Chapter 1969 The Bai Family Compound

"Take her back to her place."

Sitting in the car, Zhao Fusheng said to Liu Yiming.

The "her" he referred to was naturally the drunk Liu Yan.

Liu Yiming nodded, knowing full well that his sister in this state was not suitable to appear before Fan Baobao.

Originally planning to celebrate a birthday, but now the birthday hadn't been celebrated, and instead a storm had stirred up—truly speechless.

"Don't overthink it."

Zhao Fusheng smiled and said to Liu Yiming and Liu Yan.

As he spoke, he glanced at Liu Yiming: "Tell her the whole story, don't let her be afraid. No matter what happens in the future, don't be afraid."

"Okay."

Liu Yiming naturally knew what to do, nodded, and agreed.

Zhao Fusheng arranged a car for Liu Yiming to take his sister away, while he himself, with the convoy and bodyguards, drove to the Bai Family Compound.

The Bai Family Compound, in a sense, could be considered a quiet spot amidst the hustle and bustle, a tranquil place in the capital.

As the former residence of a Qing dynasty prince, the architecture here was antique and elegant, complemented by birdsong and floral fragrance, truly a paradise on earth.

Especially since it existed amidst the bustling streets with heavy traffic all around.

It made those who entered instantly forget the city's clamor, immersing themselves completely in the moment, enjoying that brief atmosphere of peace.

At this point, eating was secondary; what truly mattered was that ambiance.

Chinese people have this habit—they like to eat with sentiment, with atmosphere.

As the saying goes, "beauty is edible," and it's the same principle.

Moreover, the marketing managers at the Bai Family Compound truly understood customer psychology.

From the moment one entered, waitstaff dressed as eunuchs stood greeting guests, as if genuinely welcoming distinguished visitors.

These servers were all dressed as eunuchs, but after entering the garden, they changed to palace maids.

They introduced the history of the Bai Family Compound while leading guests to their seats.

Of course, there was a certain art to this.

The ordinary hall was where the prince's mansion once entertained guests.

While the private rooms and VIP seats were the side chambers of the mansion.

In short, dining here made you feel as if you were truly a guest in a prince's mansion.

Of course, with such attentive service, the prices were not cheap—at least thirty to forty percent more expensive than outside.

Yet guests still came like clouds, in an endless stream.

When Zhao Fusheng arrived, Fan Baobao had already ordered and started eating with Yang Panpan.

On the way, Zhao Fusheng had called her and told her to order first.

"Why are you here?"

Zhao Fusheng saw Zhang Qian also there as he entered, slightly surprised.

"He picked me up. What's wrong?"

Yang Panpan glared at Zhao Fusheng: "You called us out of the house just for this?"

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand: "Let's talk while we eat. I was almost pissed off today."

"Alright, waiter, bring me another serving of 'Imperial Concubine's Smile,' and crystal goose liver, plus another serving of braised deer tendon, palace-style shrimp balls, golden garlic spare ribs, and dry-fried four treasures."

Fan Baobao looked up and called out.

Zhao Fusheng blinked, looking at the two plates she had just finished, utterly bewildered.

"A bit hungry."

Fan Baobao patted her belly and said with a grin.

Hearing those three words, Zhao Fusheng's mouth twitched, but he said nothing.

Zhang Qian, on the other hand, was somewhat surprised. It was his first time here, and seeing Fan Baobao order so much more, he was taken aback but still said, "Maybe order less? So many dishes—the four of us can't finish them, right?"

"Can't finish?"

Fan Baobao shook her head: "I doubt it'll be enough."

"Huh?"

Zhang Qian was stunned, completely not expecting Fan Baobao to say that.

He was very familiar with Zhao Fusheng; they had eaten together countless times and knew Zhao Fusheng's appetite well. Yang Panpan was his girlfriend, and he also knew how much she could eat.

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't understand why Fan Baobao thought it wouldn't be enough.

Could it be that now that she was pregnant, her appetite had increased?

But when the waiter brought the dishes, Zhang Qian's expression became interesting.

This 'Imperial Concubine's Smile'—the name was poetic and elegant, right?

