Movie/TV series: Starting with Ode to Joy, I opened my own private kitchen.

Page 13

"It's like this, Su Chang, I came back to fight for the family fortune... So I got this GI project from my dad, but I don't know anything about it, so I can only come to you guys for help." Qu Xiaoxiao bluntly told Su Chang about fighting for the family fortune at home, but she described her situation at home as if she were in a den of demons, where she could be eaten at any time.

"Why don't you just ask Andy for help? She's a perfect fit for this kind of thing." Su Chang looked at Qu Xiaoxiao with a puzzled expression.

"Ahem! I only found out today that you, Su Chang, actually own 5.5% of our company's shares. Old Tan even asked me to ask you when you'd be free, as he wanted to invite you to dinner. Besides, you graduated with a PhD from Harvard at the age of 20, so it's perfect that you're here to give us some advice. As for Guan Guan, she's here to learn from you." Andy rarely offered an explanation.

Su Chang nodded, then said seriously, "First, Andy, as the CFO of Shengxuan Group, you actually revealed shareholder information. This makes me question your professionalism. I'll have a good talk with Tan Zongming about this later. We can have dinner together in the next few days; I'll probably be busy afterward. Second, Qu Xiaoxiao, Miss Qu, I know a bit about your family situation. They're a bit sexist, and your brother Qu Lianjie is quite wasteful. So, I don't really recommend you fight for the so-called family fortune. You might as well ask your father for some start-up capital and start your own business. Of course, this is just my suggestion; it's up to you whether you listen to it or not. Third, ladies, you all overestimate me. It's true I graduated from Harvard, but I majored in IT. Aren't you overestimating me?"

Andy stood up apologetically, bowed to Su Chang, and said, "I'm sorry, Su Chang, it's my fault. I'll talk to Lao Tan about it later, and it definitely won't happen again."

Andy understood that he was indeed in the wrong this time. A financial statement and shareholder information were trade secrets. If Su Chang took it seriously, he could be considered to have committed a commercial crime.

"Andy, it was just a joke, don't take it seriously. Just be more careful in the future."

Su Chang didn't really care about this kind of thing, but she still gave Andy a nudge. After all, if you want to win Andy's heart, you have to be able to overpower her.

Just like Andy's first boyfriend in the original drama, the netizen Qidian, he was obviously an opportunist who put himself in a very low position and loved to play tricks, so he was dumped by Andy not long after. Her second boyfriend, Xiao Baozong of Hongxing Group, had clear goals and was warm and considerate enough, but to be honest, he couldn't control her in terms of presence, so even after they got married, they often quarreled, and their marriage was not very happy.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Four Women Embarrassed

Su Chang suddenly smelled something burnt and immediately stood up and ran towards the kitchen.

"We're doomed! We're totally ruined! The food's going to burn. Let's talk about it after we finish eating."

Upon hearing Su Chang's words, Jiang Lai said to the three girls, "You haven't tried Su Chang's cooking yet, have you? It's delicious, even better than the food in Michelin-starred restaurants. You should try it later."

Seeing Jiang Lai's arrogant expression, Qu Xiaoxiao and Guan Juer wanted to slap her. What's with all the pride? Su Chang's cooking is so good, can't you see that Su Chang hasn't acknowledged your status as his girlfriend? However, it did make the three women somewhat curious about just how delicious Su Chang's cooking was. Although they didn't know Jiang Lai's true identity, they knew that she was not simple, and dishes praised by such a woman must be extraordinary.

Without keeping the four women waiting any longer, about ten minutes later, Su Chang asked Jiang Lai to go in and help him serve the dishes. Guan Juer also obediently went in to help. When the food was served, the four women's mouths watered at the sight of the colorful and delicious dishes.

"Alright, stop staring and let's eat." Su Chang said with a light laugh as she looked at the four women, feeling a great sense of pride.

"Hey! Brother Su Chang, I didn't know you had such skills." Qu Xiaoxiao praised Su Chang after hearing his words.

"Yes, yes, Su Chang, you're amazing." Guan Juer nodded in agreement from the side.

