VFGRC Chapter 50

“The proposal… what do you think of it?”

“Not great.”

Yu Bai’s response caused Ji Rongyu’s heart to skip a beat.

Ji Rongyu furrowed his brows but quickly relaxed them. “Why? What do you find unsatisfactory about it?”

Yu Bai, who was taking a sip of water, didn’t notice Ji Rongyu’s unusual expression.

Putting down his glass, Yu Bai explained, “The problem is… the terms they offer are too good. Whenever I look at the proposal, I can’t help but suspect that there might be some catch.”

Otherwise, why would such a renowned gourmet investment conglomerate offer him such substantial benefits for seemingly no reason?

Upon hearing Yu Bai’s words, Ji Rongyu’s movements froze momentarily.

When Ji Rongyu had worked on the proposal, he had been focused on considering Yu Bai. However, he had forgotten that Yu Bai wasn’t aware of his true identity and still believed he was an ordinary person.

Based on Yu Bai’s character, whether Ji Rongyu was influential or just an average person, it wouldn’t affect their friendship.

However, if Ji Rongyu were to reveal all the lies he had told Yu Bai in the past… he could hardly imagine the regretful, sad, and disappointed expression Yu Bai would have when he found out the truth.

Perhaps their friendship would be utterly shattered.

Perhaps Yu Bai might never want to see him again from that moment on.

…

If he chose to hide the lies, who’s to say they couldn’t remain hidden for a lifetime?

Yu Bai might never know about the lies he had once spoken.

They wouldn’t have to confront the mess that would result from the lies being exposed.

“Dad, I’m hungry! What are we having for dinner?”

“You’re hungry already? Okay, I’ll make you a bowl of rice.”

Setting aside the proposal in his hand, Yu Bai walked into the kitchen and started preparing dinner for Xing Xing and Ji Rongyu.

Observing Yu Bai’s back, Ji Rongyu slightly parted his lips and let out a soft sigh.

—

Everything Yu Bai prepared today was simple home-cooked dishes.

Garlic Spinach, Mapo Tofu, Salt and Pepper Chicken Strips, all served with a steaming bowl of Spinach and Pork Soup.

The Mapo Tofu Rice was fragrant and spicy, with the tender tofu blending seamlessly with the rice, making each grain as soft as the tofu itself.

The taste was simply indescribable!

Xing Xing finished three bowls of rice in one go, his little belly round and full.

Patting his plump belly, his chubby cheeks radiated happiness.

He realized that having the bad Nanny Uncle over for dinner wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

When the bad Nanny Uncle visited, Dad would make an extra dish, and the portion of each dish would be larger than usual.

Maybe it was because the food snatched from the bad Nanny Uncle was more delicious, but Xing Xing ate much more today than the previous days.

During the time Ji Rongyu was absent, Xing Xing’s appetite had drastically decreased. Yu Bai had thought there was something wrong with Xing Xing’s health and had planned to take him to the hospital.

Now it seemed that Xing Xing’s reduced appetite wasn’t related to his health.

Yu Bai’s worries were finally put to rest. While praising Xing Xing for his good eating habits, he scooped some Garlic Spinach onto Xing Xing’s plate.

After all, Xing Xing was still a young toddler, and he loved meat but wasn’t too fond of vegetables.

Unless Yu Bai personally feeds Xing Xing the vegetables, Xing Xing won’t usually take the initiative to eat them.

However… as long as the vegetables aren’t basils, Xing Xing would happily eat them up with a smile!

In the following two days, the results from the food safety regulatory department were still pending. Yu Bai and Xing Xing continued to enjoy their leisurely days.

In the past, Yu Bai had been busy managing his snack stall, leaving him with almost no time to rest.

Now that Yu Bai had a legitimate reason to take time off, he made sure to fully embrace this hard-earned break. He took Xing Xing to nearby small parks and amusement areas, thoroughly enjoying their time together.

With the approaching new year, Yu Bai planned to take advantage of these two days to buy some festive goods from the mall. Ji Rongyu proactively offered to accompany him.

On this day, the three of them returned from the mall, carrying bags of New Year’s supplies. Just as they arrived, Yu Bai received a call from Hang Yuanshu.

“Hello, may I speak to Mr. Yu Bai? This is Hang Yuanshu, the one who handed you my business card a few days ago… I wanted to ask if you’re interested in our proposal. Do you have any intention to sign?”

Outside, the weather was bitterly cold, and the first snowfall of the winter had blanketed the city.

Ji Rongyu shook the snow off his hat at the entrance and followed behind Yu Bai. He could faintly hear a man’s voice from Yu Bai’s phone.

Ji Rongyu’s ears perked up instantly.

Who would call Yu Bai at this late hour of the night?

—

The entanglement between Yu Bai’s Teppanyaki and the “Qiaozi Snack Store” had dominated the hot searches for nearly a week.

With hype comes attention. And with attention comes followers.

Influenced by the hot searches, Sanjiaokou, which was originally frequented by students, was now shifting towards becoming an online sensation. As a result, during the winter break, business at Sanjiaokou showed signs of improvement.

However, recently, the entire street in Sanjiaokou was sealed off, and all the eateries were waiting for the results of the food safety inspection. This incident had caused quite a stir online.

Due to past rumors and gossip, many netizens began to suspect that Yu Bai’s Teppanyaki might have food safety issues.

But no one expected that some malicious individual had reported every single restaurant on that street.

Now, Sanjiaokou seemed like it had been paused. The once lively street was now desolate, and foot traffic had visibly decreased.

Except for Yu Bai, who wasn’t too concerned about the investigation results, all the other stall owners on Sanjiaokou were keeping a close watch on the food safety regulatory department’s website.

Qiao Chao, the owner of the “Qiaozi Snack Store,” was also one of the people eagerly awaiting the investigation results.

A couple of days ago, when the food safety inspectors visited, Qiao Chao had immediately reached out to acquaintances for help to ensure that his snack store would emerge unscathed from this small storm.

It was a simple request, but shortly after entrusting it to Qin Ge, Qiao Chao received a phone call.

“Qiao Chao, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but… this matter is quite challenging.”

“Don’t be fooled by the appearance of a minor food safety investigation. The person responsible for this has considerable influence. Some of the outcomes… are not easily within our control.”

“Moreover, I heard a little insider information.”

“It’s said that there’s a certain connection between the person overseeing the investigation of Sanjiaokou and the person who reported the entire street for food safety issues.”

“So, whether it’s the one reporting or the one investigating, they’re not ordinary individuals!”

Hearing this, Qiao Chao’s heart sank.

 

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PS: There should be a slightly longer update tomorrow~

Around 4-5 sections per day.