Chapter 190 - 187: Painting a Picture as a Gift for the Boss
In their excitement, the girls all surged forward to greet them.
As they approached Ling Xiaoru and Guyi, they all greeted Guyi one after another.
Guyi looked at the group of vibrant and energetic female students, a smile spreading across his face. He said warmly, "Hello, hello. It’s good to see all of you."
Seeing the smile on Guyi’s face, the girls all felt he was incredibly kind and approachable.
At the same time, they all thought, ’Ancient really does seem happy.’
’So the boss was right?’
’This is wonderful!’
At that moment, the girls finally relaxed.
The patrons inside the restaurant heard the commotion outside and knew, of course, that Guyi must have arrived.
Guyi really was coming back today.
The patrons grew excited as well. Forgetting their meals, they immediately got up and went outside the restaurant to greet Guyi.
Guyi responded with a smile, "Hello, hello. Good to see you, good to see everyone."
After a lively welcome, Guyi entered the restaurant, surrounded by the crowd.
It was already past 11:00 AM, time for lunch.
Guyi had come precisely for the delicious food and fine wine here.
"Ancient, please let us treat you to a meal. Would that be alright?" Ling Xiaoru, Xia Xiaoyue, Mu Qingye, and the other girls all said at once.
Guyi laughed heartily and said, "Of course! Looks like I don’t have to pay for my lunch today."
"It would be our honor."
All the girls were overjoyed.
The other patrons had also wanted to invite Guyi to eat, but since the group of girls had beaten them to it, they could only drop the idea.
But that was alright. They could still offer Guyi a toast later.
Besides fine food, Guyi also loved fine wine. He was sure to drink later.
The very thought of toasting Guyi was thrilling.
"Ancient, the boss steamed the Salted Pork Belly and braised some chicken feet today. Should we order some?" Ling Xiaoru asked.
Guyi smiled. "I can already smell the aroma of the Steamed Salted Pork Belly and braised chicken feet. We definitely need to get some. The boss’s Steamed Salted Pork Belly is the very reason I came here. I must have some more today, no matter what."
As for the braised chicken feet, although Guyi was over sixty, his teeth were still in excellent condition, easily rivaling those of a young man. Eating braised chicken feet would be no problem at all.
"Great, great," Ling Xiaoru said repeatedly.
After a brief discussion, they ordered ten bowls of Steamed Salted Pork Belly, 100 braised chicken feet, fifty kilograms of spicy crayfish, five orders of Mapo Tofu, five orders of Twice-cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts, and five orders of Cabbage in Consommé.
That would be enough for now.
They could always add more if it wasn’t enough.
After Li You received the girls’ order, he got to work.
He could grasp the entire situation outside just by listening.
Just as he’d expected, Guyi was delighted after meeting Xia Xiaoyue, Mu Qingye, Yu Wei, and the other girls.
Li You knew this was the most likely outcome.
He was happy to see things turn out this way.
He would stir-fry the spicy crayfish first, while the Steamed Salted Pork Belly and braised chicken feet could be served immediately.
Da Bai and Xiaohai first brought the Steamed Salted Pork Belly and braised chicken feet to Guyi and the girls.
"Da Bai, bring two bowls of wine," Ling Xiaoru said.
Then she turned to Guyi and said, "Ancient, I’ll join you for a bowl this afternoon."
Guyi nodded with a smile. "Good, good."
Seeing this, Xia Xiaoyue, Mu Qingye, Yu Wei, and the other girls also wanted to drink with Guyi.
But in the end, they decided against it.
For one, Xia Xiaoyue and a few of the other girls had to drive.
For another, their tolerance for alcohol was very low. Getting drunk in front of Guyi would be an absolute disaster.
Soon, Da Bai came over with two bowls of wine.
Guyi lifted his bowl, took a sip, and felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
It wasn’t his first time drinking it, but he still couldn’t help but marvel. ’This is truly fine wine!’
To be able to drink such a fine vintage was one of life’s greatest pleasures.
Then, Guyi said to Xia Xiaoyue, Yu Wei, and the other girls, "If any of you have questions about your studies, you can ask them. Let’s see if I can help clear up any confusion."
When Xia Xiaoyue, Yu Wei, and the others heard this, they were more surprised and thrilled than ever before.
’The Painting Saint of our time, giving guidance right here and now! What a heaven-sent opportunity!’
If word of this got out in the Art World, countless people would be driven mad with envy and jealousy.
Mu Qingye was also very happy for the girls.
"Ancient, thank you! We can’t thank you enough!" All the girls were endlessly grateful.
Then, with Xia Xiaoyue, Yu Wei, and a few others as representatives, they took turns asking the questions that had been weighing on their minds.
Guyi answered every question concisely and to the point. Often, just a sentence or two was enough to bring about a moment of sudden enlightenment for the girls.
The girls grew more and more excited. They were going to gain something truly immense today.
It was a gain that would benefit them for the rest of their lives.
’The boss’s restaurant is our sacred ground!’
This thought once again crossed all the girls’ minds.
All the other patrons in the restaurant also perked up their ears to listen.
Even though they couldn’t quite understand the details, they were still fascinated.
Whenever there was a pause in the girls’ questioning, the patrons would raise their own wine bowls and toast Guyi.
Guyi always accepted with great pleasure and would even return the toast.
The patrons would protest that they were unworthy, but Guyi insisted that since fate had brought them together to drink at the boss’s place, they were drinking buddies.
Among drinking buddies, what was there to be worthy or unworthy of?
The patrons all roared with laughter, saying that in that case, they would be so bold.
At the same time, they were more excited and thrilled than ever before.
Because Guyi himself had called them his drinking buddies.
’Across the entire country, how many people could claim to be Guyi’s drinking buddies?’
Becoming one of Guyi’s drinking buddies was definitely something to be proud of!
You could brag about that for a lifetime.
No, wait.
This wasn’t just bragging—it was the real deal!
The more the patrons thought about it, the more excited they became!
At the same time, they marveled inwardly at how a figure like Guyi could be so approachable. It was truly a rare thing!
At Guyi’s table with the girls, the spicy crayfish, Mapo Tofu, Twice-cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts, and Cabbage in Consommé all arrived.
Li You walked out of the kitchen.
"Boss, come eat with us!" Ling Xiaoru, Xia Xiaoyue, Mu Qingye, and all the other girls called out.
When beautiful women extended an invitation, Li You, of course, would not refuse.
He could also join Guyi for another bowl of wine.
With Li You joining him for a drink, Guyi was delighted, his spirits soaring. He even had a sudden urge to splash ink and wield his brush—to create a painting.
The delicious food, the fine wine, and the enthusiastic patrons here had all sparked his desire to paint.
Guyi was thrilled to feel this creative impulse.
He was always thrilled whenever the urge to paint came over him.
’I’ll give this painting to the boss as a gift.’
Come to think of it, none of Guyi’s works had been released to the public for at least a decade.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t painted, but that none of it had made its way to the outside world.
The painting he now decided to gift to Li You would be the first piece of his to be released in nearly a decade.
The delicious food, the fine wine, the enthusiastic patrons—all of it made Guyi more than willing to offer such a gift.
’I’ll paint it here after the meal.’
Guyi quickly made his decision.
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