The Gourmet Customizer

The teacher grabbed Zhang Qing’s arm. "Never mind that for now, let’s get him to the hospital!"

"Right, Qing. Let’s send him to the hospital first." Zhang Kai deliberately put on an air of maturity beyond his years. "I’ll carry Dali. We have a car, so we can get to the hospital quickly."

It was as if Zhang Qing had found her anchor; she nodded subconsciously amidst the chaos.

At that very moment.

"What’s wrong! What’s wrong! What happened to my son!"

A couple rushed in through the doorway. The man anxiously knelt on the ground, cradling Zhang Dali. "Son, what is it? What’s wrong with your stomach?"

Dali grew more and more distressed. The normally mischievous boy was actually crying now. "Dad, it hurts... my stomach hurts..."

The woman, however, pointed at Zhang Qing. "You can’t do a single thing right! Didn’t I tell you to come and look after Dali on his first day of school? He still got sick! What good are you?!"

"I..." Zhang Qing wanted to explain, but she saw her father shoot her a fierce glare, and the words died on her lips.

"Come on. Don’t cry, Dali. We’re going to the hospital."

Without another word, the couple scooped up Zhang Dali and left the kindergarten.

Leaving Zhang Qing teary-eyed and at a loss.

"Qing..." Zhang Kai tugged Zhang Qing’s arm. "Let’s talk outside."

After leaving the kindergarten, the two of them got into the car first. Zhang Kai reasoned, "We watched with our own eyes as your brother ate lunch, and then he went straight to his nap. For him to get a stomach ache this afternoon, there can be only one possibility."

Wiping the corners of her eyes, Zhang Qing looked as though she was clinging to a lifeline.

"It means there was something wrong with the lunch! If it wasn’t the food, why else would Dali get a stomach ache for no reason?"

"Then what should I do..."

Zhang Kai mustered his courage and took Zhang Qing’s hand. When he saw she didn’t pull away, he seized the opportunity to pull her into his embrace. "Stop crying! I’ll take you to them and demand an explanation!"

"Huh?" Zhang Qing hadn’t worked since graduating college, so the idea of a confrontation like this instinctively scared her.

But then she thought of the fierce, disdainful looks her parents had just given her. ’No, I have to prove this has nothing to do with me! I can’t let them pin the blame on me!’

Nodding, Zhang Qing said, "Yes, he must have gotten sick from the food at that eatery!"

Zhang Kai broke into a smile.

’At this rate,’ he thought, ’if I can handle this matter for Zhang Qing today, hitting a home run will be a sure thing!’

’Besides, it looks like Zhang Qing’s relationship with her parents isn’t very good.’

’With a girl like this, all I have to do is show a little concern a few times, and the rest will fall into place naturally.’

’And after that?’

’Isn’t this type of person exactly the kind you get rid of first once you’ve made it to the top?’

Suppressing his inner thoughts, Zhang Kai gently helped Zhang Qing up. "Come on, let’s drive over there right now and demand an explanation!"

Feeling wronged, Zhang Qing nodded. "Okay."

On the way to Delicious, Zhang Qing’s mind was a mess. The matter of her brother’s stomach ache was already fading from her thoughts.

In its place was the memory of Zhang Kai’s embrace.

’So he’s actually this gentle...’

’I really didn’t misjudge him! Looks like I need to work even harder. I have to pass the civil service exam as soon as possible and get away from my family!’

From the day Dali was born, their parents’ attitude toward Zhang Qing had plummeted.

As his older sister, Zhang Qing had sensed this change long ago. She wasn’t a fool; she just chose not to speak of it.

But she didn’t have the means to be independent.

Passing the civil service exam was the only way she could prove herself to her parents!

If she couldn’t become a civil servant herself, then marrying one was the second-best way for her to finally hold her head high!

Therefore, Zhang Qing had pinned all her hopes in life on those two paths.

Either she passed the exam herself!

Or she married a civil servant!

As for that kind alumnus... Zhang Qing couldn’t care less. That was just something to pass the time when she was bored. After all, who would turn down someone being nice to them?

But a senior like him... he gave her a sense of security!

The car soon arrived in front of Delicious.

Zhang Kai got out of the car and naturally took Zhang Qing’s arm. "Don’t be afraid. I’m here."

Zhang Qing blushed, nodded slightly, and whispered, "Okay."

The two of them stormed up to the second floor.

Zhang Li and He Shuting had just finished tidying up all the beds and were now sitting exhaustedly in their chairs, eating watermelon that Aunt Fang had brought over.

They were eating it by digging in with spoons, each with their own half!

"Where’s your boss!"

Zhang Kai demanded to see the boss as soon as he walked in. He clearly remembered that there was a boss around when they had eaten on the 19th floor before.

"Huh?" He Shuting swallowed the watermelon in her mouth. "What do you want our boss for?"

As she stood up, she looked the girl up and down, and then something clicked. "Oh~ You’re... you’re Bai Xiaobo’s classmate from college, aren’t you?"

She remembered now!

Back when President Ling was running that word-of-mouth campaign, Bai Xiaobo was the very first person to bring this girl here to eat.

And what happened? The very next day, the girl came back with a different guy!

That left poor Xiaobai heartbroken for days. Later, when they went to the Capital City, Xiaobai would often go out by himself at night. He Shuting suspected he might have been going to watch the Guo’an team’s training matches.

"I..." Faced with this sudden turn of events, Zhang Qing didn’t quite know what to say.

"Don’t try to get friendly!" Zhang Kai glared impatiently at He Shuting. "Hurry up and get your boss out here!"

’What’s with this guy?’

But He Shuting was no pushover. "Our boss isn’t someone you can see just by asking! If you have a problem, you can tell me!"

"Hah." Zhang Kai sneered. "You’re in big trouble!"