to pay more?!]

[We all received nine years of compulsory education, so why are you so outstanding? ]

[Is this an allergy to romance? ]

[Am I the only one who feels jealous when I see the extra money? ]

[It looks like a joke at first glance, a little hard to laugh at at second glance, and a little sad at third glance. ]

【Adding money means goodbye. 】

[Adding money is just a stubborn cover-up, so the male protagonist’s expression can’t be seen clearly in the last scene. 】

[Answering a question that is not asked is already an answer. ]

"Everyone has a different interpretation." Xu Hongdou said softly.

"It's actually pretty good. You can treat it as a twisted joke or think the story has other meanings."

"There is popularity only when there is controversy. At least the purpose of promoting the song has been achieved," said Chen Mo.

"Hey, you two, haven't we got the priorities wrong?"

"You two should also take a look at the comments on the song I sang."

Jiang Congwen looked at the two people opposite him discussing the plot and couldn't help but say, "Didn't you say that once a work is completed, it has nothing to do with the creator?" Chen Mo looked at Jiang Congwen's anxious look and complained.

"That's just talk. So what? Bragging is against the law." Jiang Congwen said confidently.

[Hey guys, you just recommended "Her Eyelashes" to us yesterday, and today you're singing "Ten Years", act like a human being! ]

【Who said yesterday that we should listen to sweet love songs on Valentine's Day? 】

[“Ten Years” is nice to listen to, but hard to walk through. ]

[The song is nice, but do we have to sing it all before Valentine's Day?]

"This seems to make my resentment towards you even deeper." Xu Hongdou said.

"Well, that's not important." Jiang Congwen felt a little embarrassed when he looked at the comments in his comment section.

"I'm just a singer. This is none of my business. Blame the songwriter."

"Good guy, you take the benefits and I take the blame, right?" Chen Mo said speechlessly as he looked at Jiang Congwen's shameless look.

"They don't know yet that you wrote the song. Do you want me to help you promote it?" Jiang Congwen asked.

"No need." Chen Mo waved his hand.

At this moment, the message alerts on the cell phones of the three people present rang at the same time.

A message came from the group chat of "Food Squad".

Tiannanxing: Wow! Your video is so beautiful @Don't take bean buns as dry food @Chenpi Bupi
Arisaema: I feel like knocking on the door after seeing this.

When Jiang Congwen saw the message, he took out his mobile phone and took a picture of the two people with their heads close together, and sent it to the group.

Arisaema: !!!

Tian Nan Xing: What’s going on between you two? !

Tian Nan Xing: And you three are having dinner together without inviting me?!
Chen Nanxing felt betrayed by the world. The group chat was called "Food Squad", and then you three came to have dinner without inviting me?

So I'm the only outsider?

Xu Hongdou felt her best friend's resentment and quickly typed a reply.

Don’t take bean buns as dry food: we just happened to meet downstairs.

Don’t take bean buns as dry food: They are moving tomorrow, so they said they would have a meal together.

Don’t take bean buns as dry food: besides, you are far away and I don’t have time to call you.

Tiannanxing: Where are you eating now?

Don’t take bean buns as dry food: 1102 next door.

Tian Nan Xing: You're eating at someone's house?!
Don’t treat bean buns as dry food:.
Arisaema: Didn’t you drink?

"."Chen Mo.

"." Jiang Congwen.
After seeing the comments in the group, Chen Mo and Jiang Congwen were at a loss.

Chen Nanxing's words were almost like telling people to be careful of the two of them for having bad intentions.

In fact, it was not surprising that Chen Nanxing was worried. After all, her impression of Chen Mo and Jiang Congwen only stayed on their first meal together, and she did not have the subsequent experiences of Xu Hongdou and Chen Mo.

So when Chen Nanxing just heard Xu Hongdou say that Chen Mo gave him autographed photos and concert tickets, he couldn't help but feel that Chen Mo was being a little too attentive.

This was actually nothing, as Chen Nanxing knew the charm of her best friend.

A beautiful and graceful lady is a gentleman's ideal match.

But Chen Nanxing couldn't help but feel a little worried about going to someone else's house so soon.

How long have we known each other? More than a week? Less than two weeks.

Even though Chen Nanxing always told Xu Hongdou that Chen Mo was handsome and she could give it a try, the prerequisite was that they should proceed step by step and have a process of getting to know each other.

