Fancy Me, Professor!

They had French cuisine for dinner tonight—making Chu Hua feel grateful that she requested this for dinner instead of having Chinese cuisine.

With Mr. Chen's grandson as their guest to night, she sighed in relief that they are having great dinner tonight, eating Lobster Thermidor and Bouillabaisse.

Lobster Thermidor is a French dish of lobster meat cooked in a rich wine sauce, stuffed back into a lobster shell, and browned. The sauce is often a mixture of egg yolks and Brandy, served with an oven-browned cheese crust, typically Gruyère. The sauce originally contained mustard.

Bouillabaisse was originally a stew made by Marseille fishermen, using the bony rockfish which they were unable to sell to restaurants or markets. There are at least three kinds of fish in a traditional bouillabaisse, typically red rascasse; sea robin; and European conger.

It can also include gilt-head bream, turbot, monkfish, mullet, or European hake. It usually also includes shellfish and other seafood such as sea urchins, mussels, velvet crabs, spider crab or octopus.

To be honest, Shi Lian and Wang Lei would prefer Chinese cuisine or any other delicious cuisine over French cuisine.

Well, yes, it is nice to eat something unique to the taste buds every now and then, but this specific French food is something that both of them personally don't like.

However, to show their respects to their chef, they still ate it, not wanting to waste food as well as this will make Chu Hua angry at them and it would seem to the guest that even the host doesn't enjoy the food.

With Chu Hua taking a sip of her champagne as they were now finished eating, Zhang Ren respectfully complimented the food that they had for dinner, making Shi Lian and Wang Lei internally disagree.

"Thank you so much for the delicious French dishes, Mrs. Zhang. I find it delectable."

'No, it's despicable!' – Wang Lei and Shi Lian, while drinking their champagne to push the food down

With Chu Hua giggling, she smiled at Zhang Ren, seeing that he is a good boy with good manners—already liking him for her daughter.

"I'm glad you enjoyed, Zhang Ren! You can visit anytime and we can have French cuisine once more."

Hearing this, Shi Lian and Wang Lei's head snapped to look at their mother, shaking their head as Wang Lei made another suggestion.

"Maybe we can have something different! Since we had French now, why not other kinds of dishes?"

"Yes, yes!" Shi Lian nodded her head enthusiastically. "Maybe Japanese food is alright. Right?"

With Shi Lian bumping Zhang Ren's leg with her leg under the table, Zhang Ren already got what the siblings were talking about, Zhang Ren, smiling as she agreed with the sibling's suggestion.

"Japanese cuisine is also a good suggestion. Since Shi Lian suggested it, I would want to honor her thoughts."

With that said, Chu Hua grinned, already saying something that made Shi Lian blush, making Wang Lei feel uneasy.

"Now, isn't Zhang Ren so sweet towards my Shi Lian? I could see that you two are such a good couple! How long have you two been dating?"

With Shi Lian not knowing what to say, she bit her bottom lip, Zhang Ren already speaking for the both of them.

"We started for a few months. During semester break," he answered, Wang Lei, sipping his champagne as he looked at him from the corner of his eye.

'A good liar. He doesn't bat an eye. I don't know if this is a good sign or not.'

"Oh, I see!"

With Chu Hua smiling at Zhang Ren, Shi Lian now interrupted their conversation, reminding them of the time as they pretended that Zhang Ren needed to go home.

"Oh, look at the time! It's almost 9 PM! Zhang Ren, don't you need to go home?"

"Oh!"

With Zhang Ren's eyes slightly widening in surprise, he indeed needed to go home, this time, not acting his urgency as he shyly smiled at Chu Hua and spoke to her.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Zhao, but I indeed need to go. I still have homework to do and I have yet to talk to my grandfather before he turns in for the night."

"Oh, alright!" Chu Hua replied, "I'm sorry to have delayed your stay!"

"No, it's alright. I would have stayed more if you want, but alas, I have academics and talking with my grandfather to do."

With a nod, Chu Hua looked at her daughter, already giving them permission to leave the dining table.

"Be courteous now, dear! Walk him out of the house with your brother and ask the driver to drive him home."

"Ah, that's not necessary, mama," Wang Lei said, putting down his champagne as a small smile appeared on his face. "I want to talk to Zhang Ren alone—I'd be willing to escort him home."

When Shi Lian heard this, she couldn't help but furrow her brows, wondering why her older brother suddenly suggested this.

With a subtle smirk appearing on Zhang Ren's face, he looked at Wang Lei, thanking him.

"Thank you, Mr. Wang Lei. It would be rude of me to decline your suggestion. I'm not going to let this opportunity pass."

As Wang Lei stood up, Shi Lian and Zhang Ren also stood up, Zhang Ren, giving a small bow to Chu Hua to say his goodbye.

"Thank you, Mrs. Zhao. I was honored to have dinner with you and your family."

"Pleasure! I apologize that my husband, Zhao Zhang Wei, couldn't join us tonight. He is in another country as we speak, attending a conference with a business partner."

"It is alright. Extend my regards to Mr. Zhao."

As they were about to walk out, Zhang Ren stopped Shi Lian, what he said making her arch a brow at him.

"You stay here, Shi Lian. It's alright—it's cold outside. Your brother is going to take me home, anyway."

"But—"

However, what he did that interrupted her surprised everyone, making Wang Lei feel uneasy, but Chu Hua, internally squeal in her seat.

Shi Lian widened her eyes in surprise… the moment she felt Zhang Ren's lips smoothly land on hers to give her a brief kiss of three seconds.

"Wha—"

With Wang Lei unsure of how to react, Shi Lian blushed as she looked straight into Zhang Ren's eyes, her heart racing in her chest with what he said along with her first kiss that he stole from her.

"I'll call you later if you're still awake, yes? I'm going to miss you!"

"Tsk!"

Wang Lei clicked his tongue. With his hand now on Zhang Ren's shoulder, he grabbed him, leaving Shi Lian dazed as Chu Hua was satisfied with what she saw.

"Oh, Shi Lian! You're a young adult now! You can have such moments with your boyfriend! It was not too much! Keep it going so you can secure your engagement, yes? He fancies you!"

Shi Lian didn't say a word. With her sitting down on her seat slowly, her hands on her lap balled into tight fists, finding it difficult to breathe as she still felt the soft sensation on her lips.

'He kissed me! That Zhang Ren had the audacity to kiss me when this is all an act!'