NOVPUBHaving reached a collaboration, the group chatted in a relaxed and casual manner for the following period of time. The overall atmosphere was very laid-back.
Zhu Hong, perhaps burdened by her idol status, generally said little and spent most of her time listening.
Li Xuan, on the other hand, was much more talkative, sharing endless anecdotes from the entertainment industry that even He Bingbing found captivating, making her want to know more celebrity gossip.
These were actually some of the tactics often used by Li Xuan.
For outsiders, the gossip about major celebrities or their contact details can be very valuable and interesting.
In the past, Li Xuan would frequently encounter individuals who were indifferent to the entertainment industry yet had decent personal qualifications.
When meeting such people, Li Xuan would typically do what he was doing now – sharing interesting stories from the industry. If they showed interest, they would naturally be willing to enter into that circle.
After all, much of the gossip about stars isn’t a secret at all, as long as you can become part of that circle.
Wu Bin and the others didn’t have to wait long before several plates of barbecue were brought over from the side.
One could tell if the meat was good just by its smell.
Most meats have a fishy odor that emerges with the fats during grilling.
Some people like this smell, thinking it signifies the true scent of the meat and find it appetizing.
Others dislike the smell, finding the fishiness unpleasant and appetite-dampening.
The barbecued meat served by Zhu Gu didn’t have that fishy odor; it even had a slight hint of a milky fragrance.
Li Xuan was already drooling at the scent.
He eagerly introduced it to Wu Bin.
"Wu Bin, my friend, this is Wagyu beef specially flown in from the island nation this morning. The quality is top-notch, something you won’t get anywhere else – very fresh and tender."
"For these barbecued meats, I suggest eating them as is without wrapping them in lettuce leaves, so you can savor the original flavors of the meat."
Slaughtered that day and airfreighted the same day.
Wu Bin had underestimated the extent of the extravagance of these wealthy individuals.
Just for a barbecue meal, the ingredients had been shipped by air.
Setting aside whether the meat was tasty, at least the ambiance and status were there, which naturally made it seem even more delicious.
If Wu Bin were paying himself, he definitely wouldn’t play the fool and pick up the tab.
But since the meal wasn’t costing him a cent, Wu Bin freely gave praise, giving Zhu Gu a thumbs up.
"Delicious, true to the reputation of island nation Wagyu, really fresh and juicy."
"The most impressive is the cooking technique; after all, even the best ingredients are useless without a chef’s craft."
"This is the best barbecue I’ve ever had!"
Li Xuan felt a bit awkward hearing Wu Bin’s effusive praise.
Being veterans of the entertainment circle, they could easily see whether Wu Bin’s words were heartfelt or not.
Li Xuan was so embarrassed that he even wanted to secretly advise Wu Bin not to try so hard with his compliments if he wasn’t good at it, as it was too much of a social suicide.
Fortunately, Zhu Gu didn’t hold anything against Wu Bin.
After all, one does not strike a smiling face, and moreover, Wu Bin was continuously speaking well of him.
The fact that Wu Bin’s words didn’t match his thoughts only meant that Zhu Gu’s culinary skills still had room for improvement and required more practice.
Just as Li Xuan was about to say something to lighten the mood, Zhu Ling wiped her mouth and pushed the empty plate to the front of the table.
"The meat quality isn’t bad, got any more? This little bit isn’t even enough to get stuck in my teeth."
Wu Bin: ...
Seeing Zhu Ling standing with her arms akimbo in a cocky manner, Wu Bin directly reached out and pinched her face.
Zhu Ling whimpered in pain.
"Bro, why are you pinching my face? Let go already."
Wu Bin said sternly, "What did you just say about the food not being enough to pick your teeth? Are your gaps between teeth really that big that a plate of grilled meat won’t fill them?"
"Watch how you talk and behave; don’t be so arrogant!"
Wu Bin was truly furious.
It had been so many days, yet Zhu Ling still couldn’t change her imperious ways of bossing people around.
She would always subconsciously act like a noble from the Dragon Clan, treating everyone around her like second-class servants.
This led to Zhu Ling acting normal only when talking to Wu Bin, but as soon as she interacted with others, it wouldn’t take long for her to start asking bizarre questions or saying something arrogant.
After warning Zhu Ling, Wu Bin made an apologetic face at Zhu Gu.
"She didn’t mean anything by it; she just genuinely wanted to say that you’ve made delicious grilled meat."
Zhu Gu chuckled lightly.
"Thank you for the compliment; I’m pleased."
"However, like cooking or doing anything else, one can’t be too hasty or too slack, the heat control is very important."
"As long as the heat is just right, everything will work out fine."
Wu Bin listened, somewhat dumbstruck.
Zhu Gu was just a cook, yet was his speech always so philosophical?
Because Zhu Gu insisted on taking his time to create meticulous work, and Zhu Ling was a thorough foodie,
the grilled meat feast went on from noon until the evening.
While it was called a feast, it seemed more like a casual chat.
Everyone gathered to talk and chat, treating the grilled meat as if it were snacks, eating when desired and naturally leaving others to handle it when not interested.
Wu Bin began to understand why wealthy people enjoyed gatherings so much.
Indeed, such gatherings were very relaxing and gave a sense of freedom from worldly woes.
Wu Bin had been sitting for a while.
He took the initiative to stand up and stretch his shoulders and the like.
As Wu Bin walked over to the garden nearby for a stroll, who knew Zhu Hong would follow right behind.
At first, Wu Bin thought Zhu Hong was just passing by in front of him, so he even stepped aside to let her through.
But Zhu Hong started walking beside him without any intention of passing him by.
At that moment, Wu Bin was somewhat confused.
"Miss Zhu, do you need me for something?"
Zhu Hong nodded and said, "We’ve talked to your principal before, and we promised him that if you agree to cooperate with us, then at tomorrow’s anniversary celebration, I can perform an act with you."
"I always keep my word and don’t like to go back on it."
Zhu Hong looked at Wu Bin seriously and said, "What do you want to perform tomorrow? Anything that’s not too complicated, I can cooperate with you."
Wu Bin didn’t expect Zhu Hong to be such a trustworthy actress.
After thinking for a bit, he said, "With such short notice, it’s unrealistic to expect to perform something complex, so I plan to go on stage and sing a song."
Zhu Hong asked, "Which song? Who’s the original singer?"
Wu Bin said somewhat sheepishly, "A song I wrote myself. I’ll just take a guitar and play it onstage; I don’t think I need your accompaniment, I can just go up and sing solo."
