Chapter 61: Family Banquet

Lu Yang had already returned to school, but he would still try to make his presence felt in the work group chat from time to time.

“We still haven’t sorted out our dinner party,” he was the most active one in the group. “I have an idea.”

“No, you don’t!”

Qin Qing, in the midst of her busy schedule, took a moment to chat idly in the group and personally shut down his idea.

She was studying the professional books Zhao Zhao had recommended to her.

To become a police officer, one needed to study a wide variety of subjects. Qin Qing didn’t expect to master them all; she only picked “Criminal Investigation Science and Technology” and “Intelligence Analysis” for in-depth study, as they best complemented the abilities of her System Panel.

Of course, Zhao Zhao had also said that just reading theory might not be that effective. When they were in school, their teachers would use real case files, breaking them down and analyzing them in detail to guide their learning.

But for a latecomer like Qin Qing, getting even a rough, basic understanding of the systematic knowledge was already quite good.

The textbooks for these courses came partly from the library and partly from the recommended reading of her various police colleagues.

Immersed in a sea of books, Qin Qing sometimes felt that something was not quite right.

Initially, she hadn’t wanted to work a regular job. After getting the System Panel, she had once achieved this wish.

However, the reality now was…

She was working three jobs at the same time!

A consultant position at Jinsheng International, her own studio, and the consulting work for the police department.

She was even voluntarily gnawing on a pile of obscure professional books, forgoing food and sleep, just to be better at her jobs.

She was working even harder than she did in her senior year of high school or when preparing for her postgraduate entrance exams!

To her horror, she had unknowingly been assimilated by the spirit of a wage earner.

Where was her poetry? Where was her distant horizon?

Studying was so exhausting that her aversion to greasy food had even improved quite a bit.

In the blink of an eye, it was the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Ms. Wang Xiangyu called again to remind Qin Qing not to forget the family gathering for the festival.

“Whose house is it at this year?”

Wang Xiangyu: “It was supposed to be at your Second Aunt’s, but she said she doesn’t want to cook at home and is treating us to a meal out. She said your cousin’s boyfriend booked a restaurant that’s especially hard to get into.”

Qin Qing was quite happy to eat out. At least the younger generation wouldn’t be urged to clean up the mess after the meal.

On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Qin Qing first went home to meet up with her parents before heading to the restaurant together.

She also took the opportunity to lug the mooncakes she had received back to the old couple.

Speaking of mooncakes, it was quite amusing. Qin Qing’s office was almost overflowing with them.

This was not even counting the routine holiday gifts from Jinsheng International, the police department, and her own studio. There were also gift boxes from various clients like Liu Simin and Chen Daguang.

And that was just what was delivered to the studio. Many neighbors in her residential community had also sent them to her home.

When she first received holiday gifts from her neighbors, she was baffled. Had relations between neighbors become this enthusiastic?

Later, she discovered that it seemed not every neighbor received them, but she was definitely the one who received the most.

She had only met many of the neighbors and had no business dealings or deep interactions with them, so it didn’t feel right to just accept their gifts. Qin Qing had to figure out how to return the favor. She couldn’t give back the gifts others had given her, especially those with obvious custom logos. In the end, she had no choice but to ask Qin Fanghao to buy another batch of mooncakes identical to the ones from her studio to solve the problem.

The two piles of gift boxes gave her a headache. She had never liked eating mooncakes, even as a child.

Before the festival, she had specifically kept an eye out, but so far, she hadn’t found a single master who had a Talent or Skill for making mooncakes.

She couldn’t be the only one with a headache. She decided to transport them all back to let Ms. Wang and Old Qin have a headache too.

For this, she even hired a van from a moving service.

After arriving at the community, she paid the driver and had a few security guards at the entrance help carry them upstairs.

The living room was packed to the brim.

Old Qin: “Are you planning to open a shop?”

Qin Qing said innocently, “Maybe other people think I’m going to open a shop.”

Old Qin: “…”

Great, the headache was successfully transferred.

Ms. Wang had clearly tidied up before leaving the house and was even wearing the jadeite bracelet Qin Qing had given her.

She even praised it, “This bracelet is nice, it gets shinier the more I wear it. When I wear it out, everyone thinks it’s real.”

Qin Qing could only manage a dry laugh.

Old Qin drove.

Qin Qing found the address from the navigation system somewhat familiar but couldn’t recall it at the moment. It was only after they arrived that she realized it was Soy Sauce Fried Rice!

Oh, the restaurant’s name was Yawei Jiangnan.

Well, what an old acquaintance.

She was quite satisfied.

Qin Qing also met the legendary Xiao Yuan, her cousin’s boyfriend, who had been praised to the heavens by Second Aunt.

