Jian Ai was also cooking!
Opening the door, Gu Jia said she wanted him to come over for dinner.
Lin Fan turned back and glanced at the kitchen: "Alright, I'll be over in a bit. Should I bring wine? We can have a drink."
Gu Jia rolled her eyes: "What are you thinking? Xu Huanshan is home."
Hmm... I thought it was just the two of them eating.
"Got it. You go back first. I'll be over later."
Lin Fan walked into the kitchen and told Jian Ai, who said she wanted to come over together and bring some food from home. She wanted to cook with Gu Jia.
Lin Fan thought this was a good idea. The more people, the merrier.
"Okay, let's go."
The two of them, carrying food from their home, appeared at Gu Jia's house.
Seeing this, Gu Jia and Xu Huanshan were clearly stunned. They were invited to dinner, and they even brought food.
Jian Ai explained, "I was also cooking at home, and the vegetables were already chopped. It would be a waste to throw them away."
Gu Jia suddenly understood and quickly took the food: "That's perfect. We can cook together."
"That's what I thought."
The two stunningly beautiful women entered the kitchen and started to work. Soon, laughter and chatter filled the air.
In the living room, Lin Fan and Xu Huanshan felt a bit awkward. Conversations between men, unless it's about women or international affairs, are rarely as lively as those between women, who can chat endlessly about anything.
Xu Huanshan invited Lin Fan to sit down and expressed his gratitude: "I appreciate you helping with Ziyan's school matters. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't know what to do."
Lin Fan smiled: "Brother Shan, you're too kind. We are neighbors after all. As the saying goes, 'A neighbor is closer than a distant relative.' If you need anything in the future, just ask. I'm a friendly person. You and Sister Gu Jia are great people. I enjoy being friends with you."
Xu Huanshan smiled in relief: "You're right. I'll keep that in mind."
Their conversation naturally turned to work.
Xu Huanshan knew that Lin Fan was in investment, and today he also learned from Gu Jia that he was a DePu school board member and the boss of Misiya.
He felt a great deal of respect for Lin Fan.
"Mr. Lin... let's exchange contact information! If we need anything in business in the future, we can help each other out."
"Okay!"
Lin Fan took out his phone and added Xu Huanshan on WeChat.
At that moment, Xu Ziyan came out of the room. Seeing Lin Fan, he ran over to him and greeted him enthusiastically: "Uncle Lin!"
"Hey! Ziyan, you're such a good boy. Did you have fun at school today?"
"Yes... I made so many new friends, and I even beat up Muzi."
Lin Fan was taken aback. Wow, he just told him to fight back, not to beat up others.
And it was Muzi he beat up. He just slapped Muzi's mother today.
After finding out the reason, Lin Fan realized he had misunderstood. It turned out that Muzi had started the fight.
As the saying goes, "Like mother, like daughter." Some kids are just born bad.
"Good for you! If she bullies you again, beat her up, understand?"
Xu Ziyan nodded cutely.
Lin Fan played with Xu Ziyan for a while, and then Gu Jia and Jian Ai finished cooking.
They had prepared eight dishes and a soup, a full table.
When they all sat down at the table, Gu Jia modestly praised Jian Ai's cooking, saying it was better than hers, and that she needed to learn more from her.
Jian Ai, in turn, said that Gu Jia cooked well. The two women complimented each other.
Lin Fan tasted the food: "No need to compare. They're all delicious. I love them all."
Gu Jia smiled, satisfied: "That's good. If Jian Ai isn't home, you can come over for dinner anytime."
"Okay! As long as Brother Shan doesn't mind."
"He won't mind."
Xu Huanshan awkwardly smiled: "Of course I wouldn't mind. If I did, Jian Ai would certainly mind too."
The four of them laughed together.
They officially started eating, the four of them enjoying the food and chatting happily.
Lin Fan was sitting opposite Gu Jia, wearing slippers. He casually took off his shoes and gently placed his foot on Gu Jia's instep, scratching it.
Gu Jia froze, her spine turning cold instantly.
Lin Fan was so bold! Xu Huanshan was sitting right next to her!
If Xu Huanshan looked down and saw this, she wouldn't be able to clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River.
She secretly glared at Lin Fan, hoping he would behave, but Lin Fan ignored her.
There was a tablecloth on the table, so unless Xu Huanshan crawled under the table, he wouldn't notice anything.
Gu Jia saw that she couldn't stop Lin Fan, so she could only pretend to be unconcerned and continued eating.
