âHello, Ding.â Ouyang Qing stood up and greeted Ning Ran politely.
âHello, Ms. Ouyang.â
Ning Ran was extremely unhappy but kept a neutral expression on her face anyway.
As an actress, her acting skills were no worse than Ouyang Qingâs.
Nan Chen eyed Dabao and Ning Ran.
This is really strange, but I canât quite put my finger on whatâs going on here⦠Nan Xing knows better than to invite her, and Erbao isnât smart enough to do such a thing, so itâs either Dabao or Ning Ran!
He then noticed the displeased look in Ning Ranâs eyes and knew it had to be Dabao who invited her.
She wouldnât be so unhappy if she were the one who set this up, so it must be Dabao! What on earth is he planning? I canât believe I failed to see through a childâs intentions! Good thing heâs my child, I guess⦠Itâd be so humiliating if I were to be played by someone elseâs childâ¦
âIâve ordered some, but you guys can have a look at the menu and see if youâd like to add anything else. They have all sorts of soup here, so pick whichever you like.â Nan Chen said while handing the tablet over.
âI want it extra spicy!â Ning Ran said.
âSpicy food is bad for your skin, you know? You have an image to maintain now that youâre a superstar!â
Nan Xing reminded her but he soon fell silent when he realized that Nan Chen was there.
âNan Xing is right.â Nan Chen continued.
Ouyang Qing felt jealous when she saw the Nan brothers express their concern for Ning Ran.
Itâs a womanâs responsibility to maintain their image! No guy cares about a womanâs image unless he likes her!
âI donât care! I chose this place specifically for the spicy hotpot!â Ning Ran said stubbornly.
âEven so, you canât have it extra spicy! Weâll just have it mildly spicy, and thatâs final.â Nan Chen decided.
Ning Ran wasnât happy about him controlling her diet.
However, she noticed the look of envy in Ouyang Qingâs eyes and realized that it was a great honor for most women to have Nan Chen care about them.
âFine, Iâll listen to you, then. Youâre so annoying, controlling what I do all the time!â Ning Ran whined.
Both Nan Xing and Nan Chen were taken aback by her sudden change in attitude and tone. They werenât used to her speaking so softly and gently.
Nan Xing looked at his arm to see if he had goosebumps while Nan Chen shot Ning Ran an amused look.
He realized why Ning Ran had spoken to him like that and found it somewhat interesting.
In order to prevent everyone from dipping their chopsticks into the same pot, they were each given a separate pot and allowed to choose their soup.
Everyone else chose a clear soup, whereas Ning Ran and her kids decided to stick with the spicy one.
Nan Chen frowned. These kids want the spicy one too? She sure trained them well, huh?
âBut thatâs bad for your tummy. How about you try the clear soup instead? Itâs really tasty!â Nan Chen tried to persuade Erbao.
âNo, I want the spicy one! Dabao wants it too! Heâs a man, and a man must be able to handle spicy food!â Erbao said sweetly.
Nan Xing and Nan Chen were both speechless upon hearing that.
How could she say that? We ordered the clear soup, so what would that make us?
âOn second thought, I want the spicy one. Time to try something with a little more flavor!â Nan Xing said.
âYou donât have to take a childâs words so seriously.â Nan Chen advised.
âNo, I didnât do it because of what Erbao said. I just thought Iâd try something different every once in a while, thatâs all. Believe it or not, I actually like spicy food! When I was overseas, there was this Chinese restaurant near my place that makes really spicy dishes. Needless to say, I was their favorite customer! However, Iâve been losing my spice tolerance since my return, and that simply wonât do.
Eating spicy food can help keep the body healthy from the cold, so Iâll go with the spicy soup!â Nan Xing insisted.
âThatâs amazing, Uncle Xing! Youâre a true man!â Erbao raised her thumb in approval.
âIn that case, Iâll have the spicy one too.â Nan Chen blurted out.
Ning Ran was sipping on some tea and nearly spat it out when she heard that.
Oh, my god! They actually took a childâs words so seriously? How stubborn must they be to try and compete over their spice tolerance levels? They say men have a childish side to them, I guess this just goes to prove it!
âYou shouldnât, Daddy! You canât handle spicy food!â Erbao advised him.
However, the little girlâs advice only made Nan Chen feel embarrassed that a seven-foot-tall man like himself had lost to a child in terms of spice tolerance.
âNo, Iâm okay with it.â Nan Chen was determined to prove himself.
âLetâs all have the spicy one, then!â Erbao suggested.
Ouyang Qing was going green with envy at that point.
What a family⦠I canât believe the Nan brothers are taking a little girlâs words as gospel! Great, now everyone is going for the spicy one like her. Everyone except meâ¦
âWell, Iâm not a man, and I canât handle the spice either⦠I donât have to go for it, do I?â Ouyang Qing asked with a smile.
âOf course not! Youâre an outsider, so you donât have to follow our lead.â
Erbaoâs words stung so hard that Ouyang Qing felt an urge to leave on the spot.
No, I must maintain my smile! Itâs unbecoming for the Young Miss of the Ouyang family to argue with a child!
âIâm really sorry⦠I wouldâve gone with the spicy one too if I could, but⦠If I recall, Chen canât take spicy food too. Itâll hurt his stomach!â Ouyang Qing said with a smile.
âDo you know Daddy that well, Ms. Qing? How do you know he canât handle spicy food?â Erbao asked.
Even without Dabaoâs help, she had been doing a lot of damage on her own that day.
âN-Not really⦠But I do know Chen canât take spicy foodâ¦â
âThatâs in the past. I can take it now.â Nan Chen cut her off.
The repeated blows to Ouyang Qingâs ego and pride hurt her so much that she couldnât even maintain a natural smile anymore.
At that moment, she hated Ning Ran, Erbao, and even Nan Chen by a little.
With a forced smile on her face, she said, âOh, I see⦠I didnât know that⦠I guess Iâm just too much of a loser that Iâm still unable to.â
âAll right, enough of this. Letâs continue ordering.â
Ning Ran handed Ouyang Qing the tablet. âWe pretty much eat the same things here, so you can go ahead and order what you like for yourself.â
She even made sure to place emphasis on the word âweâ, just to add insult to injury.
Next Chapter q