met free Page 142
Page 142
"I'm sorry..." The father hadn't spoken for a long time, and could only manage a low, resounding apology.
"What else did you and your mother talk about?" Xiangzi asked.
"Gone……"
The father truthfully stated that he knew nothing about what happened before he fell into a coma.
He lifted the burlap sack in his hand a little.
"I'll stay here and sell scrap from now on, so I won't cause you any trouble."
Even after seeing the sack his father used to collect scrap, Xiangzi remained suspicious.
"I hope you stay here not because it's convenient to find drug dealers, but because you should go to a drug addiction clinic for a month or two."
"The cost of the clinic stay..."
"If you knew how tiring my job was, why didn't you leave earlier?"
Xiangzi interrupted sharply.
"Anyway, my current salary is enough to cover this cost. Besides, have you completely wasted your skills this year? Are you really not going to do any other work?"
“I…” The father looked embarrassed.
The financial industry, which he was good at, had become a nightmare he dared not touch after the company went bankrupt.
While his father remained silent, Xiangzi made a phone call to the drug rehabilitation center and then said:
"I've contacted a clinic. They'll send someone to pick you up. Go in and start quitting alcohol and drugs while you reflect on your actions."
After Xiangzi finished speaking, he left the rented room, and Qiannai's phone rang at that moment.
"Hey, Xiao Xiang, where are you going..."
"I just took care of something, I'll talk to you when I get back. I'll go buy you some glutinous rice lemon tea now, with 50% sweetness, right?" Before Qian Nai could finish speaking, Xiangzi answered all the questions she wanted to ask.
"Um, I'll go with 30% sweetness..." China made a careful decision.
"Ok."
……
Upon hearing the door open, China immediately ran downstairs. She saw that Shoko had brought back two drinks this time.
"Wow...you finally treated yourself." China said with relief. She had previously pessimistically guessed that her sister would only buy one cup.
"I bought the 30% sweetness."
Xiangzi first inserted straws into both bottles and handed one to Qiannai. Just as he took a sip, he saw Qiannai put the straw to her lips and freeze.
Are you thinking about what I just went through?
Xiangzi was a little thirsty and decided to take a sip before continuing.
But when she sipped the drink, she tasted a subtle flavor that made her frown.
Why did you order this?
"Out of curiosity..." China took a sip after mentally preparing herself.
With its low sugar content, the unique fermented flavor of the glutinous rice-scented Maojian tea is particularly prominent, and when mixed with the lemony acidity, it becomes even more rich and flavorful...
"Oh my God……"
After taking a sip, China immediately pulled the cup away. A while later, she tried it again out of curiosity.
As if she had walked to the edge of a cliff, she hurriedly took a few steps back, then lay down on the ground and slowly poked her head out. Now, China was also carefully controlling the intensity of her inhalation.
A short stream of tea lingered in the middle of the straw for a moment before slowly climbing toward the exit.
How strange, let me take another sip...
Xiangzi watched quietly as his younger sister sipped her drink, as if conducting an experiment.
She became somewhat hesitant about whether to mention her mother's desire to see her. China had only recently taken anti-anxiety medication, which was why she had the mind to joke around over a drink.
"that……"
As soon as Xiangzi opened his mouth, Qiannai said with great interest, as if she had obtained the results of an experiment:
"This is indeed a great marketing plan!"
"What?" Xiangzi's eyes narrowed slightly.
"In other words, this kind of drink is not based on how delicious it is, but on driving customers' curiosity to buy it through its strange and unique flavor."
China continued,
"So when we launch our merchandise, we can try making some weird-tasting snacks and drinks."
"Not the kind of overly sweet protein bars. This is not only unpalatable, but also unpalatable in a monotonous and boring way."
“We need these unusual flavors to be unique and appealing to a wider audience, such as the glutinous rice-flavored Maojian tea, the Maotai-flavored coffee, the masala crisps, the durian-flavored candy, and the cilantro-flavored instant noodles in this cup of tea…”
"Hmm... rather than a strange taste, it's more accurate to describe it as an unusual flavor or a 'novel combination'."
China then asked, "By the way? What were you about to say, sister?"
"Um..." Xiangzi didn't want to spoil his sister's mood for the time being. "I was just thinking about whether to add some sugar to soften the taste."
"Ah, that's right."
China discovered something else.
"The glutinous rice lemon tea also offers other options for customers, such as adding sugar and milk if they don't like black coffee."
“We can do the same when launching these kinds of merchandise, giving customers who want to try new drinks but also want to make sure they can drink them more options.”
Xiangzi nodded: "This plan is good. I'll write it down first. Now let's go have lunch first, and then gather the members to discuss the matters."
"Is it just the two of us eating together? Or..."
"Let me see……"
Xiangzi contacted Mu via Line, who said he was going to a banquet with his family, but would have time to come over in the afternoon.
"Just the two of us."
……
The Kobe beef steak in Higashi-Ikebukuro costs an average of 14,000 yen per person.
