Chapter 518: 518, Peng Ge (first update)

However, Mo Zhixuan quickly left with his sweetheart, jubilantly out of Xuanyuan Shangchen’s sight.

Xuanyuan Shangchen was left fuming, angrily pounding on a nearby bamboo stalk. Watching the couple depart, he too turned and walked away.

Just as he turned around, two green bamboo stalks collapsed to the ground, as if they had been sliced through by a blade.

Listening to the commotion from the direction of the bamboo grove, Mo Zhixuan’s lips curved into a pleased smile. Annoying a love rival was well worth the trip.

Chu Jin looked at him with some confusion. "Did you really not take your medicine today?"

Mr. Mo nonchalantly replied, "I did."

Chu Jin grew even more puzzled. "Huh?"

"I didn’t before," Mr. Mo said as he ran a hand over his lips, a trace of longing in his voice, "but I just did." You are my medicine.

Chu Jin: "..." Face? Where’s your face? Mr. Mo, can you maintain your character?

A few minutes later, the two arrived at the villa’s entrance where Mo Qingyi and Duanmu Zhe had just emerged from the door.

Chu Jin said to Mo Qingyi, "Qingyi, it’s getting late. We four should split up to shop. You and Duanmu will be in charge of buying charcoal and the grill. Your brother and I will take care of the food and seasonings. Text me whatever dishes you want to eat later."

Mo Qingyi nodded, "Sure, let’s not delay any further. Let’s head out right now." With that, she pulled Duanmu Zhe toward the car.

Two cars, one black and one white, left Huagui Park one after the other.

Roaring down the highway.

In the evening, Capital City was beautiful, with neon lights everywhere and bustling streets.

By the time the four had finished their shopping and returned to Huagui Park, it was already past 7 p.m. The summer evening had not yet completely darkened, and the temperature had gradually begun to fall.

Chu Jin decided to set up the barbecue on the second-floor terrace.

Mo Zhixuan and Duanmu Zhe were in charge of lighting the charcoal, while Chu Jin and Mo Qingyi skewered the food.

This life, peaceful and beautiful, was something not even Mo Zhixuan had expected himself to one day be living.

"Is the charcoal ready?" Mo Qingyi asked as she brought the skewered food to the table.

Duanmu Zhe, fanning the flames, replied, "It’s about ready to grill."

"That’s great, here I come." Mo Qingyi quickly took her favorite meat skewers and mushrooms and placed them on the grill.

Chu Jin also placed some vegetables and meats on the grill. Duanmu Zhe, with a beaming smile, said, "Sister-in-law, let me handle the dirty and tiring work of grilling. The smell of smoke is quite strong. Why don’t you go and chat with Brother Yan?"

Chu Jin smiled gently, "Thank you, that’s very kind." She understood Duanmu Zhe’s intention; it was a win-win situation that was too good to pass up.

"It’s the least I can do," Duanmu Zhe said, slightly embarrassed as he touched his nose, recognizing Chu Jin’s intelligence.

On the side, Mo Qingyi humphed in dissatisfaction, "Brownnoser."

To Mo Zhixuan’s surprise, Duanmu Zhe’s culinary skills were excellent. Soon the air was filled with delicious aromas and the crackling sound of meat sizzling on the grill, with plump chicken wings oozing with fat.

In contrast, a skewer of meat had turned to charcoal under Mo Qingyi’s care. She pulled a face, comparing her blackened skewer to the juicy ones in Duanmu Zhe’s hands, and sighed deeply, not expecting such skill from someone like Duanmu Zhe.

This was the first time she realized that a playboy like Duanmu Zhe could actually grill meat—looks really can be deceiving.

Moreover, Mo Qingyi suddenly found that Duanmu Zhe, absorbed in grilling meat, actually looked quite professional.

The scattered lights shone on him, and the black earring on his left ear reflected a brilliant glint.

In that moment, Mo Qingyi heard the sound of her heartbeat.

