Chapter 275

Once the time freeze ended, the guests suddenly felt a newfound comfort throughout their bodies. 

Though they were all pampered individuals of high stature, they inevitably carried minor ailments or discomforts. 

This mysterious phenomenon either cured their underlying issues or extended their lifespans if they were already in good health. 

Xia Zhi "glanced" at his cousin beside him and couldn't help but find it amusing. 

She looked a bit confused, her adorable cheeks showing a faint red mark—a result of Xia Zhi's finger lightly pinching her during the time freeze. 

Her skin was so delicate that even the slightest touch left a mark. 

"Cousin?" 

"Hmm?" 

"Was it you?" 

"Was what me?" 

"I just felt like someone offended me." 

"Why are you always making baseless accusations?" 

"I know it was you." 

"Prove it." 

"I don't need proof." 

"?" 

"Someone else was here, but based on his personality, he wouldn't have done this. That leaves only you. Eliminating all other impossibilities, no matter how improbable the truth may seem, it must be you." 

"…" 

"It's you!" 

Xia Zhi chose to ignore her. 

She had pinched him earlier, after all. 

Being pinched in the waist is the most painful! 

His small act of retaliation was completely justified, wasn't it? 

---

When the banquet finally ended, Xia Zhi and his companions bid farewell to Ningguang and prepared to leave. 

They also stopped by the bartending area to check on Diona and Chongyun. 

Diona was brimming with excitement as she cleaned up. "Boss, I was amazing today!" 

"Mm-hmm, I heard. Many people were praising the drinks." 

"I even met a lot of really impressive people!" 

"Oh? Like who?" 

"Beidou!" 

"Oh?" 

"You know, the captain of the Crux Fleet, the one who slayed Haishan!" 

"Wasn't she scary?" 

"Not at all! She's really pretty and super friendly! She even helped me clean up! I gave her a drink from the shaker as a thank you, and she loved it! She said she'd definitely visit the shop in the future!" 

"That's great." 

"And, oh, oh! All the guests said this drink was even better than Mondstadt's!" 

"Of course it is." 

At this moment, the little cat girl's confidence was sky-high. She now believed that overtaking Mondstadt's wine industry was an inevitable reality. 

---

Descending the stairs from the Jade Chamber, the group decided to visit the marketplace. 

By now, it was late afternoon, and the produce wasn't particularly fresh anymore. However, with the [Eternal Spirit Knife], this wasn't much of an issue. 

Zhu Zi asked around and managed to buy some offal and oxtail. 

Xia Zhi figured his high luck stat must have been at work again. 

After buying ingredients, they returned to the Summer Shop, where Xia Zhi prepared a dinner for Granny Ping and Chongyun, who didn't often drop by to freeload meals. 

As for Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver, the two adepts had likely gone off to play again. 

Madame Ping waved it off, saying not to worry about "those two old folks." Xia Zhi thought it over and decided to let it be. 

---

After dinner, Chongyun sat with a flushed face, feeling uncomfortably full. 

Xia Zhi, ever the gracious host, handed him a bag of homemade snacks. "Take this back for your parents to try." 

Chongyun hesitated, then accepted the bag somewhat sheepishly. In his heart, he thought, Boss Xia is such a good person. 

The other people at the shop were also very kind, continuously urging him to eat more at the table. 

My aunt must be so happy living here. 

At the door, Shenhe saw Chongyun off, speaking softly. "Come by to eat again when you have time." 

"Mm, thank you for the hospitality. Goodbye, Aunt." 

"Goodbye. Please send my regards to your parents." 

"I will!" 

---

Madame Ping and Yaoyao soon bid their farewells as well. 

Ganyu patted her slightly stuffed belly, glanced at her junior disciple, and stood up as well. 

"Sister Ganyu, are you heading back?" 

"Yes. After spending the day at the Jade Chamber, I need to go back and catch up on work." 

"Sister, please take care of yourself." 

"I will." 

Ganyu walked quite a distance before turning back to glance at the brightly lit Summer Shop. She sighed quietly to herself. 

The first Friday I'm not staying over at the shop… And my junior didn't even invite me to stay! 

---

Inside the shop, Diona was eagerly recounting interesting moments from her bartending to Zhu Zi. 

Zhu Zi clicked her tongue in disappointment. "No dramatic face slapping moments happened?" 

Diona's ears twitched. "Boss said the same thing! He said that's how it always goes in novels." 

Zhu Zi nodded. "Exactly." 

Miss Chi Yu chuckled. "You novel writers sure have a flair for the dramatic. Reality isn't filled with so much trouble. That was Ningguang's banquet, it's not like any of the guests would act foolishly. By the way, Zhu Zi, how's your novel coming along?" 

Zhu Zi's eyes lit up. "I got tons of inspiration from today's banquet! I'll write more tonight!" 

"What kind of inspiration?" Chi Yu asked. 

Zhu Zi explained, "It's for a banquet scene where the protagonist is invited by a young miss to cook at the banquet, only to face challenges from a local chef… followed by absolute domination!" 

At that moment, Ying'er emerged from the kitchen, having just finished washing the dishes. She had only caught the tail end of Zhu Zi's explanation and curiously asked, "Dominate who?" 

"I'm talking about my novel." 

"Your novel?" 

"Yes, the one Zhu Zi's writing—it's about a chef." 

"Really?" 

Zhu Zi quickly ran upstairs and returned with her manuscript, eager to capture her inspiration and start writing again. 

"Zhu Zi, aren't you playing mahjong tonight?" 

"You guys go ahead without me." 

Ying'er watched as Zhu Zi furiously scribbled away under the lamp. Intrigued, she sat beside her and picked up the manuscript to read. 

Huh? A Chef Xia? And the female lead is a girl from Inazuma? 

This felt… oddly familiar! 

Ying'er raised her head, giving Zhu Zi a peculiar look. 

This seems a bit blatant. Are you bullying the boss because he can't see the words and won't know what you're writing? 

Ying'er lowered her head and continued reading the novel. 

The prose was a bit immature, but the plot was smooth enough, with no major flaws. 

After finishing, Ying'er frowned slightly. 

Zhu Zi looked over and asked in a small voice, "What do you think?" 

"I feel like there's a bit of an issue." 

"What issue?" 

"The style doesn't quite fit." 

"Style?" 

"It feels like you're trying to imitate the… uh… risqué style of the boss's novel?" 

"Exactly!" 

"Ah, that explains the slight awkwardness." 

"What's awkward about it?" 

"To put it simply, you're bad at writing risqué scenes. It's not lascivious enough." 

"!" 

"See, for example, there's this scene where Chef Xia offers the female lead tea and juice. It's too plain! I think you could rewrite it like this…" 

"Like what?" 

"Chef Xia takes out two cups: one tall, filled with juice, and one short, filled with tea. He asks her, 'Do you prefer this long and slender one, or this short and thick one?'" ( ;-; ;-; ;-; Answer this question in comment guys )

"!!" 

"See? Doesn't that instantly evoke the tone of the boss's novel?" 

"Ying'er… I've seen the light!" 

Zhu Zi's face turned bright red, but she looked at Ying'er as if she were an otherworldly sage.

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