At first, Xiangzi heard from Chinatsu that he should go to a cheap fast food restaurant in Higashi-Ikebukuro for a meal.
When they arrived at the store, China suddenly smiled triumphantly and took out her phone to show the call records she had made for the store.
"Sorry, I have to celebrate yesterday's live stream with a steak today~"
"..." Xiangzi felt embarrassed to ask his sister to cancel the reservation, so he reluctantly went into the store together.
"Cheer up, it's not like you're going to bleed a lot from this meal," China patted Shoko's shoulder. "Or is something on your mind?"
Xiangzi slowly said, "I sent Dad to the drug rehabilitation center this morning... I don't know if it will work."
Do you think he can make a comeback?
Xiangzi shook his head: "It's hard to say. I just hope that our business can develop smoothly."
She didn't bring up her mother's matter again, still not wanting Chika to have any involvement with the Toyokawa family.
Let them live together like this, relying on each other...
Chapter 188 Assembly!
While waiting for the food to be served, Xiangzi created a group chat and agreed on a meeting place.
As usual, China kept both sides in mind. After greeting everyone in the group chat, she switched to Ai Yinjian's band group.
Aine: [Is Chinatsu awake yet? Yesterday's adaptation was so much fun XD, and that editing was genius, let your older sister see it too!]
China tried to fabricate a plausible story:
[I saw her studying as soon as I woke up, and I didn't dare to disturb her. Later, when she got up to go to the bathroom, I heard her brushing slices in the bathroom.]
Su Shi: [As expected, he likes everyone.]
Lamp: [Is Lixi awake...?]
Aine: [Rikki~ It's noon already, you weren't really staying up all night last night, were you?]
Lixi only muted group messages before going to bed, but her phone still rang when she mentioned them.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes, and the strange nickname immediately woke her up when she opened the group chat.
Lixi: [Who is Rikki?]
Aiyin: [That's your virtual YouTuber name]
Lixi: [When did I say I wanted to be a virtual YouTuber? Even if I were, I wouldn't use this name.]
I really can't stand this girl, I can only make her practice harder.
I spent the whole night studying the arrangements of the two songs, meticulously reviewing the tuning techniques mentioned in the recording, and carefully documenting them in a document, eager to integrate them into my own compositions.
In the end, I still couldn't write a melody that satisfied me. I threw draft after draft into the trash can, hoping to wake up and be more energetic before writing the music. But I tossed and turned and couldn't sleep. My mind was filled with images of the audience praising me during my live adaptations.
I finally managed to fall asleep, but only four hours later I was woken up by Aine tagging me...
"No, I need to sleep a little longer before I get up and write the song."
Lixi: [Rest today, training again tomorrow]
Aine: [Really?]
Li Xi: [Ai Yin, you should also practice along with her.]
Aine: [China has this teacher guiding her, so there won't be any problems, right, Akari?]
Lamp: [Hmm]
Before going to sleep, Lixi sent the compiled document and song analysis to Qiannai again:
[This should help you write pop songs. I'm going to sleep now.]
Chinatsu: [Thank you, thank you~ I'll accept it then]
Xiangzi saw that Qiannai was constantly tapping the screen with both hands, but she only said hello in the group chat and then disappeared.
"Are you checking the group chat? We'll meet in the conference room at Sumimi's office later," she reminded them.
"Oh, I'm sorry..."
China put down her phone, looking somewhat troubled.
"Lixi didn't organize any training today, and Aiyin seemed to be asking me to practice with Deng in the group chat, although it's not confirmed yet..."
"Our business is more important," Xiangzi said earnestly, "so if they come looking for you today, please..."
"Find an excuse to decline, right?" China raised one corner of her mouth and said, her eyes looking a little unfocused.
It's only been a few days since I last saw them, surely it shouldn't make them think I'm being distant?
Let's focus on doing our own thing first.
Xiangzi turned his gaze to the side, clasped his hands together between his nose and lips, and said hesitantly, "The lamp shouldn't rely on you too much, and it should be able to practice on its own..."
After a moment of silence, two succulent Wagyu steaks arrived gracefully, their juices sizzling and bubbling, releasing a rich aroma.
Seeing this, Chika quickly changed the subject, saying, "Well, let's eat steak first."
"Hmm." Xiangzi picked up his knife and fork, but saw that Qiannai just placed her hands on the knife and fork, her eyes seeming to be observing him.
"what happened?"
"It's nothing, I just wanted to learn about Miss's dining etiquette."
“There’s no need for that,” Xiangzi said, pressing his index finger against the back of the knife, inserting his fork into the beef, and cutting off a small piece. “You just need to know that it’s easier to cut meat this way.”
"I agree with that..."
Before China could finish speaking, the other person fed her a piece of meat.
She looked at Xiangzi with a blank expression, slowly chewed the meat, swallowed it, and then asked in a daze, "Is this part of table manners?"
“This is part of being sisters,” Xiangzi replied calmly.
Chika smiled and raised her glass: "This is part of being partners."