"How interesting."
Song Hanzheng watched Jiang Liuyue catch up to him, the corners of his lips twitching slightly.
His tone carried a hint of sarcasm and displeasure.
"Can just anyone eat iron-pot chicken stew with you?"
"And here I thought last time..." He paused, his lips turning down again.
He looked extremely impatient and irritable.
Like a burning fireball about to explode.
And here he thought?
Thought he was special.
Jiang Liuyue guessed as much.
But she couldn't say that out loud.
"No," she said with utmost sincerity. "It's not the same restaurant. The one I went to with you last time was the most authentic."
"Pfft—"
Song Hanzheng laughed.
But after laughing, he got even angrier!
What was this supposed to mean?
Oh, so because this iron-pot chicken restaurant wasn't as authentic, it didn't mean anything.
Classic player behavior!
"Why did you delete me?" he asked, his brow furrowed low.
Hidden anger lurked in his light brown eyes.
Actually, what he really wanted to say was that he had gone through all the trouble to sort things out for her on set, and this was how she repaid him? How could she be so heartless!
Jiang Liuyue took a deep breath.
"Song Han."
"I've actually thought about it, and we aren't from the same world."
"Friends need to be equals. If you're very rich, we aren't in the same social circle."
"A friendship like that can't last."
Song Hanzheng's lips curled into a mocking sneer.
"That's it?"
Jiang Liuyue nodded, looking at him with dewy, almond-shaped eyes. "That's it."
Song Hanzheng let out another cold scoff.
His tone was flat.
"Then let's not be friends."
"Huh?" She was taken aback.
Before she could react, her wrist was pinned in the next second, and her chin was gripped by the man in front of her.
Song Hanzheng spoke:
"Don't you want a powerful backer?"
Jiang Liuyue's eyes flickered.
A trace of shock and disbelief flashed through them.
Song Hanzheng continued smoothly:
"I will back you."
"All the resources and endorsements in the industry—whatever you want, I will give it to you."
Jiang Liuyue's mouth fell slightly open in surprise.
"You..."
Song Hanzheng stopped pretending.
He laid all his cards on the table.
"My name isn't Song Han."
"I am Song Hanzheng, CEO of Huanyu Group."
"Whatever you want, I can give it to you!"
Faced with those intimidating and intensely pressuring eyes,
Jiang Liuyue subconsciously took a step back.
Like a little white rabbit that had stumbled into a trap.
She felt a little flustered.
And nervous.
Her breathing grew uneven.
"I... I..."
Song Hanzheng stared at her with his light brown eyes and said, "I'll give you three days to think about it."
Jiang Liuyue hesitated.
She tentatively raised her head, shot him a glance, and quickly looked away.
"If I refuse... will the second female lead role be taken back?"
Song Hanzheng narrowed his eyes.
His voice was like ice, carrying a chilling edge.
"I won't give you the chance to refuse."
"But, you..." Jiang Liuyue was still a little timid.
"What?"
"I heard that Sister Feile's backer is the CEO of Huanyu Group."
Pausing for a moment, Jiang Liuyue took a breath and finished her sentence.
"Is that person you?"
"..."
This time, it was Song Hanzheng's turn to fall silent.
After a long while.
He nodded, then shook his head.
"Not exactly."
But his meaning was clear; he didn't want her to keep asking.
Jiang Liuyue shook her pinned wrist.
The rough pads of Song Hanzheng's fingers pressed against it, leaving red marks.
"Can you let go first?"
"Mm." Song Hanzheng let go.
He took a step back.
Staring at her unblinkingly.
He was still exuding an aura of displeasure.
He clearly hadn't calmed down yet.
"Did you help me resolve the issue on set?" Jiang Liuyue softened her tone, her eyes curving into crescents as she asked in a somewhat coaxing manner.
"Who else?" Song Hanzheng was still acting incredibly arrogant.
"Thank you."
"Heh." Song Hanzheng gave a cold snort.
A simple thank you was not what he wanted.
However, the anger radiating from him gradually dissipated a bit.
"Um... President Song, have you eaten?"
"President Song?" Song Hanzheng glared at her in annoyance.
He really didn't like that title.
Jiang Liuyue actually wasn't used to it either; she was just testing his attitude.
She immediately corrected herself, "I think I'll just call you Song Han. It rolls off the tongue better, don't you think?"
Song Hanzheng softly snorted.
Taking it as tacit agreement.
Jiang Liuyue: "Are you hungry?"
Song Hanzheng twitched the corners of his lips.
"What do you think?"
It seemed the big boss had spent the whole morning at the set handling things without eating, only to catch her eating iron-pot chicken stew with Lin Yizhou.
No wonder he was so furious.
It was her fault too.
If she had known the target was so obvious, she would have kept a lower profile.
But finding out that Lin Yizhou and Song Hanzheng were half-brothers was an unexpected pleasant surprise.
Perhaps she could make use of that later.
Jiang Liuyue: "I'll treat you to a meal."
Song Hanzheng's eyes darted around.
His jawline tightened.
His voice turned cold.
"I'm not eating iron-pot chicken."
Jiang Liuyue suddenly felt that he had a bit of a Sister Lin vibe.
'If you've eaten iron-pot chicken with someone else, why bother eating it with me? Who cares for it anyway?'
She coaxed him smoothly:
"It's not iron-pot chicken."
"I'll make it myself."
The expression on Song Hanzheng's face changed.
"You'll make it yourself?"
"Mm." Jiang Liuyue nodded.
An hour later.
Wang's Seafood Noodles.
Song Hanzheng looked at the massive, steaming bowl of seafood noodles placed in front of him.
The delicious and juicy squid was light pink, the plump Rosenberg shrimp with translucent shells were distinct, and the crab shells and legs full of red roe were practically piled into a small mountain.
The soup base was made in a rich, dark sauce style, with some fresh seasonal vegetables added—vibrant green crown daisy paired with a golden-fried egg.
It was incredibly appetizing.
They had just bought this seafood together at the market next door; it was fresh and lively.
Jiang Liuyue knew the owner of this shop well. She paid a small processing fee and went to the back kitchen to cook it herself.
"Here, hurry and try my signature seafood noodles." She handed over a pair of chopsticks, looking at him expectantly.
Song Hanzheng didn't take them right away.
He just asked, "How many people have you made this for?"
Jiang Liuyue answered immediately, her eyes full of sincerity.
"Only you."
Right at that moment, the proprietress of Wang's smiled and chimed in:
"You're in for a treat, young man. Liuyue used to just eat by herself when she came here. This is the first time she's specially cooked for someone else."
Only then did the expression on Song Hanzheng's face clear up a bit.
The corners of his lips curled up slightly, but he quickly forced them back down.
He couldn't let her get too smug.
It was just a bowl of seafood noodles, after all.
Then, he took a bite.
His eyes slowly widened.
This was way too fresh, way too delicious!
Jiang Liuyue sat across from him, resting her chin on her hands and watching him with a beaming smile.
She said in a gentle tone:
"Don't rush, eat slowly."
Song Hanzheng took a sip of the broth before slowly looking up.
He said stubbornly:
"The taste is just so-so."
A flash of disappointment crossed Jiang Liuyue's eyes as she said, "Ah... you don't like it. I thought my cooking skills were pretty good, but I guess it was just an illusion."
Song Hanzheng waved his hand.
"That's not what I meant."
Pausing,
he reassured her, "It's not bad, either."
Meeting her dewy, almond-shaped eyes,
Song Hanzheng changed his tune again.
"It'll do."
"But I like it."
