stonecrandall Page 12
Page 12
"Hey! Su Chang, where's my breakfast?"
"Uh! I thought you were going to cry for another day, so I didn't prepare anything for you!"
Upon hearing Su Chang's words, Jiang Lai became furious. She stepped forward, snatched the coffee cup from his hand, and gulped it down.
"How can you be like this! I was so sad yesterday! Can't you take care of me a little more?" Jiang Lai glared at Su Chang and said.
Su Chang shook his head helplessly, thinking to himself that this woman was really difficult to please.
"Alright, alright, Miss, I'll go make you breakfast right now. What would you like to eat?" Su Chang asked.
"I want a sandwich with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and cheese, and a thick layer of peanut butter on top!" Jiang Lai said without any politeness.
"Do you think this is a restaurant? You've already ordered food." Su Chang rolled her eyes in annoyance and said as she walked towards the restaurant, "Just eat whatever they make, don't be so fussy."
"No...didn't you ask me what I wanted to eat?" Jiang Lai was exasperated but couldn't do anything about Su Chang. "Hey! Su Chang, do you have a new toothbrush and towel?"
"No, I live alone. Where would I get a new toothbrush and towel?" Su Chang replied while making breakfast.
Jiang Lai sat back down at the table, drinking Su Chang's coffee while waiting for Su Chang to make breakfast. Before long, Su Chang brought over a bowl of steaming noodles with a sweet egg on top.
As soon as Su Chang brought the noodles over, Jiang Lai couldn't wait to taste them. She had tried Su Chang's cooking last night and found it to be many times better than what she could find elsewhere. Even this simple bowl of egg noodles was something she craved.
“Great, great, Su Chang, come with me to buy some things later, and some groceries too. What should we eat for lunch?” Jiang Lai said matter-of-factly.
"Ahem! Miss Jiang, this seems to be my home, right?" Su Chang looked at Jiang Lai speechlessly, while Jiang Lai nodded affirmatively.
"Yes, that's your house."
"Miss Jiang, shouldn't you go back to your own home?"
"What are you going home for?"
"Why would you go home? That's a great question, you've really taken this to a whole new level. If you're not going home, what are you doing at my house?" Su Chang was completely speechless at Jiang Lai's question. It was so infuriating, and Jiang Lai acted like it was perfectly normal. Su Chang didn't know how Jiang Lai had developed such a thick skin; she was probably just as shameless as Qu Xiaoxiao downstairs.
"Uh!" Seeing Su Chang on the verge of exploding in anger, Jiang Lai's eyes darted around before she suddenly had an idea. "Um... don't you remember my brother has a car with you? I have to keep an eye on my brother's car."
"So you mean you'll stay here with me as long as this car is with me?" Su Chang laughed in exasperation. Did she not even use her brain to come up with an excuse? But Su Chang was really wrong about Jiang Lai. She had racked her brains to come up with such an excuse, even though it was a bit far-fetched.
"Well, since the car hasn't left, I'll stay here for now." Jiang Lai didn't give Su Chang a chance to react, put down her chopsticks and ran towards the bedroom, saying as she ran, "I'm going to wash up first, then come with me to buy some things later."
"When did I say I'd go shopping with you? You brat." Su Chang said this, but the corners of his mouth that were harder to suppress than AK's showed that he was in a very good mood. After all, who wouldn't be in a good mood after being single for a long time and having such a beautiful woman living in their house?
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After accompanying Jiang Lai on a shopping spree at the mall, Su Chang walked into the supermarket empty-handed. It wasn't that the two of them didn't buy anything, but have you ever seen a store that doesn't offer home delivery for purchases of hundreds of thousands? Jiang Lai bought complete sets from head to toe, and Su Chang followed suit, buying a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711/1A-010 worth over a million yuan, as well as a Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Collection 1558420 worth over a million yuan. They were simply outrageously extravagant.
Upon arriving at the supermarket, Jiang Lai quickly filled a shopping cart to the brim with all sorts of food, household items, snacks, and drinks. Su Chang felt a headache coming on and had to quickly interrupt the still excited Jiang Lai.
"Miss Jiang, the shopping cart is full, isn't that enough?"
"Huh? If it's full, just get another one. Do I really have to tell you that?" Jiang Lai retorted irritably without even turning her head, her brows furrowed.
"Then please call your bodyguard over, Miss Jiang. I won't keep you company." Su Chang also had a temper. Although you are a beauty, it's true. You're treating me like a servant. I have no intention of being a sycophant in this life. He immediately pushed the car directly in front of Jiang Lai and walked out.
