BXBX NOVEL Chapter 117 - 117: 116 Common Interests
Chapter 117 - 117: 116 Common Interests
Her family owned a pharmaceutical factory, and although she wasn’t interested in the family business growing up, she was familiar with many medicinal herbs, especially because she used to identify them by their scent in her childhood.
On her way here, she had smelled it. Just like Gu Kai’s conclusion now, she could confirm the presence of musk, but she couldn’t identify the rest.
“Older Brother Gu, I can only smell the musk from this medicine, but it’s not the only one in there, so I need your help, ” she said honestly. Wen Ran needed to know what other ‘ingredients’ were in this shark fin soup.
Gu Kai was sharp, and he understood her predicament through their brief conversation. He looked at her with deep concern and asked, “Ranran, did someone invite you to dine at Yi Pin Xuan Pavilion tonight?”
Her trust in Gu Kai was not only due to his friendship with MO Xiuchen but also because of the inexplicable sense of familiarity and trust she had developed towards Gu Kai throughout the time they’ve known each other. He had also offered her considerable help.
When he asked, she did not conceal, and explained in a soft voice, “After I left the hospital this afternoon, MO Zixuan’s mother called me, asking for my help with something. She asked me to go to Yi Pin Xuan Pavilion so we can discuss it over dinner. I turned down her invitation citing prior engagements, but she insisted on waiting for me until I was free.”
Gu Kai’s face darkened slightly, his eyes flashed with a cold light, and he asked in a low voice, “Xiao Wenqing invited you to dinner? So she’s the one who added the medicine to this soup?”
If it was indeed Xiao Wenqing, that would explain the presence of musk.
Regarding the other substances in the soup, Gu Kai could guess without laboratory testing; Xiao Wenqing had failed to eliminate MO Xiuchen years ago, and when he finally came back, he had become a ‘useless’ person.
Over the years, Xiao Wenqing had spread the news that MO Xiuchen was impotent, and everyone in G city knew about it. She herself also believed that MO Xiuchen was no match for her son.
A few days ago, she learned that Wen Ran and MO Xiuchen had consummated their marriage, and she resented this with a great deal of malevolence.
“I don’t know if she’s the one who added it, but luckily Big Brother Chen called to inform me not to drink it. However, when the shark fin soup was served, Xiao Wenqing enthusiastically encouraged me to drink it. I said I had to leave, and she insisted that I drink it first before leaving.”
Gu Kai showed a slight smile, and said, “So, you took countermeasures and decided to take the shark fin soup away?
Wen Ran nodded, “Yes, but I don’t want my brother and MO Xiuchen to know about this yet, so I can only ask for your help.”
Her brother was still guilty over her recent kidnapping incident in F city, she did not want to worry him further. As for MO Xiuchen, Cheng Jia was injured, so she didn’t want to tell him yet either.
Understanding her concerns, Gu Kai readily agreed, “Don’t worry, I will thoroughly investigate the ingredients in this shark fin soup. However, since this incident happened at Yi Pin Xuan Pavilion, we need to pay a visit to Yi Pin Xuan Pavilion now.”
The waiter brought them their coffees. Gu Kai took a sip of his coffee and, after the waiter left, asked again, “Who is the Big Brother Chen you mentioned?”
Wen Ran smiled and explained, “He’s Sister Li’s husband, and also Qin Mu’s brother-in-law. I’ve already told him not to tell anyone for now. He promised me, so he should keep it a secret.”
Gu Kai chuckled and nodded, “Wait for me here a moment, I’ll take this back to the hospital,then we’ll head to Yi Pin Xuan Pavilion.”
“Alright!”
Wen Ran answered softly. When she saw Gu Kai reach for his wallet, she hurriedly said, “Older Brother Gu, let me cover the bills.”
Gu Kai laughed and standing up, he gestured for the waiter. He pulled a hundred yuan bill from his wallet, “The coffee is too cheap. You can treat me to dinner later.”
When he said that, Wen Ran didn’t insist on paying, and cheerily responded, “No problem.”
Wen Ran didn’t expect Gu Kai to be good friends with the owner of Yi Pin Xuan. He had the owner personally conduct the investigation and quickly identified the kitchen assistant who had drugged her soup.
However, similar to the kidnapping incident in F city, the assistant didn’t know who his client was, but he agreed to the job because he needed money urgently.
When they tried to call the suspect, his phone was already turned off.
The owner of Yi Pin Xuan personally apologized to Wen Ran and insisted on treating them to a meal. Gu Kai refused, saying he would rain check and come back some other time.
After leaving Yi Pin Xuan, Gu Kai suggested eating barbecue, to which Wen Ran readily agreed.
“You should send your driver off first, I will drive you home later.”
Gu Kai’s gaze redirected towards the parking lot. As he spoke, his voice was quickly swallowed by the night wind.
“Sure!”
Wen Ran didn’t like to take a driver all the time. If it weren’t for the fact that her arm injury hadn’t fully recovered, and because her brother and MO Xiuchen wouldn’t let her drive, she would have dismissed the driver long ago.
As the car entered the avenue, Gu Kai glanced at Wen Ran sitting in the passenger seat and felt inexplicably cheerful. A smile seeped onto his face and he gently asked, “What do you enjoy eating? I’ll treat you to it next time.”
Wen Ran looked towards him and answered with a smile, “I also like barbecue. When my parents were around, they didn’t allow me to eat it, saying that it was bad to eat too much. My brother would secretly take me for it, and after eating, we couldn’t go home right away. We would have to spend some time in the night wind until the smell of the barbecue disappeared before we went home.”
Gu Kai burst into laughter and said cheerfully, “Really? Then, I found companion. MO Xiuchen does not like barbecue either. In the future, whenever you feel like eating barbecue, find me. I shall take you. I’m well acquainted with all the barbecue shops in G city.”
“Absolutely! Although my brother takes me for barbecue, he never takes me to those night market places…”
The two foodies instantly hit it off and started talking non-stop about food. Consequently, Gu Kai took Wen Ran to the night market place that he usually visits for barbecues.
“Whenever MO Xiuchen comes, he doesn’t dare to eat, saying it’s dirty here. In fact, the barbecue here is very delicious.”
As Gu Kai devoured his skewers, he excitedly made this disclosure. Wen Ran also enjoyed the food. This kind of street stand, despite looking unsanitary compared to the upscale barbecue restaurants, had its own unique appeal.
With food in her mouth, Wen Ran was no longer the image of a sophisticated lady. She mumbled incoherently, “Mmm… it’s really tasty, I can’t describe how good it tastes.”
Gu Kai reached into the tissue box for a tissue and handed it to her warmly saying, “Ranran, wipe your face.”
Wen Ran blinked in surprise and as she reached out for the tissue, she asked,
“Where?”
The small table was already quite compact, and with Gu Kai’s long arms, he simply reached across her, extended the tissue to her right cheek, and wiped off the oil stain for her.
His demeanor was relaxed with a trace of a smile, acting completely like a caring older brother. However, when his fingers touched her, Wen Ran tensed up slightly, seemingly embarrassed..