Movie/TV series: Starting with Ode to Joy, I opened my own private kitchen.

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"The innermost room on the left is my bedroom."

"Oh, okay." Su Chang, carrying Yang Tao, followed her instructions and went to the room.

Upon entering Yang Tao's boudoir, Su Chang couldn't help but observe it. Although the room wasn't large, it was decorated very warmly by Taozi, and there was a faint fragrance in the room, just like the scent on Yang Tao herself.

Su Chang couldn't help but sniff the air, greedily savoring the scent. Yang Tao, of course, noticed his little action, blushing deeply and saying coquettishly, "What are you doing? Put me down now."

Su Chang awkwardly touched her nose and quickly replied, "Oh, oh, okay, I was just thinking about something and forgot."

Su Chang carefully placed Yang Tao on the bed, then knelt down and gently took off her shoes. His gaze lingered on Yang Tao's fair and delicate feet, and he was captivated by them. These feet were simply exquisite works of art, so much so that he couldn't help but hold them in his hands, reluctant to put them down for a long time.

Yang Tao felt both embarrassed and amused looking at Su Chang's stunned expression. She quickly coughed twice and reminded him, "Su Chang, put my foot down quickly."

She didn't actually mind Su Chang holding her feet; she could feel his affection for her, and felt a little proud. But if her mother saw this, it would be embarrassing.

Su Chang then came to his senses, realizing his lapse in composure. He chuckled awkwardly, quickly put Yang Tao's foot down, stood up, and said to her, "Taozi, let Auntie take care of your foot first. I'll go pack some things to bring back..."

After saying that, without waiting for Yang Tao to stop him, he rushed out of the room like a startled rabbit. He did want to help Yang Tao treat her feet, but he had lost his composure too many times tonight; it was so embarrassing, he was utterly ashamed!

Yang Tao watched Su Chang's retreating figure and couldn't help but chuckle. She thought to herself, "This Su Chang is really lewd sometimes, and mischievous sometimes. He's actually quite cute like this now." As she thought this, her face flushed with shyness.

As soon as Su Chang left, Xue Sumei tiptoed into the room. She saw her daughter on the bed, seemingly lost in thought, almost laughing herself silly, completely unaware of her arrival. Xue Sumei quietly approached the bedside and, seeing Yang Tao's swollen ankle, felt a pang of heartache.

She slapped Yang Tao's ankle in an annoyed tone, muttering, "You silly child, your foot is all swollen, and you're still thinking about nice things!"

"Ouch!" Yang Tao was so startled by the sudden pain that she almost jumped up. She stared wide-eyed at Xue Sumei, her face full of surprise and grievance: "Mom, what are you doing? Are you trying to murder your own daughter? Which old man did you find to kill me so the two of you can go off to have some alone time?"

Xue Sumei glared at Yang Tao and said irritably, "What nonsense are you talking about? Where am I supposed to find an old man? I can't even take care of you properly, you little auntie. Why would I need an old man?" She got angrier and angrier as she spoke, and unconsciously slapped Yang Tao's foot again.

"Ouch!" Yang Tao felt that her mother was really going all out this time. She cried out in pain, "Mom, please spare my life, okay? I really am your daughter, I have never been switched."

Xue Sumei rolled her eyes in annoyance, thinking to herself, "I really wish we had been switched at birth. She's such a worry, even more troublesome than a free gift with a phone top-up." She looked at Yang Tao, her tone softening slightly, "Alright, tell me, how's it going with Xiao Chang?"

Seeing Xue Sumei's gossipy expression, Yang Tao felt a sense of helplessness. She lay down on the bed and casually replied, "Nothing much, it's just like that."

3.9

"Slap!" Another slap landed on Yang Tao's foot.

"Ouch! Mom, what are you doing? Are you really going to kill your own daughter today?" Yang Tao sat up angrily, staring intently at Xue Sumei.

Xue Sumei glared back without backing down, her face showing an expression that said, "If you don't explain yourself clearly, see how I deal with you."

Yang Tao inwardly groaned. This was her own mother; what could she do? She could only follow her heart.

She took a deep breath, composed herself, and said, "Su Chang is a good person and quite outstanding, but we still need to date for a while. After all, I'm so much older than him, who knows what the future holds?"

Upon hearing this, Xue Sumei smiled with satisfaction. She nodded and said, "Alright, then you should be careful. Don't miss out on such a good man."

Yang Tao looked at Xue Sumei and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She had finally passed the test. She casually replied, "I know, Mom."

