My autobiography is definitely not a tragedy!
Chapter 121 - 99 Buying a Bouquet of Flowers

Chapter 121: Chapter 99 Buying a Bouquet of Flowers

At six o’clock in the evening.

"Glug glug~"

The red tomato broth bubbled, chunks of tender beef brisket tumbled and floated to the surface, releasing an enticing meaty aroma.

Arranged around the hot pot were sliced tripe, fatty beef, thin beef slices for shabu-shabu, beef offal, and various fresh side dishes.

"Sizzle sizzle~" In the frying pan, two steaks sizzled as they were being cooked, then were taken out, placed on plates, drizzled with a pre-prepared pepper sauce, topped with sea salt, and served.

"All done! A great success!"

Looking at the table filled with dishes, Meng Lang, who was wearing an apron and dressed like a family chef, showed a satisfied smile.

Once again, "Super Space-Time Wave Tribe" validated the powerful "24-hour rule."

Give me a lifetime, and I’ll give you a chef.

Indeed, nothing is insurmountable in a whole lifetime!

If there is, then make it two lifetimes!

"I’m telling you, you sneaky guy, playing coy with your cooking skills, pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger!"

Yan Weiwei, with her eyes wide and mouth agape, couldn’t help but roll her eyes at the feast before her.

"Heh heh, believe it or not, I just learned this. I don’t have many strengths, but I learn everything quickly. In short, a top student!" Meng Lang chuckled.

"Top student? Tsinghua or Peking University, you’re that confident?" Yan Weiwei asked him.

"Um..."

That question hit close to home.

I’m a late bloomer, great when the time comes, not necessarily when it doesn’t.

The key is that I was in airplane mode during my childhood... "reception" wasn’t good...

Just when the situation was getting awkward, Lin Haitang and Lin Xiaoyu entered, relieving him of the embarrassment.

Both were carrying large and small bags of snacks and juices, clearly just back from shopping.

"You’re back, well done! Here, let me take that." Meng Lang hurried over and took a small bag from Xiao Yu’s hand.

Lin Haitang paused for a moment, looking at the two large bags in her own hands.

emm...

"Is dinner ready?" Xiao Yu sniffed the delicious aroma filling the room.

Then, seeing the table full of dishes, she opened her mouth in surprise, showing the same expression as Yan Weiwei.

"Hehe! Xiao Mengzi sure is a man of hidden talents, who knows how many more secrets you have from us."

Yan Weiwei set the bowls and chopsticks on the table, eyeing Meng Lang as she did so.

Upon seeing this, Lin Haitang was equally surprised.

Could it be that the mush I saw before... was actually him experimenting with biochemical weapons?

But after a closer look at the dishes on the table, her expression became odd.

"Tomato brisket hot pot, steak, stir-fried beef with green onion, beef and potato stew...

Uh... why is everything beef?" Xiao Yu looked puzzled at the table.

"This... I invented it, an all-beef feast, how about it, quite beefy, isn’t it?" Meng Lang said with a forced laugh.

Who knows why every "beef" recipe popped into my head when I thought of cooking.

Could it be that one of the guys has a beef with a cow?

"Uncle is so amazing, but how did you know my sister loves beef the most?"

"Huh?" X2

...

Everyone sat down to eat, and the atmosphere was somewhat strange.

Yan Weiwei stared intensely at Meng Lang, crunching a piece of beef tendon in her mouth.

Lin Haitang kept her gaze low and focused on eating, oblivious to everything else, as if all she cared about was the all-beef feast.

Xiao Yu was biting her chopsticks, looking apologetically at Meng Lang.

Meng Lang couldn’t help but understand her guilty look: Sorry, uncle, I’ve grown up, but I’m still so immature...

Alas! Meng Lang inwardly sighed.

Xiao Yu, you’ve realized it too late...

Mischief!

Heaven knows which brother is pulling a "Super Space-Time Assist"?

He could almost hear the system notification "Lin Haitang’s favorability +1+1+1."

So, did I choose the love line first, or did the love line choose for me first?

It’s another philosophical chicken-and-egg cycle...

My head hurts...

"Ahem!" Meng Lang, hardly able to endure Yan Weiwei’s gaze, coughed to break the awkward silence.

"Um... since we’re all gathered here by fate, shouldn’t we have a toast to celebrate?"

"Right, right! Here, I’ll pour some juice for everyone!" Xiao Yu evidently wanted to make amends.

However, Yan Weiwei darted her eyes, "Let’s forget Xiao Yu, we’re all adults here, who celebrates with juice? Where’s the alcohol?"

Upon hearing the word "alcohol," Meng Lang’s eyelid twitched.

I’m not in the mood to pour my heart out today, nor do I wish to be unconscious.

How could I witness how I’m striding down the path of "the scoundrel" if I’m drunk?

"Hehe! We didn’t buy any alcohol today, forgot about it, so we’ll just have to make do with juice," Meng Lang dodged with a laugh.

"Didn’t buy?" Yan Weiwei immediately rose, took out two bottles of alcohol from a cabinet, and "Duang" placed them on the table.

"Luckily, someone gave me a few bottles before, we’ll drink these!"

Meng Lang’s mouth twitched as he glanced at the two bottles.

Flying Fairy Moutai! 53°!

He picked up one bottle and checked, ten years aged...

Meng Lang was speechless.