It was really fast and abnormal, and Chen Nanxing was also worried that Xu Hongdou had been cheated.

After all, there are many rich young men like Chen Mo who are all show and no substance.

"I'm sorry, Nanxing just cares about me." Xu Hongdou gave Chen Mo an apologetic look.

"It's okay. It's normal for her to worry about you as a girl. I can see that you have a very good relationship." Chen Mo shook his head and said.

"Nanxing is my best friend." Xu Hongdou said seriously and happily.

Who doesn't want to have a friend who really cares about you and thinks about you?
The older you get, the wiser you get: Don't worry, Miss Chen, I was the only one who drank a can of beer, neither of them drank it.

Jiang Congwen replied in the group.

The older you get, the wiser you will be: I will definitely call you next time, since you are the captain of our food team.

This group name includes the notes of everyone in the group, and was originally named based on the suggestion of Chen Nanxing.

Because the four of them met each other at a meal, and the names of the dishes in that restaurant were very interesting, such as Guan Gong meets Qin Qiong, and the meeting of mother and son.

So the group name was called Food Squad, and the remarks were changed to include characters from their names and be related to food.

Xu Hongdou also sent a private message to Chen Nanxing to explain the situation and let her rest assured.

After receiving the news, Chen Nanxing felt relieved, but he still asked Xu Hongdou to tell her after she returned from eating.

In the "Food Squad" group, Chen Nanxing also replied to the message.

Arisaema: Haha, I’m just worried that Hongdou will get drunk and act crazy.

Xu Hongdou: "."

Chen Mo looked at Xu Hongdou with curiosity.

Xu Hongdou just responded with a polite yet awkward smile.

The older you get, the wiser you become: Don't worry, Miss Chen, we are all upright gentlemen and good young people.

Arisaema: Bad people often say they are good people.

Arisaema: Of course, that’s not what I meant.

Tiannanxing: Just based on the handsome face of Mr. Chen, I believe you.

Xu Hongdou read the messages in the group, and then read the private message Chen Nanxing sent her just now, telling her to be careful and not to fall for the beauty trap, and to judge a person by his appearance but not his heart. She couldn't help but laugh.

There seems to be a saying that the more beautiful a woman is, the more likely she is to lie?

"What's wrong?" Chen Mo asked curiously as he saw Xu Hongdou smiling so happily.

"It's okay, I just thought of something happy." Xu Hongdou smiled and shook her head.

Chen Mo nodded, not understanding why.

The older you get, the wiser you get: Don't worry, Miss Chen, I don't have Chen Mo's face.

The older you get, the wiser you get: But I have sworn that I will never reconcile myself with gambling and drugs in this life!

Arisaema: Yellow? [Curious]

The older you get, the wiser you will be: I, Huang, swear that I will never reconcile with gambling and drugs in this life!

Tiannanxing: Isn’t your last name Jiang?
The older you get, the wiser you will be: God, I will never reconcile myself with gambling and drugs in my life!

Arisaema:
Arisaema: Huang, you didn’t mention a word!

Chen Mo and Xu Hongdou were also amused by the conversation between the two people in the group.

Chen Nanxing also shared his takeaway dinner and complained in the group about how miserable he was, complaining that he was all alone while the three of them were happily eating hotpot.

A few of them chatted and laughed, and with the addition of Chen Nanxing who was also joining them for dinner, it took them almost an hour to finish the hotpot.

This special dinner for four people brought the four people in the group chat closer to each other, and it seems that they can now be considered friends.

"We can just clean it up. You've already worked a full day and have to get up early tomorrow. Go get some rest."

After dinner, Chen Mo saw Xu Hongdou wanted to help clean up and stopped her.

"It's okay, there are so many people here, hurry up." Xu Hongdou said.

"Yes, Hongdou, we can come. We have more flexible working hours." Jiang Congwen also spoke.

"But."

Before Xu Hongdou could say anything, Chen Mo gently pushed her shoulder and sent her out the door.

"Don't say but. Go back and tell Nanxing quickly. If it's any later, I'm afraid she will call the police." Chen Mo said jokingly.

"It's not that exaggerated~" Xu Hongdou glanced at Chen Mo in reproach.

"Then you should go to bed early after you finish cleaning up." Xu Hongdou saw that she was being pushed out the door and had no choice but to give up.

Chen Mo smiled and nodded.

"OK, good night."

"Good night."

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(End of this chapter)