Su Tang led Qin Ye into a restaurant called "Baiweige".

There were no uniformed waiters here either, and the lobby was so quiet that only faint, soft music could be heard.

After the two sat down at an empty table by the window, the center of the table, which was originally smooth as a mirror, suddenly lit up and turned into a full-screen touch screen.

"What would you like to eat?" Su Tang's emotions had calmed down considerably. She pointed to the light and shadow screen, trying to make her voice sound more relaxed. "This screen can recommend the most suitable food for you based on your genetic preferences and your current mood. Of course, you can also order it yourself."

Qin Ye looked at the light and shadow table, where various 3D images of dishes kept popping up as Su Tang's fair fingers moved across it.

Braised pork belly, cabbage stew with glass noodles, sweet and sour pork, chicken stew with mushrooms...

Each dish was lifelike, radiating an enticing glow. Even the steaming aroma wafted out through a molecular simulation technology he couldn't comprehend, entering his nostrils and smelling exactly like the flavors he remembered.

As Su Tang worked, she patiently explained, "These dishes look just like the real thing, but they are actually made with the highest grade of high-protein plant fiber and nutrient solution. The taste is exactly the same as the real thing, but they are more nutritious and healthier than real meat. You don't have to worry about eating too much of them being bad for your health."

Knowing that Qin Ye loved meat and had expended a lot of energy on the journey, she ordered him a plate of his favorite braised pork, along with a bowl of plump white rice and a plate of Peking duck.

Then, perhaps influenced by her earlier emotions, she ordered herself a simple bowl of vegetable noodle soup.

Soon, a soft green light illuminated an exit on the side of the dining table, and a tray slid out silently.

A plate of bright red and tempting braised pork, a bowl of steaming white rice with a rich aroma, and a crispy roast duck with glistening oil suddenly appeared in front of me.

Qin Ye looked at the plate of braised pork that was almost identical to the one Su Tang had made in the kitchen of the courtyard on their wedding night. With extremely complicated feelings in his heart, he picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.

He had already mentally prepared himself, thinking that this "fake meat" would definitely not taste good.

But the moment he bit down, he froze completely.

The soft, sweet pork skin, the melt-in-your-mouth fat, the tender and flavorful lean meat... that familiar, rich aroma of meat and sauce exploded in my mouth! The taste was absolutely perfect! In fact, because of the precise molecular-level seasoning that he couldn't understand, the layers of flavor were richer and more delicious than anything he had ever eaten before!

But he knew perfectly well that this thing was not pork at all.

This feeling is so strange.

Reason told him it was fake, made of plant fiber, but his tongue and stomach cheered, urging him to have another piece.

This meal gave him a strange sense of familiarity with this seemingly cold and advanced future world.

He took a few bites, then looked up, wanting Su Tang to try this rare treat, only to find her just keeping her head down, absentmindedly stirring the bowl of bland noodles with her chopsticks, not eating a single bite, her expression indescribably forlorn.

"What's wrong?" He immediately put down his chopsticks and asked with concern.

Su Tang was brought back to her senses by his voice. She looked up and smiled at him, a smile tinged with a bitterness he had never seen before: "No, it's fine. It's just... it reminded me of my childhood."

Qin Ye didn't say anything, but simply reached out his large, well-defined hand and placed it over her hand, which was resting on the table, and gently held it. Her hand was still a little cold.

She stared at the bowl of clear noodle soup, her gaze unfocused, and her voice became very soft:

“I grew up in an orphanage. At that time, I had a very sensitive stomach and couldn’t eat greasy food. It would cause me to have a stomachache so bad that I would writhe in pain on the bed. But the orphanage’s kitchen was a communal kitchen, so how could they possibly prepare food just for me?”

"Then, there was an old gardener in the courtyard who was in charge of the greenery. We all called him Grandpa Fang. He felt sorry for me, so he would sneak into the kitchen in the middle of the night when no one was around and make me a bowl of hot soup noodles like this. There was nothing in the bowl except a little salt for seasoning, and you couldn't even see any oil. But he would cook the noodles until they were very soft and let me drink the soup."

She chuckled self-deprecatingly as she said this: "Back then, I thought it was the most delicious thing in the world. After taking a sip of the hot soup, I felt my stomach and my whole body warm up, and it seemed like the pain wasn't so bad anymore."

An orphan who struggled to survive in an orphanage from a young age, where even a bowl of hot soup noodles was an unattainable luxury...

Qin Ye's heart clenched instantly. He understood why she always seemed aloof when they first met, and why she was always so independent and able to handle everything on her own.