The Game of Life

Xia Mushi’s passing had hit Zhang Guanghang hard, and even though he was back at work normally two days after the funeral, everyone could tell he was out of sorts, his spirits low.

A melancholic yet filial mixed-race French-Chinese hunk, standing at 1.92 meters tall, with deep-set eyes, a pronounced nose bridge, delicate features, a slim waist, and long legs in perfect proportion, how could anyone not want to offer comfort to such a radiant figure.

During a very ordinary lunch break, Ji Yue was very ordinarily propping up her head to closely admire Zhang Guanghang’s face.

“Ah, my dear Hang Hang is so down; what if it affects his health over time? Ji Yue said with a sorrowful expression.

Jiang Feng: …

Had it not been for Wu Minqi feeling unwell due to her period and staying home instead of coming to work, he wouldn’t have fallen to the point of gazing at Zhang Guanghang together with Ji Yue.

Pfft, that is, discussing how to comfort Zhang Guanghang.

As Zhang Guanghang’s colleague, good friend, and, in theory, his boss, Jiang Feng believed that caring for an employee’s mental state was every not-willing-to-give-a-raise good boss’s duty.

“Stop looking, it’s no use. He’s been like this for days, even in the kitchen; he’s always absent-minded. Today at noon, he even broke two plates,” Jiang Feng said, while texting Wu Minqi on his phone to ask how she felt and if she needed him to buy a pack of brown sugar from the convenience store for her.

“Broke? What dialect is that? I’ve noticed that since you arrived in Beiping, your speech alternates between northern and southern accents,” Ji Yue commented. Jiang Feng thought about it and wasn’t sure to which dialect it belonged. His college classmates were from all over, and after living together for a few years, he’d picked up a word or two from various dialects.

“Ji Xue said you’ve been drawing late into the night every day recently. Have you taken on more work? Didn’t you say you would rest this month and not take on any high-priced jobs?” Jiang Feng asked.

“Not taken on any work. It’s just that story about potstickers you told me the other day; I’ve been working on that these past few days and have already drawn a few concept sketches,” Ji Yue replied.

Jiang Feng suspected there was a problem with his ears.

“You said you’d drawn a few concept sketches these past few days?” Jiang Feng asked, dumbfounded.

“Yeah, that feeling I had when I did my graduation project has returned. Ah, if I had been as dedicated back then as I am now, I reckon the title of ‘Outstanding Graduate’ would’ve been mine, and 1 might’ve even brandished that certificate to bluff my way into a job,” Ji Yue said with a hint of regret, turning to look at

Jiang Feng.

“Here I am, contributing to the company without a penny to my name. As a vile capitalist, shouldn’t you have a shred of compassion to reward a selflessly devoted employee?”

Jiang Feng immediately became vigilant, his face screaming poverty.

Though Ji Yue might play the procrastinator-daring to delay any assignment regardless of the pay, refusing to lift a pen until the very last moment, and even then pondering before starting-it was undeniable that her drawing skills were decent.

Especially since in May, when Jiang Feng found out how much Ji Yue earned per job and then considered the time it took her to complete a drawing, he deeply realized Ji Yue’s poverty was entirely due to her reluctance to draw.

Now she was proactively drawing, and what’s more, she was drawing out of passion without financial reward. Jiang Feng could hardly believe the person in front of him was Ji Yue.

“The family assets are still in the negative nine figures, so if you’re talking about a bonus, you’ll have to discuss that with my mom,” Jiang Feng said, his face full of poverty.

“Who doesn’t know you’re broke? Of all of us, you’re the poorest. Even Sun Jikai, kicked out by his grandfather, still wears Burberry. If I recall correctly, the only Versace shirt you have was a birthday gift from Mrs. Wang, Ji Yue quipped.

Jiang Feng:…

My dad even wears Seven Brand!

With eyes that could spot brands as if they were a built-in detector, Ji Yue scanned Jiang Feng up and down, “These shoes were a gift from Qiqi, right?” Jiang Feng was startled, “How did you know?”

■Your grandpa likes Valentino; Mrs. Wang usually buys you Versace. Mr. Jiang is more likely to buy you a kitchen knife than shoes. The only person in your family who would buy shoes and likes Dior would be Qiqi. Isn’t that easy to guess?” Ji Yue analyzed coolly.

“No, no, that’s not right! Now we’re getting sidetracked! Let’s get back on topic. I’m drawing these comics for free; you’ve got to make some nice food to reward me, right?” Ji Yue pressed the point.