"Hehe! Then hurry up and start eating, or there won't be any left to eat later." Su Chang winked at the two of them. Qu Xiaoxiao and Guan Juer looked in the direction Su Chang indicated and saw Jiang Lai and Andy wolfing down their food without saying a word, their eating speed was outrageous.

"Hey! Andy, how can you be like that woman? We're best friends!" Qu Xiaoxiao complained to Andy, but Andy didn't even look up. She even ate faster because Guan Juer had joined the eating frenzy.

Su Chang was alright. He had been cooking a lot lately, so he didn't find it particularly difficult. He just ate while watching the four women fight over the food, which was quite a unique scene. After all, he didn't believe that the four women had the fighting power to eat such a full table of food.

However, Su Chang seemed to have underestimated the allure of the food to the four women. By the time the dishes were finished, Su Chang had only eaten about 70% of his fill, which was barely acceptable.

The four women leaned back in their chairs, showing no sign of moving. Su Chang had no choice but to start clearing the dishes herself. Seeing Guan Juer struggling to get up to help, Su Chang shook her head helplessly.

"Alright, Guan Guan, you should rest well too. Go digest your food later, otherwise your stomach won't be able to handle it."

"Uh! Okay." Guan Juer blushed slightly, but had no choice but to continue lying down like Ge You.

"Brother Su Chang, this is all your fault. If you hadn't made it so delicious, we wouldn't be in this situation."

Seeing Qu Xiaoxiao's smug and self-satisfied expression, Su Chang was furious. And with Andy and Jiang Lai nodding in agreement, Su Chang became even angrier.

"Fine, for your own health, don't expect to eat my cooking anymore, so you won't blame me if something goes wrong."

"No, Su Chang, I was wrong." Qu Xiaoxiao quickly apologized.

“Yes, Su Chang, I didn’t say that.” Jiang Lai quickly deflected the blame, while Andy looked up at the ceiling, pretending that what had just happened had nothing to do with her.

"Heh!" Su Chang chuckled coldly, ignoring the others, and continued tidying up.

"It's all your fault! Why did you say that? If Su Chang doesn't cook for me anymore, I'll never forgive you!" As soon as Su Chang entered the kitchen, Jiang Lai took the initiative to attack Qu Xiaoxiao.

"Hmph! It's not like you're not agreeing with me. Besides, do I care if Su Chang cooks for you or not? As long as Su Chang cooks for me, that's fine with me," Qu Xiaoxiao retorted without backing down.

"Tch! With your flat chest, Su Chang would like you? Don't dream about it." Jiang Lai looked Qu Xiaoxiao up and down, her lips curled in mockery.

"Ah! Jiang Lai, you're the washboard, your whole family are washboards." This really angered Qu Xiaoxiao. As the saying goes, you shouldn't insult someone by revealing their shortcomings, and you shouldn't hit someone in the face. Jiang Lai's words were incredibly hurtful.

Jiang Lai, however, calmly thrust out her bulge, looking at Qu Xiaoxiao with disdain. "Anyone who's not blind knows who's the washboard, right?"

"Pshaw! So what if she has a great figure? My skills are top-notch, I..."

"Stop!" Andy couldn't stand it any longer and immediately stopped the two women from spewing vulgarities. Guan Juer, who was standing next to them, wanted to bury her face in her chest. She really couldn't understand how these two women could say such shameful things so openly.

Andy's shout of "Stop!" silenced the two, but they soon glared at each other again, their eyes burning with anger as if they wanted to incinerate each other.

Suddenly, Su Chang came out of the kitchen carrying a tray. He had overheard Qu Xiaoxiao and Jiang Lai's suggestive remarks in the kitchen, and to be honest, he was also a little overwhelmed.

Su Chang came to the table, placed the tray on it, handed a cup of tea to Guan Juer, and then handed another cup of tea to Andy.

"Alright, this is hawthorn tea, it's good for digestion, otherwise you might actually get sick." After saying that, Su Chang walked back to the kitchen.

"Hey! Brother Su Chang, where's my tea?" Qu Xiaoxiao called out as soon as she saw Su Chang about to leave.

“Yes, and me too,” Jiang Lai quickly chimed in.

"Hehe! I see your voices are both loud, so getting two cups of tea is no problem at all." Su Chang turned around, chuckled, and left.

