Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 1012 - 494: Strangers Gathered Under One Roof

As a gold-medal salesman, Gong Liang's conversations are very logical.

Even though his encounter with Chen Huihong and others in the restaurant seemed far from coincidental, his clever words could turn it into coincidence, even fate.

After all, it was fate that brought them together.

And to make this coincidence easier for everyone to accept, Gong Liang chose to ask more rather than say more. He was there to join this loving family, not to break them apart. By giving others the chance to speak, he allowed them to feel closer to him and to lower their defenses, without scrutinizing his words for loopholes.

This is what Qin Huai picked up on.

As for how Qin Huai figured it out...

Qin Huai could only say his Master Level lying skills weren't for nothing.

The meal with Zhao Cheng'an was coming to an end. Zhao Cheng'an was almost ready to bury his head in the cream mushroom soup, squirrel mandarin fish, and spicy boiled pork slices he'd just complained about. Gong Liang finally steered the conversation to what he truly wanted to ask.

"Master Qin, how did you all meet? Did you all meet at your canteen while having snacks?" Gong Liang asked curiously.

Gong Liang was genuinely curious about this. On the surface, Luo Jun and the others seemed completely unrelated.

Chen Huihong is an enthusiastic neighborhood committee aunt, Qu Jing is a neurology doctor, Luo Jun is a 90-year-old homebody who hasn't gone out in years, Shi Dadan is a seafood merchant from Guangdong Province, and Cheng Gong is the versatile assistant to a domineering CEO. It's hard to imagine how people of such different ages, identities, experiences, work environments, and even personalities could harmoniously go out for a meal together and now gather at Luo Jun's house for a tea party. Gong Liang found it hard not to be curious.

Qin Huai was waiting for this moment of curiosity from Gong Liang.

Curiosity is good; it's the beginning of wanting to understand someone, and introductions are the start of integrating into a family. To truly let a few unawakened spirits blend into this loving family and fulfill Bi fang's wish for a harmonious tea party before he died, Gong Liang needed to be genuinely curious and integrated.

An Youyou and Uncle Wang were easy to bamboozle. Being easy to bamboozle meant they wouldn't delve into too much detail. But only Gong Liang was shrewd and clever, making him difficult to fool and quick to notice anything amiss.

Even someone as straightforward as Chen Huihong realized the importance of this issue. She pretended to be parched after talking too much and picked up her teacup to gulp down the tea. After finishing one cup, she feigned thirst again to pour herself another cup, making a quick getaway.

Cheng Gong smiled without saying a word. He knew this wasn't the occasion for him to speak first.

Luo Jun could speak but didn't want to. He maintained his demeanor of watching TV, pretending not to care about the conversation around him but keeping more of his peripheral vision on Gong Liang.

Zhao Cheng'an, having almost finished his meal, wanted to join the conversation but was handicapped by being the latest to join and not knowing much.

Shi Dadan put down his plate and turned to look at Qin Huai and Gong Liang, contemplating stepping in to assist Qin Huai when he hadn't spoken yet.

Qin Huai knew what to say, but a sudden game notification sound in his mind interrupted him.

"Ding! Congratulations to the player for discovering a new side quest: [A Gathering of Strangers]. Please check the game panel for details."

The name of the side quest alone indicated it was Gong Liang's side quest.

Qin Huai had a hunch that this wasn't Gong Liang's last side quest but possibly the second to last. Gong Liang's memories didn't have much of a storyline, mostly nostalgic memories of Master Jing's superb skills. Qin Huai felt that Gong Liang's memories wouldn't conclude with a conventional story ending, whether a bad ending or a happy ending.

Because Gong Liang's story hadn't reached an end yet.

Wang Gen Sheng's story was similar.

What Qin Huai gleaned from these two were the memories of their current lives. In theory, these two spirits from Gusu were special among the spirits. For other spirits who failed their trials, Qin Huai gleaned memories of their first lives. For spirits, the first life represents the root cause of their failed trials and is the most crucial part of their histories. It's also key to uncovering how they might succeed.

However, Gong Liang and Wang Gen Sheng took an unconventional path. The memories Qin Huai gleaned were from their current lives, indicating that this lifetime's experiences were more important to them than the root of their failed trials.

In other words, this life's experiences are more decisive in determining their success in the trial.

Qin Huai paused for over ten seconds, making the break in conversation very abrupt. It was so abrupt that even Gong Liang hesitated, wondering if he had asked something inappropriate and why no one was answering him.

Just as Shi Dadan intended to speak up for Qin Huai, Qin Huai stood up and said, "Sorry, I need to go to the restroom. You all chat."

Then he hurried off.

Exactly the same as every time he quickly left Huang Ji before.

Seeing Qin Huai like this, everyone knew he must have triggered a key task and was in a hurry to check it out. Just as Cheng Gong was preparing to make excuses for Qin Huai, Gong Liang, already revealing a look of realization, sighed and said:

"Master Qin is still the same; every time he goes to the restroom, he's in such a hurry."

Everyone: ? He could even say this as praise?