Chapter 472: Chapter 154: Banshee
After arranging for Chen Yan and Lu Sisi to settle in, and letting them rest for a bit, Assistant Liu called their room to ask if they were ready to go out for lunch, cautiously hinting that lunch has already been arranged.
Chen Yan originally planned to just casually take Lu Sisi downstairs to stroll by the West Lake, and eat whatever they came across.
However, since arrangements have been made, there’s no need to refuse their courtesy.
Lu Sisi was a bit anxious. Although her family background was decent, she had never experienced such a grand setup, especially since she didn’t know the name of Boss He Jianbo, but she did know some brands owned by his company!
She had even used them before!
"Chen Yan, you..."
"It’s alright, I just helped Boss He with something in the past, and now he wants to return the favor."
Chen Yan reassured Lu Sisi, then took her downstairs.
In the lobby, Assistant Liu was respectfully waiting by the elevator entrance, then led the two of them outside.
The dining location wasn’t at the hotel, rather it was set in a place far from the city.
Of course, Chen Yan had never been to this place. With his previous financial situation, he hadn’t even heard of its name.
A vast Jiangnan garden, with ancient-styled architecture, small bridges over flowing water, and pavilions and towers.
Courteous service staff followed along, giving introductions as if Chen Yan and his companion were there for a tour instead of a meal.
This place covered an area of at least a dozen acres!
Yet it had only eight private rooms, and no larger common dining area.
Chen Yan and Lu Sisi were led into one of the private rooms, where all the furnishings were authentic antiques—the table was an Eight Immortals table, and the chairs were Taishi chairs.
Moreover, none were imitation antiques; every piece was a genuine relic.
Assistant Liu didn’t dine with Chen Yan, only escorting them through the door before departing.
After sipping a cup of fragrant tea, the dishes were served. Even though Chen Yan was now considerably wealthy, he couldn’t help but feel in awe.
A dish called "Let It Go" was actually just the tender core of stir-fried vegetables.
It was made from twenty pounds of organically grown vegetables with absolutely no chemical fertilizers, each vegetable peeled until only a thumb-sized core was left, and then stir-fried into a dish.
Another dish, "Bean Paste Meat", Chen Yan originally thought would be a meat dish made with bean paste.
But when it was served, and after listening to a detailed explanation from the attendant, Chen Yan and Lu Sisi couldn’t help but exchange glances.
It wasn’t made with any bean paste...
But from over a dozen wild fish—the specific type of fish Chen Yan hadn’t quite grasped, he only knew that from each fish, just the cheek meat was taken—a piece of meat the size of a broad bean.
To make a whole bowl from that part, how many fish would it take?
All the dishes were free of MSG, with the freshness enhanced entirely using broth.
After finishing the meal, Chen Yan and Lu Sisi... to be honest, whether it was delicious or not, they no longer felt it mattered.
Overall, of course it was delicious, but more than the flavor, there was a sense of sentiment.
The world’s true elites and wealthy lead such an extravagant lifestyle!
Compared to this scene, Chen Yan used to feel he was somewhat affluent, but now he realized his wealth was nothing.
·
In the afternoon, inside a recording studio.
A popular variety show from a film and media company was being recorded here.
Chen Yan and Lu Sisi sat quietly in the audience—this show had gained considerable popularity in the past two years, and tickets for the live audience were hard to come by. But for Chen Yan, it posed no difficulty.
Because the title sponsor of this show was a brand under Boss He’s company.
If a major sponsor wanted two audience seats, how could that be challenging?
Had Chen Yan not politely declined, they could have directly gone backstage for a tour and mingled with the renowned celebrity guests.
Seated in the front row, Chen Yan keenly noticed that the cameras occasionally turned towards them, capturing quite a few close-ups of Lu Sisi.
With a thought, Chen Yan understood, this was a common feature of many recorded indoor variety shows now.
Shoot the audience’s reactions to edit into the main footage to enhance the atmosphere—especially capturing attractive female audience members.
With Lu Sisi’s outstanding looks, she became the focus for the cameramen.
Chen Yan pondered for a moment, then turned to the waiting Assistant Liu at the studio entrance and waved. Assistant Liu immediately bent down and hurried over, leaning in by Chen Yan’s side.
"Afterwards, inform the production team not to include my girlfriend’s footage."
Saying this, Chen Yan pointed to one of the camera positions that had filmed them earlier.
"...Ah, alright! I’ll ensure it’s done." Assistant Liu immediately agreed.
Soon after, the program reached a climax during recording.
The arrival of a guest star stirred up an outburst of cheers and shouts from the audience—though in such indoor shows, the cheers and shouts were often directed by the on-site director, with someone orchestrating the applause or shouting.
But the applause for this female guest was spontaneous, clearly indicating her immense popularity.
Even Lu Sisi beside Chen Yan was visibly excited, energetically clapping and shouting, clearly fond of this female guest.