The two women had no choice but to get up with difficulty, grabbing onto the table to stand up, trying not to bend over, and stretching their arms forward.

"Pfft..."

Seeing the two girls' funny expressions, Guan Juer couldn't help but burst out laughing. Andy also had a rare smile on her lips, her head down and her shoulders swaying, clearly trying to hold it in.

"Guan Guan..."

"Guan Ju'er..."

Qu Xiaoxiao and Jiang Lai turned their heads and glared fiercely at Guan Juer. Guan Juer immediately covered her mouth with one hand to indicate that she had shut up.

Guan Juer tried hard to suppress her laughter, worried that if she laughed out loud, she would face even fiercer retaliation from Qu Xiaoxiao and Jiang Lai. However, her gaze involuntarily fell on the two cups of hawthorn tea.

At this moment, Andy gently patted Guan Juer's shoulder and whispered, "Bear with it." Guan Juer nodded without hesitation.

Despite their somewhat clumsy movements, Qu Xiaoxiao and Jiang Lai eventually managed to get the teacup.

When Jiang Lai took her first sip of hawthorn tea, she felt a sweet and sour taste spread in her mouth, instantly whetting her appetite. Qu Xiaoxiao also showed a satisfied smile.

Seeing this, Andy and Guan Juer exchanged a glance and then burst into laughter. Jiang Lai and Qu Xiaoxiao followed suit. The laughter lightened the atmosphere among the four of them.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Misunderstanding

After resting for a while, the four women and Su Chang all sat around the coffee table. Qu Xiaoxiao still decided to work on the GI project proposal, and she handed a document directly to Andy.

"Andy, please help me."

Andy took the documents and carefully looked through them, then placed them on the coffee table after a short while.

"This document is simply an introduction to GI company and a project overview. Is there anything you don't understand?"

"Ahem!" Qu Xiaoxiao awkwardly touched her nose. "Sister Andy, I don't understand this at all."

"Huh? Qu Xiaoxiao, didn't you come back from abroad? How come you can't understand it?" Guan Juer looked at Qu Xiaoxiao with surprise.

"Ahem!" Qu Xiaoxiao coughed twice again. "Okay, I just went to a diploma mill abroad, the kind where you can get a degree as long as you pay money. My English level is only good enough to flirt with handsome guys."

"Then there's nothing we can do. Even if we help you create the proposal now, you'll still need to handle the communication in the end." Andy helplessly spread his hands, indicating that he was powerless to help.

"Ah? Sister Andy, please help me." Qu Xiaoxiao still didn't want to give up and looked at Andy with a pitiful expression.

"There are only two options now. One is to figure out the information yourself, and the other is to give up and ask your dad for some funding to start a business, just like Su Chang said. You can still make it work."

“But I don’t know anything about starting a business. Besides, starting a business requires not only capital but also resources. Where would I get the resources if I were to start my own business independently?” Qu Xiaoxiao looked at Andy with a worried expression.

"Are you stupid? We're letting you start your own business, not cutting ties with your family. Aren't your parents' resources your resources too? Besides, you have so many shady friends around you. As long as your family doesn't fall apart, you can still use their resources, right?" Su Chang couldn't help but complain. He just couldn't understand it. Qu Xiaoxiao seemed quite clever when watching the TV series, but now that he was in contact with her, she was like a silly husky.

"Uh! Okay." Qu Xiaoxiao didn't retort when she heard Su Chang's complaint. "I'll go back and think about it. After all, this is the first project I finally got from my dad. I have to finish this project first, no matter what."

"I really doubt your intelligence. Why don't you start a company first? Isn't this your company's first project? Otherwise, you can prepare the proposal and leave the project in your dad's company. Wouldn't that be the same as leaving it to your brother?" Su Chang complained again.

"Okay, fine." Qu Xiaoxiao stuck out her tongue, put away the documents, and walked towards the door. She really couldn't stay any longer; this was a complete intellectual crushing defeat, it was so embarrassing.

Andy and Guan Juer felt embarrassed to stay with Su Chang any longer, so they said goodbye to Su Chang and Jiang Lai and left with Qu Xiaoxiao.

After that, only Su Chang and Jiang Lai remained in the room, with Jiang Lai looking at Su Chang with a resentful expression.

