Cooking Gourmet Meals in the Apocalypse

Chapter 115: Chapter 112: Four Great Families

Cao Nan ran to open the door. Seeing the stern-faced Vice General Du, he immediately stepped aside.

Vice General Du’s handsome, unsmiling face exuded an air of authority. ”Young Master Song requests Miss Chen Xing’s presence.”

Cao Guangrong’s family was speechless.

The Cao Family members were so scared they didn’t dare so much as to fart in his presence.

Chen Xing gave a cold smile and strode toward the door.

”Xuexue, come home early!” Cao Guangrong didn’t try to stop her anymore.

He didn’t dare stop her, either.

Song Yiguo was a figure of immense power in the Capital City. Even if Cao Guangrong were bolder, he wouldn’t dare say another word. He could only look timidly at Li Hongfei. ”I did my best!”

Li Hongfei’s brows were tightly furrowed. She was extremely displeased with the Cao Family.

’They can’t even keep an eye on one person.’

Cao Nan walked up sulkily. ”Honey... you can’t blame us for this. You saw it yourself, that girl doesn’t listen to us at all. Besides... you couldn’t persuade her either, could you?”

Li Hongfei rolled her eyes at him, bit her lip, and said nothing.

After following Vice General Du for some distance, Chen Xing finally spoke. ”Did Song Yiguo really send for me?”

”Young Master Song was worried about your meals, so he specially invited you to come eat with him.”

Chen Xing: ”...” ’I don’t believe it!’

Song Yiguo did do good deeds from time to time. For example, the first time she met him, he had even saved a pregnant woman.

But after a few encounters, she knew that while he might perform such casual good deeds, he didn’t do them often. For any other act of kindness, he wouldn’t lift a finger unless there was something in it for him.

Especially after the apocalypse began, he knew the consequences of casually doing good deeds.

’So... inviting me to dinner is definitely not just about my meals.’

’In any case, I still need to rely on Song Yiguo to investigate my background. I might as well be the fish that takes the bait!’

Apparently, her thinking had been a little too simple.

The bait Song Yiguo had cast was a domineering one.

After passing through three security checkpoints, Chen Xing entered a brightly lit hall.

After she entered, Vice General Du left.

As soon as Chen Xing walked in, Song Yiguo came to greet her. ”I was starting to think it wouldn’t be easy to get you here.”

”You invited me. How could I dare not to come?” Chen Xing’s words were casual, but they carried a hint of flattery.

To Song Yiguo’s ears, however, it sounded more like sarcasm. But who could blame him for feeling guilty?

He stopped beating around the bush and got straight to the point. ”Today is the gathering of the Capital City’s Four Great Families...”

The Four Great Families of the Capital City were the Song Family, the Situ family, the Li Family, and the Lu Family.

Although the Song Family was the head of the Four Great Families, its foundations were not in the Capital City.

It was his father, General Song, who had relied on his personal connections to pave a way into the military, establishing his own power base before the apocalypse.

This power was not just in the Capital City, but in various other places as well.

If not for the sudden apocalypse, which caused several powerful factions to weaken each other through infighting, his family wouldn’t have even made it into the ranks of the Capital City’s Four Great Families.

But in terms of nationwide strength, the Song Family was supreme. The other three families combined probably couldn’t compete with them.

Unlike the Song Family, the Situ family was local to the Capital City. After the apocalypse, they didn’t participate in the power struggles, forming their own faction and stabilizing their position.

After the apocalypse began, they absorbed talent and forces from all sides. In particular, most of the great families that had been weakened in the infighting joined the Situ family, making their position even more secure.

The Li Family was akin to the Royal Family of the Capital City. They had produced two Great Commanders. Their power wasn’t considered the strongest, but their status was undeniable.

Among the four, the Lu Family was at the very bottom.

Before the apocalypse, the Lu Family was just one of the many ranked families. As for how they became one of the Four Great Families, nobody knew.

