Chen Yu was momentarily stunned, as the stack of money amounted to at least two to three thousand.
"Sir, you really don't need to pay..."
Chen Yu had only pushed the money away a few times before the old man became somewhat displeased.
"Chen Yu, I've spent tens of thousands at the hospital, and my illness wasn't cured! After eating a meal here, not only has my appetite opened up, but my illness has improved. You must take this money."
Chen Yu, somewhat helplessly, said, "How about this? The cost of this meal is only a few tens, I'll take a hundred from you, and you can take the rest back! To me, you just had a meal here, one hundred is really enough."
The old man didn't know what to say, he grabbed Chen Yu's hand and shook it excitedly.
"Chen Yu, I have many fellow patients back home, I'll recommend them to come here."
After saying this, the old man stretched his limbs and left, feeling very refreshed.
At this moment, Xie Jiang's family was also satisfied, coming down from upstairs.
Especially Xie Jiang's father-in-law, who approached the display window with an excited face.
"Boss, your Sichuan dishes are so authentic. It would be a waste not to open a Sichuan restaurant with your skills."
Chen Yu was very polite, responding with a smile.
"Sir, we are currently preparing, and Sichuan cuisine will be introduced in a few days."
The old man laughed heartily, "Then I will come to eat every day when it's available."
Next to him, Xie Jiang continued to call out to Chen Yu, and after chatting for a few moments, his family returned to the neighboring house.
By eight o'clock in the evening, the stream of customers gradually diminished.
Chen Yu then brought out six pots of dishes and a large high-pressure cooker filled with rice onto the table.
Without needing Chen Yu to call them over, everyone gathered around.
The store had already established a very regular operating schedule these past few days.
This time had also become recognized mealtime in everyone's eyes.
"Wow, mapo tofu, spicy and sour tomato fish, kung pao chicken, braised eggplant, pork with minced garlic, steamed pork ribs with rice flour, such a feast!"
Chen Guang exclaimed, then directly served himself a bowl of rice and scooped a spoonful of pork with minced garlic.
Today, the medicinal meal that Chen Yu had Tong Ya bring him had significantly alleviated his rheumatism.
With his mood greatly improved, so was his appetite.
At this moment, Tang Xiaowei and Tong Ya also took seats at the dining table, leaving only Su Rui standing alone.
However, the bodyguard and assistant who came with her in the morning were nowhere to be seen now.
"Su Rui, come and eat with us!" Tong Ya called out warmly.
Su Rui had been waiting for this invitation and quickly took a seat next to Tang Xiaowei.
Just then, He Hua timidly stood up, notebook in hand, and moved behind Su Rui.
"Um… could you please give me an autograph… I've been busy all day and didn't get a chance… yeah."
He Hua, one of the eight new girls who had joined later, was the youngest of them all, even a year younger than Han Cai.
Now standing behind Su Rui with her notebook, she appeared somewhat timid.
Su Rui was very generous, took the notebook, and wrote down her autograph.
That set the other young girls off, each of them pulling out a small notebook they carried with them.
Su Rui didn't refuse anyone, giving her autograph to each one in turn.
After receiving her autograph, Chu Hong even served Su Rui a bowl of colorful rice.
Su Rui didn't stand on ceremony and served herself a spoonful of Mapo tofu, then wolfed down a mouthful without any hesitation.
"This is so delicious; I've never tasted anything like this! Hey, brother-in-law, can I work here for a few days to experience life?"
There wasn't the slightest hint of surprise on Chen Yu's face, as if he had expected it all along.
"Miss Su, your bodyguard and assistant have already left, and they even took your car! For a big star like you, they wouldn't just leave you here so carelessly."
At these words, the smile on Su Rui's face gradually faded.
Before she could speak, Chen Yu pointed at the clothing she wore.
"The temperature is quite high today, but you're not wearing any sun protection, and despite your assistant's advice, you even ate a bowl of spicy wontons at noon, which doesn't seem like something a disciplined actor would do."
Su Rui's face showed a hint of surprise after the analysis.
"That's because the food here is so good that I couldn't help myself, so I just..."
"You did it on purpose, didn't you?" Chen Yu suddenly looked straight at Su Rui. "You stayed here for a day, actually delaying time, so that your agency would take the initiative to terminate your contract with them."
Su Rui suddenly couldn't meet Chen Yu's eyes.
Chen Yu seemed to have been busy in the kitchen all day and hardly paid her any attention; how had he seen right through her?
Tang Xiaowei also looked puzzled at Su Rui.
"Really? Sister Rui, that's one of the top ten agencies in the world! You just terminated your contract like that."
Suddenly, a tearful gleam appeared in Su Rui's eyes, and she set down her bowl and sighed deeply.
"There's been some trouble at home, my parents want me to marry a wealthy businessman. They want to use my status and popularity as a star to get some benefits."
As she spoke, tears had already started rolling down the corners of Su Rui's eyes.
"But I don't want to marry someone I've never met! Before coming here, I had already tried many ways to deliberately create conflicts with the agency, and they terminated my contract with me at five o'clock this afternoon."
The people present were dumbstruck; they hadn't expected to hear about the personal gossip of a popular star.
If this got to the paparazzi, they might concoct an incredibly dramatic story about her.
However, Tong Ya looked admiringly at Chen Yu.
"Wow, hubby, you're amazing! You're like a detective."
Chen Yu chuckled softly; his intelligence had now reached the limits of humanity.
It wasn't just this; even if someone casually walked past him, he could see right through them with their micro-expressions.
"Alright, since Miss Su has chosen to stay, she is our guest. Ya Ya, please book a room at a nearby hotel."
Tong Ya was about to make a call when Su Rui waved her hands repeatedly.
"No need for that, I can just make do for the night with Ya Ya or Xiaowei."
In fact, Chen Yu understood that Su Rui refused because she had no money on her.
The clothes she wore didn't even have pockets, and her bodyguard and assistant hadn't left her with any bags when they left.
Combining this with what Su Rui had previously mentioned, it seemed that her parents had frozen all her bank accounts.
And the agency's termination of her contract wasn't just because she hadn't followed dietary regulations.
It was certainly because the wealthy businessman she refused had pulled some strings behind the scenes.
Su Rui was just going along with the situation.
Chen Yu didn't want to embarrass Su Rui too much: "Then you'll have to put up with sharing a space with Ya Ya for tonight."
Su Rui nodded repeatedly, then picked up her bowl of rice and started eating joyously.
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