Am I bad? Do I have a bad figure? Am I not pretty? Am I not good enough for you?

"Ahem!" Su Chang heard Jiang Lai's words and, looking at her curvaceous figure, swallowed hard. "She's very pretty, and has a great figure too. This one..."

"Um?" Jiang Lai stood up and glared fiercely at Su Chang, baring her teeth, as if she would rush up and tear Su Chang to pieces if he said anything bad.

"Look at yourself now, what man likes a tigress?" Su Chang was not intimidated at all. As the great man once said, all reactionaries are paper tigers.

"Ah! Who's the tigress? Tell me clearly who the tigress is!" Jiang Lai pounced on Su Chang, but Su Chang casually reached out and pressed a hand on Jiang Lai's head to keep her away.

"Ouch! Are you counting dogs?" Su Chang suddenly cried out in pain, her relaxed demeanor turning into anger.

When Jiang Lai realized she couldn't catch Su Chang, she bit Su Chang's hand. Su Chang quickly used her other hand to pinch Jiang Lai's mouth. When Jiang Lai let go in pain, Su Chang quickly pulled out her other hand and shook her arm.

"Oh my god, did you get a rabies vaccine? Please don't infect me."

"what······"

Jiang Lai became even angrier upon hearing Su Chang's words and opened her mouth to bite Su Chang again. Su Chang quickly withdrew her hand to prevent Jiang Lai from biting her. With no obstacle in sight, Jiang Lai pounced on Su Chang.

Su Chang braced himself against Jiang Lai's shoulders with both hands, but Jiang Lai rushed over too fast. Su Chang lost his balance and was tackled onto the sofa by Jiang Lai. The two of them were pressed together, their bodies close together and their faces very close. They stared at each other in silence, neither of them saying a word.

"what!"

A moment later, Jiang Lai cried out and tried to get up. It turned out that the two of them were leaning against each other, and Su Chang had the normal reaction a man should have. Jiang Lai wasn't a woman who didn't understand anything, so she immediately wanted to get away and tried to get up. However, she got up too suddenly and bumped into Su Chang's feet. She pounced on Su Chang again, and Su Chang quickly reached out to help her up, but before he could straighten his arm, Jiang Lai fell down.

"Ah! You bastard!" Jiang Lai cried out and slapped Su Chang across the face. It turned out that Su Chang's hands were holding Jiang Lai's soft breasts and had even squeezed them a couple of times. Seeing Jiang Lai's slap coming, Su Chang immediately reached out to stop her. Jiang Lai lost her balance and fell towards Su Chang again. Then their mouths met. They were both stunned for a few seconds. Jiang Lai shook off Su Chang's hand and jumped away hastily.

"You bastard, just you wait, I won't let you get away with this!" Jiang Lai shouted after jumping away, then ran into the bedroom with a red face.

"Tsk tsk... That figure is really something, and those lips are so soft and sweet." After Jiang Lai left, Su Chang licked his lips and chuckled lewdly.

······

Just as Su Chang finished cooking dinner, the doorbell rang.

"Who is it? Coming, coming." Su Chang was in the kitchen, and Jiang Lai, who was watching TV on the sofa, put on her slippers and came to the door in an annoyed manner. As soon as she opened the door, she saw three familiar faces and two unfamiliar faces.

"Hi! Jiang Lai, we're here again." Qu Xiaoxiao saw Jiang Lai carrying two bottles of wine and a stack of documents rushing into the house first. Then, the other four girls on the 22nd floor smiled and nodded to Jiang Lai and went into the house as well. When Jiang Lai saw the five of them go in, she could only shake her head helplessly and close the door.

"Hi! Brother Su Chang, we from the 22nd floor are coming up for dinner again! Sister Fan and Qiu Yingying are here tonight too." Qu Xiaoxiao put down her things and immediately came to the kitchen door to greet Su Chang warmly.

"Please have a seat. You've come at the perfect time. Dinner can start in a bit." What could Su Chang say? They were already here; he couldn't just kick them out. He just decided in his heart that he definitely couldn't stay home tomorrow, or he'd really become a stay-at-home dad.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Finalizing the Design Drawings