Cooking Gourmet Meals in the Apocalypse

Chapter 183: Chapter 180: Director of the Research Institute

Chen Xing watched Song Yiguo with a detached gaze. ’What is he trying to do?’

”What do you think? This outfit suits me quite well, doesn’t it?” Song Yiguo was clearly pleased with his appearance.

Chen Xing glanced him up and down. It did suit him.

He somehow made ordinary casual wear look exceptionally classy.

’It seems that natural air of nobility is something you just can’t learn.’

”How did you know I’d be here?”

Song Yiguo raised a handsome eyebrow and leaned a little closer to her. ”Lu Haoran has been quite attentive to you lately.”

The gesture was rather intimate, further convincing anyone watching from a distance that the two of them were very close.

Chen Xing leaned back slightly, her brow furrowed.

She instantly understood what he was getting at.

’He’s trying to create a diversion, to make everyone think I’m the one he cares about.’

’He’s hoping Yan Junxi’s kidnappers will think they got the wrong person and let him go.’

It was a despicable tactic, but she could understand it.

Song Yiguo was clearly out of options.

”If you do this, aren’t you worried the kidnappers will think Yan Junxi is useless and silence him for good?”

Song Yiguo was speechless, his expression freezing instantly.

Chen Xing smiled again and continued in a low voice, ”The more important Yan Junxi seems to you, the more carefully they’ll treat him. They might even wine and dine him. But if he seems unimportant? If I were you, I’d just wait patiently. Since they went to the trouble of kidnapping him, they’re bound to contact you.”

Song Yiguo lowered his head, studying Chen Xing intently.

’This girl’s way of thinking is always so unusual.’

’She sees things with a clarity that he can’t seem to grasp.’

”I’m sorry. My thinking was too reckless. But...” He glanced over at Lu Haoran, his lips curling into a perfect arc. ”He seems to be serious about this, doesn’t he?”

Chen Xing followed his gaze. Lu Haoran was indeed watching them.

’But... I don’t sense anything of the sort.’

’Someone from the Lu Family? Hah...’ Chen Xing didn’t voice her thought.

’Even if she died and was reincarnated, she would never have anything to do with the Lu Family—not even if Lu Haoran wasn’t born a Lu.’

Lu Haoran walked over with a full plate of food and placed it in front of Chen Xing. ”I noticed you hadn’t eaten anything, so I just grabbed a few things. I’m not sure what you like.”

”Thank you.”

Li Sirong had been staring at Lu Haoran the entire time.

Now, seeing him bring food to Chen Xing and speak so attentively, her expression darkened.

She had always felt a flutter of excitement for Lu Haoran, something different from how she felt about Song Yiguo.

Song Yiguo was like a prince; any woman would want to marry him.

But Lu Haoran was different. He was gentle and considerate, and she liked him from the bottom of her heart.

’But how could such a wonderful man also have feelings for Chen Xing?’

Composing herself, Li Sirong’s expression shifted from jealousy to gentleness as she walked to Lu Haoran’s side. ”Haoran, I noticed you haven’t eaten much, so I brought you some of your favorites. You should eat something now before people start bothering you. Once things get busy, you won’t have time.”

”I’m not hungry, thank you.” Lu Haoran’s tone was still gentle, yet it carried a sense of immense distance.

Li Sirong forced a smile and walked over to her father.

By now, the venue was crowded.

People were packed closer and closer together.

Chen Xing deliberately moved to a far corner of the room.

From there, she could not only respond safely to any sudden incidents but also had a clear view of the entire hall.

Just as she settled into her new position, the grand doors of the banquet hall swung open.

All eyes turned as a man walked in.

He wore dress slacks and a light-colored, thin sweater. His refined face was adorned with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.

Chen Xing froze. ’She remembered him!’

’It was Xu Anguo, the man she’d met in that five-star hotel right after the apocalypse began.’

He was a little thinner now than he was back then, and he looked even more scholarly and refined.

”You know Xu Anguo?” Song Yiguo asked, noticing her stare.

Lu Haoran also turned to look at Chen Xing.

’Do I know him?’

’He was just a stranger, really. She only remembered his name because she had a good memory.’

”We met once in Hualai City.”

Lu Haoran asked in surprise, ”You’ve met my uncle?”

Chen Xing’s expression instantly grew wary.

’So... that means Xu Anguo, the man she’d met so briefly, was connected to the Lu Family?’

Song Yiguo, however, looked intrigued. He added, ”Xu Anguo is the director of the Xingguang Research Institute.”

At those words, Chen Xing’s mind snapped to attention.

’The person she’d been searching for all this time... he’d been there from the very beginning?’

’As the director of the Xingguang Research Institute, how could Xu Anguo possibly not know who she was?’

’But back then, he hadn’t shown the slightest hint of surprise or recognition.’

Chen Xing’s eyes followed Xu Anguo.

He moved through the crowd, shaking hands and chatting, eventually ending up face-to-face with Lu Bingtian.

The atmosphere between them seemed tense. After just a few words, they looked like they were about to start a fight.

Lu Haoran immediately went over to them.

A moment later, Xu Anguo left, his face cold.

Just before he walked out the door, his gaze swept in Chen Xing’s direction.

It seemed like a casual glance, but Chen Xing felt it—he had seen her.

”Xu Anguo seems quite interested in you.” The old fox, Song Yiguo, had taken in everyone’s reactions.

”How long has he been the director of the Xingguang Research Institute?”

”A dozen years or so.”

Chen Xing glanced up at Song Yiguo and asked, as if to herself, ”What do you think my chances are of killing him?”

Song Yiguo was speechless.

”You want to kill him?”

’That would be difficult to say.’

Xu Anguo seemed like an open book, but there were many hidden aspects to him.

For instance, his family background, and his wife and child who went missing many years ago.

He was considered a good man; ever since his wife and child disappeared, he’d never been with another woman.

Everyone praised him as a wonderful husband and father.

’Did she just want to kill him? No, it was more than that.’

’She wanted to destroy every single one of the Lu Family’s research institutes.’

”I was just curious.”

’Since Xu Anguo is the director of the Research Institute, he’s very likely the boss behind Hao Wenli and her group.’

’His abilities... they can’t be weak, can they?’

’After all, controlling the Research Institute and those puppet-like zombie dogs would require significant power.’

”It wouldn’t be easy,” Song Yiguo said, sensing the risk. ”Since the apocalypse, the Xingguang Research Institute has recruited a lot of talented individuals.”

As they were speaking, a man and a woman walked directly toward them.

They were in their fifties and stood before her with detached expressions.

Chen Xing met their indifference with her own.

’These two must be Hao Wenli’s parents.’

’It seems Hao Wenli inherited her mother, Li Helili’s, good looks.’

’Even at fifty and with a few wrinkles, the woman was still a beauty.’

’But... Chen Xing couldn’t understand it.’

’They were looking at the person who killed their daughter, yet they showed no trace of hatred?’

’She couldn’t even see a hint of sadness or grief in their eyes over their daughter’s death.’

”Miss Chen, our director would like you to join him for a chat,” Hao Dongbang said, his tone just as detached.

’He sounded exactly like someone simply relaying a message for his boss.’