She hadn't expected Gao Jianfei to be dressed so neatly, even getting his hair done, for her birthday party. She was secretly delighted!
While marveling at how handsome Gao Jianfei was, I also wondered if the fact that he had changed his appearance specifically to attend my birthday party meant that I held a very important place in his heart.
happy!
The little princess is very happy today.
Chen Xian, Huang Cuiyun, and Zou Yan all gave Qin Leshi the small gifts they had prepared and then wished her a happy birthday.
"Hehe, please feel free to eat whatever you like. I apologize for not being hospitable enough." Qin Leshi greeted her colleagues in the office warmly. However, she seemed to have ulterior motives. Her attention was on Gao Jianfei, and her feet unconsciously moved towards him.
Gao Jianfei smiled and took out the gift. "Miss Qin, I'm sorry I didn't give you your birthday present right away. Ah, it's mainly because you look so beautiful today, I couldn't help but look at you a few more times. Sorry." A genuine smile appeared in Gao Jianfei's eyes as he presented the gift to Qin Leshi. "Miss Qin, I hope that in 10 years you will be as beautiful as you are today; in 20 years, 30 years, 40 years… you will always be as beautiful as you are today. It's a small gift, I hope you like it."
With clear eyes, a proper smile, and elegant and unconventional words of blessing, he delivered his wishes.
He's changed! Gao Jianfei has really changed!
"Oh," Qin Leshi felt a tingling sensation run through her body the moment she met Gao Jianfei's gaze, as if she'd been electrocuted. Her face flushed slightly as she took the gift from Gao Jianfei without even looking at it. "Gao Jianfei, I really like the gift you gave me. Also, it's my birthday today, it's not appropriate for you to call me Miss Qin..."
“Okay, Yue Shi,” Gao Jianfei replied tactfully.
My goodness! In terms of etiquette and speech, Gao Jianfei has already impressed everyone around him!
"Sorry, I'll go get something to eat." Gao Jianfei shrugged, then walked to the dining table, picked up a plate, and used a knife and fork to cut a whole roasted lamb.
Qin Leshi walked up to Gao Jianfei without thinking, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I'll call you Jianfei, okay?"
Gao Jianfei turned around and smiled. "No problem. I'm happy to have Yue Shi call me that. It's an honor."
Qin Leshi felt increasingly drawn to Gao Jianfei. Every word he said, every action he took, every glance he gave had an impact on her!
Of course, Gao Jianfei's performance today was absolutely not an attempt to curry favor with anyone, nor was it pretentious. He simply and naturally demonstrated what he had learned from Zhong Haiyang.
Now, Gao Jianfei finds himself increasingly at ease in such situations.
At this moment, Gao Jianfei caught a glimpse of the two boxers surnamed Li and Chen, as well as the young man beside them, all staring intently at him.
So, Gao Jianfei casually asked Qin Leshi, "By the way, Leshi, I noticed those three people over there have rather unusual expressions and are dressed rather unusually. Are they your relatives?"
Qin Leshi naturally wouldn't hide anything from Gao Jianfei. She blurted out, "Oh, that Uncle Chen over there is a relative of my mother's, and that Uncle Li is Uncle Chen's friend. My family and Uncle Chen's family don't usually have much contact, so we're relatively unfamiliar with each other. This time, Uncle Chen happened to be handling some business at the flower market, so my mother invited him over as well. That young man is Uncle Chen's only son, Chen Zhenwei. I used to play with him when I was very young, but it's been almost ten years since I last saw him."
"Oh, I see. Hehe, it's nothing, Leshi, I was just asking casually." Gao Jianfei already understood... one of the two boxers was slightly related to Qin Leshi's family, but they rarely interacted. This time, he was just passing by.
Just then, Chen Zhenwei, holding a glass of wine, walked directly towards Gao Jianfei with a reserved and demure smile on his face.
"Huh? You came to see me?" Gao Jianfei looked at Chen Zhenwei with a smile, showing no sign of panic.
