Chapter 152 Tan Zheng's First Talk
Tan Zheng couldn't figure out why Song Ni's attitude had changed so drastically. He had been kicked out when he followed her in earlier, and now what was this? However, his wife's emotions had always been volatile, so he wasn't too surprised. It was all the better if Song Ni was gentle with him; he couldn't ask for more. "Smelled your way here?" Song Ni nodded, her attention fixed on the lamb leg that was starting to sizzle and drip oil as it roasted. She had been restraining her appetite lately due to filming. Despite always buying skewers, she only ate a small portion, giving the rest to Chi Xia. Besides, she had only eaten a little at noon and was already hungry.
Tan Zheng held Song Ni's hand in one and roasted the lamb leg with the other. "Wait a moment, let's eat some of what they've grilled to tide us over." The young men seemed boisterous, but they had patience when it came to barbecuing. As soon as Tan Zheng spoke, the lads brought their proud creations before Song Ni. "Sister-in-law, you have to taste them carefully and rank them." Sheng Jiang even prepared a cup of water. Song Ni would rinse her mouth after tasting each one to avoid affecting the next. After tasting them all, her stomach was mostly full. Song Ni pondered for a moment before announcing the ranking for each of them. However, there was no first place. Sheng Jiang, who came in second, was unconvinced. "Sister-in-law, mine was clearly the best, why am I only second?" Hearing this, Tan Zheng, who was roasting the lamb leg, smirked with immense satisfaction. His brows were raised, and his eyes seemed to ignite with flames as he looked at Song Ni.
Under Tan Zheng's expectant gaze, Song Ni finally stopped being angry with him and gave him the answer he wanted to hear. Song Ni chuckled softly, her eyes completely unfurling, her gaze shimmering, her eyelids subtly upturned, and she charmingly tilted her head to look at Tan Zheng. "I haven't even tried what your brother Tan grilled yet." The two gazed at each other tenderly, especially Song Ni, whose peach blossom eyes were moist and shimmering. Although it was a cold winter night, it felt like spring, full of vitality and affection. Even Tan Zheng was touched by Song Ni's gaze. In front of everyone, he reached out and pulled Song Ni closer by her waist, nipping her lips. Then Tan Zheng wickedly raised his head and looked defiantly and boastfully at the stunned group of young men. "With me here, is it your turn to be first?"
This sentence jolted the stunned individuals back to reality, and they began to complain. "Brother Tan, you're cheating." "Brother Tan, Sister-in-law, you can't abuse single dogs like this!" "I'm still young! Why do I have to see this!" "I want a girlfriend too!" Sheng Jiang, as second place, was only a fraction behind and completely unconvinced. "Sister-in-law, you need to explain. You can't just give first place to Brother Tan because he's your husband. You need to be fair and just!" Hearing this, before Song Ni could speak, Tan Zheng frowned displeasedly and looked at Sheng Jiang. "Your sister-in-law is very fair." Sheng Jiang began to get agitated. "How is it fair? Brother Tan, your lamb leg isn't even grilled yet! Sister-in-law hasn't eaten it! Besides, every time there's a barbecue, you sit there like a lord, not lifting a finger. Brother Lu says your cooking is great, humph! I don't believe it, we haven't tried it either, and I don't believe you can still cook that well after not doing anything for so long!"
Hearing this, Tan Zheng's brow twitched slightly, and he looked at Sheng Jiang with deep meaning. "Does your belief matter to me? Your sister-in-law has eaten it before!" Sheng Jiang's eyes widened as he looked at Song Ni, still unwilling to believe. "Sister-in-law, you've eaten it before?" Song Ni, who had been smiling and looking at Tan Zheng showing off to the boys, nodded at Sheng Jiang's words, giving Tan Zheng his due. "I've eaten it, and what your brother Tan grilled is indeed better." She didn't want to hurt Sheng Jiang's feelings too much. Although she didn't get to eat the whole lamb leg on their wedding day, she had eaten many other scattered bits. She had to admit that even though Tan Zheng was proud and reluctant to cook often, his skills were indeed top-notch. The best grilled meat she had eaten since childhood came from his hands.
Seeing that Song Ni had said so, there was no point in Sheng Jiang continuing to argue. Besides, this so-called cooking competition tonight was meant to please Song Ni and celebrate her birthday. Sheng Jiang was a straightforward person and took things in stride. He had been fixated on first place earlier, but now his thinking had changed. Being second only to Brother Tan wasn't too shabby. He had always respected and admired Tan Zheng, viewing him as an idol, and losing to his idol was not a disgrace. "Sister-in-law, do you want to listen to a song?" Song Ni looked over in confusion, only to see Sheng Jiang shyly scratching his cheek. "Our daily training is so monotonous, so in our spare time, we've learned some musical instruments. This barbecue is just foreplay; we've also rehearsed a song for you to hear."
Song Ni abruptly turned to look at Tan Zheng. It was evident that the man knew about this. He toyed with Song Ni's hand, which had already warmed up. "If they're putting their hearts into it, you should listen." Song Ni nodded, and Sheng Jiang beckoned his brothers to bring out the instruments from inside the room. At first glance, it indeed looked quite professional, with microphones and sound systems, everything was there. However, all five of them picked up instruments, and two people were setting up very simple stage effects, leaving only the position for the lead singer vacant. Song Ni raised an eyebrow and looked at Tan Zheng. "You're not going to sing for me, are you?" However, Song Ni only had a slight suspicion. Tan Zheng wouldn't have had the time to rehearse with them. Since it was a birthday gift for her, it naturally had to be done with great sincerity. She had confidence in this.
Hearing Song Ni's doubt, Tan Zheng raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you want to hear me sing?" Song Ni was surprised. "Can you sing?" Tan Zheng snorted. "No. Back then, Lu Hao Ting kept annoying me with new songs, so I had no interest. I didn't even want to listen, let alone sing." Song Ni was about to ask again, but the familiar prelude suddenly sounded, and Song Ni turned around abruptly. The delayed lead singer was already standing behind the microphone stand. It was Lu Hao Ting. This made sense; she liked Lu Hao Ting's songs, and Sheng Jiang's group of boys had rehearsed Lu Hao Ting's songs and brought in Lu Hao Ting to be the lead singer. It was completely logical. It was true that Song Ni was a fan of Lu Hao Ting. Although with the added connection of Tan Zheng, she no longer felt so distant from her idol and would occasionally tease Lu Hao Ting, as soon as Lu Hao Ting started singing, Song Ni would still revert to her fangirl mentality.
She was completely immersed in the song, while Tan Zheng beside her felt a mixture of emotions. On one hand, seeing Song Ni like this gift, he was happy for her. On the other hand, seeing her so engrossed, and remembering that she was a fan of Lu Hao Ting, he felt a pang of jealousy. Was this stuff Lu Hao Ting sang really that good? Tan Zheng listened for a while, his brow furrowed. It was still as noisy and uninteresting as before. (End of this chapter)