"Okay." Zhu Yanyi agreed with a helpless sigh.
After hanging up the phone, Zhu Yanyi said to Yan Aohan beside her, "Grandma Chang asked me to go to a primary school talent competition in Yong City. I need to be a judge."
"Then go. It’s good practice. I’ll go with you. If we finish early, we can visit some nearby scenic spots," Yan Aohan said with a smile.
Zhu Yanyi nodded. "It’s a date then."
They continued to stroll around Sicheng Mountain. Mrs. Chang’s phone call didn’t confuse Zhu Yanyi at all. It was just a small judging role. She could treat it as playing a character.
Back home, she opened her computer and checked her email. The competition materials were already there.
"The competition is the day after tomorrow. Grandma Chang really is something. She only called today for an event two days away," Zhu Yanyi said with a helpless smile.
Yan Aohan chuckled. "Primary school talent shows are basic. Anyone with some artistic ability can judge. Mrs. Chang probably couldn’t refuse the elder’s request but didn’t want to go herself. Since you were nearby, she called you."
Zhu Yanyi nodded. That made sense. She couldn’t think of any other reason.
Since she had promised Mrs. Chang, she would do it well. The next morning, Yan Aohan drove Zhu Yanyi to Yong City.
The drive took over two hours. They left at six in the morning and arrived at eight. The talent competition started at eight-thirty.
The venue was the Yong City Children’s Palace. Yan Aohan parked the car, and they walked in together. Zhu Yanyi made a phone call. Soon, a middle-aged man approached. Seeing Zhu Yanyi, he hurried over. "You must be Miss Zhu, introduced by Mrs. Chang?"
"Yes," Zhu Yanyi nodded with a smile. "Mrs. Chang is my master. She said there was a primary school talent competition here. She didn’t have time to come, and I happened to have some business in the nearby town, so I came in her place."
"Welcome, welcome. Hello, Miss Zhu. I’m Sun Feng, the head organizer of this primary school talent competition. The competition starts at eight-thirty. Judges need to enter fifteen minutes early. Let me take you in." Sun Feng looked very enthusiastic.
Zhu Yanyi nodded and followed Sun Feng inside.
Sun Feng pointed at Yan Aohan. "And this is?"
"Oh, this is my fiancé. I came out with her," Zhu Yanyi said briefly. "Her surname is Yan."
"Hello, Mr. Yan. You’ll have to sit in the side area for now," Sun Feng said.
Yan Aohan nodded slightly. "That’s fine. No problem." For Yan Aohan, this was no big deal.
The so-called competition involved children performing on stage while judges scored them from the front. Since Yan Aohan wasn’t a judge, he sat in a slightly rear position.
At eight-thirty, it started on time. Since it was for Yong City’s young contestants, nearly a hundred participants came.
From eight-thirty until ten at night, the performances continued. Zhu Yanyi was fine, but the other judges suffered.
After finishing her judging duties, Zhu Yanyi left with Yan Aohan. Yan Aohan asked, "They suggested a group dinner. Why did you refuse?"
Zhu Yanyi smiled lightly. "We’re not the same kind of people."
Indeed, they weren’t. Zhu Yanyi clearly saw that those people wanted to use the competition to boost their resumes. Zhu Yanyi didn’t need that, so such socializing was unnecessary. Besides, she didn’t want others to see through her identity.
They decided to find a beef restaurant for a late-night snack. They had already called home. They would return in the late night, and since the family knew Yan Aohan was accompanying Zhu Yanyi, they weren’t worried about her safety.
The beef restaurant was a new type of health-focused eatery. It wasn’t exactly medicinal cuisine, but all the food consisted of beef parts—beef, offal, bones, tongue, hooves, etc. Every part of the cow was served.
It was past ten at night. The restaurant was busy. The peak time was usually after eleven-thirty, but two tables were already occupied. Zhu Yanyi and Yan Aohan were the third table.
"What do you want to eat?" Yan Aohan asked.
Zhu Yanyi laughed. "I’m from Yong City. I should be the host. Why are you asking me?"
"We’re fiancé and fiancée. Isn’t mine yours?" Yan Aohan said with a smile.
Zhu Yanyi looked around and said, "I’ll have a portion of beef offal and a portion of beef bones. What about you?"
Yan Aohan checked the menu. "I’ll have a portion of beef bones and a beef vermicelli soup."
Although they ordered a lot, there wasn’t much meat on the bones. It was mostly about drinking the beef soup. The substantial food they ate was the offal and beef vermicelli.
The restaurant served food quickly. The beef bones were usually boiled and prepared in the afternoon, so they just needed to be heated up. The offal and beef vermicelli were also quick to make.
Zhu Yanyi picked up a beef bone and took a bite of the meat on it. The meat attached to the bone was cooked very soft and tender. Zhu Yanyi nodded. "The meat on the bones here is quite good."
Yan Aohan nodded. He agreed. The meat on the bones was indeed tender.
Neither ordered drinks nor alcohol. They just ate the meat and soup, which tasted good.
"Bro, why no alcohol? Eating this beef without wine is a big loss," a man at the next table said.
Yan Aohan smiled and replied, "I need to drive later, so I don’t drink."
"A little won’t hurt," the man said.
"Better not. If I get drunk, it won’t be good," Yan Aohan smiled.
"Bro, judging by your accent, you’re not from Yong City?" the man asked, looking at Yan Aohan curiously.
"I’m from Jingdu. My fiancée is from Yong City. I’m accompanying her here this time," Yan Aohan said with a gentle smile.
"Meeting the parents?" the man said with a knowing look. "Jingdu is a good place. The girl has good taste, finding a husband from Jingdu."
"It’s okay. It’s fate," Zhu Yanyi said openly.
"Direct and straightforward," the man praised.