Ch 46 (Part 2): Rebirth of the Tool Man in a Pampered Protagonist Novel

And he found that some seemingly inconspicuous stalls had food with flavors that were not inferior to those of fancy restaurants. The taste was exceptional.

Fat Brother’s street food stall was one of his favorites.

The owner was a chubby middle-aged man who served delicious food like sausages, spareribs in sauce, spicy crayfish, grilled kidneys, grilled garlic chives, and more. The taste was authentic. Paired with a bottle of beer, it was especially enjoyable in the summer.

Just thinking about it made Fang Ziyang’s mouth water.

When it came to street food and stir-fries in China, the real deal could only be found on the streets.

After his rebirth, he hadn’t had a chance to eat it yet. Now that he had left the Fang family, he could finally indulge himself.

However…

Half an hour later.

Xie Zheng sat expressionlessly on a dilapidated plastic stool, with an equally dilapidated and greasy table in front of him, surrounded by noisy voices.

People clinking glasses, boasting and bragging, playing drinking games.

Occasionally, food scraps and bone fragments would roll over to his feet from the adjacent table.

Xie Zheng tightly pursed his lips, almost forming a straight line.

Although he had mentally prepared himself, the reality was a bit beyond his expectations. It was even more terrifying than what was depicted in TV dramas. It seemed that he had overestimated his own tolerance.

This stern and cold expression made Li Secretary, who had seen the world and frequented various occasions, unable to hold back his suggestion, “Boss, actually there’s a meeting tonight. Maybe we should…” leave!

His poor boss, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, had come to such a place. He genuinely sympathized with him. If the boss retreated at this critical moment, he would never make fun of him, really.

However, when Xie Zheng’s gaze fell on Fang Ziyang, who was sitting there with a smile, skillfully ordering food from the stall owner, Xie Zheng hesitated to agree.

Seeing the young man so happy, would he think Xie Zheng was being melodramatic if he left? Would he think Xie Zheng wasn’t manly enough? Would he be sad and disappointed? He probably would, considering how much the young man liked him and how sensitive he was.

Completely forgetting that his status as the owner of the ring had not yet been revealed, Xie Zheng thought about it and then tightened his face, “No need, I’ll rest today.”

After saying that, Xie Zheng looked at Secretary Li with a profound gaze.

“Secretary Li, I know you’ve been my secretary for many years and have seen a lot of things. You’ve been to various places for work, and it’s understandable if you’re not used to this kind of environment at first. But as an employee of Xie Corporation, your professional conduct is not satisfactory. Excellent employees of Xie Corporation need to remain calm in any situation.”

“However, considering your years of diligent work, I’ll allow you to be a little unruly this time. You can clear this place now. I believe a quieter environment will make you more comfortable.”

Secretary Li’s mouth twitched. “Boss, I can endure it. I used to work in this kind of place when I was a student.”

Xie Zheng showed a disapproving look and said seriously, “Secretary Li, there’s no need to lie in front of me. I understand. I’ll reimburse you for the cost of clearing the place. As an employee benefit for someone with your capabilities, there’s no need to feel guilty.”

Can’t we do without this kind of employee benefit?

Secretary Li knew better than to argue and cried, “Boss, you’re truly a good person.”

“Well, it’s good that you know. Work hard, and the benefits will be even better in the future,” Xie Zheng accepted the praise with a righteous attitude.

So when Fang Ziyang and Li Xiao returned after placing their orders, they found that the customers in the entire street food stall were gradually leaving, while Secretary Li, wearing a miserable expression, was explaining something while transferring money through WeChat on his phone.

The owner of the street food stall even happily found a cardboard and placed it in front of the stall, with the words “Private Event Today, Closed for Business” written on it.

Fang Ziyang/Li Xiao:… They were the only ones at the table, so what’s the point of the street food stall?

Fang Ziyang looked at Xie Zheng and couldn’t help but say, “Brother Xie, isn’t this a bit exaggerated? If it gets blown out of proportion, it’s easy to make headlines.”

Not just easy, it’s definitely going to happen!

Xie Zheng remained calm and took out his phone to make a call, “Hello, Director Xiao? It’s me, Xie Zheng. There might be some news about me tonight, but I don’t want to see it tomorrow. Please handle it attentively…”

After hanging up the call, he said seriously, “My public relations team is capable of handling such matters.”

Li Xiao felt that his idol had completely collapsed.

Fang Ziyang was completely convinced. “Brother Xie, you’re really amazing.”

“Well, that’s what they all say,” Xie Zheng said, pleased by the praise, completely unaware of the sarcasm in it. The young man’s words were always so sweet, really likable.

The expressions of everyone present were a bit subtle.

Due to the sudden clearing of the customers, the speed of the stall owner serving the food increased instantly.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

In less than half an hour, all the dishes they ordered were served.

Large plates of spicy crayfish, saucy spare ribs, stir-fried pork intestines, braised platter in a small dish… plus a box of Snowflake brand beer, all of them were Fang Ziyang’s dishes.

Since his face had already been lost, there was no point in being conflicted anymore. Eating was the most important thing now.

“Wait, let me take a photo first!”

Li Xiao was a typical modern young person who had the habit of taking photos of delicious food and sharing them on social media before eating.

Fang Ziyang used to do that too. But now, although his body was eighteen, his soul was twenty-eight, and he couldn’t do such youthful and lively things anymore. But it was interesting to see Li Xiao taking photos.

Secretary Li had a smile on his face, finding it amusing but not surprising.

Only Xie Zheng furrowed his brows. “Why take photos of this?” He had never seen anyone taking photos of food before a meal. It was impossible in his circle of friends.