"Happy birthday, Cousin Yue Shi." Chen Zhenwei walked over and gently raised his glass in greeting.
"Thank you, cousin." Qin Leshi politely clinked glasses with Chen Zhenwei and took a small sip of red wine.
Gao Jianfei smiled but remained silent. He clearly noticed that although Chen Zhenwei had come over to greet Qin Leshi, he was actually observing him out of the corner of his eye!
This kind of observation contains an element of research!
As expected, Chen Zhenwei then shifted his attention to Gao Jianfei. He smiled politely, "Cousin Le Shi, who is this gentleman?"
"Gao Jianfei, my friend." Qin Leshi introduced Gao Jianfei to Chen Zhenwei with a smile, and at the same time introduced Chen Zhenwei to Gao Jianfei, "Chen Zhenwei, my cousin."
"Hello." Gao Jianfei extended his right hand. "Nice to meet you."
Chen Zhenwei smiled and shook hands with Gao Jianfei, but in his heart he was thinking... "Whether you're a country bumpkin or a rich kid, I can find out in just a few words!"
Gao Jianfei couldn't help but think to himself, "Those two boxers didn't directly turn against me, which means that on the one hand, they were unsure of what to do, and on the other hand, they were giving the Qin family some face and didn't want to solve the problem in a brute-force manner!"
"What's Chen Zhenwei doing here? He just wants to test my abilities! Fine, if you want to play, I'll play with you!"
"Haha, nice to meet you!" Gao Jianfei and Chen Zhenwei laughed, each with their own ulterior motives.
Chapter Ninety-Five: Defeat!
Chapter Ninety-Five: Defeat!
After shaking hands, Gao Jianfei and Chen Zhenwei, the two young men, did not speak immediately. Gao Jianfei simply smiled gently, looking at Chen Zhenwei with a calm gaze; while Chen Zhenwei, although trying to appear as calm and nonchalant as Gao Jianfei, still had a glint of research and cunning in the depths of his eyes.
Qin Leshi remained silent, staying quietly beside Gao Jianfei, seemingly unwilling to leave. Originally, after Gao Jianfei was forced to kiss her because of Liu Qiang's incident, she had developed a special feeling for him. It's important to understand that Qin Leshi had received very strict upbringing; she had been raised as a typical well-behaved, demure girl, and had never had a serious relationship even after entering university and starting work. That kiss from Gao Jianfei was even Qin Leshi's first kiss. Moreover, the "shameless" Gao Jianfei had given her a French kiss!
Traditional girls generally can't stand this! And they take these things very seriously!
Qin Leshi felt the same way. Therefore, subconsciously, she did indeed have some feelings for Gao Jianfei. And today, Gao Jianfei's unparalleled elegance and poise acted like a magnet, firmly drawing Qin Leshi in!
"Hmph, kid, you're putting on quite a show! But it'll be so easy to expose you!" Chen Zhenwei smiled slightly and said, "Mr. Gao, judging from your accent, you don't seem to be a local from Huashi, or even from G Province. I wonder what kind of place your hometown is? As the saying goes, the environment shapes the people. Mr. Gao has outstanding looks and an extraordinary temperament, so you must come from an economically developed city."
"Are you starting to dig deeper?"
If it were the old Gao Jianfei, he would have answered this kind of question frankly, saying, "Actually, I come from a small city. My hometown's economy is far inferior to that of G province."
But now, with Zhong Haiyang's guidance, Gao Jianfei was able to answer such questions comprehensively in this situation. "Ah, Mr. Chen, I believe that a person's background is not important. I think that a large proportion of successful people did not necessarily grow up in wealthy metropolises; I won't list them all. In short, what level a person can reach mainly depends on their own abilities. Take me for example, although I come from a small city, I am certain that I have the ability to establish myself in G Province."
Eliminate and attack simultaneously!
Upon hearing Gao Jianfei's answer, Qin Leshi immediately praised him, "Jianfei, what you said makes a lot of sense!"
Chen Zhenwei hadn't expected Gao Jianfei to withstand his first attack so easily, and he began to take Gao Jianfei more seriously. However, this didn't mean he would give up after just one question!
