Under Shen An’s direction, the members of the small team sprang into action one by one.
With the gentle breeze blowing, the shady, muddy ground was gradually covered by the tarps they laid out.
As the overall commander, Shen An didn’t get a moment’s rest. He bustled back and forth between the groups, constantly answering all sorts of questions.
For instance, how to wash the vegetables, how to clean the meat, and how to mix the barbecue seasonings.
These were the most ordinary little things, but right now, they had turned into one problem after another.
It wasn’t that they were really that clueless—they knew how to wash and season things.
They just weren’t sure if their own ideas were right, so of course they had to ask the head honcho, Shen An.
After walking around in circles several times, Shen An could basically confirm that almost no one on site had any barbecue experience.
He was baffled. Didn’t they ever get together with friends for a barbecue during holidays?
The answer to his question came soon enough.
Yes, they did.
But they usually just sat around waiting to eat, while other friends handled everything.
Shen An was speechless.
Unbelievable.
A huge group of twenty or thirty people, and they couldn’t scrape together even a few “chefs.” They were all guests.
These were just minor issues, though. The real trouble was the barbecue grills.
A couple of the guys had some experience, but not enough—they fumbled awkwardly while assembling them.
Shen An had no choice but to teach them hands-on. He assembled one grill himself first, as a demonstration.
Once that was sorted, the girls called him over again.
After more than an hour of hustling, Shen An looked at the baskets of washed and skewered meat and vegetables in front of him, along with the four fully assembled grills. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and thought to himself that they’d finally made some progress.
Glancing back, he saw Zhao Qingyu and Yu Wen sitting comfortably, playing cards.
Yes, cards.
After all, they were out for fun—how could there not be other entertainment?
Some were playing cards over here, others over there, and there were even people playing chess.
“Shen An, can we start grilling yet?” Zhao Qingyu asked softly, setting down her cards.
Yu Wen chimed in eagerly. “Yeah, we’ve been playing cards for a whole hour.”
Qi Taili nodded. “Can we eat now?”
Shen An waved them off. “Play a bit longer. I’m getting the fires started now.”
“Hurry up!” Zhao Qingyu urged.
Shen An shot back, “Sit quietly.”
His words made the people around them tense up, afraid he’d angered Zhao Qingyu.
But Zhao Qingyu reacted calmly, as if she didn’t mind at all that Shen An had “talked back” to her in front of everyone.
“What are you staring at? Shuffle the cards quick—I just won.”
Zhao Qingyu met Qi Taili’s surprised gaze and said irritably.
“Oh~”
Qi Taili silently shuffled the deck, wondering to herself what lucky day it was. Was the Troupe Leader actually in such a good mood?
After dealing with them, Shen An crouched down to light the charcoal.
Wang Yuqiong and Song Rui, his two little shadows, stuck close by him. They crouched down too, wanting to help.
Wang Yuqiong picked up a nearby bottle of gasoline, ready to pour it straight on. Shen An grabbed her small hand and took the bottle. “Don’t rush it like that. Sure, it’ll catch fire easily, but the charcoal will taste like gas.”
“Then… how do we light it?”
Wang Yuqiong was basically a blank slate when it came to barbecuing.
“Just watch.”
Shen An turned around, fiddled with the ingredients for a moment, and came back with something.
Wang Yuqiong and Song Rui exchanged a glance, both clueless about what it was.
“Song Rui, see if you can find some dry leaves or bamboo leaves, and grab a few pieces of firewood while you’re at it.”
He pulled out some tissues and evenly spread what he was holding over the charcoal.
“Okay.”
“I’ll go too.”
Song Rui and Wang Yuqiong got up to fetch what Shen An needed.
Before long, they brought back leaves and firewood bit by bit.
Shen An lit the lighter, and the rising flame gradually spread through the charcoal.
He waited patiently, occasionally adjusting the position of the coals.
“You, fan it a bit.”
“Me?” Wang Yuqiong pointed at herself.
