Chapter 264: Missed her a second time
Chapter 264: Missed her a second time
Paris.
In the next few days, Jinhai and Nana visited every sightseeing place from Arc de Triomphe to Louvre museum, Eiffel Tower, Tuileries garden, Notre dame de cathedral, and cruises, they visited all the popular destinations. Nana was soon hopping like a five-year-old child who visited an amusement park for the first time.
Jinhai was always following behind her protectively, taking care of her overexcitement so that she didn’t hurt herself. They took a lot of pictures together, walked around hand in hand, and were enjoying their time together. Since Huo Xiao Fan started all the mess, it was a while since they had spent time together like this.
Whenever they would go for lunch or dinner, Nana would switch on her chef mode and carefully observe and taste every dish they would serve. She even made some notes on her phone.
Looking at this, Jinhai was struck with an idea, and he immediately took her to meet the most famous chef and patisserie in Paris, Raphael Antonio.
Nana was way over the moon. It was like heaven to her. He was strict and stern by nature, but they quickly hit it off as they discussed their respective cuisines and culture thoroughly.
Raphael told her about French etiquettes, and Nana shared her knowledge about Chinese and Japanese cuisine. They even cooked some dishes together where Nana learned a lot from the esteemed chef, whether it be technique, method, or preparations.
Raphael asked with a bright grin, “Why don’t you join the food festival today? It will be a nice experience for you.” He spoke with a French accent. “You can assist me in the food preparations and also participate by making your food recipes!”
Nana’s eyes brightened with a starry gaze.
Poor Jinhai even felt a little left out as the two chefs were totally lost in the world of food.
Nana expectantly looked at Jinhai. They had some plans to visit some other places, but now this opportunity had completely taken over her heart. She was already hopping a little, unable to contain her joy.
Jinhai sighed and gave in. How could he say no to his little wife when she was making such an adorable expression?
“Alright. But you won’t tire yourself out.” Jinhai intently said. He was strict when it came to Nana’s safety.
Nana vigorously nodded her head up and down. She jumped into his embrace and kissed him on his cheek.
Later in the evening, at Grand Palais, a huge number of modest-sized sophisticated kitchen stations were built for chefs for them to show off their cooking skills and even give a live demo to the customers. The clinking of the utensils, the sizzling sound of frying, and the boiling soups making a sputtering noise filled the whole place.
Groups of delighted and enthusiastic foodies hopped on from one counter to another, tasting all the delicacies, and watching the chefs cook in wonderment.
A car stopped at the entrance of Grand Palais, and three figures stepped out.
A man held out his hand and smiled. “May I?”
The woman put her hand in his, and their son standing beside them sighed.
“Today will be the epitome of your lovey-doveyness. Please spare me a little.” Liang Shin shook his head.
His father, Liang Zou, shot a deadly glare at him. “This is our wedding anniversary! We can be as much as lovey-dovey we want!”
He rolled his eyes.
“And you should take this chance to find yourself a girlfriend. You are already twenty-eight. How long are you going to wait for?” Liang Zou, as usual, tried to pry in his son’s love life.
“Not that again.” Liang Shin felt a headache coming. “Spare me that talk too.”
The woman sighed. “Stop it both of you.”
“Tell that to your son, Xiao Dan, not me.” Liang Zou shrugged.
“Okay, this is a grand food festival, and I’m very excited about it, so don’t ruin my mood, okay?” She narrowed her eyes, her gaze clearly threatening them to zip their tongue.
Both father and son shut their mouths.
They entered the venue, and immediately, the delectable fragrance of dishes invaded her nostrils.
“Mhmmm…I’m already hungry. I can’t wait! Let’s go!”
On the other side, Nana’s station was jam-packed with customers. More than her food, they were awestruck seeing how beautiful she was. It their first time looking at such an Asian beauty. But, Jinhai, who was standing behind, was quietly warding off any potential man who would try to hit on her with his cold gaze.
The females had the same reaction to seeing Jinhai as the men had when they saw Nana. They were spellbound, seeing such a handsome man.