His dad loved drinking, especially sauce-aroma liquor, so he had some idea, this age of Moutai was usually about five or six thousand a bottle on the market.

Just this one bottle could have paid for several tables of the all-beef feast today...

"Cough! This alcohol is too expensive, and today’s not any special occasion, no need, no need," Meng Lang chuckled dryly.

"Isn’t alcohol meant to be drunk? Aside from Xiao Yu, anyone who doesn’t drink today is disrespecting me, looking down on Yan Weiwei here!" Yan Weiwei declared with a bandit’s air.

Hmph! You little thing! If I can’t drink you under the table today and get all your secrets out, then I won’t carry the Yan surname!

From her demeanor, everyone there could tell that Yan Weiwei’s interest lay beyond the wine.

Meng Lang also felt somewhat conflicted, sensing ill intentions.

Putting health aside, the key point is I don’t want to be a jerk...

[I was so dumb and far too naïve in love...]

Just as Yan Weiwei’s arrogant momentum was at its peak, someone’s phone inconveniently started to ring.

"I’ll take this call first," Meng Lang said, relieved, as he picked up the phone to answer.

"Hello! Oh, my package? Could you please leave it with the security guard for now? I’ll pick it up later, thank you!"

After hanging up, he discovered that Yan Weiwei had already unscrewed one bottle lid and was working on the second...

"Hey! Don’t..." It was already too late to stop her.

The rich aroma of the liquor wafted out; just like that, nearly ten thousand yuan was breached.

"What’s the matter? Can’t hold your liquor? Don’t worry, sis won’t laugh at you!"

Yan Weiwei chuckled with triumph, tossing the bottle cap she held behind her, precisely into the trash can.

Meng Lang glanced over, thinking it’s a pity to throw away something worth hundreds...

No, what am I thinking? Someone who starts at tens of millions of US dollars for a bargain hunt is concerned about picking up bottle caps... That’s humiliating!

"Cough! Indeed, my alcohol tolerance isn’t really..."

[I was so dumb and far too naïve in love...]

He had barely spoken when his ringtone played again.

"Hello! Package? Could you please leave it with the security guard for me, thank you!"

The same words were repeated, then the call ended.

But just as the phone was set down, another call came through.

"Hello! A package? Could you help me leave it with the guard, thanks!"

After putting the phone down, Lin Haitang looked at him curiously, "What did you buy? There are so many packages arriving."

"Oh! Blind boxes," Meng Lang replied casually.

"You believe in those? Buying blind boxes online, never thought you’d do that!"

"This one’s different, I have insider information!" Meng Lang snickered.

"Online blind boxes and you have insider info? Are you sure you haven’t fallen for a scam call?" Yan Weiwei mocked.

He’s your own brother, can’t con anyone but definitely not your own!

Before Meng Lang could respond, the fourth call came through.

By the time he hung up, he realized that his glass had been filled to the brim without him noticing.

Yes! That same glass used for drinking juice...

"Uh..." This game was getting a bit out of hand!

And why the heck do all of you have only half a glass?

"Come on! To celebrate Xiao Yu’s Guard Team gathering again for a victorious meetup, cheers! Let’s down this glass!"

Without giving Meng Lang a chance to refuse, Captain Yan stood up, lifting her glass.

That attitude was if anyone didn’t comply, they’d face her wrath.

For some unknown reason, Lin Haitang didn’t object either and also got up with half a glass in hand, and Xiao Yu naturally picked up her juice to join in the response.

All three of them looked expectantly at Meng Lang.

"Little Mengzi, you can’t be backing out now, can you?" Yan Weiwei’s gaze was a blatant challenge.

Backing out?

Meng Lang was amused into laughter.

How could a man admit to that?

This isn’t about wanting to be a jerk; you are pushing this on me. Everyone here can be my witnesses, I am being passive, right?

"Come on! Cheers!"

Two hours later...

Looking at Yan Weiwei passed out on the dining table, Meng Lang wore an expression of speechlessness.

So... what gave you the courage to try to outdrink me?

Did my admission of "not great with alcohol" give you the illusion you could turn the tables on me?

If you don’t have the skill, don’t take on the challenge, got to have some sense, right?

The two bottles of Moutai on the table were almost only half full, while Meng Lang’s complexion was merely flushed, still a bit away from truly being drunk.

His drinking capacity was honed by his father; not to boast immunity to drunkenness, but he was quite a bit stronger than the average man.

As for Yan Weiwei...

Typically when drinking, all her talent seemed to be in her imposing aura.

But this situation, why is it not like the one described in the book?

Oh right! The book mentioned drowning sorrows in alcohol due to Lu Kexin’s death, not binge-drinking with Yan Weiwei!

So it’s probable that he ended up finishing those two bottles of Moutai on his own, right?

That would make sense.

Meng Lang felt as though he gently nudged the rails and the locomotive of life rumbled towards a different trajectory.

Ah! He sighed softly.

Didn’t turn into a jerk, what a... cough, cough! That’s really such a relief!

Making choices isn’t hard, the tough part is not regretting them.

And so-called maturity isn’t about always picking the right answer every time; it’s about appearing completely unregretful even if you pick the wrong one...

Meng Lang took another look at Yan Weiwei, who was dead drunk, set aside the inexplicable loss in his heart, and downed the wine in his glass!

The Qingming Festival was almost here; he’d better go buy a bouquet of flowers.

Time to pay tribute to the love that had died...