He was indeed handsome and knew how to handle things.

Claiming it was his first time meeting his girlfriend’s relatives, he stood up and poured tea for everyone one by one. With each cup he poured, he would call out to the person loudly based on his cousin’s prompts.

“This kid is quite enthusiastic.”

“The young man is so handsome.”

“Yaqian has good taste.”

The elders were full of praise.

Second Aunt was beyond satisfied, her spirits high.

“I told you, Xiao Yuan is a sensible and filial kid.”

As she spoke, she extended her hand, revealing the bracelet on her wrist.

“It’s the festival, so Xiao Yuan bought Yaqian a gift, but he insisted on buying one for me too. I didn’t want the kid to spend the money, but it’s the thought that counts, right? So I’m wearing it.”

Here we go, Second Aunt was starting her performance again.

As expected, Qin Qing saw that her cousin also had one on her wrist, though it wasn’t green but a “spring with color” jade.

This Xiao Yuan had not only given gifts to his girlfriend and future mother-in-law.

All the relatives present received something, though not jadeite, of course. It was a Mid-Autumn Festival gift box with the Jinsheng International gold-stamped logo.

He also explained that inside were not just mooncakes, but also two Yangcheng Lake crab vouchers and a shopping card for an e-commerce platform.

When her bragging about the bracelet received no affirmation or response, Second Aunt pulled Qin Qing’s grandmother over and said, “Mom, don’t you think it’s beautiful?”

“Beautiful, beautiful.” The old lady was happy just seeing the younger generation gathered together, and she said cheerfully, “Since it’s so beautiful, you should buy one for Mom too.”

Second Aunt was speechless.

Qin Qing almost laughed. The older the ginger, the spicier it is.

Second Aunt said, not very pleased, “Mom, this is icy-waxy type jadeite, it costs over a hundred thousand. You really have the nerve to ask.”

Xiao Yuan chimed in at the right moment, “If Grandma likes it, I’ll bring one for you next time.”

The old lady would never accept something from him and quickly said she was just joking, that him and cousin Yaqian living a good life was better than anything.

Interrupted by the old lady, Second Aunt still hadn’t shown off enough.

Her hand, as if it had tenosynovitis, twisted her wrist from time to time to show off the bracelet.

It was actually a bit of an eyesore.

First Aunt was the first to be unable to stand it, but Qin Qing hadn’t expected to be dragged into the battlefield.

First Aunt said, “Xiangyu, don’t you have a bracelet too? I saw it last time, and it looked a bit more translucent than her Second Aunt’s.”

Qin Qing saw her mom’s expression instantly switch from “super annoyed” as she lowered her head, to a smiling face as she looked up and said it couldn’t compare, it couldn’t compare.

But Second Aunt wouldn’t have it and insisted on seeing.

Ms. Wang had no choice but to raise her hand.

When the two bracelets were compared, anyone with eyes could see that Ms. Wang’s was more beautiful and had more charm.

But Second Aunt wouldn’t admit defeat.

She said, “The translucency of this one looks questionable. If it were real jadeite, it would have to be the glassy type, and that would cost at least a million.” To show off her own bracelet, she had done her homework.

A piece of jewelry worth over a million was definitely not within the spending level of Qin Qing’s family. The implication was self-evident.

Second Aunt: “Xiangyu, how much did you pay for it? Don’t tell me you got scammed.”

Old Qin was not happy. “Second Sister, what you’re saying is out of line. The kid bought it for her mom to wear for fun, not to attend an auction for appraisal.”

Second Aunt smiled instantly, with a strong sense of victory.

“Oh, so Qin Qing bought it. Well, it’s normal for a child not to know the market. Next time you want to buy something for your mom, have your cousin take you.”

Qin Qing didn’t respond. The most she could do was restrain herself from rolling her eyes at this drama-loving Second Aunt.

If it weren’t for cousin Yaqian’s sake, she would have retorted directly.

But her cousin was not only constantly pulling on Second Aunt, trying to stop her, but also sent Qin Qing a text message to apologize when the battle line was drawn to Ms. Wang.

[My mom just has this temper, don’t take it to heart.]

At this moment, Xiao Yuan seemed to be smoothing things over by changing the subject, talking about the restaurant.

“The food here is really good. You usually have to book several days in advance to get a table. Our chairman particularly likes the flavor here and loves to eat here. Later on, our company’s senior management started holding all their business dinners and banquets here.”

Someone asked, “This place doesn’t look cheap, but it can’t be that popular, can it?”

Xiao Yuan smiled and said, as if telling a story, “Actually, this restaurant wasn’t so hard to book before. I heard that one time, our chairman brought a friend here for dinner. That friend of his is incredible, a mysterious food critic. He wrote a review for this restaurant, and only then did it become so sought-after that a table is hard to get.”