“Yeah.”
“There’s no fan here.”
“Use your hand.”
Wang Yuqiong: …
“Don’t just stand there—fan too.”
Song Rui was obedient; whatever Shen An said, she did.
While the two girls fanned the flames, Shen An stood and went to the other side to guide a few girls and boys in lighting the other grills.
Wang Yuqiong shot him a glance and muttered, “What’s he doing… ignoring us over here?”
Song Rui whispered, “They probably need him there too. Our fire’s almost going.”
“Ugh, the same old excuse!”
Wang Yuqiong pouted. “Why do you always go along with whatever he says? Have some opinions of your own!”
Song Rui blinked, timidly replying, “I… I don’t really have any ideas.”
“That’s what I mean—cultivate some ideas of your own!”
Wang Yuqiong said seriously.
“But… shouldn’t we listen to the right ideas?” Song Rui tilted her head. “Look, the charcoal’s catching now.”
Wang Yuqiong looked down and sure enough, the coals were glowing red as they ignited.
“Everything he says seems right… There’s nothing to argue with, is there?”
Song Rui asked again.
Wang Yuqiong was at a loss for words.
“But… he seems really capable,” Song Rui said with a hint of admiration. “I’ve been watching him bustle around nonstop. Without him, we’d all be in a total mess.”
Wang Yuqiong couldn’t stand hearing Song Rui praise Shen An.
But she couldn’t find anything to argue back with.
Because she thought the same.
What frustrated her was that Shen An hardly spent any time on her.
Ever since they arrived, he’d been busy nonstop.
It was all that damn Zhao Qingyu’s fault!
Treating him like a tool, bossing him around everywhere.
Wang Yuqiong harbored a grudge against Zhao Qingyu and felt indignant on Shen An’s behalf.
“How’s it going? Lit yet?”
Shen An walked back and asked softly.
“It’s lit!” Song Rui looked up with a big grin.
“Good. Put on the grates, and we can start grilling.”
Shen An gave a few instructions and walked off again.
Wang Yuqiong huffed. “See? He doesn’t even want to grill with us.”
Song Rui chuckled helplessly. “He’s just checking over there. Maybe their fire isn’t going yet.”
“Fine, fine, always defending him!”
It had taken about two hours from the hotel to get here.
Thanks to Shen An’s tireless efforts, all four grills had their charcoal lit and grates in place.
The team members, who’d burned through a lot of energy in the process, eagerly grabbed their food. They grilled while trying to keep their mouths from watering.
Flames rose from the grills, sending up wisps of smoke. Oil dripped onto the grates and coals, sizzling with the irresistible aroma of roasting meat.
A gentle breeze blew, the warm sun casting a pleasant haze.
Only now did everyone have the leisure to really get into it.
Song Rui, Wang Yuqiong, and Shen Lianyao took one grill, while people gathered around the other three.
Everyone was either grilling or waiting to eat—but Shen An, who’d been busy the whole time, wasn’t among them.
He leaned peacefully against a shady tree, eyes closed, quietly listening to the lively chatter and the rustle of the wind.
Wang Yuqiong gazed at Shen An resting under the tree, a flicker of heartache in her eyes.
She got up to fetch a few chicken wings. Song Rui snapped to attention and hurried off to grab some too.
Shen Lianyao saw it all but said nothing.
Though she still had some prejudice against Shen An, she’d seen how much he’d put into this outing.
He’d been running around nonstop, talking the whole time… and only now did he have a moment to rest.
So…
She quietly stood too, planning to grill something for him.
Suddenly, a panicked shout came from one of the grills: “Oh no, oh no—the fire’s out of control!!”
The frantic noise drew everyone’s attention. They looked over to see flames roaring on the grill grate—it looked pretty scary.
With dry leaves and branches everywhere, one slip-up could turn this into a real wildfire.
Wang Yuqiong and Song Rui panicked too, instinctively turning toward Shen An.
But someone beat them to it.