Suddenly, Chen Zhenwei raised his wine glass and said, "Come on, Mr. Gao, it's our first time meeting, let's clink glasses!" After saying that, he looked at Gao Jianfei with great interest.
On the surface, Chen Zhenwei was merely being polite by clinking glasses with Gao Jianfei. However, there was more to it than met the eye!
Drinking red wine is a tradition originating in the West. It's not as casual as drinking beer or spirits; there's a lot of etiquette and knowledge involved!
Chen Zhenwei had studied in France, so he was quite familiar with Western etiquette. He knew very well that one's social status could be directly determined by how one drank red wine!
There are many nuances to drinking red wine: holding the glass, tasting the wine, pouring the wine, and smelling the aroma!
People with true status and refinement will certainly not be indifferent to these details.
As an open and developed province, G province was among the first to embrace Western culture. Drinking red wine is very popular in G province's upper-class circles, and the etiquette is extremely refined.
Chen Zhenwei wanted to see the various details that Gao Jianfei revealed when he drank red wine.
Therefore, it can be determined whether Gao Jianfei is a real rich kid or a fake country bumpkin!
Gao Jianfei saw that Chen Zhenwei's eyes were gleaming with ill intent, and with a thought, he guessed the other party's intentions!
Gao Jianfei placed his wine glass on the table and gently picked it up.
Chen Zhenwei stared intently at Gao Jianfei's gestures! At the way Gao Jianfei held the wine glass!
This is the first step in drinking red wine!
Bring the wine!
Gao Jianfei smiled slightly, gently pinching the stem of the cup with his index and middle fingers, while his other fingers naturally bent inwards, and his thumb gently protected three-quarters of the cup's body.
Afterwards, Gao Jianfei did not immediately clink glasses with Chen Zhenwei, but turned to Qin Leshi and smiled, "Leshi, actually, every step of drinking red wine is extremely particular. Take holding the glass for example, because the taste of red wine is easily affected by temperature, so we should minimize the contact between our palms, especially the palms, and the glass. You know, the palms are the warmest part of the hand."
"Hmm! I only know how to hold a glass, but I've never studied why it's held that way. It turns out it's to prevent the warmth of your palm from causing the red wine to taste bad." Qin Leshi made a look of sudden realization.
"Uh..." Chen Zhenwei's throat muscles twitched.
Impeccable!
Gao Jianfei's posture when holding the cup is indeed impeccable!
At this moment, Gao Jianfei had not yet clinked glasses with Chen Zhenwei. Instead, he smiled and said, "I suppose Mr. Chen must be quite knowledgeable about wine tasting. That just so happens, I am also extremely interested in it. Why don't we chat about wine tasting?"
Counterattack!
Didn't you want to see if I knew absolutely nothing about drinking red wine, or what?
I'll grant your wish!
"Yes, I do know a bit about red wine! After all, I spent some time in the West, and I admire Western culture." Since Gao Jianfei had launched a counterattack, Chen Zhenwei had no choice but to accept it.
After a pause, Chen Zhenwei said directly, "When tasting wine, the first thing to do is to evaluate its appearance. Experienced wine lovers can roughly analyze the vintage of a wine from the luster and health of its color. The second step is to smell the aroma, and the third and final step is to taste it."
After speaking, Chen Zhenwei looked confidently at Gao Jianfei, and then at Qin Leshi.
Qin Leshi politely applauded, "Cousin, you are truly knowledgeable."
Gao Jianfei smiled faintly and shook his head.
Chen Zhenwei's expression changed. "Mr. Gao, did I say something wrong?"
“Mr. Chen is indeed an expert on wine. What he said is generally correct. However… if we want to be a little more particular, we can also swirl the wine before smelling it,” Gao Jianfei said reservedly. “Properly swirling the wine can release the esters, ethers, and acetaldehyde in it, allowing oxygen to fully mix with the wine and maximizing the release of its unique aroma. This allows the taster to judge the quality and characteristics of the wine based on its aroma.”
