NOVEL NEXT chapter 12
Chapter 12: The Teasing Legs Under the Dinner Table (1/2)
With everyone’s effort, dinner was ready in less than an hour and a half.
A table full of dishes dazzled the eyes.
Garlic ribs, candied sweet potatoes, cola chicken wings, cumin beef… A feast for the senses, just standing by was enough to whet one’s appetite.
“Come on, pour some wine, let’s have a drink!”
At the dinner table, Sun Haotian took center stage.
With his endless banter, he had everyone laughing before they even started eating.
He picked up the red wine he brought and tried to pour some for everyone.
The first few went along with it, but when it came to Han Xi, she shook her head in refusal.
“I don’t drink.”
Han Xi’s words were brief and her tone resolute, leaving Sun Haotian somewhat at a loss.
Her face was so cold, Sun Haotian even joked, “Is President Han not giving face?”
Han Xi, a businesswoman and a president, often involved in negotiations, how could she possibly not drink?
“Refusing a drink means no friends, you know.”
Although Sun Haotian said it in jest, it still put Han Xi on the spot, drawing everyone’s attention to her.
Unmoved, Han Xi raised her hand to stop Sun Haotian’s attempt to pour her a drink.
“I won’t drink.”
Her response was terse, just three cold words, without any superfluous explanation or the pretense of an excuse.
And because Sun Haotian couldn’t understand the language of refusal, he started to get annoyed.
His expression soured, radiating an aura that kept people at bay, so much so that even Chu Xinran, sitting next to her, felt a chill.
Chu Xinran frowned slightly, uncomfortable with Sun Haotian’s forceful insistence on drinking.
“Have some juice, Han Xi.”
Chu Xinran spoke up, helping to alleviate the awkward atmosphere.
Dong Donghui also chimed in to cover for her, saying, “If she doesn’t want to drink, don’t force her, brother. I’ll drink with you when you come back.”
Seeing that someone had given him a way out, Sun Haotian didn’t stand awkwardly in the distance anymore but cheerfully moved on to pour drinks for the next person.
“Alright, respect for the lady, I won’t insist, haha!”
The incident was quickly glossed over.
Only Fang Zhou knew why Han Xi didn’t drink.
She was a lightweight, a little alcohol could transform her into someone else, and in her drunken frenzy, she could even turn the whole place upside down.
Of course, Han Xi wouldn’t want to show her embarrassing side in front of a bunch of strangers.
Since someone had spoken up, Fang Zhou wasn’t going to play the good guy either.
Han Xi was probably holding a grudge against him right now; he couldn’t afford to stick his neck out.
“Come on, cheers!”
Everyone raised their glasses, toasting to the success of the first day of the show.
Mealtime was also the best time to build rapport, with some people serving dishes to their favorite guests and others taking special care of their companions.
But Fang Zhou didn’t participate; he just wanted to finish his meal and rest.
It was the first day on the island, and the production team, considering their long journey, hadn’t arranged any group activities for the evening, leaving them to their own devices.
Just as he took a bite of his greens, Fang Zhou suddenly felt something brushing against his feet.
He frowned slightly, thinking someone nearby was swinging their legs and had accidentally touched him.
Chapter 12: The Teasing Under the Table (2/2)
He didn’t pay it much mind and continued eating.
Sitting next to him was the lawyer Tang Wan, with her oval face. She looked stern when not smiling, but somewhat cute when she did.
Tang Wan poked Fang Zhou’s arm, her eyes eagerly fixed on the garlic pork ribs on his right.
“Boat, I want to eat that, but I can’t grab it.”
Tang Wen meant to ask him to help with the dishes.
Boat “oh”ed and directly lifted the plate, putting it in front of Tang Wen’s table.
“Eat up.”
This action caught the attention of those around them, with people’s expressions and thoughts varying.
Some people clenched their chopsticks, the vinegar jar in their hearts already overturned.
How long had it been since they got close to this new acquaintance, and would they rather be rejected by everyone than put the dish in front of her?
Jo Xixi smiled and asked Tang Wen, “Do you like garlic fried ribs? This is something I made with Qin Yun.”
Tang Wen was originally just going to grab a piece to taste the flavor, but now he had to put on a smiling face.
“I also like to make it at home.”
She looked at Boat beside her with a hint of resentment, thinking: What’s the point of you helping me grab the dish?
As a result, Boat grinned and asked, “Is it delicious?”
Tang Wen took a bite and found it was actually quite good, so she nodded and said, “It’s delicious, do you want a piece?”
As she said that, she picked up a piece of ribs and was about to put it in Boat’s bowl.
Boat’s eyes narrowed, acutely aware of the ambiguous action, and was about to refuse when something slipped into his laps, leaving him speechless.
A smooth, soft thing was sliding up his leg, as if a vine was climbing a tree, inching its way up his leg.
Boat’s actions came to a halt, and his words of refusal were swallowed up, unable to come out, as he stared at the piece of ribs that had fallen into his bowl.
That smooth thing was sliding up his leg, stroking him like a piano, one stroke after another, making his heart itch uncontrollably.
Boat only felt that the thing wasn’t stroking his leg, but his heart.
Tang Wen saw him remain still for a long time, turned her head to look at him and asked, “Don’t you want to try it?”
Boat finally looked down at the bowl of ribs, lifted his hand to grab it, but the thing in his lap was even more audacious, directly sliding into his pant leg and touching his pants!
“Ugh!”
Boat quickly put the ribs in his mouth, using the sound of chewing to cover up his comfortable sigh.
“How is it! I said it was delicious, didn’t I?”
The people beside him, including Jo Xixi across from him, looked at him with expectant eyes, and Boat forced himself to nod, his legs itching.
He ate and responded, “It’s indeed delicious, the craftsmanship is good.”
“Hey, brother, how come your face is so red?”
Liu Mi, who was not far away, looked at Boat and thought it was very strange, his eyes rolling with realization, “Isn’t it because Tang Wen helped you with the dishes and you’re embarrassed?”
Boat shook his head repeatedly to explain, “No, I get red-faced when I drink.”
Although he explained, everyone present just smiled knowingly, taking it as an excuse.
Tang Wan hadn’t expected Fang Zhou to be so thin-skinned; she felt a bit embarrassed to speak and simply lowered her head to eat.
Fang Zhou finally realized what was teasing him.
It must be someone’s leg!
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