Thump—

To facilitate grilling, Duanmu Zhe had rolled up his sleeves, and Mo Qingyi caught sight of the black leather band on his wrist. She wondered what kind of nymph could captivate a flirt like Duanmu Zhe?

At this thought, Mo Qingyi sighed deeply once again.

Seeing Mo Qingyi sigh twice, Duanmu Zhe hastily offered a hand to her head, asking anxiously, "Are you alright? Is the smoke bothering you, or are you feeling unwell?"

His hand was cool to the touch.

Mo Qingyi immediately snapped back to reality, looking at Duanmu Zhe without flinching for once, "I’m not unwell. It’s just a shame about this skewer I’ve burnt to a crisp."

Duanmu Zhe neatly placed his finished skewers on a plate, "Take these to Brother Yan and sister-in-law. In a bit, I’ll show you how to grill properly, personally. Even if you’re hopeless, I guarantee I can teach you."

"You’re the hopeless one!" Mo Qingyi shot back at Duanmu Zhe, then turned with the plate and walked away.

To avoid the smoke, Chu Jin and Mo Zhixuan were sitting upwind on the terrace. Whatever they were chatting about, Chu Jin was laughing heartily, and even Mo Zhixuan’s face was tinged with a smile.

In just a few steps, Mo Qingyi had delivered the freshly grilled skewers to the table in front of them, teasing, "Please enjoy, you two big shots. If you need anything, feel free to call on me."

Chu Jin responded with a beaming smile, "Thanks, Qingyi. Do you want to sit down and have a skewer before you go?"

"No, no," Mo Qingyi waved her hands quickly, "I won’t disturb the two big shots and your world for two."

With that, she hurried back to where Duanmu Zhe was.

Once Mo Qingyi had gone, Chu Jin turned to Mo Zhixuan and whispered, "What do you think, can those two make it?"

These two are quite interesting, clearly having mutual affection for each other, yet neither took the initiative to pierce through that layer of window paper.

Mo Zhixuan glanced at Duanmu Zhe and slowly began to speak, "If you want to marry my sister, it’s not going to be that simple."

Chu Jin shot him a look, "What, are you planning on playing matchmaker like in feudal society?"

Mo Zhixuan immediately cowered, "I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. From now on, you’ll be the head of the family, the head of the family indeed."

Chu Jin chuckled lightly, the gleam in his eyes brighter than the stars in the sky.

In the face of that smile, Mo Zhixuan zoned out for a moment before regaining his composure and said, "Right, head of the family, there’s something I need to report to you."

Chu Jin took a bite of his skewer and said casually, "Proceed."

Mo Zhixuan composed himself and said in a deep tone, "Tomorrow, I’ll be going to M country with Duanmu, and I might not be back until half a month later. While I’m gone, you’ll be home alone; you must behave, not go out after dark, and not talk to strangers. Don’t make me worry, understand?"

"Going to M country?" Chu Jin frowned slightly, thinking to himself, could this guy be deceiving me again? Last time he said he was on a business trip, and it almost cost him his life.

As if sensing Chu Jin’s doubts, Mo Zhixuan stretched out his hand to ruffle her hair and explained, "I am not lying to you. There’s a problem with the commercial street and the winery in M country, and I have to go there in person."

Since Mo’s enterprises were spread across the country, Chu Jin put her suspicions aside and said seriously, "Alright, if there is really something going on, don’t even think about hiding it from me. Whatever happens, I’m willing to stand by you and I hope you will do the same."

The light in Mo Zhixuan’s eyes deepened and he curled his lips into an evident smile. He pulled Chu Jin into his embrace and said in a low voice, "Don’t worry, nothing like that will happen again."

Chu Jin was taken aback by his sudden embrace, and, unfortunately, the skewer in her hand came into intimate contact with Mo Zhixuan’s shirt, leaving a trail of grease stains.

