The Lady of the Prestigious Family is a Big Boss-Chapter 811: The Gaming Bet (2)

"Dad."

"What are you all standing there for?" Jiang Hai’s gaze shifted to Ji Mingqian. "Mingqian, weren’t you going back to your room to get something?"

Ji Mingqian toned down his laid-back demeanor and spoke warmly, "I’ve got my stuff. I just happened to run into Asheng coming back, and we had a little chat about work."

"Work stuff can wait. Asheng is back too. Let’s go have dinner first?" Jiang Hai said.

Ji Mingqian nodded, "Let’s call Auntie, and we’ll go."

Jiang Hai walked back to the room, and Jiang Yisheng felt a sigh of relief inside.

What a close call, thankfully nothing too outrageous happened just now.

Ji Mingqian displayed a helpless expression, placing his hat back on his head.

"Let’s go."

Detecting the frustration in his voice, Jiang Yisheng pursed his lips and smiled.

Having prepared in advance, Ji Mingqian took them to the most famous restaurant in J City.

Approaching noon, the restaurant was nearly packed, and even finding a parking spot was difficult.

"Did you book a private room?" Closing the car door, Jiang Yisheng walked up to Ji Mingqian and asked softly.

There’s no way they could eat with their hats and masks on, they’d probably have to skip the meal if recognized.

Ji Mingqian gave him a reassuring look, "Don’t worry, I’ve had it booked long ago."

All four of them entered the restaurant, where the manager was already waiting for them.

"Mr. Ji."

Ji Mingqian nodded, lowering his voice, "Where is the private room I booked?"

"Upstairs, I’ll show you the way," the manager’s tone carried a hint of respect.

Ji Mingqian nodded, then turned to Jiang Yisheng, "Let’s go."

"It’s quite lively here; the food must be good," Veya commented as she observed the bustling scene downstairs while climbing the stairs. Every seat was taken, and there was even a line out the door.

A restaurant that’s been open for over ten years and is still doing so well must have good food.

Jiang Hai nodded in agreement, "Let’s have a taste. If it’s good, we can come again next time."

Veya grinned.

The manager led them to their private room and then left.

"Uncle, Auntie, take a look at what you’d like to eat." Ji Mingqian placed the menu in front of them, then sat back down next to Jiang Yisheng.

He opened the menu and handed it to Jiang Yisheng, "What do you feel like eating?"

When he suddenly leaned in close, Jiang Yisheng was momentarily taken aback, glancing instinctively across the table to see his parents engrossed in the menu, oblivious to their side, he felt some relief.

"As long as it’s not lamb or pineapple."

Apart from being allergic to those two, he’s not picky with food.

Finally, he added, "Bitter melon is okay too."

Ji Mingqian’s smile froze, and he nudged him with his elbow, speaking in a tone only the two of them could hear, "Doing it on purpose, huh?"

Jiang Yisheng smiled innocently, "I want to eat bitter melon, what’s the problem with that?"

"Are you looking for trouble?"

"Go ahead, I’m not afraid."

Ji Mingqian was choked up, "..."

Forget it, I’ll let him win this time.

Having a reasonable idea of his tastes, Ji Mingqian quickly ordered their meal.

After sitting for a while, Jiang Yisheng began to feel a bit warm and took off his jacket.

Noticing the slight bead of sweat forming on his forehead, Ji Mingqian reached for the remote and lowered the air-conditioning.

Then he glanced at Jiang Hai, smiling lightly, "Uncle, would you like a drink?"

Jiang Hai agreed without a second thought, "Of course, I’d love one."

"Aren’t you driving?" Jiang Yisheng sipped tea from his cup, looking at him sideways.

"Isn’t that why you’re here?" Ji Mingqian smirked, "You don’t drink after all."

"How do you know I don’t drink?" In the moment, Jiang Yisheng forgot his parents were still there and instinctively retorted.

Ji Mingqian gave him a sideways glance, raising his eyebrows, "It’s not like I haven’t witnessed your one-drink collapse before."

As those words left his lips, laughter erupted across the table.

"Hahaha."

"Asheng, you’d better not force it, alcohol really isn’t for you," his mother’s heartfelt jab landed.

Before Jiang Yisheng could feel frustrated, his father added a cutting remark.

"Asheng, Mingqian’s actually praising you; at most, you only take a sip. Calling it a cup is already overestimating you."

Jiang Yisheng clutched his teacup, knuckles turning white.

Holding in a bellyful of lingering grievances, he could only sigh in exasperation.

He glanced at his parents, pouting slightly.

Am I not their biological son anymore?

Perhaps it was due to Ji Mingqian’s presence, and while they were joking around, the dishes were soon all served.

"Uncle, I toast to you." Ji Mingqian raised his glass, smiling gently.

His rare display of seriousness caught Jiang Yisheng’s attention.

He lowered his head slightly, pressing his lips to stifle a laugh.

Even the ace actor can play it cute.

Jiang Hai raised his glass as well, his face graced with a gentle smile. He took a small sip and praised, "This wine is quite good."

Ji Mingqian, too, didn’t hold back, downing his glass in one go.

"This wine is the restaurant’s specialty, their own brew," he explained.

Jiang Hai nodded, "So that’s how it is."

"Don’t you like eating hairy crabs?" Ji Mingqian curiously asked his companion who was focused on eating rice.

Did he come here just to eat plain rice?

With things on his mind, coupled with his parents being right across, Jiang Yisheng couldn’t focus on his meal, "I’ll eat it later."

Ji Mingqian didn’t say anything, but reached over and grabbed a hairy crab, showing his adept skill in peeling.

Before long, he’d extracted all the crab meat and placed it on a small plate.

After wiping his hands with a napkin, he slid the small plate in front of Jiang Yisheng, "Here."

Jiang Yisheng paused with his chopsticks, casting a glance at the small plate full of crab meat, he felt somewhat uneasy.

When he raised his eyes, he was met with his parent’s slightly surprised gaze, causing Jiang Yisheng to freeze, his mind blank for a few seconds.

"Uh..."

At that moment, Ji Mingqian came to his rescue, "That gaming bet I lost to you last night, don’t say I don’t follow through next time, okay?"

Jiang Yisheng caught on, chuckled dryly, and took his cue from Ji Mingqian, "I was just joking, if you didn’t mention the bet, I would’ve forgotten it already."

"Oh, it was a gaming bet, huh? Mingqian, don’t spoil him just because he’s younger than you. Asheng, this lazy boy’s been like this since childhood, too lazy to peel anything with shells, you should hurry up and eat, let him do it himself," Veya quickly shed her initial surprise, smiling warmly.

Ji Mingqian smiled mildly, "It’s fine, a bet is a bet, peeling crab shells is a small thing."

Jiang Yisheng stayed silent, focusing on eating the crab meat.

After all, peeled crab meat is there to be eaten, why wouldn’t he?

"Asheng, Jennifer stopped by the house a few days ago, she’s been quite concerned about your injury." Halfway through the meal, Veya suddenly mentioned.

"Cough, cough." Jiang Yisheng choked, his face reddening from coughing.

Veya looked at him with a strange expression, not understanding why he reacted so strongly; she’d only brought up Jennifer, was there a need for this?

"Have some water." Ji Mingqian poured a glass of water and handed it to him.

Jiang Yisheng took the glass and sipped the water to calm himself.