Chapter 41 Four-Person Candlelight Dinner?

Chapter 41: A Four-Person Candlelit Dinner?

Upon hearing the familiar task notification, Lu Nanzhou cast a subtle glance at Jiang Jiang.

He saw the young man also stiffen for a moment, his gaze instinctively snapping back to him.

"What's wrong?" Lu Nanzhou asked, maintaining a perfectly innocent expression.

"N-nothing," Jiang Jiang shook his head reflexively.

Jiang Jiang wanted to slip away to check the task details. His eyes darted around the room before settling on an unopened bag of potato chips.

He grabbed the chips, the bag rustling loudly as he shoved them into Lu Nanzhou's hands. "Brother, try these! They're so good! Please, don't stand on ceremony. I just need to use the restroom."

Lu Nanzhou had rarely, if ever, eaten such junk food in his life.

Holding the durian-flavored chips and thinking they were something Jiang Jiang usually enjoyed, a spark of curiosity stirred within him.

He pinched a corner of the bag and slowly tore it open.

Jiang Jiang didn't wait for a response, darting off into the bathroom.

As soon as the door clicked shut, he heard 404's voice calling his name with an uncharacteristically affectionate tone. "Jiang Jiang, dear."

It was the first time Jiang Jiang had heard 404 use that tone, and it sent a shiver down his spine.

He asked warily, "What do you want?"

"Check the task first."

Suspicious, Jiang Jiang opened the task list. Staring at the newly issued task, the corner of his mouth twitched.

Invite Lu Xingye to dinner?

A candlelit dinner?

Just imagining the scene made his skin crawl.

Moreover, he had already promised Lu Nanzhou to try that private kitchen restaurant tonight.

What to do, what to do, what to do?

He paced in circles inside the small bathroom.

Finally, he reached a conclusion.

Heads may roll, blood may spill, but a good meal must not be missed.

Dinner with Lu Xingye or dinner with Lu Nanzhou?

His choice was clear.

At worst, he'd just endure another electric shock.

Jiang Jiang waved a hand dismissively. "I'm not doing this task."

404: "???"

It had anticipated the task might fail due to Jiang Jiang's resistance towards Lu Xingye, but it never expected him to outright refuse to even start.

This wasn't right.

404 adopted a pleading tone. "Jiang Jiang, you know, I've been alone since I was little. My only wish is for you to complete the tasks."

Jiang Jiang: "...Spend less time online!"

"If I spend less time online, will you do the task?"

"No."

If he accepted this task, he'd have to give up a delicious dinner and endure Lu Xingye's annoying face.

No way.

"It doesn't strictly say it has to be just the two of you, right?" 404 racked its brains. "At worst, you could invite Jiang Heyao along."

Jiang Jiang was suddenly enlightened.

Right! The task only said to invite Lu Xingye to dinner, not that it had to be just the two of them.

He could invite Lu Xingye and Brother Jiang to join his dinner with Lu Nanzhou!

This way, he could complete the task, keep his promise to Lu Nanzhou, and avoid the awkwardness of being alone with Lu Xingye. It was a triple win!

Jiang Jiang's eyes gradually lit up.

Just as he was about to open the door and leave, he turned back to the sink, turned on the faucet, rinsed his hands, and then strode out with newfound confidence.

Upon reaching the living room, he found the sofa empty.

"Huh?" Jiang Jiang looked around. "Where is he? Brother?"

Hearing the noise, Lu Nanzhou emerged from the kitchen.

"What were you doing?" Jiang Jiang asked casually.

Thinking about what had just transpired, Lu Nanzhou fell silent.

After opening the durian-flavored chips, he was met with a rather peculiar durian odor.

But, figuring it was already open and wanting to try something Jiang Jiang usually ate, he decided to sample a tiny piece.

He picked up a small chip and put it in his mouth.

Lu Nanzhou admitted his decision had been somewhat rash.

A strange flavor spread across his palate.