Hearing Yang Tao's casual reply, Xue Sumei unconsciously pursed her lips, thinking, "If you knew I'd still be single, I wouldn't have bothered keeping an eye on you. You're such a worry."

Chapter 116 A Chance Encounter with Xu Hongdou

Not far from Yang Tao's house, Su Chang was standing in front of a vegetable stall, bending over and carefully selecting vegetables.

"Sister, why are your vegetables a little wilted today? Could they be from last night?" Su Chang said to the vegetable vendor, a woman in her forties or fifties, as she picked out vegetables, a sly smile on her face.

The vegetable vendor was used to Su Chang's haggling. He would always find various excuses to lower the price, not asking for much, just a little less. If it were anyone else, the vendor would have chased him away long ago, but the young man was handsome and had a sweet tongue.

She laughed and replied, "Alright, stop talking nonsense. Just pick what you like. I guarantee it's fresh. If it's not fresh, you don't have to pay. I'll give you a discount of two cents per pound on everything, okay?"

Upon hearing the proprietress's words, Su Chang excitedly replied, "Okay, sister, then I'll pick out two pounds of each of these green peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, and radishes."

A satisfied smile spread across his face. This was a new pleasure he had recently discovered: haggling. He didn't care how much he could get back; he was happy as long as he could. If people in Shanghai saw this billionaire haggling over prices at the market, they would probably be shocked.

Just as Su Chang was feeling happy, a voice suddenly came, startling him.

"Brother Su Chang, what are you doing here?" Su Chang turned around and, sure enough, it was Chen Nanxing. An awkward smile instantly appeared on his face, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

Su Chang's mind was in turmoil. He frantically racked his brains, trying to find a reasonable explanation. His eyes flickered, and his fingers unconsciously fiddled with the vegetables in his hands.

"Nanxing, I've been in Kyoto on some business lately. I was having dinner at a friend's place today, so I came here to buy some groceries." Su Chang forced a smile, her voice trembling slightly.

"Um... Nanxing, where's Hongdou?" Su Chang really didn't want to run into Xu Hongdou. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if Xu Hongdou and Yang Tao met. Just thinking about it made him shudder.

Contrary to expectations, when Su Chang asked Xu Hongdou, Chen Nanxing pointed to the meat section behind Su Chang and said, "Hongdou went over there to buy meat. I came to buy vegetables. How about it? Or we can go to your friend's place and have a fire together?"

Su Chang hesitated for a moment, his mind racing as he tried to come up with a way to refuse. Just then, that beautiful yet damned voice came through.

"Nanxing, what are you doing? I've already bought all the meat, what about the vegetables you bought?" Xu Hongdou saw Chen Nanxing talking to a man with her hands empty. Since Su Chang had his back to her, she didn't recognize him, so she asked.

"Hongdou, come here quickly, I ran into Brother Su Chang." Chen Nanxing excitedly waved to Xu Hongdou, while Su Chang felt like a million grass mud horses were galloping through his mind.

Su Chang forced a smile, turned around, and looked at Xu Hongdou who was walking towards her with a slightly evasive gaze. Her voice trembled slightly as she greeted her, "Hi! Hongdou, what a coincidence, we meet here again."

Xu Hongdou looked puzzled, her brows furrowing slightly, her eyes revealing a hint of confusion. She stared intently at Su Chang, as if trying to find the answer on his face, and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Before Su Chang could even speak, Chen Nanxing eagerly stepped in to speak for him, her face beaming with excitement as she gesticulated wildly, saying, "Brother Su Chang said he's been busy in Beijing these past few days, and he's just buying groceries because he's going to a friend's house for dinner today. Hongdou, we haven't had Brother Su Chang's cooking in ages, we're so hungry for it! Let's go and have a meal with Brother Su Chang and the others!"

Xu Hongdou's brows furrowed even more, her gaze shifting back and forth between Su Chang and Chen Nanxing, the look of doubt on her face not lessening.

Su Chang inwardly groaned. He knew that such lies could only fool Chen Nanxing, and to think they could fool the clever Xu Hongdou was simply a pipe dream.

So he immediately continued Chen Nanxing's words, saying, "Um... Nanxing, since you want to eat my cooking, then I won't go to my friend's house for lunch today. After all, it's not appropriate to take you to my friend's house, since there are adults there. I'll tell my friend that I won't go, and I'll cook for you at your house for lunch instead."