They were a match made for each other.
“c’est génial!” One exclaimed after tasting her food.
“tu es incroyable!”
Nana blinked her eyes. She understood English, but she didn’t know French. But from their expressions, she figured that maybe they were praising her.
Jinhai chuckled and said, “They are saying that you are awesome. They love your food.”
“Oh!” Nana clapped her hands once. She bowed before them, a beautiful smile gracing her face.
An arrow struck their hearts as her smile blinded them, even the females.
She asked. “How do you say thank you in French?”
“Merci,” Jinhai said.
“Mer…ci?” Nana tried to spell it.
“Merci.” He said again.
“Oh!” She nodded. Nana looked at the crowd again and said, “Merci!”
“Si mignonne!” They laughed.
Nana looked at Jinhai for translation, but he had a sour expression.
Did they say something bad about me?
One of them spoke English, so he explained. “They said ‘so cute!’ You were learning speaking French from your husband, and we all found it adorable.”
Nana got embarrassed. She sheepishly smiled.
Ah…Jinhai must not have liked them calling me cute.
She sighed. How jealous my husband is…
She poked his arm to indicate to let it go.
He snorted.
As a considerable big crowd gathered around Nana’s station, the Liang family reached a station, which was two places behind hers.
“I must say, every single dish is delicious.” Liang Xiao Dan appreciated it.
Liang Zou and Liang Shin nodded.
“As expected of such a grand food festival. It never lets us down.”
Her attention went to a side as she heard many people commenting and praising a particular chef.
“That Asian chef was so cool!”
“I never knew Chinese cuisine was that delicious! I will definitely visit the country on my next trip.”
“She is so pretty too.”
Her interest piqued as she realized that a Chinese chef was here.
“Zou, Shin, did you hear? There is a Chinese chef here at the festival. We should visit her station!”
Indeed, the father and son also got curious.
“Let’s go.”
They were about to reach there. Liang Xiao Dan tried to take a look at the chef, but there were many people assembled, so only her head was partly visible.
Suddenly, an acquaintance of Liang Zou waved his hand and greeted them. They got busy talking to him.
But somehow, Liang Xiao Dan couldn’t take her eyes away from that young woman. Something like an invisible force made her wish to go to that side.
It took almost twenty minutes when their conversation got over. Liang Xiao Dan walked quickly to that station, but the woman wasn’t there anymore.
“Huh? Where did she go?”
Liang Shin asked, “The Chinese chef isn’t here anymore?”
She sadly shook her head. She didn’t know why but a pang of sadness overcame her. It was as if she was very close to someone important to her, but she lost her again.
It was the same feeling she had when she had seen the young woman in the car a few days back. Liang Shin had tried on his end to find about her, but he got nothing.
Liang Zou patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry. There are still many stations serving Asian food.”
She sighed and nodded.
—
Nana had promised chef Raphael Antonio to assist him with his preparations, too, at the festival. So, after managing her own station for an hour, it was time to head over to his side. So, she wrapped up all the things in her station and went with Jinhai.
If the Liang family had come a little earlier, then there would have surely been a dramatic turn of events.
Moreover, they even went to Raphael Antonio’s grand section, but to their bad luck, Nana was at the backside, arranging some different food items. So, they missed her yet again.
Later, it got more crowded, and it was impossible to get the chance of meeting coincidentally again after failing twice.
Nana and Jinhai returned to the villa as the festival came to a close.
She laid in his arms. She looked up at him and smiled. “Thank you.”
“Hm?”
“Thank you for bringing me on this trip. I enjoyed it a lot, especially tonight.”
Jinhai gave a sly smile. “My pleasure, Madame. But how about you thank me in a more meaningful way?” His eyes twinkled in mischief.
Nana tried to shift away from him, as she fully understood his meaning. But Jinhai caught her.
“No, no, Madame.” He chuckled. “You cannot run away.”
With that said, Jinhai got up, pressed her body under his, and kissed her lips.