Transmigrated as a vicious stepmother, I raised a child who became a heartthrob.

"Mom, I said I want mushroom soup."

Jiang Ji spoke almost immediately, deliberately putting on a silly grin, hoping his mother wouldn't hold it against him.

"You're young, and your stomach isn't very strong. You can't eat spicy hot pot on an empty stomach. You can try a little when you're almost full."

Children are always curious about things, and Jiang Zhuhua can't stop them forever; he can only reason with them.

Jiang Ji used to go hungry sometimes and had a weak stomach. She was also shorter than her peers. Jiang Zhuhua always paid extra attention to her diet, so Jiang Ji has never eaten anything very spicy and has mostly eaten bland food.

"it is good."

Jiang Ji nodded obediently, then openly looked at the spicy pot.

It looks so delicious, my mouth is watering uncontrollably.

"Na."

Huo Wang handed over the dishes that had been kept warm, along with a dipping sauce dish.

Jiang Zhuhua almost instantly chose sesame sauce. The blanched lettuce was coated with plenty of sesame sauce, which wasn't too greasy and had a slightly sour taste. It was mixed with crushed peanuts, and the aroma of sesame sauce and peanut flavor blended together. The flavor of cilantro and green onions wasn't very strong, but it cleverly cut through the richness.

The dipping sauce was delicious. Jiang Zhuhua could make many dipping sauces himself, and he had made similar ones before. The recipe Huo Wang gave him was even better.

Even with the same ingredients, the proportion of each ingredient will affect the final taste. For example, if too much vinegar is added, the sesame paste will taste sour and rancid.

The oil-based dipping sauce tasted just as good.

Jiang Zhuhua simply gave a thumbs-up when he had a spare moment. He didn't say anything, just kept his head down and ate. Since he was going to drink, he couldn't eat until he was full; he only ate a small bowl, and his stomach didn't feel so empty.

"I originally planned to invite you over for dinner, but I ended up asking you to come and take care of the kids. I'll come back and have dinner with you later."

Jiang Zhuhua's initial intention was simply to find someone to help take care of the child. However, he was hesitant to entrust the child to someone else.

"I know. I'm willing."

Huo Wang knew that if Jiang Zhuhua went out for social engagements, there would be no one to look after the child. So he simply didn't bring any friends and came to the appointment alone.

He was dressed in a sharp suit, looking every bit the domineering CEO, but the moment he opened his mouth, he sounded like a lovesick fool. He even had a bit of a puppy-dog vibe.

Jiang Zhuhua didn't drink, but he felt like he was a little drunk.

"Ah."

Jiang Zhuhua picked up the remaining half-glass of milk on the table and gently touched his teacup.

"Be back in a minute."

The doors to the other private rooms were all closed properly, and there were waiters outside, ready to assist at any time.

"Have all their dishes been served?"

When Jiang Zhuhua entered Shen Lin's private room, he asked the waiter a question first.

"Boss, there are still three dishes that haven't been served yet."

In a private room, with two people watching over it, the waiter knows exactly how many dishes have been ordered and what hasn't been served yet. They don't need to look at the order form; the waiter can tell them directly, even reciting the names of the dishes.

"Don't rush to serve the food. Wait until I come out before serving it."

Jiang Zhuhua specifically instructed that some conversations should not be known to others.

"Okay, boss."

The waiter nodded obediently. Jiang Zhuhua straightened his clothes slightly, knocked on the door, and went in.

"Sorry I was just dealing with some other things. I'm late."

The table was a large round table, with a hot pot in the center. Small recesses were carved out near the seats for smaller hot pots, to prevent any awkwardness.

The table was quite large, and Jiang Zhuhua walked straight to Shen Lin's side. Shen Lin didn't say much.

"It's alright. There are quite a lot of people here today, so it's normal to be a little busy."

Shen Lin said he didn't care. Jiang Zhuhua, however, did care, and consciously picked up the wine dispenser, which was filled with baijiu.

"Since you've graced us with your presence, let's have a drink as an apology."

As the liquor went down his throat, Jiang Zhuhua frowned slightly, but then downed it in one gulp.

Being in a subordinate position sometimes has its downsides. You have to be careful about what you say and do.

"A heroine among women! I admire her greatly!"

Shen Lin suddenly burst into laughter and began clapping vigorously. The others joined in.

"This is President Jiang, the owner of that entertainment company. She's the daughter the Jiang family found. This dinner is also hosted by President Jiang."

Shen Lin stood up and began to introduce the topic.

"Chu Lian, I probably don't need to introduce him to you. That one is from Li Pangjian's family, and the one with red hair is Cheng Wang."

Shen Lin stood up and introduced them one by one.

The others followed suit, politely addressing him as "General Manager Jiang." Praise poured out almost effortlessly. It was practically a giant praise group.

"It's fate that we met. Let's hang out sometime in the future."

Jiang Zhuhua picked up his wine glass again. The others also held their glasses; they had already opened their drinks together, they were just having a few more sips.

"Where did President Jiang learn to ride a motorcycle? He's so cool!"

This group of people seemed to frequently engage in all sorts of thrilling activities, constantly talking about cars. This also suggests the deep impression Jiang Zhuhua had left on them previously.

"I didn't study much. The situation was urgent at the time, and I even stole your keys."

Jiang Zhuhua chose a place to sit down, and the group started chatting.

"It's just a car, nothing to worry about."

Cheng Wang smiled as well.

"Brother Wang, you didn't say that when we wanted to have a little sparring."

The person sitting next to Cheng Wang spoke up in a low, resentful tone.

"Can you even compare? You guys didn't follow, but I saw it. Mr. Jiang was driving so stylishly. If you drive, I'll have to give you a 50% discount on my car."

Cheng Wang spoke without holding back, and his eyes showed no concealment of his disdain.

"We don't drive slow at all in professional venues. We're only a tiny bit slower than you, is it really that big of a deal? And where do you see any style in that? You're just a sucker for looks."

You could say youth is a good thing; the two of them were constantly undermining each other, but no real animosity developed. Cheng Wang chuckled and retorted.

"You still need to practice more. When you can surpass me, I'll lend you my car."

The two clinked glasses again.

"This hot pot tastes pretty good, Chu Lian, do you like it?"

Shen Lin laughed and joked with those people for a while, then scooped a handmade beef ball out of the pot and placed it directly into Chu Lian's bowl, who had been silent all along.

"I have my own hands."

Chu Lian was lost in thought when she came to her senses and found a meatball in her bowl. Not wanting to just pick it out, she could only gently remind him.

"You're making my hand look like it's broken."

It's completely out of control, and there's no way to be tactful about it.

"It's okay, if your hand breaks, I'll feed it to you."

Shen Lin gave a light whistle and pretended to feed him.