Chapter 549 - 549: Someone Has Their Eye on the Bone Woman

Zhao Yuan and Cheng Haoyu turned their heads in unison and asked, "What's so hard to look at?"

As the two of them moved, Hao Li got a clear view, realizing things weren't as he'd imagined. He scratched his head and said sheepishly, "My mistake. I thought you two were... you know."

Although Hao Li was being vague, Zhao Yuan and Cheng Haoyu understood instantly. They both got annoyed and said in unison, "Damn, you have a dirty mind!"

Hao Li defended himself, "How do I have a dirty mind? With the position you two were in, it'd be hard not to misunderstand! Hey, what in the world were you guys doing anyway?"

Cheng Haoyu explained, "Brother Zhao helped me improve my Dual Cultivation Technique. I've benefited greatly, and I was just expressing my gratitude to him!"

"So that's what it was. You were kowtowing to your master in thanks," Hao Li said as the realization dawned on him. He then laughed. "We told you before that Little Brother Zhao is a genius who can offer unique advice on many Cultivation Techniques, but you didn't believe us. Now you see how incredible he is, right?"

Cheng Haoyu sighed. "I always thought I was a genius. Otherwise, how could I have reached my current level of Cultivation just by teaching myself? But after seeing what Brother Zhao can do, I realize I'm still a long way off from a true genius!"

Hao Li spoke in the tone of one who's been there before. "I went through that same phase a while ago. Let me tell you, you just can't compare yourself to Little Brother Zhao. You'll only end up with your confidence completely crushed! Thankfully, there aren't many prodigies like him in this world."

Cheng Haoyu completely agreed with this sentiment, nodding repeatedly.

Zhao Yuan felt a bit embarrassed by their praise and said, "Any more compliments for me? Keep them coming. Although being praised to my face is a little embarrassing, the feeling is actually pretty great!"

Hearing this, Hao Li and Cheng Haoyu were both left speechless.

Having caused an awkward silence with a single sentence, Zhao Yuan felt a bit embarrassed and quickly changed the subject. "Are you done cooking for the guests?"

Hao Li replied, "All done. I already had someone send it over to them."

Zhao Yuan brought the topic back on track. "Alright, let's talk about the improvements for your Nine Fire Yin Yang Furnace."

Hao Li took out a notebook, walked quickly over to the stove, and pricked up his ears. As he listened to Zhao Yuan's suggestions for improving the flaws, he furiously jotted them down.

Soon, several pages of the notebook were filled with notes.

"Those are all the changes," Zhao Yuan said after he finished. He took the bottle of mineral water Cheng Haoyu handed him, twisted it open, and took a sip to wet his throat.

"You really are something else, Little Brother Zhao!" Hao Li exclaimed with genuine admiration.

Although he hadn't yet implemented these twelve improvements, his expertise was enough to tell that the methods were brilliant. He conservatively estimated that once successfully modified, the Nine Fire Yin Yang Furnace's ability to stimulate and retain the Spiritual Qi within ingredients would increase by at least thirty percent!

This level of improvement was so high it was almost unbelievable.

Hao Li couldn't wait to start modifying the Nine Fire Yin Yang Furnace right away. Zhao Yuan stopped him, saying, "Modifying the Nine Fire Yin Yang Furnace isn't something you can do in a few minutes. You should get us something to eat first. It's almost two o'clock, and we still haven't had lunch."

"My bad. I got so excited I completely forgot about lunch," Hao Li said sheepishly, then headed to the kitchen. A short while later, he came up with several dishes.

Although they were all simple, home-style dishes, under Hao Li's unique culinary skills, they were incomparably delicious. Zhao Yuan and Cheng Haoyu couldn't stop praising the food as they ate.

The White Cat, leading the two Little Dang Kangs, also received food specially prepared for them by Hao Li. They ate with such delight, wagging their tails and humming softly in satisfaction.

After the meal, Hao Li pointed at the bowls and chopsticks and said to Cheng Haoyu, "Dish duty is all yours."

"Why me?" Cheng Haoyu questioned.

Hao Li said, "I sent all the employees home. Since I'm in charge of cooking, it's only natural that you're in charge of washing the dishes!"

Cheng Haoyu was convinced and obediently went downstairs to wash the dishes.

Zhao Yuan glanced at the time and stood up. "I have to get going, or I won't get back to my hometown until the middle of the night."

Knowing he was going back to his hometown for the New Year, Hao Li didn't try to keep him. "Go on, then. Cooking the Raccoon Power will take at least three to five days. I'll call you when it's done, and you can come back then."

"Alright," Zhao Yuan agreed with a nod. He called to the White Cat, telling it to bring the two Little Dang Kangs and follow him. On his way downstairs, he said goodbye to Cheng Haoyu.

Stepping out of Lakefront House, Zhao Yuan saw a black Mercedes G55 SUV. The person sitting in the driver's seat was none other than the Bone Woman.

In just a few short hours, she had not only picked up the car but also gotten it plated.

Zhao Yuan nodded to himself. 'The Bone Woman is quite efficient. Maybe she really can do a good job as a secretary.'

Director Jin, whom he had met earlier, was currently standing beside the Mercedes G55 SUV, saying something to the Bone Woman, but she was completely ignoring him.

Seeing Zhao Yuan walk out of Lakefront House, the Bone Woman quickly got out of the car, pushed Director Jin out of the way, and strode over to Zhao Yuan. "Boss, please get in the car," she said respectfully.

Zhao Yuan nodded, glanced at Director Jin, and asked, "What's going on here?"

Director Jin came forward and said in his Hong Kong accent, "Hello, Mr. Zhao. It's like this—I think this young lady has exceptional looks and presence, so I wanted to invite her to audition for a role in my new film."

"You're a director?" Zhao Yuan was taken aback.

Director Jin introduced himself, "Yes, I am Jin Wang, from Hong Kong. I'm a director."

He had expected Zhao Yuan to look shocked after hearing his name, but what he got instead was Zhao Yuan's confused mumble, "How come I've never heard of you?"

"Er..." Jin Wang looked a bit awkward. Fortunately, President Song and the others came up just in time to make introductions for him.

After hearing President Song list a few movie titles, Zhao Yuan finally recognized the name. "Oh, so you're the one who directed those movies? I've heard so much about you."

Jin Wang didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

'Heard so much about me? Could you be any more insincere? You didn't even know my name a moment ago.'

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Jin Wang once again brought up inviting the Bone Woman to audition, only to be flatly refused by Zhao Yuan. "Sorry, Director Jin, but my secretary has no interest in joining the entertainment industry."

Jin Wang was quite disappointed. He genuinely felt the Bone Woman's looks and aura were outstanding, possessing the same kind of star power as Lin Qingxia in her prime. If she could just polish her acting skills, she would definitely become a superstar. But since she wasn't interested, he couldn't very well force someone to act, could he?

With a sigh, Jin Wang gave up the idea and instead began thanking Zhao Yuan for letting them enjoy such an unforgettable feast.

The dishes, personally cooked by Hao Li, were so delicious they brought tears to their eyes. They had nearly gotten into a fight over them.

It wasn't just Jin Wang; the others also came up to thank Zhao Yuan. Jin Wang introduced them one by one, and only then did Zhao Yuan realize they were all from the same film crew, here in Western Shu Province to shoot scenes for a movie.

Among the group, Zhao Yuan spotted a popular actress who was currently all the rage. An idea suddenly popped into his head, and he extended an invitation, "Miss Yang Cai'Er, I was wondering if I could ask you to help shoot a commercial?"