Chapter Ninety-Four: What Soul Is Left in Tasteless Gluten?!

Just as he arrived at the entrance of the steakhouse, Qin Xuan glanced around in search of his uncle. He soon spotted a man standing by the street, chatting with a passerby. From the man’s jacket and the way he carried himself, Qin Xuan was sure it was his uncle. Still, he didn’t go over to interrupt; he knew all too well that his uncle hated to be disturbed when he was flirting with women. Who knew when he might need to ask for his uncle’s help in the future?

It wasn’t until he saw the two of them seemingly exchange contact information that Qin Xuan, as the woman was about to leave, noticed his uncle stealthily give her a slap on the rear. Seriously?

The group exchanged glances, each reading the surprise in the others’ eyes.

When Wang Zhijie finally turned around, he spotted Qin Xuan and the others standing behind him, muttering as he walked over.

“Hey, nephew! Long time no see. And there’s Ruoxi, and Lin’er,” Wang Zhijie greeted, patting Qin Xuan on the shoulder, nodding approvingly before looking curiously at Nan Zhiyi. “Is this one also your girlfriend?”

“No—” Qin Xuan started, but Nan Zhiyi bowed politely. “Hello, uncle!”

“Oh, hello, hello,” Wang Zhijie welcomed them all and led them to a private room, only to find there was already a woman inside, looking quite young, perhaps twenty-seven or eight.

“Let me introduce you, this is a friend of mine. You can just call her ‘sister’,” Wang Zhijie said as he fiddled with the ring on his hand.

Although Qin Xuan knew his uncle was never short of female company, he obediently called her “sister.”

“Sit, sit, sit. We’re all family here, no need to be formal!” Wang Zhijie said, unusually taking the host’s seat; normally, it was always some girl treating him.

Before long, the steak and pasta arrived. Wang Zhijie made a point of pouring each of them a little wine—just a token, since they were still students. He kept the bottle mostly for himself, drinking glass after glass.

Seeing there was no way to refuse, Qin Xuan reached out and took Liu Ruoxi’s glass as well.

“Uncle, what brings you to Shudu?” Qin Xuan asked, puzzled. As a free spirit, wasn’t his uncle supposed to be off roaming the world?

“Me? I’m here to see my girlfriend, of course,” Wang Zhijie replied, leaving out which one exactly.

Qin Xuan knew his uncle had bought a motorhome and spent most of the year traveling the country in it, rarely even coming home for the New Year these past few years.

“Where are you heading next?” Qin Xuan asked as he chewed on a piece of steak.

“Probably off to the borderlands to see the scenery!” Wang Zhijie replied, growing impatient with the hassle of cutting steak and simply spearing a piece to eat directly from his fork.

The woman beside him dabbed at his mouth with a napkin and, seeing the curiosity in the others’ eyes, laughed. “I just love how genuine he is—so unpretentious.”

Qin Xuan thought to himself: You’re not impressing me in the slightest!

“You don’t have to like me,” Wang Zhijie replied offhandedly, but the woman only smiled and didn’t answer.

“So, how’s university?” Wang Zhijie asked, looking up again. “My ex-girlfriend is actually a teacher at your school. I think she’s even some sort of director.”

Qin Xuan was a bit taken aback, but Nan Zhiyi seemed to know who he meant. There was only one female director at their school, a woman in her thirties who liked to meddle in everything—a real battle-axe. So she was his uncle’s ex? Impressive.

Strangely, the woman at the table didn’t seem the least bit upset by these stories, as if she was already used to them.

“She’s really your ex-girlfriend, uncle?” Nan Zhiyi asked, setting down her glass, a hint of gossip in her tone.

“That’s right,” Wang Zhijie said, clearly proud of his exploits. “When was it… oh, last year around New Year’s, I broke up with her. She bawled her eyes out, clinging to my hand, wouldn’t let me go—it drove me crazy!”

“She even wanted to marry me. What a joke! No way I’d ever let myself be tied down by two household registers!”

He sighed, shaking his head as if lamenting something only he understood.

Qin Xuan could only roll his eyes. In every other respect, his uncle was great—except when it came to relationships. He remembered how, as a child, his uncle was never like this, even helping him with his homework. But something had changed in just a few years, and now he’d become a notorious womanizer…

The group chatted for a long time before finally leaving the restaurant. They weren’t exactly full, but… they could easily eat another three pounds!

Wang Zhijie stood by his motorhome, watching them go, especially Qin Xuan, who was walking arm-in-arm with Liu Ruoxi and Nan Zhiyi.

And you still want me to teach you how to pick up girls?

“Let’s go,” said the woman beside Wang Zhijie, tugging at his sleeve. She clearly wanted to walk arm-in-arm with him, too, but… couldn’t bring herself to do it.

“Leqing!” Wang Zhijie shook off her hand. “Why do you insist on clinging to me? You know I’m not worth your affection.”

Leqing looked down at her toes.

“Not going to answer?” Wang Zhijie climbed up into the motorhome in a few quick steps, started the engine, and drove off. Leqing, as if she’d expected it, stood there unmoving.

Sure enough, after a short while, Wang Zhijie drove back around.

He got out, grabbed her by the arm, and dragged her inside, pinning her against the door with a fierce look. “You know I’ll never love you!”

She looked up, meeting his gaze. “So what? I love you, and that’s enough.”

Wang Zhijie had met many women, but somehow he was powerless against this one. After a moment’s stalemate, he realized he was losing ground, and, frustrated, pulled her up. “Get in the back and sit down!”

“Zhijie, I’m still hungry…” Leqing rubbed her wrist, sore from his grip, as she sat in the back, sounding a little aggrieved.

“You—” Wang Zhijie sighed. “Fine, I’ll take you out for noodles!”

“Great! As long as you don’t kick me out, I’ll eat anything!” Leqing sat in her seat, taking some milk from the fridge that Wang Zhijie had bought for her.

Wang Zhijie was completely exasperated. Ever since he’d saved her outside a bar two years ago, she’d stuck to him like glue, impossible to shake off! It was ruining his chances at finding a girlfriend!

Meanwhile, as expected, Qin Xuan and the others weren’t nearly full, so they stopped by a night market for some barbecue, making sure to ask the vendor for a few skewers without any spice.

Back home, the non-spicy skewers disappeared quickly—Liu Ruoxi polished them off in no time. Watching the others eat so heartily, she couldn’t resist reaching for some of the gluten skewers in the box.

But Qin Xuan caught her and snatched them away.

“You can’t eat that today—wait until tomorrow!” Even though Qin Xuan wasn’t sure if she could have spicy food after what had just happened, he wasn’t about to take any chances.

Liu Ruoxi’s lower abdomen still ached a little, but she just couldn’t help herself, especially with Qin Lin’er sitting beside her, lost in pure bliss as she ate. She wanted to punch her!

“Can I just have one more skewer, please?” Liu Ruoxi pleaded, shaking Qin Xuan’s arm and looking up at him with puppy-dog eyes.

He melted. Pouring some water into a cup, he dipped the skewer to rinse off the oil and spice before handing it to her.

Liu Ruoxi took the flavorless gluten, thoroughly deflated. What’s the point of eating this if it has no taste?

Still, she couldn’t resist and popped it into her mouth. Sure enough, it tasted bland as water.

She finished it in a few bites, tossed the stick aside, and stomped back to her room in a huff. So angry! She’d never share anything with Qin Xuan again!