I am a Chef in the Modern Era - Chapter 120

Chapter 120: Shen Yan’s Side Story Part 2

Translated by Ceti of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

There was obviously no need to say more about whether Jiang Cheng was crazy or not.

The car doors were closed tightly and there was no possibility of opening the door to get out. Furthermore, the car had been moving at a uniform speed, Shen Yan would not take things so hard that he would jump out of the car even if the door could be opened now. However, he was truly angry. Shen Yan was so angry that his chest kept rising and falling and he did not have the slightest desire to look at Jiang Cheng.

Shen Yan closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat to regain his composure. Raising one’s spirit by one hundred and twenty thousand points was still not enough for dealing with people like Jiang Cheng, not to mention that he was still not particularly clear about what Jiang Cheng was thinking.

Anyway, he could no longer remain this entangled with Jiang Cheng.

This was the case in the past, but he did not understand this then. He would never allow himself to make the same mistakes twice now that he understood.

Jiang Cheng no longer spoke upon seeing Shen Yan calm down. He did not tell the driver where to go, yet the driver clearly drove straight to his destination. It was obvious that Jiang Cheng had long been planning this reunion.

Once neither of the two men spoke, the atmosphere in the car immediately became so silent that it was eerie. The driver drove quietly and regarded himself as a transparent person who could only breathe.

It was only until the car stopped that Jiang Cheng opened his mouth again, “We’ve reached, let’s go.”

With that, he got out and went to Shen Yan’s side, opened the door for him and held out his hand.

Shen Yan opened his eyes, avoided Jiang Cheng’s out-stretched hand and compliantly got out of the car.

Jiang Cheng’s out-stretched hand froze in the air for a minute. Then he nonchalantly took it back. Jiang Cheng said, “It’s your favorite Cantonese food.”

The car door stopped outside a quiet and elegant restaurant which was still open on the first day of the New Year. However, there were not many customers inside and neither of them had aroused much attention.

Shen Yan was completely lost for words and did not resist as he followed Jiang Cheng inside.
Even though there were not many people here, he did not want to make the headlines with Jiang Cheng over a meal.

“Welcome. A table for how many people?”

“Two people.” Jiang Cheng answered. He rather seemed familiar with this place and chose the table that was partitioned off in the corner with the guidance of the waiter.

Shen Yan sat down without saying a word and he did not seem like he was going to speak from the very start.

The waiter looked at their expressions and handed the menu to Jiang Cheng, who smoothly pushed it to Shen Yan.

“The Cantonese food in this restaurant is delicious.”

Shen Yan stared at him with a chilly gaze. He did not say a word nor did he spare a single glance at the menu.

Shen Yan did take the menu, so Jiang Cheng willingly took it back. He ordered several dishes at random without looking at it, “Jellied Chicken “Terrine”, Stewed Pork with Taro, Stir-fried Lily Bulbs with Nuts, Sweet and Sour Pork with Pineapple, Blanched Gai Lan, and a Fresh Mushroom and Shrimp Ball Soup.” (凉冻金钟鸡，香芋扣肉，果仁百合，菠萝古老肉，白灼菜心，再要一个鲜菇虾丸汤)

The waiter took the menu and Jiang Cheng added, “Two cups of barley tea, thank you.”

Shen Yan jolted. Everything that Jiang Cheng ordered was his favorite dishes, he even clearly remembered that he liked to drink barley tea when eating steamed pork. However, what could this imply? It had been seven years since they broke up, and this was not something that could be offset with a few dishes or a few words.

The waiter nodded and walked away. Shen Yan turned his head to look out of the window. He did not want to talk to Jiang Cheng. However, Jiang Cheng was staring at him blankly, and Shen Yan could not avoid his gaze, making him feel awkward. If Jiang Cheng hadn’t learned to be so shameless, he would have gotten up and left.

“I only arrived home yesterday morning. I was itching to call you the very minute I got back. However, I couldn’t make the call even though I repeatedly gripped my mobile phone many times. It’s been seven years, yet my longing to see you has never lessened even for a day. Yet, I turned cowardly when I was nearest to you.”

