Chapter 58: There Is Something Off About This Woman

The movement was swift and subtle. If it weren’t for Chen Yu’s senses being far keener than ordinary, he might have thought it was merely an illusion. He lifted his eyes toward Gu Ningning, whose face still bore that innocent, carefree smile, as if the suggestive little gesture just moments ago never happened.

Was it a hallucination?

Chen Yu withdrew his hand and, without revealing any emotion, slipped it back into his pocket, silently marking a question beside this woman in his mind.

“I swear! Did you all see that? Slow-motion replay—Gu Ningning just hooked her finger into Chen’s palm!”

“I saw it too! The camera zoomed in close! Definitely not an illusion! Damn, this woman’s got some nerve!”

“A battle-ready green tea! Boldly flirting right in front of President Jiang?”

“Looks like President Jiang didn’t notice; she was chatting with Nian Nian just then.”

“Chen’s expression! He frowned! He definitely sensed it! Nice! As expected of Chen, unshaken by temptation!”

“This woman’s skills are on another level—smiling on the surface but striking swift and sharp beneath. President Jiang might have met her match.”

Just then, another chauffeured car slowly pulled up. The door opened, and Lin Weiwei stepped out wearing sunglasses, holding the hand of a sturdy little boy. Following behind them was her husband, Zhao Kai.

“Zhiyun!”

The moment Lin Weiwei caught sight of Jiang Zhiyun, she eagerly removed her sunglasses and gave her a big hug.

“Weiwei, long time no see,” Jiang Zhiyun returned the rare smile.

The two women exchanged warm greetings as Lin Weiwei’s son, Zhao Jie, curiously approached Nian Nian.

“Hello, I’m Zhao Jie,” the little boy politely extended his hand.

Nian Nian, a bit shy, hid behind Chen Yu’s leg, peeking out with only half her head.

Chen Yu crouched down and gently encouraged, “Nian Nian, this is Brother Jie Jie. Go play with him.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Nian Nian stretched out her small hand and softly said, “I... I’m Nian Nian.”

The two children quickly warmed up to each other, hand in hand, running off to the nearby grass.

Watching their innocent, radiant smiles, the atmosphere lightened and grew joyful.

Everyone began unloading their belongings from the car.

Tents, picnic mats, foldable tables and chairs, and various sizes of insulated boxes.

Zhao Kai, being the only other man besides Chen Yu on site, wanted to make an impression and volunteered, “Come on, come on, leave the heavy work of setting up the stove to me!”

They had brought a portable set of bricks designed to quickly assemble a simple barbecue stove.

Confidently, Zhao Kai picked up the tools and began to gesture enthusiastically.

However, he clearly overestimated his handiwork skills. The bricks behaved like unruly building blocks in his hands—stacked up only to collapse, stacked again only to tumble down.

Within moments, he was drenched in sweat, gasping for breath, unable to form even a basic stove structure.

Worse still, during one forceful strike, there was a sharp “crack” — the wooden handle of his only hammer snapped cleanly in two.

Silence fell instantly.

Zhao Kai stood frozen, holding the broken hammer handle, his face flushed a deep shade of maroon.

“This... this tool quality is terrible!” he grumbled stubbornly.

Lin Weiwei rolled her eyes and snapped, “Enough, stop showing off. You’ve worked up a sweat but accomplished nothing.”

Gu Ningning covered her mouth and let out a soft chuckle.

“What are we going to do now?” Lin Weiwei fretted. “If the stove can’t be built, are we really going to gnaw on bread for lunch? Besides, Zhiyun booked this whole place, and there’s not a single staff member around.”

Jiang Zhiyun frowned. Could this carefully planned outing be ruined by a broken tool?

Just as everyone was at a loss, Chen Yu, who had been silently observing, suddenly spoke.

“Let me do it.”

He calmly uttered those three words, then approached the scattered bricks, crouching down to examine them.

“You?” Zhao Kai looked at him skeptically. “The hammer’s broken. How are you going to manage?”

Chen Yu didn’t respond but glanced around, then walked a short distance to pick up a stone of fitting size and shape from the ground.

He weighed it in his hand and seemed quite satisfied.

Using what was at hand, he replaced the hammer with the stone and began building the stove.

Without blueprints or instructions, he stacked the bricks piece by piece purely by intuition.

The three women nearby watched, entranced.

Lin Weiwei nudged Zhao Kai with her elbow and whispered, “Look at him! Now look at you!”

Zhao Kai’s face reddened further; he looked down, pretending to admire the scenery.

As for Gu Ningning, her beautiful eyes nearly sparkled with admiration.

“Wow! Building a stove with bare hands! Chen, is there anything you can’t do?”

“The contrast is brutal! Zhao Kai must be thinking: Who am I? Where am I? Why am I here to be humiliated?”

“Maximum boyfriend power! A man who can get things done—he’s practically a dream come true!”

“Gu Ningning’s gaze... tsk, tsk, tsk, it’s so blatant she’s probably drooling!”

“President Jiang: Though reluctant to admit it, this man when serious really is a bit handsome.”

Before long, a sturdy and aesthetically pleasing simple stove stood before them.

With the stove ready, the next challenge arose—lighting the fire.

To save face, Zhao Kai volunteered again, “Leave this to me! I’ve watched Bear Grylls’ show; this is easy!”

He picked up a bow drill and spindle, striking a confident pose and quickly began to spin.

But reality was harsh.

After spinning for a long time, his arms aching, he’d only produced a pile of wood shavings—no smoke or ember in sight.

His speed, strength, and angle were all wrong.

“Huff… huff… maybe the wood’s too wet?” he began making excuses for his failure.

Lin Weiwei had grown tired of his antics and turned her face away.

At that moment, Chen Yu approached calmly and said, “Let me try.”

Taking the tool from Zhao Kai, he merely glanced at it and adjusted his stance.

Unlike Zhao Kai’s frantic pulling, Chen Yu first allowed the spindle and base to warm properly.

Leaning slightly forward, his arm muscles taut, he transferred steady force to the spindle.

Soon, as he gradually increased speed, a wisp of pale smoke rose from the wood shavings.

“Smoke! Smoke!” Zhao Jie excitedly shouted.

Chen Yu’s eyes sharpened, his speed quickened further, and the bow drill became a blur in his hands.

Finally, with a soft “puff,” a tiny ember glowed amid the black charcoal powder. He carefully brought tinder close and gently blew on it.