“To show my girlfriend on social media,” Li Xiao explained casually.

“My girlfriend is like a tiger. She always checks up on me. Every time she asks about my whereabouts, whom I’ve met, what I ate, what I wore, I have to remember everything. Otherwise, if I fail to meet her expectations during the check, I’m in big trouble!”

“But I can’t remember so many things, so now I’ve become smart. Every time I eat out, I take photos and share them on social media to keep her updated on my activities. Hehe, now she not only stopped checking up on me but also became extremely satisfied with me. She even begged me to marry her after graduation…”

Although Li Xiao’s tone was mocking,

 there was a proud smile on his face.

Li Secretary replied with exasperation, “You’re such a cowardly little brother.”

Fang Ziyang couldn’t help but laugh. “Brother, you’re really something!”

Li Xiao raised his chin proudly and said, “My girlfriend says this is the representation of a good man. Besides her parents, she loves only me the most. Every time I share on social media, she showers me with affectionate comments. My classmates envy our loving relationship. Don’t believe me? Just take a look at my social media!”

Secretary Li covered his face.

Fang Ziyang nodded in agreement, with a bright smile.

Xie Zheng’s ears twitched, and he wondered what was on his mind.

Then he extended his hand towards Li Xiao, with a serious expression as if reviewing employee reports, “I don’t believe it. Show me.”

The atmosphere at the scene turned strange again.

Li Xiao’s proud smile suddenly froze, and a few words appeared in his mind: showing off affection will lead to a quick death.

So, using his ‘authority,’ Xie Zheng successfully obtained a phone filled with affectionate photos and social media posts, satisfying his curiosity.

Li Xiao’s social media was quite simple. Apart from content related to exams and studying, most of it was various photos of meals and gatherings. And… lovey-dovey posts with his girlfriend.

Xie Zheng opened Li Xiao’s social media.

He carefully examined the photos of Li Xiao’s girlfriend, then compared them in his mind to Fang Ziyang. In the end, he reached a conclusion: although Li Xiao’s girlfriend wasn’t as good-looking as the young man, the way Li Xiao looked at her in the photos showed that he genuinely liked her. It shouldn’t be a situation where he would be swayed by beauty and change his mind easily.

Xie Zheng’s previous doubts about Li Xiao’s ‘abduction’ behavior were finally dispelled. Then he continued to patiently browse through the rest of the social media.

One post after another.

Xie Zheng was very interested, especially in the photos of Li Xiao and his girlfriend celebrating various anniversaries. He really liked them.

Especially when he was about to exit the social media, he accidentally saw the comment conversation between Li Xiao and his girlfriend.

Li Xiao had posted a photo of his bare upper body showing his abs, and his girlfriend had sent a starry-eyed expression, expressing her admiration for Li Xiao’s abs… This gave Xie Zheng some ideas.

Completely unaware that the atmosphere had been awkward for ten minutes.

After thoroughly browsing through Li Xiao’s social media, Xie Zheng handed the phone back to him and then looked at Fang Ziyang. “Give me your phone.”

Fang Ziyang:…

Feeling a bit bewildered, Fang Ziyang took out his phone and handed it over.

Xie Zheng, expressionless, opened Fang Ziyang’s phone and then took out his own phone. Right in front of Fang Ziyang, he added each other on WeChat.

With a serious tone, he explained, “I forgot about WeChat earlier. I’m often available on the phone, so if you have anything, you can directly message me on WeChat, which is more convenient. Before you go to bed every night, send me a video call. I want to ensure your safety while living alone.”

Xie Zheng had consistently disagreed with Fang Ziyang’s refusal to move into Tang Xun’s villa and insisted on living alone.

But if they added the daily video call on WeChat…

Well, he could reluctantly accept it.

Xie Zheng was very satisfied with his own behavior and considered it a great idea.

Then he patted Fang Ziyang’s dazed head and continued, “Alright, you guys continue eating. I’ll get some fresh air in the car.”

After saying that, without waiting for anyone to respond, Xie Zheng, with new ideas in his mind, got up and left. His movements appeared proper and steady, but he was actually quite fast.

Once he returned to his Maybach car parked at the street corner, Xie Zheng took out his own phone again. Under the subtly watchful gaze of his driver, he took a discreet and self-satisfied selfie.

Editing, he posted it on his social media.

Accompanying text: Had a meal with a little friend today, very happy.

Set a reminder for a certain someone to see.

Then, with a contented heart, Xie Zheng put away his phone.

Driver: Boss, you seem a bit flirtatious today.


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6 Comments

  1. Elli says:

    Hahahaha Xie Zheng’s so cute~ (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

  2. Kriz says:

    This is the cutest funniest ML i’ve ever read XD

    1. Moony says:

      The second hand embarrassment I felt while reading this was absurd. 😂😂 Xie Zheng’s legendary image has thoroughly collapsed. 😂😂 I can’t wait for them to be a couple! I’m pretty much sure that XZ would be an unbearable (affectionate) husband. 😂😂

  3. M&M's says:

    There are a couple of paragraphs missing, but they don’t affect the overall chapter, so it’s good. Anyway, I think it’s so cute that Xie Zheng has to actually convince himself that his actions are in the capacity of a guardian so that he can justify his unusual desire to get close to and take care of Fang Ziyang, lol. I can’t wait to see what other ideas he got from looking at Li Xiao’s phone and Fang Ziyang’s reaction to them.

    Thanks for the chapter! 😀

  4. Aiyo says:

    I………… feel so embarrassed for him 😭🤣 he’s so embarrassing…….. I bet Secretary Li died from secondhand embarrassment too…..

  5. Nnnn says:

    So freaking embarrassing!!! Aghhhhh!!!

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