Shen Yan, “…”

“My first year in London was rather tough. English has never been my strong point and I spent a lot of effort to integrate into the new environment. I always thought of you when I was at my most tired and wanted to give up. I thought about how you were here alone, maybe you were also thinking about me, or maybe… you had long forgotten about me.”

Shen Yan’s expression became very strange. Jiang Cheng laughed bitterly and did not look at Shen Yan’s face as he said to himself, “However, I did not dare to continue this line of thought. It felt like a piece of flesh was carved from my heart while I was alive every time I thought about it. I could only comfort myself, that you’d definitely not forgotten me, that you’d still be waiting for me. I wasn’t afraid of you hating me. Being hated was much better than being estranged.”

Shen Yan’s face began to pale.

“But now that I really understand that you hate me, I became greedy again. Even if you scold me or beat me, as long as you are willing to talk to me, I will…”

Shen Yan abruptly stood up. The screech of his chair rubbing against the floor as it was pushed back was ear-piercing. Shen Yan’s chest kept rising and falling as he suppressed his anger. He could no longer care if he was on the headlines tomorrow.

“Jiang Cheng, what are you acting as the world’s greatest lover for?!”

Jiang Cheng looked at him with an indescribable expression.

“You wouldn’t appear in front of me again if you still had the slightest bit of yearning for the past, let alone tell me these words that I don’t want to hear at all.”

This meal was doomed to be unfinished. Shen Yan turned around and did not look at Jiang Cheng again. If Jiang Cheng reached out to stop him again, he would not hesitate to beat him into a pig’s head.

Jiang Cheng did not stop him. He just silently sat in his seat and looked at Shen Yan’s back without saying anything. The sadness in his expression was enough to spill over and drown a person.

The waiter came in with two cups of barley tea shortly after Shen Yan had left. Seeing that there was only one person at the table, she softly asked, “Sir… do you still want the dishes you ordered?”

Jiang Cheng had long collected his emotions before the waiter arrived. He instantly put on the demeanor of an elite chairman. It was just that there was no expression on his face as he said, “Yes, serve them.”

The waiter nodded and walked away.

The dishes were brought out one after another and filled the table. Jiang Cheng sat alone at the table, picking a little of each dish as he ate slowly. The bowl and chopsticks opposite him were placed there from the beginning to end. Jiang Cheng glanced at it as he smiled silently. It was great that he could slowly spend his whole life with him now.

Shen Yan did not know which street he was on now. H City was very big and he was not familiar with every single street in the city.

As he did not want to contact anyone, he stretched out a hand and hailed a taxi. “To Century Garden.”

The driver exclaimed as he looked in the rearview mirror while driving off. “You are… My daughter has seen the TV drama that you’re acting in. What’s it called… She watches it every day! !”

Shen Yan, “…” “I’m not a celebrity, and I have never acted in a drama.”

The driver, “…” “What variety show was that?”

Shen Yan, “…” “I am not a celebrity.”

The driver finally got embarrassed and scratched his head, “It’s impossible that you’re not a celebrity when you’re so handsome and look so familiar. You can rest assured that I won’t tell anyone about it.”

Shen Yan’s expression was as cold as ice and frost, but the driver did not notice and kept talking like his life depended on it. He even questioned him non-stop, believing that he must definitely be a star.

Shen Yan thoughts were all a mess. The driver was so noisy that his brains were about to explode. It was just like hundreds of ducks clamoring in his ears at the same time. At last, he patiently pointed to the huge television screen in the center of a certain plaza when they passed by, “That’s me. I’m really not a celebrity.” Can you let him off now?

The driver looked back immediately.

The handsome man in the well-fitting and valuable suit on the TV was the same person sitting in his car. The man calmly accepted interviews with a faint and appropriate smile on his face. The name plate in front of him was impressively printed with ‘CEO of the Shen Conglomerate: Shen Yan’.

The driver fell silent. Shen Yan rubbed his temples and finally felt liberated.

“You’re the CEO of Shen Conglomerate! ! Ha ha ha ha! !”

“YunDing International is under your company’s banner, right?! ! I bought a house there! ! I had to save money for a long time! ! Thought it’s a little expensive, but the quality of the house was the best among the surrounding properties! ! You’re really landowners with a conscience! ! Ha ha ha ha! !”