"Hey! Su Chang, if you don't want to buy it, then don't buy it. I was wrong, okay?" Jiang Lai finally realized what had happened. She had gotten so caught up in the shopping that she had mistaken Su Chang for the group of bodyguards who usually followed her. So she blurted it out out of habit. She quickly lowered herself and pushed the shopping cart, explaining as she followed Su Chang to the checkout counter.
Su Chang wasn't really angry. After all, it's impossible to expect a spoiled heiress from a multi-billion dollar conglomerate to suddenly become a virtuous wife and mother.
As soon as Su Chang arrived at the cashier, she saw two familiar figures. One was the Bull Terrier who was paying at the cashier, and the other was Peng Jiahe, who looked guilty and was tightly clutching her overflowing clothes. Su Chang knew exactly what was going on, so she could only tell Jiang Lai behind her, "You go ahead and pay. There are two acquaintances over there. I'll go over there for a bit."
"Hey! Where are you going? I can't carry all this stuff." Jiang Lai called out as soon as she saw Su Chang running away. Su Chang simply replied, "I'll be right back. You can pay the bill first."
Su Chang rushed up behind Peng Jiahe, who was about to reach the security checkpoint, and pulled her back. Peng Jiahe was so startled that she let go of her hands, and the snacks hidden in her clothes fell to the ground. She then yelled at Su Chang, "Are you crazy...?"
He had just called out when he saw it was Su Chang, so he swallowed the rest of his words and immediately did a 360-degree turn on his expression, saying with a forced smile, "Hehe! Brother Su Chang, what are you doing here?"
Su Chang didn't say much, but pointed to the snacks on the ground and asked Peng Jiahe, "What's going on here?"
At this moment, everyone's eyes were drawn to the checkout counter, and the security guard at the door, Lu Yuan, and Jiang Lai also walked over.
Chapter Twenty-Three: Stealing
"Sir? What's going on here?" The security guard politely asked Su Chang first. After all, anyone with eyes could see that this girl was suspicious, but their supermarket only required someone to pay the bill. Instead of arresting a girl who didn't know if she had any money, why not ask the guy who looked like he was rich if he was willing to pay? Not all security guards are as brainless as those in novels; these guys were quite sensible.
"Hehe! It's nothing. My sister has a bit of a sweet tooth. We're not allowed to eat that many snacks at home, so she just tried to sneak some without us noticing," Su Chang could only explain stiffly.
"Oh, is that so? No problem. Sir, would you please take your sister to the cashier to pay? After all, it's fallen on the floor, and it wouldn't be appropriate to put it back on the shelf." The security guard was shrewd; he didn't say anything, just let you pay first.
"Okay, no problem, no problem, thank you!" Su Chang replied with a smile, then turned to Peng Jiahe and said irritably, "Aren't you going to pick up your things and come with me to pay the bill?"
"Oh." Peng Jiahe immediately responded and quickly picked up the things on the ground, following Su Chang towards the cashier.
Seeing that Lu Yuan and Jiang Lai wanted to say something, Su Chang had no choice but to give them another wink: "Let's pay the bill first and then go out to talk."
Hearing Su Chang's words, Lu Yuan and Jiang Lai had no choice but to give up for the time being and return to their respective places. Su Chang also led Peng Jiahe to Lu Yuan's checkout area and handed over the things Peng Jiahe was carrying. After scanning the code, the cashier politely said to Lu Yuan, "Sir, hello, the total is 958 yuan. Would you like to pay in cash or by card?"
After listening to the cashier, Lu Yuan opened his wallet and took out the few Red Bulls and loose change he had. He looked embarrassed and his face turned red. Su Chang helplessly took out a bank card and handed it to the cashier: "Pay by card."
"Okay, sir." The cashier, who was initially a little impatient, immediately lit up when she saw Su Chang hand over the bank card. She took the card, swiped it, and handed it back to Su Chang after he entered the PIN. Su Chang then said to Lu Yuan and Peng Jiahe, "You two wait outside for me. I'll talk to you later."
"OK.".
“Okay, Su Chang-ge.” Lu Yuan and Peng Jiahe immediately agreed.
After Jiang Lai paid the bill, Su Chang, carrying bags in both hands, led the three of them to his car in the underground parking garage.
"Tell me, what happened?" Su Chang asked, looking at Lu Yuan and Peng Jiahe sitting in the back row.
"Ahem! Brother Su Chang, I came out to buy things. I wanted to buy some snacks, but Lu Yuan wouldn't let me, and I didn't have any money on me, so I had to take them myself," Peng Jiahe explained first.
"Peng Jiahe, is that taking? That's stealing, it's illegal, do you know that?" Su Chang angrily questioned Peng Jiahe when he saw her still trying to argue.
"No, Su Chang, when we were abroad and we were short of money, Lu Yuan often led me to do this." Peng Jiahe immediately retorted when she saw Su Chang was angry.