Hearing Su Chang's words, Xu Hongdou, though still somewhat puzzled, looked a little better. A hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes, as if she were pondering something.

Chen Nanxing jumped up excitedly, clenched his fists, and shouted, "Yay! Great! I can finally eat Su Chang's cooking again! I've been craving it so much!"

Su Chang smiled awkwardly, his hand unconsciously touching his nose, secretly glad he had reacted quickly enough. Then he said, "You guys can pick out the vegetables here, I'm going to make a phone call to my friend."

Although Xu Hongdou had some doubts, she still went to pick out vegetables with Chen Nanxing. As she selected vegetables, she would occasionally glance at Su Chang, her eyes filled with curiosity. Su Chang, on the other hand, hid to the side and dialed Taozi's number.

"Hey, Peach, I'm sorry, I've got some things to do these past few days, so I won't be coming to your house." Su Chang's voice carried a hint of apology.

"Huh? What happened all of a sudden?" Peach's voice revealed a hint of disappointment.

"Yes, I have some work to take care of, but don't worry, I'll take care of it as soon as possible and then come find you," Su Chang reassured her.

"Okay, then take care of yourself, and remember to let me know if anything happens." Peach's tone was full of concern.

"Okay, I understand. You should rest for a few more days. If you really can't take it, just quit your job. I'll support you." Su Chang's tone was firm.

"Pah! You wish!" Peach said coquettishly, then quickly hung up the phone.

As Su Chang listened to the busy tone on the phone, a lewd smile unconsciously spread across his face. He imagined Taozi's shy expression, and his heart couldn't help but flutter. However, he suddenly remembered that Xu Hongdou was still there, and he was startled. He quickly wiped his smile off and looked at Xu Hongdou, only to find her picking out vegetables. He then hurried back to where he was picking out vegetables.

"Finished?" Xu Hongdou asked abruptly as Su Chang arrived at the vegetable stall.

"Ah, it's over." Although Su Chang didn't know why Xu Hongdou asked that, he still answered honestly.

"Which one of your girlfriends is this?"

Hearing Xu Hongdou's words, Su Chang chuckled twice, then waved his hand: "Hongdou, don't talk nonsense, she's just an ordinary friend."

"Just friends?" Xu Hongdou looked at Su Chang with a hostile expression: "Do you think I'm stupid? Why are you smiling so lewdly when we're just friends?"

"Gah!" Su Chang was taken aback by Xu Hongdou's words, realizing that Xu Hongdou must have been observing him the whole time. He then forced a smile and said, "Look at what you're saying. Why are you laughing so lewdly? I'm just a little happy thinking about being with you later. How is that lewd?"

"Gah!" This time it was Xu Hongdou's turn to be embarrassed. After all, if Su Chang was laughing lewdly because he was thinking of her, then he was definitely thinking of something bad. Wouldn't that be like insulting herself? So she glared at him angrily: "What are you looking at? Don't think nonsense. Hurry up and pick out the vegetables."

"Okay! Yes, ma'am!" Su Chang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he had finally escaped a disaster.

During his time in Kyoto, Su Chang lived a life of shuttling between Taozi and Hongdou, and his feelings for the two women grew stronger day by day.

Just as Su Chang was about to leave the hotel that day, his phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the screen and saw it was Guan Juer calling. Su Chang was a little puzzled, wondering what Guan Juer wanted to talk to him about at this hour, but he quickly answered the phone anyway.

As soon as the call connected, Guan Juer's anxious voice came from the other end: "Brother Su Chang, where are you now? Can you come to Ode to Joy?"

Seeing Guan Juer's anxiety, Su Chang immediately comforted her, "Guan Guan, don't panic. Tell me what happened? Did someone bully you?"

Hearing Su Chang's voice, Guan Juer felt a little relieved. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "No, Brother Su Chang, no one bullied me. It was Sister Fan's brother who beat someone up. Now he's run away, and the debt collectors somehow found Sister Fan's address and are blocking the door at 6302202 every day."

Su Chang sneered inwardly. Of course, he knew he had ordered Su Fangxiu to do this. Pretending to be unaware, he continued, "Oh, so? Guan Guan, you're going to help them?"

Guan Juer suddenly froze, a look of embarrassment and helplessness on her face. She had been anxious and wanted to ask for help, so Su Chang was the first person she thought of. Only now did she realize that Sister Fan's family and Su Chang seemed to have a bad relationship; asking Su Chang for help would be asking the impossible. Her mind was filled with conflict and turmoil, unsure how to answer Su Chang's question.