“Uh…” Chen Zhenwei frowned. “Indeed, I forgot about the shaking part. It’s not that I didn’t know or didn’t understand; the key is that shaking wine isn’t just about randomly shaking it. Doing so won’t make the wine’s aroma richer; it will only make things worse. Generally speaking, those who can shake wine exceptionally well are definitely masters in this field. For enthusiasts like us, we can basically ignore the shaking process, right, Mr. Gao?”
Gao Jianfei did not answer.
He held the wine glass in his right hand and gently swirled it rhythmically. The movement was incredibly elegant and graceful. The pale purple wine swirled like a vortex along the glass's surface. The wine seemed to be contained by an invisible dome, not spilling a single drop. When Gao Jianfei stopped, clear wine stains remained on the glass. The rich aroma of the wine instantly filled the area.
"Gah..." Chen Zhenwei felt his eyes go blank, and he stood there like a wooden stake!
Gao Jianfei then said to Qin Leshi, "Leshi, my technique for shaking wine is only at the beginner level. However, I can share some experience with you, which was summarized by some senior wine connoisseurs. Look, when you look at the wine from the side horizontally, shake the glass and observe the speed at which the wine flows evenly down the glass wall. The more viscous the wine, the slower it flows, and the better the quality of the wine."
As he spoke, Gao Jianfei shook the wine glass a few times so that Qin Leshi could observe the speed at which the wine flowed down the glass.
"So there really are so many intricacies to drinking red wine!" Qin Leshi looked at Gao Jianfei with shining eyes. "Jianfei, I've discovered that you really seem to know everything!"
“Heh, Le Shi, I just like to read a few books in my spare time to enrich myself,” Gao Jianfei chuckled, then continued, “Next step, wine tasting! Generally speaking, you shouldn’t eat anything too sweet before tasting red wine, otherwise you’ll experience a sour, bitter, or astringent taste. For most people, wine tasting means taking a sip and swallowing it quickly, but that’s not wine tasting. Wine tasting is something you do with your taste buds. Remember, let the wine fill your mouth, the sides of your tongue, the back of your tongue, the tip of your tongue, and extend to the back of your throat. The taste buds on your tongue can distinguish four basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. The tip of your tongue tastes sweet, the sides of your tongue taste salty, the sides of the upper part of your tongue taste sour, and the back of your tongue tastes bitter.”
As Gao Jianfei spoke, he gently took a sip of wine into his mouth, and after about ten seconds, he swallowed it.
"Good wine!" Gao Jianfei raised his glass to Chen Zhenwei. "It has the aroma of violets and acacia flowers. Hmm, if I'm not mistaken, this should be 'Spanish Lafite' red wine. However, the production process is different from the original 'Spanish Lafite'. It should be produced by an agent in another place."
Qin Leshi looked at Gao Jianfei with shining eyes, and she really couldn't say a word!
Faced with a man she already admired, who displayed such profound knowledge and impeccable manners, what could she possibly say?
Chen Zhenwei remained silent. He felt utterly defeated.
Chapter Ninety-Six: Love is Simple
Chapter Ninety-Six: Love is Simple
"Come on, Mr. Chen, Le Shi, let's clink glasses." Looking at Chen Zhenwei's foolishly dejected expression, Gao Jianfei's face showed no triumph, but rather great humility. He invited Qin Le Shi and Chen Zhenwei to drink together.
But in his heart, Gao Jianfei sneered repeatedly... "You came here just to test my mettle! Heh, your two elders still don't know who I am! Well, at today's banquet, I am no longer the Gao Jianfei of the past. No one can tell that I used to be a country bumpkin!"
After finishing his drink, Gao Jianfei didn't leave. Instead, he stayed and chatted with Qin Leshi. He waited for Chen Zhenwei to make another move!
"What other tricks do you have up your sleeve? Show them to us while they last!"
Gao Jianfei was very confident.
The wine tasting and swirling techniques I just learned were from Zhong Haiyang. It's not a special skill, just part of social etiquette.