Upon hearing Peng Jiahe's words, Su Chang and Jiang Lai both glared at Lu Yuan with hostility. Lu Yuan could only lower his head helplessly. What could he do? There was no way to deny it. He had indeed done a lot of things while he was living a life of debauchery abroad.
"Oh, I remember now, aren't you the one who wouldn't let the young lady upgrade her cabin while holding an urn?" Jiang Lai also remembered who these two people were at this moment, mainly because she had a very deep impression of them, especially Lu Yuan, who had made her stay with the ashes the whole way.
"Ahem! It's because I'm poor, Su Chang. Don't worry, the money you just paid is a loan from me. I'll pay you back as soon as I find a job, okay?" Lu Yuan couldn't avoid the question any longer, so he quickly explained.
"Am I talking to you about money right now? Are you even her father? No matter how poor you are, you can't take your daughter to steal, right? Aren't you setting a bad example for the child?" Su Chang lashed out at Lu Yuan, pretending not to know about their relationship.
"Who's my dad? My sister's father was killed by this scumbag." Peng Jiahe immediately lost her temper again.
"Smack..."
"Who do you think you are, sister? You have no manners." Su Chang smacked Peng Jiahe on the head with her backhand.
Peng Jiahe covered her head, remaining silent with red eyes, looking as if she was about to cry.
"What are you looking at?" Su Chang glared at Peng Jiahe irritably, then looked at Lu Yuan with a hostile expression. "Fine, even if you're not her father, you're still her guardian or a relative, right?"
"Ahem! Guardian." Lu Yuan had no choice but to reply. He knew he was in the wrong, and he couldn't beat the other person in a fight.
“Fine, since you’re her guardian, her father must trust you to entrust her to you, right? And you’re taking her to do all this? Besides, this isn’t abroad. What will she do in the future if she has a criminal record? Work as a laborer?” Su Chang scolded again.
"Yes, don't worry, it won't happen again."
"Brother Su Chang, I won't do it again in the future," Lu Yuan and Peng Jiahe replied weakly.
"Alright, your name is Lu Yuan, right? Tell me, what skills or special talents do you have?" Su Chang knew the situation between the two, so he offered to help. Actually, it was not certain who would help whom, after all, Lu Yuan was a real Michelin-starred restaurant chef, not the kind of person who just went abroad to get a degree and then showed off a few tricks.
“Lu Yuan used to be a Michelin-starred chef at a Western restaurant.” Peng Jiahe interrupted before Lu Yuan could speak. She had just learned this from Gan Jing. She had always thought Lu Yuan was just a mediocre fast food chef who had lost his sense of taste, but she had selectively kept his loss of taste a secret.
"Ahem! Um... I've lost my sense of taste, so..." Lu Yuan blurted out the truth himself, causing Peng Jiahe next to him to roll her eyes helplessly.
"Hmm." Su Chang nodded, then fell into thought. After all, she ran a private restaurant with Tang Dynasty elements, specializing in Chinese food. According to the plot, Lu Yuan would apply for a job at Jiang Haokun's Western restaurant. Because of Jiang Lai, Lu Yuan also became the head chef. But now, because of her involvement, the plot has changed. Jiang Lai is obviously going to stick with her, so Lu Yuan probably won't have much of a chance.
He could only think of three solutions. The first was to hire him directly to his private restaurant. Inevitably, customers would need Western food, and he could cook it. But to be honest, he didn't want too many people at that restaurant. The second solution was to reinvest in Lu Yuan's new Western restaurant. After all, Lu Yuan's loss of taste wasn't insurmountable. Once that was resolved, and with the recipe notes Gan Jing had made for Lu Yuan, it should be no problem at all. However, Lu Yuan seemed to be on the west coast of the United States, trying to achieve Peng Hai's life goals. The third solution was to ask Jiang Lai for help and have him continue working at the Western restaurant he worked at in the drama.
“My family owns a Western restaurant, why don’t we let him work there?” Jiang Lai said before Su Chang could even bring it up.
"Ahem! Lu Yuan, let me remind you, Jiang Haokun is this girl's brother. Think it over before you answer." Su Chang didn't want things to get awkward like in the drama; Lu Yuan had a very strong sense of pride.
"Su Chang, do you have any other job offers?" As expected, Lu Yuan directly rejected Jiang Lai's suggestion.
“I have two suggestions. One is that I plan to open a private restaurant in the style of the Tang Dynasty, mainly serving Chinese food, but there might be people who need Western food, so you can come and help me. The second is that I invest in opening a Western restaurant and you can be the head chef, while I find a professional manager. Which one do you want to choose?”
"How about... I try to find it myself first, since I don't have a sense of taste right now... I..." Lu Yuan thought for a moment but still refused.
