Wei Jing’s back was turned, so Yang Jiabo couldn’t see his expression, but Qin Rong looked thrilled.
Putting aside her personality, Qin Rong was undeniably beautiful - long, straight black hair, delicate features, stylish outfits, and a tall, curvaceous figure. She was exactly the type most men would fawn over.
Yang Jiabo felt a pang in his chest. He just said he wasn’t interested in her, and now they’re all over each other?
As he hesitated between approaching or avoiding them, Qin Rong noticed him.
“Oh, the little boss is here!” Qin Rong greeted him cheerfully.
“Just checking in,” Yang Jiabo nodded.
“Isn’t the farm busy? The little boss seems pretty free,” Qin Rong remarked.
“Jiajia, glad you’re here. I need to talk to you about something.” Wei Jing smoothly extricated his arm from Qin Rong’s grip and walked over to Yang Jiabo.
“What is it?” Yang Jiabo asked, puzzled.
“Let’s talk somewhere else. Excuse us.” Wei Jing gave Qin Rong an apologetic smile before leading Yang Jiabo away.
“Brother Wei Jing—!” Qin Rong called after them, but they were already gone.
“What’s this mysterious thing you wanted to talk about?” Yang Jiabo asked.
“Nothing, really. Brother Ren and the others want to visit your courtyard,” Wei Jing said, making up an excuse on the spot.
“Sure, it’s not like there’s anything to hide. But what was going on with you and Qin Rong? Since when are you two so close?” Yang Jiabo couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his voice.
“Nothing. She kept dragging me around, asking all sorts of questions. Seems like she’s suddenly very interested in your place.”
“Why the sudden change? That’s way too fast.” Yang Jiabo was suspicious. Did she have a new plan? Is she trying to cozy up to Wei Jing?
“No idea, but she seemed really curious about your cordyceps.”
“Is she trying to steal trade secrets or just get close to you?” Yang Jiabo was just as confused. He’d only grown them based on textbook methods, it was probably the little fleeceflower's doing. But after all these years, the plant hadn’t shown any strange behavior, never sent him dreams, and just kept thriving.
“Who knows?” Wei Jing shrugged.
The afternoon passed quickly with Ren Boying and the others fishing, playing cards, and boating. By evening, smoke rose from the pavilion over the lotus pond. Yang Jiabo had set up a grill, and all the prepared ingredients were brought out. The snake he’d mentioned earlier never appeared, Wei Jing realized he’d been tricked.
Thanks to the high-quality ingredients and excellent seasoning, everyone ate happily and drank plenty of beer. Yang Jianjun stopped by briefly to greet them before leaving again. Qin Rong seemed to have regained her senses and didn’t cause any trouble. She even considerately grilled skewers for Wei Jing, who couldn’t refuse and ate a little before sharing the rest with the others.
Xu Chen, unimpressed with Qin Rong’s cooking, refused to take any. Chang Jin pestered Tang Yu to grill his favorites, ignoring everyone else’s offerings. Meng Fan fended for himself, with occasional guidance from Ren Boying. As a result, most of Qin Rong’s cooking ended up in Zhang Yunwei and Qin Ruiwen’s stomachs.
“Jiajia, I didn’t expect you to be such a good grill master. Can you actually cook?” Xu Chen asked between bites. A self-proclaimed foodie, Xu Chen had quickly warmed up to Yang Jiabo after enjoying the farm’s fare.
“Just a few home-style dishes. Nothing special.” Yang Jiabo remained modest.
Xu Chen: “When do we get to taste your cooking?”
“You can try my breakfast tomorrow.” Since the restaurant didn’t serve breakfast and he didn’t want to overwork the chef, he’d decided to handle it himself.
“Looking forward to it.” Xu Chen raised his beer and clinked glasses with Yang Jiabo before downing it in one go.
“Jiajia, just make some simple noodles. Don’t go to too much trouble,” Wei Jing said.
“What kind of host tells their guests that? Besides, Jiajia didn’t say it was trouble.” Xu Chen shot him a disdainful look.
“For some reason, Jiajia’s name sounds familiar. Like I’ve heard it somewhere before.” Meng Fan frowned, trying to recall as he ate.
“Jiajia’s the kid who saved Wei Jing when they were little,” Ren Boying reminded him.
“Oh right! The grandpas mentioned him.” Meng Fan stared at Yang Jiabo. “So you’re the ‘model child’ they kept comparing us to.”
Chang Jin also scrutinized Yang Jiabo. “Now I remember. My old man used to hold you up as an example and say I was ‘too dumb to look at.’”
Suddenly, all of Wei Jing’s friends were staring at Yang Jiabo like he was an alien. Uncomfortable under their gaze, Yang Jiabo turned to Wei Jing. “What’s going on?”
“You saved me twice, right? And you’re smart and capable. My dad often praised you in front of the old man, who then brought you up in front of the other grandpas. Somehow, you became the ‘ideal child’ they used to compare everyone to.” Wei Jing grinned.
“You were the shadow over my entire childhood! ‘Bravely fought kidnappers,’ ‘fearlessly protected friends,’ ‘hardworking and business-savvy’ - listening to my old man, I thought he was describing some revolutionary martyr, not an actual kid my age.” Meng Fan groaned.
“Hearing you say it like that, even I think it’s exaggerated. I’m not that amazing.” Yang Jiabo broke into a sweat. Those old men missed their calling as scriptwriters.
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