Grandpa spoke up, sighing, “In the end, it’s the power of the pen that’s formidable. Our family is lacking; we haven’t produced anyone with such literary talent.”

Qin Qing sipped her tea. Why did this story sound so familiar? Could it be about her?

Xiao Yuan continued, “What’s particularly interesting is that when this food critic came here, the dishes he ordered were ones that even their head chef didn’t know how to make. But it just so happened that a junior chef knew how. The critic was blown away after eating and that’s why he wrote the review. This hidden menu is also one of the reasons for Yawei Jiangnan’s popularity.”

Qin Qing: Confirmed, it’s about me.

Her toes curled up. It was super embarrassing to have someone tell her story like this.

And Xiao Yuan was still going on, “This friend of our chairman is super awesome.”

The way he said it, it was as if he was talking about his own friend.

Qin Qing stared at him, hoping he would stop posturing.

Xiao Yuan: “Cousin, is there a problem?”

Qin Qing felt her expression must be contorted by now.

Second Aunt cued her again.

“By the way, Qin Qing, how’s your job search going? Do you want your cousin Yuan to help you keep an eye out? No matter what, he’s a senior manager now.”

Xiao Yuan immediately caught on and offered, “Cousin doesn’t have a job yet? What did you major in? Let me see if there are any suitable positions at Jinsheng. The hiring standards at Jinsheng have indeed been getting higher and higher these past two years. If it’s not a good fit, I can also keep an eye out for positions at our client companies.”

Ms. Wang was probably fed up with Second Aunt’s persistent, plaster-like presence.

She said directly, “No need, Qin Qing is doing quite well now. She worked at Jinsheng before…”

These words were like a stone stirring a thousand ripples.

The relatives, hearing this news for the first time, all looked towards Qin Qing, as if to confirm: Is it true?

Xiao Yuan was visibly tense for a moment, then asked in a particularly surprised tone, “Cousin was also at Jinsheng? Are you a management trainee who just joined this year? Which department are you in?”

Qin Qing rummaged through her bag, found one of her three work cards, and handed it over.

Telling them, it was true.

Xiao Yuan was the first to take the work ID.

At a glance, his heart sank; he thought he had seen it wrong.

Jinsheng International’s work IDs didn’t directly state the job level, but they were distinguished by color.

The color of the frame on Qin Qing’s work ID was clearly L7, two levels higher than his!

How was this possible? How old was she?

Perhaps it was a fake?

Xiao Yuan took out his phone, logged into the company’s internal system, and searched for Qin Qing’s name.

It was clearly displayed in bold letters—L7. Her rank was higher than his, her salary was higher than his, and she was the kind of person who’d be eligible for stock options after a few more years of service.

But the most baffling part? Why was the direct supervisor of a “mere L7” none other than the Chairman himself?

Qin Qing watched Xiao Yuan with a faint smile.

Xiao Yuan forced a dry laugh, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

He remembered a rumor circulating in the company’s gossip groups, saying that the Chairman had personally poached a fierce general for the Strategic Investment Department, who closed a deal that was equivalent to several years of performance for others. But this master was as elusive as a divine dragon showing its head but not its tail; only people from the Chairman’s office had seen them.

This piece of gossip was the biggest topic of conversation this year, constantly being talked about.

Legend also had it that the Chairman held this master in extremely high regard.

The cafeteria at Jinsheng International had always been at a “make-do” level—not tasty, but free and filling. But in the second half of this year, the quality suddenly soared, causing more employees to stay and eat in the cafeteria for lunch.

According to reliable rumors, this change was also because of this person. Just because this newly hired person had gone to the company cafeteria once out of curiosity, and then complained directly to the Chairman that it was bad, the cafeteria’s kitchen staff was replaced overnight.

After the chefs were changed, the Chairman’s special assistant, You, personally went to taste-test and approve the results.

Now, a favorite game among colleagues during lunch was guessing which passerby was this master.

The department matched, the rank matched, but they had always assumed the protagonist of the gossip was a decisive and vigorous man.

It couldn’t be this young lady, could it?

Xiao Yuan was undergoing an unprecedented brainstorm.

His career path seemed to be facing an unprecedented challenge.

Just then, a server knocked on the door to bring out the dishes.

Unexpectedly, when a waitress was serving the food, she just glanced at this newly-revealed, possibly super-awesome colleague who outranked him.

She said, “You’re here?” and then retreated. In a moment, a man who introduced himself as the owner of Yawei Jiangnan came out and walked over to his colleague, greeting her with an enthusiasm greater than if he were seeing his own mother.

“Miss Qin, why didn’t you let us know you were coming?”