Something seemed off.

He instinctively checked the expiration date.

It had expired two months ago.

......

In the end, the bag of chips found its way into the trash bin in the corner of the living room.

Lu Nanzhou, meanwhile, had teleported to the kitchen.

Even after rinsing his mouth several times, that peculiar taste proved stubbornly persistent, still lingering strongly in his mouth.

He gave Jiang Jiang a silent look.

Flavor aside, Jiang Jiang actually kept expired snacks at home.

He’d have thought that with Jiang Jiang's personality, snacks like these wouldn't last a week in his house.

Lu Nanzhou didn't answer, and Jiang Jiang didn't mind.

He steered Lu Nanzhou back onto the sofa.

He remembered the bag of chips he had handed to Lu Nanzhou before leaving.

Just a glance showed the table was empty.

Huh? Did Lu Nanzhou really like them that much?

That bag of chips was something he won at a ring-toss game earlier. He didn't like the durian flavor, but he didn't want to waste it, so it became a long-term resident of his living room.

Since Lu Nanzhou liked it, that was great!

Realizing he still needed to ask Lu Nanzhou if they could add more people to dinner, he dashed over to his snack shelf.

He pulled out a bunch of strange-flavored chips from the top cabinet.

Then he dashed back and stuffed them all into Lu Nanzhou's arms.

"Big brother! These are for you!" Jiang Jiang was proud of his observational skills. "I saw you finished the last bag, so I got you some more."

Lu Nanzhou looked at the chips in his arms.

Mentaiko flavor, durian flavor, sweet and sour pork flavor, durian flavor, luosifen flavor, durian flavor...

He checked the expiration dates—none of them were edible.

Lu Nanzhou initially wanted to refuse, but considering Jiang Jiang's personality, he probably didn't even check expiration dates before eating.

He had no choice but to accept this burdensome kindness.

Seeing him accept, Jiang Jiang scooted closer to Lu Nanzhou. "I have an idea."

Lu Nanzhou looked up. "Hmm?"

"About tonight's dinner... can we invite a few more people?" Jiang Jiang asked sincerely. "You know, since it's a new restaurant, having more people means we can try more dishes."

Invite a few more people?

Lu Nanzhou thought he would try to cancel their dinner to complete the candlelit dinner task from the prompt.

He had already planned how to ruin that candlelit dinner.

But he didn't expect...

"Who do you want to invite?" Lu Nanzhou asked calmly, watching him.

Jiang Jiang patted Lu Nanzhou's shoulder familiarly. "Let's invite our little brother! He's been studying hard and needs some brain food."

Lu Nanzhou's eyes shifted. "Lu Xingye?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Jiang Jiang nodded. "And we can invite Brother Jiang too."

Hearing that familiar name, Lu Nanzhou's brow twitched slightly.

Jiang Jiang suddenly remembered that Lu Nanzhou might not know who Brother Jiang was, so he explained, "Brother Jiang is Lu Xingye's... good friend. Yeah, a good friend. He's my good friend too."

Then he looked at Lu Nanzhou with hopeful eyes. "Is that okay?"

Lu Nanzhou of course wouldn't refuse.

In fact, he was already ninety percent sure—this was just another confirmation.

"Sure."

"Really?" Jiang Jiang's eyes lit up.

"Mhm."

"Wait, Jiang Jiang." 404 spoke up after they finished talking. "Are you sure you want four people having a candlelit dinner together?"

404 thought inviting Jiang Heyao was one thing, but how could he invite them to have dinner with Lu Nanzhou too?

Wouldn't this perfectly good candlelit dinner turn into a team-building event for four?

"Isn't it still dinner if four people eat together?" Jiang Jiang retorted confidently in his mind. "And who says a candlelit dinner can't be for four? With four people, we can light even more candles!"

404: "..."

It was left speechless.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Work has been really busy lately, so writing time is tight.

So sleepy, so sleepy. Goodnight, little treasures.