On the other side, Duanmu Zhe was hand over hand teaching Mo Qingyi how to grill. The two were very close, Mo Qingyi could even feel his heartbeat, and a strong scent of male pheromones enveloped her. Mo Qingyi’s ears gradually turned red.

Duanmu Zhe glanced down at the person in his arms and a warm smile crept onto his lips.

It took a full hour for Duanmu Zhe to teach Mo Qingyi how to control the heat, when to brush oil on the meats, and when to sprinkle cumin.

It was also this evening that Mo Qingyi learned her first life skill.

Barbecue.

After grilling all the ingredients, the four gathered around a table, raising their glasses in cheer.

With a beautiful evening, lovely people by your side, good friends in company, and delicious food on the table, life could ask for no more.

Next morning, when Chu Jin and Mo Qingyi woke up, it was already past 9 a.m. They had stayed up too late the night before, not going to bed until around one, so they both overslept exceptionally.

In the living room, Mo Qingyi still looked half asleep, rubbing her eyes and saying, "Jin, where are my brother and Duanmu Zhe? When did they go back last night?"

Chu Jin was quite refreshed, took a bite of a steamed bun and responded offhandedly, "They left early, probably are on the plane now."

"On the plane?" Mo Qingyi instantly woke up, "Where are they going?"

Chu Jin lifted his gaze to her with a bit of surprise, "They’re on a business trip to M country. Didn’t Duanmu tell you?"

Mo Qingyi stirred her white porridge with a spoon, feeling rather upset, "I’m not anything to him, why would he tell me?"

Chu Jin couldn’t help but laugh, well aware of Mo Qingyi’s feelings, yet he chose not to point them out.

After breakfast, Chu Jin was heading to the crossroad for a fortune-telling session, and Mo Qingyi insisted on tagging along.

At 10:30 in the morning, the sun was still scorching. The two set out, armed with sun umbrellas.

There were many tall sycamore trees at the crossroad that blocked out the blazing sunlight; standing under their shade wasn’t too hot, it was quite cool and pleasant.

"Woof!" As soon as they arrived at the crossroad, a large black dog rushed out from the side of the road, planted its plump paws onto Chu Jin’s shoulders and licked his face with a pink tongue.

This dog was huge!

It looked like a ferocious tiger!

Mo Qingyi, frightened, hid behind Chu Jin and exclaimed, "Jin!"

Chu Jin first patted the dog’s head and then turned to Mo Qingyi, "It’s okay, don’t be scared. His name is Blackie, he doesn’t bite."

Blackie immediately cooperated with a "woof" and even patted Mo Qingyi’s shoulder with a paw as if to comfort her.

Mo Qingyi then relaxed her guard and tentatively reached out to pet Blackie’s head. Blackie squinted its eyes, obviously enjoying the attention.

"Jin!" Before Chu Jin could react, a pink figure dashed over from across the street and hugged Chu Jin’s leg tightly.

The little loli clung to Chu Jin’s leg, rubbing against him and said in a sweet voice, "Jin, where have you been these days? I’ve missed you to death."

Chu Jin immediately bent down to pick up the little girl and kissed her cheek, smilingly saying, "I’ve missed Pengpeng too."

Putting aside Mo Qianjue, Chu Jin truly loved this little loli.

Mo Qingyi squinted at the little girl, feeling that she looked terribly familiar. Then it hit her—this was the adorable little treasure they had taken to the amusement park last time.

"Pengpeng, do you remember who I am?" Mo Qingyi reached out and pinched her cheek.

The little loli pinched Mo Qingyi’s cheek in return, her tone mature beyond her years, "Sister, I told you last time, you should call me Pengpeng!"

Mo Qingyi immediately agreed, "Right, right, Pengpeng it is. So now that I’ve called you Pengpeng, can I have a hug too?"

The little loli generously opened her arms, "Seeing as how pretty you are, Sister, I’ll let you have one hug."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read