The instant the flames shot up, a girl rushed over and woke Shen An.
He opened his eyes groggily, listening to her urging as he walked over unhurriedly.
He took a quick look, filled a basin from the stream, and sprinkled the water bit by bit to put out the fire.
“Don’t brush on oil so fast, and don’t use too much. The fire’s too hot right now—oil hitting it will flare up.”
After the warning, he turned and headed back to the shade.
“Pfft, what a fuss over nothing…”
He muttered, closing his eyes to nap again.
But then a familiar, tantalizing aroma wafted over.
He opened his eyes and looked speechlessly at Zhao Qingyu standing there.
Zhao Qingyu held out a skewer of chicken wings. “Here, eat this first.”
“Tch, I thought Senior Sister had another task for me.”
Shen An smiled and took the chicken wings from her.
“Quit teasing!”
Zhao Qingyu shot him an annoyed glare, then plopped down right beside him.
“Hey, it’s kinda dirty here.”
Shen An reminded her.
Zhao Qingyu pouted. “Just eat your food.”
“Mm, thanks~”
Shen An hadn’t expected Zhao Qingyu to be so considerate.
She still had a skewer of chicken wings in her hand—the one she’d saved for herself.
From this vantage point, he could take in the full scene.
Some were grilling barbecue, others chatting, and a few more playing cards and games…
Zhao Qingyu narrowed her eyes slightly and murmured, “Nice atmosphere.”
Maybe it didn’t feel like much when you were in the thick of it.
But one day, when looking back, all these fragmented moments would add up into a beautiful memory.
For Zhao Qingyu, this was also the first time she’d joined in as a real participant.
“Tired, huh?”
She turned her head to ask Shen An.
“Not too bad. But if Senior Sister had let me catch a nap first before dragging me out here, that would’ve been perfect,” Shen An said with a light chuckle.
“Tch~”
Zhao Qingyu huffed softly. “Didn’t you get enough sleep on the bus?”
“I already told you what happened on the bus, Senior Sister—sandwiched between them from both sides!”
“Well then~”
Her eyes flickered. “Get some early rest tonight.”
“Ha, I bet tonight will be even livelier.” Shen An finished his chicken wings and twirled the skewer in his hand. “No plans for the evening?”
“Nope.”
Zhao Qingyu polished off hers too. She used her skewer like a stick, doodling idly in the dirt.
“If it were me, I’d hit up a massage first, then soak in a bath to unwind from the fatigue, and only then crash.”
“All that fuss, and you still claim to be tired!”
“If you don’t mind, Senior Sister, you could join me,” Shen An said, the corner of his mouth quirking up.
Zhao Qingyu froze for a moment, a flush of embarrassment creeping over her.
“Together…?”
“Yeah. Or we could call a few others, though I doubt you’d even need to ask—plenty of people would tag along.”
Shen An leaned back lazily, hands clasped behind his head.
“Mm… if there are too many people… it might not be as fun.”
“Ha, so just you and me, then?”
Shen An teased offhandedly.
“Well…” Zhao Qingyu pursed her lips. “We’ll see when the time comes.”
Oh ho?
Shen An arched a brow, looking at her in surprise.
That tone… it seemed… promising?
He’d only mentioned it casually, but judging by her pursed red lips, she actually appeared to be mulling over the idea.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
The chicken wings Song Rui had grilled for Shen An were ready.
She was about to call out to Wang Yuqiong to help carry them over.
But before she could speak, Wang Yuqiong had already grabbed a skewer. Instead of heading to Shen An, though, she moved to hand it off to someone else.
As she stood up, she muttered under her breath, “Eat shit!”
Song Rui blinked in confusion.
Weren’t these grilled for him?
Without Wang Yuqiong, it was just Song Rui left…
Zhao Qingyu was off with Shen An right now… She panicked a little and stayed put, not daring to move.
Shen Lianyao caught both girls’ reactions and couldn’t help but snicker to herself.