“Unexpectedly, Mister CEO is so young and handsome! ! Comparable with a celebrity! ! I will definitely tell my daughter when I go back! ! I’m in luck! ! Ha ha ha ha ha ha! ! ! !”

Devil-like laughter broke through the sky. Shen Yan, “…”

Shen Yan felt that he had just regained a new lease of life when he arrived at his designated destination. Jiang Cheng had been left at the back of his mind and his mood had indescribably relaxed even though he felt dizzy. He exhaled, paid the driver, and sincerely said, “Thank you.”

The driver thought he was referring to giving him a ride. He quickly waved his hand and refused to accept his money.

“Forget it, we were brought together by fate and we’re already acquainted. There’s no need, there’s no need. Besides, my whole family is really satisfied with our house. A landowner with a conscience ah, the layout of the house… blah blah blah… the price… blah blah blah…”

Shen Yan took a deep breath, put the money on the seat, opened the door and left. Shen Yan totally did not listen to what the driver shouted loudly behind him. He walked to the estate without turning his head back.

Century Garden was also an upscale residential area developed by the Shen Conglomerate. The area, design and the money that the Shen Conglomerate spent on it determined that the number of units available for purchase were not much. The price of the building was proportional to the supporting facilities in the area, and the price had risen sharply in the past two years.

Shen Yan liked the place and the furnished apartment from the preliminary stage of the construction of Century Garden. So he kept an apartment for himself when it was first built, for him to move out when the situation called for it.

Later, he stayed in Shen Family’s house because of Old Master Shen, so he had never stayed in the house.

His mind was now in a mess and he did not want to go home because he was unable to hide his emotions in front of his family. He was unsure if news of Jiang Cheng’s return was known by Father Shen and Mother. Even if everyone knew that Jiang Cheng was back, he did not want to let everyone feel that he had a relationship with him.

Though Shen Yan seldom stayed in this house, the interior was fully furnished and it was tidy. However, Shen Yan suddenly did not like it that much. This was because it was too neat, just like a hotel where one made a temporary stop-over.

Shen Yan changed into slippers and entered. He turned on the air conditioner in the room and then went into the kitchen. Since he had not eaten much for breakfast, he was very hungry after such a morning. Unfortunately, there was nothing in the kitchen and the refrigerator was empty except for a carton of expired milk he bought the last time.

He could only put on his coat again, lock the door and go downstairs. As he seldom came here, he did not know what food was nice around here. Thus, he simply bought a ready-to-eat Braised Beef Brisket Rice from the convenience store and bought several cans of beer before going upstairs.

After the meal was heated in the microwave oven, Shen Yan opened a can of beer and finished it in one go.

His alcohol tolerance was still rather high despite he not needing to attend dinner parties all year round. This can of beer with low alcoholic content was treated just like water by Shen Yan. So even though there was nothing in his stomach, Shen Yan downed two cans of beer without the slightest strain.

Then he began to eat. His stomach was already rumbling with hunger but he still felt that the rice was too soft and the meat was too hard. It was far from good.

After eating, he relaxed completely as he lay on the bed. He easily fell asleep probably because he was too tired the night before, and it was already night when he woke up again.

Shen Yan picked up his cell phone. There were two unanswered calls on it. One was from Mother Shen and the other was from Shen Fu. Both calls were not very long and they were probably asking him why he hadn’t returned after so long.

Shen Yan did not want to go back, but the bathroom did not have the shower gel he usually used, there were no pajamas in the wardrobe, and the room was absolutely empty. He stared at the ceiling for a long while before he finally got up and dressed.

It was already after eleven at night when he returned to the Shen Family’s house. Everyone except the Auntie was asleep and she softly asked, “Young Master Shen came back so late. Have you had dinner? Shall I go and make you something to eat?”

Shen Yan nodded, “Then I’ll be troubling Auntie. I’d like to eat Stewed Pork with Taro, Blanched Gai lan, and a Fresh Mushroom and Shrimp Ball Soup.”

The Auntie agreed and went into the kitchen. Shen Yan made a cup of barley tea for himself and quietly waited in front of the sofa as he sunk into deep contemplation.

What on earth was Jiang Cheng talking about?