In simple terms, it was a flower salad.

A combination of rose, carnation, and wild chrysanthemum petals.

Dressed with sweet and sour flower juice and flower paste, it was served like that.

"This is 'Imperial Concubine's Smile'?"

Zhang Qian stared at Zhao Fusheng in disbelief.

Zhao Fusheng nodded; he had been startled too the first time he came.

It looked nice, but the portion was too small.

A few bites and it was gone...

Then there was the crystal goose liver.

Zhang Qian counted the milky-white duck liver embedded in the translucent aspic—exactly eight strips, no more, no less.

Pursing his lips, Zhang Qian felt that with this portion, he could finish another serving all by himself.

Of course, despite the small portions, the dishes were indeed delicious.

Take the crystal goose liver, for instance: upon entering the mouth, the outer layer of the savory goose aspic melted quickly on the tongue as the temperature rose, spreading with saliva to every taste bud, and finally, with a reluctant swallow, entered the stomach in need of comfort.

Then came the glutinous texture—the soft, sticky goose liver was just right; a bit more would be dry and hard, a bit less would stick to the teeth.

This texture, which broke apart with a single bite, allowed the diner to focus entirely on the unique richness of the goose liver.

The gamey smell of the innards was removed, leaving only a faint hint of salt, with a full mouth of fragrance accompanied by the aspic's juices, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

Seeing Zhang Qian eat so heartily, Zhao Fusheng smiled: "So, tastes good, doesn't it?"

"Indeed."

Zhang Qian nodded, then shook his head: "But the portions are a bit small. You'd better order a few more dishes."

"Hahaha."

Zhao Fusheng agreed wholeheartedly; clearly, he thought the same.

"You two..."

Fan Baobao's mouth twitched, and she had no choice but to order a few more dishes.

"By the way, what happened with Liu Yiming's sister?"

Zhao Fusheng had only texted earlier saying there was something, and Fan Baobao had thought they would come together, but only Zhao Fusheng showed up, so she was curious.

"Don't even mention it."

As soon as Zhao Fusheng brought it up, he was full of anger. He recounted the incident and finally said, "I told Ye Jing to inform Zhang Guoli to send that Zhang Mo abroad and never let him come back."

"Bastard!"

"Asshole!"

Fan Baobao and Yang Panpan cursed outright.

As women, they had the strongest reactions to such matters.

Even Zhang Qian's expression wasn't good.

People like Zhang Mo were utterly detestable.

"You're too soft-hearted!"

Fan Baobao said bitterly: "A girl almost got bullied, and you let Zhang Mo off like that? I think Ye Jing hit him too lightly!"

"Exactly! If it were me, I'd break his third leg!" Yang Panpan said bluntly.

Then she looked at Zhang Qian: "You men always protect men."

"Huh?"

Zhang Qian was dumbfounded, thinking, what does this have to do with me?

Zhao Fusheng smiled, knowing they were just venting their anger.

"But smashing a bottle on him was satisfying."

Fan Baobao suddenly laughed.

Though she hadn't been there, she found it very cathartic.

That was her personality—clear in her loves and hates.

Zhang Mo's actions had indeed crossed the bottom line of being human.

Zhao Fusheng shrugged: "Ye Jing probably saw that I was really angry."

Logically, given Ye Jing's status, he shouldn't have done that, but since he did, Zhao Fusheng couldn't vent any more anger.

That was why Zhao Fusheng had left with Liu Yiming and his sister.

Zhang Qian snorted: "I wasn't there at the time; he was lucky."

Given his temper, if he had been present, Zhang Mo would have gotten more than just a bottle smashed on him.

Everyone laughed, especially Yang Panpan and Fan Baobao, who couldn't stop grinning.

They all knew Zhang Qian's temper; if he had encountered this, Zhang Mo would have been finished.

"Alright, you guys."

Zhao Fusheng waved his hand: "It's already happened, let it go."

He also understood that water too pure has no fish; some things he couldn't eradicate. But for Zhao Fusheng, some things couldn't happen around him.

Or rather, he couldn't let Future Films become like other film companies.