"Alright, you can look for it yourself first. Actually, your loss of taste is probably related to your mental illness. Once that's resolved, there won't be any more problems."
"Uh! Okay, we'll talk about it later. Let's go home first. Jiahe's grandma is still waiting."
"Alright, I'll take you directly." Seeing Lu Yuan about to pull Peng Jiahe out of the car, Su Chang said directly without any room for argument. Lu Yuan didn't refuse, knowing that Su Chang wouldn't bring up that topic again for the time being, so he didn't insist on getting out of the car.
Chapter Twenty-Four: Andy Makes a Mistake
As soon as Su Chang and Jiang Lai arrived home, Jiang Lai eagerly grabbed Su Chang's arm and asked, "Su Chang, who is this Lu Yuan? And he seems to have a connection with Jiang Haokun, and it seems their relationship isn't very good."
Su Chang thought to herself, "Can I tell you that she was a pitiful wretch who was schemed against by that bastard of a brother? Or was she your brother's love rival? Your brother is just a schemer and a sycophant."
"Your brother and he should be quite familiar. The day your brother proposed, he actually went to steal the bride..." Su Chang told Jiang Lai in detail about the day Jiang Haokun proposed to Gan Jing, and Lu Yuan also joined in the fun by proposing. Afterwards, he carried Gan Jing away and ran away. He also pointed out that Jiang Haokun bullied Peng Jiahe, a minor girl.
He didn't know why he liked to occasionally belittle Jiang Haokun and argue with him. Maybe he couldn't stand Jiang Haokun's ruthlessness and domineering nature. Who the hell can have a relationship that is full of intrigue and domineering behavior? Besides, others harm others without benefiting themselves, but he harmed both himself and others, directly causing a tragedy for three people.
"Wow, that's so exciting! It's a pity I missed such a great scene because of that bastard Chen Fang." After hearing Su Chang's story, Jiang Lai jumped up excitedly, then looked regretful, but it was clear that she had moved on from Chen Fang's shadow.
Su Chang didn't say anything more after that. She carried the groceries into the kitchen to prepare lunch, while Jiang Lai started arranging her things. Not long after, the shopping mall staff delivered the items, and Jiang Lai became even busier. Jiang Lai threw Su Chang's things into the second bedroom where he had slept the night before. Su Chang noticed this but didn't say anything. She continued to work in the kitchen, since Jiang Lai had bought a lot of seafood and high-end ingredients that needed to be processed.
"Ding-dong... Ding-dong..."
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Jiang Lai ran out of the bedroom, muttering to herself, "Who is it? Have all the things I ordered been delivered? Is there something I forgot?"
Jiang Lai opened the door and found a petite girl and a woman in a professional suit with a cold expression. She looked like a strong woman. Behind them was a well-behaved girl wearing round-framed glasses and a school uniform. These three women were none other than Qu Xiaoxiao, Andy, and Guan Juer.
"Who are you looking for?"
Upon seeing Jiang Lai, the three women were taken aback. Qu Xiaoxiao spoke first, "We're looking for Brother Su Chang. Is this Brother Su Chang's house? Who are you?"
"I'm Jiang Lai, Su Chang's girlfriend. What do you need Su Chang for? He's cooking right now." Hearing Jiang Lai introduce herself as Su Chang's girlfriend, Qu Xiaoxiao looked puzzled, Andy remained unfazed, while Guan Juer's face darkened, and she lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.
"Whose girlfriend are you?" Su Chang came out when he heard the voices at the door. He grabbed Jiang Lai's head and pushed her aside. He still had to pick up girls, so how could he let Jiang Lai ruin things for him? "Qu Xiaoxiao, Andy, Guan Guan, what do you need me for? Why don't you come in and we can talk?"
"Okay, Brother Su Chang." Qu Xiaoxiao made a face at Jiang Lai and rushed in first. Andy nodded and smiled at Su Chang and went in as well. Guan Juer blushed and greeted Su Chang shyly, "Brother Su Chang, thank you for your help."
"Haha! It's okay, Guan Guan, welcome to my home." Su Chang loved seeing kind and shy girls blush; it was so cute, and he really wanted to rub them a couple of times. Guan Juer also took small steps inside.
"Hey! Su Chang, you like this style? I didn't know you liked little bunnies." After Guan Juer went inside, Jiang Lai leaned close to Su Chang and asked in a wink.
"What nonsense are you talking about? She's my savior, you can see she's blushing. Don't talk nonsense later, or I won't cook for you. She's very shy." Su Chang warned her irritably. He knew that Jiang Lai was just as bad as Qu Xiaoxiao, both prone to crazy talk. If he didn't warn her, who knew what outrageous things she might say.
"What brings you here this time?" Su Chang asked Qu Xiaoxiao and the other two girls.