But Lin Fan became bolder and moved his foot from her instep to her knee.
If she didn't stop him, he would soon be on her thigh and then in her mouth.
Gu Jia immediately got up: "I'll go to the bathroom."
Lin Fan finally retracted his foot. It was so much fun.
Gu Jia went to the bathroom and splashed some water on her face to calm herself down. Back at the table, she asked Xu Huanshan to switch seats with her. Now, Lin Fan had to behave.
Xu Huanshan was confused about why she suddenly wanted to switch seats, but he looked down and saw nothing unusual.
Lin Fan even raised his wine glass and clinked it with Xu Huanshan, so Xu Huanshan didn't think anything more of it.
Jian Ai, who was sitting next to them, knew what had happened and gave Gu Jia a meaningful look, making her blush and lower her head.
Gu Jia knew that Jian Ai must understand Lin Fan's true nature, so it was no surprise that she could see through the situation.
After they finished eating and drinking, they sat down to rest.
To avoid any awkwardness, Gu Jia steered the conversation to Lin Fan's business, hoping that he would use their Jia Mei Fireworks company for his future fireworks needs.
She had joined the wives' circle to leverage the resources within for her husband's fireworks company.
And Lin Fan's massive business was a valuable resource.
"No problem. If I need fireworks, I'll definitely choose Jia Mei Fireworks first."
"Thank you so much, Mr. Lin."
"Sister Gu Jia, you're welcome. I'm primarily in investments. If you have any profitable projects, you can come to me for investment. We can all make money together."
Gu Jia's eyes suddenly lit up. Lin Fan's casual remark reminded her of something.
She was actually planning to invest in a project, but she hadn't told Xu Huanshan yet because she didn't have enough money.
Now, if Lin Fan was willing to invest, her project would surely succeed.
Gu Jia felt a little excited and tentatively asked, "Do you invest in any project?"
Lin Fan nodded: "If it's profitable, I'll definitely invest."
Gu Jia boldly said, "Actually, I have a project. I don't know if you'd be interested in investing."
Xu Huanshan looked at Gu Jia in surprise. He thought she was joking, but it seemed she was serious!
Lin Fan smiled slightly: "Tell me about it."
"I want to open a cake shop, turn my hobby into a career, and use the cake shop as a platform for regular gatherings for the wives' circle."
It was a good idea.
Gu Jia's cake-making skills were exceptional.
If she could turn her hobby into a career, that would be the best choice.
Lin Fan didn't hesitate: "No problem. I'll invest in this project. Make a business plan and send it to me. Just tell me how much you need."
Gu Jia was overjoyed. She couldn't believe Lin Fan agreed so quickly.
"That's great! I'll try my best to finish the business plan soon."
"No rush. Take your time. I'm ready to invest anytime."
Gu Jia was so excited she wanted to give Lin Fan a big hug, but unfortunately, Jian Ai and Xu Huanshan were there.
And Xu Huanshan immediately questioned her: "Open a cake shop? I don't think it's necessary. Your baking skills are good, but just make cakes at home. Opening a shop is different. And the wives' circle... you're not even in it yet."
Gu Jia retorted: "I believe I can do it. And I'm determined to join the wives' circle. Don't worry."
Xu Huanshan still wasn't happy. He wanted Gu Jia to be a stay-at-home wife. If she achieved too much, he would feel embarrassed.
He knew that Gu Jia was very capable. Their fireworks company had reached where it was today thanks to her in large part.
But as her husband, Xu Huanshan didn't like the idea of Gu Jia being more capable than him. It would make him feel like the weaker one in the relationship.
"No, Ziyan needs you to take care of him. You can join the wives' circle if you want, but forget about opening a shop." Xu Huanshan directly rejected her proposal.
The atmosphere became awkward for a moment.
Gu Jia frowned and looked at Xu Huanshan. Was it wrong for her to want to do more for their family?
Seeing the situation getting tense, Jian Ai intervened: "Investing is risky. You need to be cautious. You two should discuss it first. Come to Lin Fan later after you've decided. It's getting late. We should go home."
Jian Ai tactfully pulled Lin Fan to leave.
It was time for Gu Jia and Xu Huanshan to talk, and it would be awkward for them to stay any longer.
Lin Fan got up, raised an eyebrow and smiled: "You two discuss it first. Be calm and don't argue. We're going back now."
Gu Jia sighed and could only see Lin Fan and Jian Ai out.