ebonymovies Chapter 99 Shattered Dignity and the Scene of "True Fragrance"
Chapter 99 Shattered Dignity and the Scene of "True Fragrance"
Li Siyuan carried an enamel tray with an industrial wasteland style, on which were placed two steaming cups of black tea.
The tea soup has an eerie deep amber color, with a dried flower petal floating in it, resembling a drop of blood.
"Gentlemen, this is a specially made 'Truthful Da Hong Pao' tea." Li Siyuan tried his best to make his smile look professional. "Drink it while it's hot; the effect will be diminished if it cools down."
The couple exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with disdain for each other.
The man's name is Zhang Wei (there are probably tens of thousands of people named Zhang Wei in Changxiang City; this man is the CFO of a listed company), and the woman's name is Liu Li; she is a full-time housewife.
Their marriage was like a gorgeous robe crawling with lice.
"Drink up, and hurry up and leave. I have an appointment at the beauty salon." Liu Li picked up her teacup and took a sip like she was drinking medicine.
Zhang Wei sighed and took a sip as well.
The tea was slightly bitter at first sip, followed by a pungent spiciness that shot straight to the top of the head, and finally transformed into a strange warm current that traveled down the esophagus, burning directly into the stomach, and seemingly burning into the brain.
A minute passed.
The shop was quiet, with only the soft rustling of Su Qing sharpening a scalpel in the corner.
"What kind of lousy tea is this? It has no tea flavor at all..." Liu Li frowned, just about to start her usual complaining mode, when she suddenly felt her tongue was a little out of control, and those thoughts that she would never normally say came out of her mind like a flood.
"Zhang Wei, that blue tie of yours is awful," Liu Li suddenly said, speaking very quickly. "Every time I see you wearing it to a meeting, I think you look like an insurance salesman."
Zhang Wei was stunned for a moment. He had intended to remain silent and endure it as usual, but his mouth wouldn't obey him: "You think I wanted to wear that? It was a gift from your mother! And the braised pork you make is all sugar. I've been eating it for ten years, and I feel like throwing up every time, but I still have to smile and say it's delicious. Do you know how hard it is for me?"
Liu Li's eyes widened, as if she were seeing her husband for the first time: "You dare to complain about my cooking? Do you know how long I had to act like a pushover in front of the sales assistant at the Hermes store for that bag? And when you come home, you don't even glance at it, all you do is stare at your phone. Are you having an affair?"
"If only I had someone to back me up!" Zhang Wei suddenly stood up, his face flushed and his neck bulging. "My phone is full of reports! Do you know how much pressure I'm under? Every day I wake up to tens of millions in cash flow, and when I get home I have to listen to you nagging about Old Wang next door getting a new car. I didn't do that to save money to buy you a bag! I was afraid that if the company went bankrupt and I ended up in jail, there would be no one to take care of you!"
"I have hands and feet, what do I need you to tell me what to do? I married you because you were honest, but now you've become nothing more than a money-making machine!"
"Who did I become a machine for? It's all for your vanity!"
The two spoke at a rapid pace and in increasingly loud voices, like machine guns exchanging fire.
The original respectable facade was torn to shreds, and even trivial matters such as who in the family doesn't lift the toilet seat when using the bathroom, and who grinds their teeth and farts in their sleep were exposed.
Li Siyuan and Zhao Na listened in stunned silence behind the counter.
This isn't tea drinking; it's practically a massive truth or dare game.
Wang Minyu remained calm, even taking out a bag of sunflower seeds from his drawer and sharing half with Guan Shan next to him.
"Boss, we're not going to get into a fight, are we?" Guan Shan cracked open a sunflower seed and asked with some concern.
"They won't fight." Wang Minyu spat out the sunflower seed shells. "Emotional release is like releasing pressure from a pressure cooker. Once the pressure is released, people will become clear-headed. Right now, their prefrontal cortex is in a semi-dormant state, and their subconscious is running naked."
Sure enough, after arguing for about ten minutes, their voices gradually quieted down.
As Liu Li continued her tirade, tears suddenly streamed down her face: "Do you think I want to buy a bag? I'm afraid you'll think I'm too old. Every time I go to your company's annual party and see all those young girls fawning over you, I get anxious. What else can I do besides spend money on dressing myself up?"
Zhang Wei slumped back into his chair, covering his face with his hands: "I don't look at you because I'm afraid to. I feel like I've let you down. I promised to take you around the world, but now I'm working overtime every day. I feel so worthless; I can't give you anything except money."
The shop fell into a deathly silence.
The tense atmosphere disappeared, replaced by a bittersweet feeling called "understanding".
The effects of the medication began to wear off.
The two snapped out of their excitement, looked at each other, and showed embarrassment and shame, but mostly relief.
For so many years, they have been playing the perfect husband and wife, but they have forgotten how to be their true selves.
Zhang Wei pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and awkwardly wiped away Liu Li's tears: "That tie... it really is ugly. Throw it away next time."
Liu Li burst into laughter through her tears, blowing her nose forcefully: "Put less sugar in the braised pork next time. Actually, I think it's too sweet too."
[Harvesting Emotional Values: Collapse +1000, Venting +2000, Reconciliation +5000!]
[Special Reward: One recipe for "Husband and Wife Lung Slices" (fake) (Efficacy: Nourishes Yin and Yang, repairs vocal cords).]
Wang Minyu patted the sunflower seed crumbs off his hands and stood up: "Alright, you've vented your anger and drunk your tea. Here's your bill. Besides the tea, there's also a 200 yuan fee for mental pollution, since you two were making a racket and giving me a headache."
Without any hesitation, Zhang Wei scanned the code and paid three thousand yuan.
"Dr. Wang, thank you." Zhang Wei held Liu Li's hand, this time their fingers intertwined. "This tea was worth it."
When the two walked out of the pharmacy, although their makeup was smudged and their ties were crooked, they looked infinitely more relaxed than when they arrived.
"See that?" Wang Minyu turned to instruct the two interns, "This is called 'no destruction, no construction.' Most of today's urban ills are caused by pent-up frustration. As long as they can let out the toxic feelings inside, it will be more effective than any ginseng or deer antler."
Zhao Na nodded thoughtfully: "Master, is this what traditional Chinese medicine calls 'emotional therapy'?"
"No, this is called the 'the more the merrier' therapy," Wang Minyu corrected.
Just then, a black sedan with a Beijing license plate slowly pulled up at the entrance.
The car door opened, and an elderly man wearing a Zhongshan suit stepped out.
His hair was gray, but he was in good spirits. He held a cane in his hand and walked steadily with each step.
But what's most striking about him is his tongue—he would occasionally stick it out and lick his lips, as if searching for some flavor.
"Excuse me," the old man's voice was hoarse, "does this place have... anything that can help people regain their sense of taste?"
Wang Minyu narrowed his eyes and activated the [Aura Observation Technique].
The old man's tongue was covered with a thick layer of ashen moss, a sign that his taste buds had completely atrophied and died.
On the system panel, this person's identity was marked as—
Name: Tang Wei
[Identity: National-level food critic, known as "The Tongue of God".]
[Symptoms: Severe loss of taste (caused by long-term consumption of overly refined and chemically-added foods), also suffering from anorexia.]
"Regaining your sense of taste?" Wang Minyu laughed, a laugh like a fox spotting a fat sheep. "Sir, you've come to the right place. But our 'medicine' here has a rather strong taste. Can your body handle it?"