"This sweet and sour pork ribs dish is perfect for cooking," Zhou Xingxing chuckled, then added, "There are two plates of it, right? Puge, one plate should be enough for you. How about Changlin and I share the other one?"
"Go away," Xiaobudian Under the Grapevine said, having just eaten a piece and found it delicious, "didn’t you see I ordered two plates of sweet and sour pork ribs myself?" Therefore, naturally, there was no inclination to give any up.
"Brother Zhou, there’s no need to argue. If you really want some, just tell Ruonan," Li Changlin couldn’t help but laugh when he saw Zhou Xingxing and Xiaobudian Under the Grapevine bickering.
"Yeah, Brother Zhou, if you want some, I can ask Ziwei to make another portion for you," Lin Ruonan said, joining in with a light chuckle upon hearing Li Changlin.
"All right, that would be great. Sorry to trouble you, Miss Lin," Zhou Xingxing nodded and withdrew his chopsticks, sitting down to eat his clear soup noodles.
"Brother Zhou, just wait a moment; it will be quick," Lin Ruonan said as she glanced at Li Changlin, "Changlin, would you like a portion too?"
"No need for me; I’ll save it for next time!" Li Changlin said indistinctly while eating his noodles, waving his hand dismissively.
Lin Ruonan gave Li Changlin a small smile to acknowledge she understood, then turned toward the kitchen.
"Thanks, Miss Lin," Seeing Lin Ruonan had left, Zhou Xingxing waved his hand frantically, calling out loud.
By then, Lin Ruonan had already entered the kitchen and did not respond to Zhou Xingxing.
Soon, Lin Ruonan emerged from the kitchen once again, this time not only with the sweet and sour pork ribs Zhou Xingxing had asked for but also with three extra plates of peanuts and a small bowl of chili sauce, much to the delight of Li Changlin and his company.
Delightful. The three of them had such a merry time eating, they were incredibly happy.
The meal took them a good hour to finish. By the time they were done, it was already past seven o’clock.
Since the dining table they were using belonged to Qian Bao, they didn’t have any other customers join them, allowing the three to chat and eat at their leisure, which took up a considerable amount of time.
After finishing, they conscientiously placed their bowls and chopsticks on the conveyor belt on the wall. At that moment, Lin Ruonan came out and said to Li Changlin, "Ziwei has agreed to your request. You can come to the store to live stream tomorrow at noon."
"Okay, thanks. Please thank Boss Qian for me!" Li Changlin smiled and nodded, pleased with the way things had turned out—his task was pretty much complete.
"Miss Lin, could I trouble you with something?" Seeing Li Changlin unable to contain his joy, Zhou Xingxing grew a bit anxious and hastily said, "Miss Lin, let’s all go for a late-night snack later. Could you please invite Elder Qian too?"
"Changlin finishes streaming around midnight. By the time we go for a late-night snack, I doubt Ziwei would agree," Lin Ruonan could guess what Zhou Xingxing was trying to do as Qian Ziwei needed to take care of Qian Bao, so she was hesitant to simply agree to Zhou Xingxing’s request.
"Then just have Changlin get off work earlier!" Zhou Xingxing waved his hand nonchalantly and then turned to Li Changlin, "Changlin, what do you say, can you finish at ten o’clock?"
Cough, cough, cough...
Li Changlin coughed dryly, finding the request rather difficult to answer.
His streaming hours were fixed, from eight in the evening until midnight, and Li Changlin had been a host for almost four months, never having ended his stream early. So, a bit conflicted, he turned with a look seeking help toward Xiaobudian Under the Grapevine.
"Xingzi, don’t put Changlin in a tough spot. He’s been streaming for nearly four months and has never ended his stream early," Xiaobudian Under the Grapevine, understanding Li Changlin’s intentions, immediately began to explain.
"Brother, this is the first time Brother Zhou is asking you for a favor; you have to give him some face!" Zhou Xingxing ignored the persuasion from Xiaobudian Under the Grapevine and looked straight at Li Changlin, "Here’s the deal—if you agree to end the stream at ten, I’ll guarantee you a top three finish in the Monthly Ticket contest this month."
Cough, cough, cough...
"Brother Zhou, that’s not what I meant," Li Changlin coughed again, not wanting Zhou Xingxing to misunderstand him.
Finishing in the top three in the Monthly Ticket contest did not tempt Li Changlin much since his strength was evident. Even if he didn’t compete for the Monthly Ticket, it wouldn’t affect his popularity.
"Top two!" Zhou Xingxing, being the kind of man he was, decided to be more direct, raising two fingers as he saw Li Changlin was still hesitating.
"In that case, Brother Zhou, if you promise to help Changlin get number one in the Monthly Ticket, then I’ll answer for him. He’ll guarantee to finish at ten, and I will make sure Ziwei comes out for a snack at ten too," Lin Ruonan hurriedly spoke up for Li Changlin when she heard Zhou Xingxing mention top two, visibly shaking him up.
"Ruonan!" Li Changlin was quite embarrassed; ending the stream early wasn’t a big deal, but Zhou Xingxing’s offer made him feel uncomfortable.
The situation looked too much like a transaction, which wasn’t something Li Changlin wanted to see happen.
"Don’t worry, Changlin," Lin Ruonan gave Li Changlin a calming glance, quite sure of herself inside.
She had a hunch about Zhou Xingxing’s background and made such an offer mainly to confirm her suspicions.
"Okay, number one it is, I agree," Zhou Xingxing reassessed briefly and actually agreed to Lin Ruonan’s condition.
"All right, it’s a deal, Brother Zhou. You can’t back out now," Seeing Zhou Xingxing agree so readily, Lin Ruonan was quite pleased.
"Relax, I stick to my promises; once said, it’s like water that’s been poured out!" Zhou Xingxing nodded earnestly, sealing the deal.
"I’ll go tell Ziwei. Changlin, you escort Brother Grape and Brother Zhou back, then come straight here after you finish streaming. Ziwei and I will wait for you in the store. Oh, and I’ll settle the check with Ziwei, so you don’t worry about it," Lin Ruonan made a victory gesture and then turned toward the kitchen.
"Changlin, your girlfriend sure knows how to make decisions," Zhou Xingxing commented, watching Lin Ruonan walk away with sincere admiration.
On hearing this, Li Changlin couldn’t help but smile wryly, "Brother Zhou, Ruonan is not my girlfriend yet."