After the apocalypse, it was the same story for the Lu Family. Despite the crackdowns from all sides, they remained completely unaffected and did not participate in any of the conflicts.

At first glance, it seemed like nothing, but a closer look was somewhat terrifying.

They were waiting to be the fisherman who profits when the snipe and the clam grapple. The Lu Family was never among those who suffered losses.

Today’s gathering was orchestrated by the Situ family.

”The Situ family’s intention is crystal clear—they want a marriage alliance with our Song Family.” Song Yiguo felt a headache coming on.

He didn’t know if his old man was getting senile. He had already said that he liked Yan Junxi, but his father simply wouldn’t listen.

He wanted to skip it, but his mom had threatened to kill herself.

”Wouldn’t a marriage alliance be great for you? You’d be the most powerful, able to take over any family you want,” Chen Xing said, gloating.

’Song Yiguo was allowed to trick her into coming here, but she wasn’t allowed to laugh at him?’

Song Yiguo knew he was in the wrong. ”Don’t you know me by now? Besides Junxi, there’s no room in my heart for anyone else. Today... as long as you can sabotage this engagement for me, I absolutely won’t be stingy with your reward!”

He had no other choice.

He couldn’t just drag Yan Junxi here, could he?

First, it would probably make his parents sick with anger. Second, he didn’t want Yan Junxi to suffer from their cold glares.

Chen Xing scoffed internally.

’So she deserved to suffer those unnecessary cold glares?’

’This place was filled with the nation’s aristocrats. With a status as lowly as dust, they could drown her with a single glob of spit.’

’Cold glares would be getting off easy. Mockery and contempt... were unavoidable.’

”As long as you get this done, I can give you a top-spec EleMMent Palazzo RV.” Song Yiguo stopped and faced her directly.

Chen Xing: ”...” ’How sinister! To dangle such a huge temptation?’

She had seen this RV online. The price was said to start in the eight-figure range. Now, in the apocalypse, the price of RVs had skyrocketed. You couldn’t get one even if you were willing to fight for it.

”It’s a deal!” ’What were a few eye-rolls and cold glares?’

’To get this RV, it would be worth it even if she had to be drowned in spit.’

Song Yiguo looked down at her, not bothering to hide the curiosity in his eyes.

’This girl is truly greedy,’ he thought. ’But she never accepts handouts. It’s always a fair trade.’

This intimate gaze was witnessed at that exact moment by the lavishly dressed Situ Yuanyuan.

From her angle, what she saw was Chen Xing’s slightly excited expression paired with Song Yiguo’s extremely doting gaze.

’And they say there’s nothing between them?’

Situ Yuanyuan’s dress became wrinkled where she clutched it. The hatred in her eyes flowed out without restraint. ”Aren’t you two just so deeply in love?” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

’This tramp probably has no idea what kind of event this is today, does she?’

’It’s a meeting of the Capital City’s Four Great Families. How dare a woman as common as dust try to worm her way in?’

’Today, I’ll let you know what it means to be utterly humiliated!’

’Who told you to covet something so far beyond your reach?’

’Then again... how would a commoner from the dust know what the Four Great Families even means?’

’A single stomp from any one of them would make the entire country tremble.’

Chen Xing let Song Yiguo watch her. ’Who could blame him when she was so mysterious?’

’So mysterious that even she didn’t know her own origins. It was only natural for others to be curious.’

’Everyone has a curious side.’

”I came here on an empty stomach. Find me a place to eat first!” Chen Xing completely ignored the jealous Situ Yuanyuan.

She needed to build up her strength. This was not going to be an easy fight.

”I knew you hadn’t eaten, so I had a table prepared for you!” Song Yiguo led Chen Xing into a small reception room.

Being ignored by both of them undoubtedly pushed Situ Yuanyuan’s anger to its absolute peak.

”You just wait!” She glared viciously at the closed door. ”You’ll soon learn your place! People like you, no better than dust, don’t belong in aristocratic circles!”