“Nice food? What do you want to eat? I made porridge yesterday, and you’ve had sweet and sour yam often enough. I think I also made an ‘eight treasures’ tofu dish the day before yesterday. And today’s staff meal is prepared by my grandpa; doesn’t that satisfy you?” Jiang Feng pondered, “How about this evening I’ll bring a casserole home and have Ji Xue make you a special pot of clay pot chicken with Huadiao wine?

“I had that chicken dish with Huadiao wine the first day I moved in with Xue. I want to eat the braised pigeon you make,” Ji Yue said, “It’s that one with the eight treasures, what pigeon was it again?”

“Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon.” “Right, right, right, the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon!” Ji Yue slapped her thigh, “It’s been so hot lately, I just want to eat braised pigeon.

“I’ll make it for you tomorrow,” Jiang Feng promised immediately.

He had already planned to continue practicing the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon in the days to come, practicing during the gap between lunch and dinner business, and the finished products could also be sold as special-priced dishes or as employee benefits, killing two birds with one stone and not wasting anything.

Business at Taifeng Building had been going smoothly, although it wasn’t packed every day-given the size of Taifeng Building-but the occupancy rate was still very high, which was quite impressive for an upscale restaurant with expensive dishes.

However, to date, besides the Sweet and Sour Yam, Jiang Feng hadn’t sold a single specialty dish.

Li Hongzhang hodgepodge, no one ordered.

Matchmaker set meal, no one ordered.

Weight loss special meal-pickled vegetable dumplings, no one ordered. Even the purely meat dumplings, priced at 6 yuan per serving and labeled “Exquisite taste, order with caution!” with a daily limit of three servings, didn’t attract a single customer to try out of curiosity.

Before opening, Jiang Feng’s grand ambition to expand the matchmaker business and turn upside down all of Beiping’s marriage agencies was strangled in the cradle.

Ji Yue’s comics were an opportunity. Taifeng Building had registered its own Weibo and WeChat public accounts, and handed them over to a professional operation team. If Ji Yue could finish the story about the dumplings without procrastination and post it on Weibo and WeChat, Jiang Feng believed there would definitely be rookie volunteers willing to try the purely meat dumplings. Jiang Jianshe was in charge of procuring the ingredients, and Jiang Feng called him in his spare time, asking him to prepare some pigeons and pigeon eggs from the poultry supplier for practice. Jiang Jianshe readily agreed, indicating it was no big deal.

“Hey,” Ji Yue sighed again, “what can I do to cheer up his spirits? “If he’s always in a bad mood, how will he have the time to date me? Jiang Feng had just made the call and came back to see Ji Yue daydreaming: ???

Sleepwalking???

“Are you joking or are you serious? Do you really want to pursue Zhang Guanghang?” Jiang Feng was somewhat unable to grasp Ji Yue’s thoughts. She was always frivolous and had no serious intentions, and half of the handsome guys in the entertainment circle were her “husbands,” even including those from the European and Japanese circles.

At first, Jiang Feng thought Ji Yue’s attitude towards Zhang Guanghang was the same as her attitude towards her “husbands” in the entertainment circle, but now it seemed a bit more serious.

Ji Yue had even prepared the character design just because of a suggestion from Zhang Guanghang.

“Of course, I’m serious. Any single man I set my sights on, as long as he’s willing to date me, I can get him,” Ji Yue said confidently.

“Seems like you’ve only dated one guy…” Jiang Feng vaguely remembered that Ji Yue used to have a boyfriend who was a year ahead of her and had successfully passed his postgraduate exams.

“Don’t mention that guy. Not only was he straight, but he also cheated on me. I really was blind to chase him just because he was handsome,” Ji Yue said with a look of irreconcilable bitterness in her past.

“Straight?” Jiang Feng remembered that Ji Yue was obsessed with looks, and her boyfriend was quite handsome, a tall guy at 1.88 meters.

“Straighter than you!”

Jiang Feng: ???

Am I straight???

“The day he finished his postgraduate exams, he sent me a message after the last test asking if I was free,” Ji Yue said with a complicated expression. “What happened? What did you reply to him? You weren’t free?” Jiang Feng asked, curious as a spectator.

“Of course, I replied that I was free! As soon as I got his message, I put on makeup in the dormitory. I spent more than two hours applying makeup, changing my eyebrow shapes two or three times. When I finished and asked him where he was, guess what he said?”

“What did he say?”

“I’m going to the internet cafe to relax, take a good rest,” Ji Yue said with a smile.

Jiang Feng:…

He couldn’t help but look at Zhang Guanghang, and glanced back at the now vague memory of Ji Yue’s ex-boyfriend’s face, and couldn’t help but sigh. Being handsome really allows one to do whatever they wish..