Seeing that Guan Juer didn't reply, Su Chang guessed that she understood his meaning. So he continued, "Guan Guan, there's always a reason why someone is pitiful. Their own family leader is hiding, so why should we outsiders interfere? As long as they don't bother you, you don't need to care. I know you're kind, but think about how she treated you when you were being used. If it's too noisy over there, you should just move to the villa."

Guan Juer quickly refused, "No need, Brother Su Chang, can I have Xiao Qiu move to the 23rd floor?" A hopeful expression appeared on her face. She had figured it out now, but Qiu Yingying was innocent, and they had such a good relationship, so of course she would help if she could.

Su Chang knew that Guan Juer was a kind and innocent girl who always thought of others. He thought that this was why he liked her. So he thought for a moment and then said, "Okay, Guan Guan, have Xiao Qiu move to the 23rd floor. But you should also be careful. If anything happens, call me anytime."

Guan Juer smiled gratefully upon hearing Su Chang's words. She quickly said, "Thank you! Brother Su Chang, I'll be careful. I'm just sorry to have troubled you again."

Her heart was filled with warmth and gratitude. She knew Su Chang was a good person; he always lent a helping hand when she needed it.

Chapter 117 Guan Juer Goes to Stay at the Villa

"Alright, do you really need to be so polite with me? Are you trying to distance yourself from me?" Su Chang said, feigning anger.

"No, Brother Su Chang, you've misunderstood. I didn't mean to..." Guan Juer panicked upon hearing Su Chang's words and quickly explained.

Su Chang laughed twice. He found Guan Guan to be incredibly cute, so he quickly interrupted, "Guan Guan, don't worry, Brother Su Chang is just joking with you."

"Brother Su Chang, you're so mean, I'm not talking to you anymore." Guan Juer blushed immediately upon hearing Su Chang's words and hung up the phone.

When Guan Juer saw that Su Chang had agreed to her request, she couldn't wait to dial Qiu Yingying's number, but no one answered.

Guan Juer frowned, a hint of anxiety in her eyes, wondering whether she should go downstairs to see if something had happened.

She gripped her phone tightly and dialed Qiu Yingying's number again. The phone rang for a long time before it was finally answered. Qiu Yingying's voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of being overheard.

"Guan Guan, what's wrong? Is something the matter?" Qiu Yingying's voice trembled slightly.

Guan Juer frowned even more deeply and quickly asked, "Little Earthworm, why did it take you so long to answer the phone? I thought something had happened to you."

Qiu Yingying looked towards the door to make sure no one was there before lowering her voice and replying, "Guan Guan, you know perfectly well that the debt collectors from Sister Fan's family have moved into the living room. It's terrifying. I was outside getting something, so I ran back to my room before I dared to answer the phone."

Guan Juer sighed, a look of pity on her face, but then she became excited again and said, "Little earthworm, you should move to the 23rd floor. Brother Su Chang has agreed to let you move here, so you won't be afraid of them anymore."

She had expected Qiu Yingying to excitedly agree immediately, but Qiu Yingying's reaction surprised her.

Qiu Yingying hesitated for a moment and said, "No, Guan Guan, I have to stay with Sister Fan. Since Su Chang has so much influence, Guan Guan, why don't you let Su Chang help Sister Fan? Sister Fan said that these things are a piece of cake for Su Chang."

Guan Juer's face turned somewhat ugly. She hadn't expected Fan Shengmei to say these things to Qiu Yingying. Recalling how Fan Shengmei had used her before, she bit her lip, trying to keep her voice calm: "Little Qiu Yingying, you know how outrageous Sister Fan's mother is. Why would Brother Su Chang help them? Besides, Sister Fan is using us like this. She's being unreasonable too."

Qiu Yingying waved her hand impatiently and said, "Oh! Guan Guan, it's not a big deal. He was just scolded a few times. Besides, Sister Fan's mother has been in detention for ten days, which is considered a punishment she deserved. Why is he, a grown man, still making a fuss about it? In addition, Sister Fan has helped us a lot. This is not taking advantage of us."

Guan Juer was furious when she heard Qiu Yingying speak of Su Chang like that. Her eyes widened, and her voice rose involuntarily: "You... Little Qiu, how could you say that about Brother Su Chang? Sister Fan's mother really insulted Brother Su Chang, who would forgive her?!"

Her chest heaved violently, clearly angered by Qiu Yingying's words. She gripped her phone tightly, her fingers turning slightly white from the force.