Chapter 25 To Eat or Not to Eat?

The more happy she was on the way, the more dumbfounded she became when she arrived at her destination.

"Mountain Hermitage?"

As its name suggests, the shop is hidden at the foot of the mountain in the southeast corner of the university town.

The crimson traditional Chinese characters flowed across the charcoal-fired wooden board.

Zhong Wan couldn't tell what the material was, but she had heard the name from her former colleagues more than once.

Rumors say the minimum charge is 500 yuan per person; just hearing that, you know it's not a place she can afford to go.

Zhong Wan stood at the entrance, looking at the understated yet luxurious signboard, then at Lin Yan'an beside her who was already about to step inside.

He quickly reached out and grabbed her.

"Brother, are you kidding me? Eating here?!"

"no?"

"Of course not! A meal here would cost at least a thousand or eight hundred!!"

"My treat."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Wan quickly let go of Lin Yan'an's hand, and chuckled, "Hehe, that's so embarrassing."

"hehe."

Lin Yan'an glanced at her with a forced smile, then walked over and asked, "Want some?"

"eat!"

She'd be a fool not to eat the lavish dinner she got for free.

Besides, he eats her food and lives in her house, so what if she only eats one meal from him?!

As Zhong Wan pondered this, she followed him inside with a perfectly justified air.

Led by a waiter, we walked through a quiet corridor and arrived at the private room.

Sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the blooming ginkgo trees outside,

"Sir/Madam, please order."

The waiter's gentle voice suddenly rang out.

Zhong Wan turned around and took the menu that she was handed—a folded piece of linen paper with beautiful cursive writing on it, and a raised ginkgo leaf printed in the lower right corner.

Zhong Wan glanced down at the prices listed above, then looked at Lin Yan'an across from her, who had a casual demeanor.

He reached out and handed it over: "You order."

"Um."

She rested her chin on one hand, watching the man opposite her part his thin lips slightly and nod calmly and casually.

As if sensing her gaze, Lin Yan'an slightly raised his eyebrows and glanced at her.

In the instant their eyes met, Zhong Wan slightly curved the corners of her lips.

Lin Yan'an paused, then looked away and continued, "Two portions of Jiguang, Wagyu beef cheek, and the doneness..."

At this point, he looked at Zhong Wan and asked, "How well-done do you want it?"

Zhong Wan shrugged: "Whatever you prefer."

Lin Yan'an chuckled and shook his head, then looked at the waiter and said, "Then let the head chef decide."

Seeing the waiter nod, he continued, "Change the aperitif to half a bottle of 2005 Port, two degrees cooler than body temperature, so she can smell it before drinking."

"For dessert, one of each, please."

"Yes, sir."

Zhong Wan watched the waiter leave the room and close the door before looking at Lin Yan'an with curiosity: "How did you know about this place? You seem quite...familiar with it?"

Lin Yan'an shrugged and carefully placed the sleeping Zhong Suisui on a chair beside him.

He then said in a low voice, "This is a shop opened by my senior."

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Wan immediately became interested: "You've been here before?"

"Yes, I came here once when the shop first opened ten years ago."

Wow, that's been quite a while! Have you been to Yunshan City yet?

Lin Yan'an shook her head slightly: "No, I was dragged here by my senior that time, and I left the next day."

"All right."

Zhong Wan calmly said, "It's okay, I'll take you to have a good time in Yunshan City when I have time."

"Um."

The knocking on the door interrupted their conversation.

Zhong Wan turned her head and saw the waiters pushing the food carts and starting to serve the dishes in an orderly manner.

Oh no, it should be an aperitif?

Zhong Wan has never eaten Western food, but even if she hasn't eaten pork, she's seen a pig run, right?

She glanced calmly at Lin Yan'an's movements, then casually picked up a wine glass while imitating him. As soon as her nose touched the glass, she smelled the aroma of ripe cherries.

"Is this wine?"

"Um."

Zhong Wan quickly shook her head: "Then I won't drink it, I have to drive later."

Her words reminded Lin Yan'an.

He paused, his hand holding the wine glass still. He looked up at Zhong Wan, noticing the reluctant look in her eyes as she stared at the glass. He chuckled softly and put the glass down. "Want to try some? I'll drive you home later."

"So you're not going to drink it?"

"No, thank you."

Zhong Wan looked at him, then at the wine glass he had put down, and chuckled, saying, "Then I won't be polite. Here are the car keys."

Lin Yan'an's lips curled slightly, his eyes full of laughter as he took the keys and put them in his pocket.

Zhong Wan then picked up her wine glass and took a small sip.

A complex and mellow aroma exploded on her tongue: rich cherry, a faint cigar box, and a hint of rose.

Zhong Wan thought uncertainly that the wine, which smelled sweet, wasn't so sweet in her mouth. Instead, she first tasted a very subtle but not negligible sourness.

Zhong Wan couldn't help but frown, and was about to put down her cup to complain when she smelled that sweet aroma.

Like a cherry candy coated in tartness, it's a delightful blend of sweet and sour, leaving only a subtle hint of cherry sweetness in the end.

Zhong Wan's brows relaxed, and she couldn't resist picking up her wine glass and taking another sip.

Following that, the main courses and desserts were served one after another.

Zhong Wan quietly enjoyed herself; no wonder it was so expensive.

For a fleeting moment, she even felt that it was worth the price.

But...thinking about my flat wallet,

Zhong Wan couldn't help but sigh inwardly, her rationality returning instantly.

Forget it, it's fine to treat someone to a lavish meal once in a while, but I'll pass on doing it myself.

She picked up the glass, tilted her head back, and drank the wine inside in one gulp.

Only then did he nod in satisfaction.

I'm so full and a little tipsy.

Zhong Wan shook her head, watching Lin Yan'an carefully pick up Zhong Suisui, and couldn't help but laugh and complain, "You don't need to be so careful,"

She started talking and doing it at the same time.

She casually picked up the chubby kitten and stuffed it into Lin Yan'an's suit pocket.

"Okay, that's all for now, I'm leaving."

Lin Yan'an watched her turn away as soon as she finished speaking, then looked down at the clothes in her hand, glanced at the kitten in her pocket, shook her head and chuckled, draped the clothes over her arm, and followed after her.

After eating and drinking my fill, I realized it was only a little before eight o'clock.

The two strolled leisurely down the street, watching the bustling scene and the pale-faced students coming and going.

Zhong Wan asked with some curiosity, "Lin Yan'an, did you have a boyfriend when you were in school?"

"No."

His expression was calm, and he replied in a deep voice, "I'm annoyed by all the noise in my ears every day, how can I have the mood to think about such nonsense? What about you?"

At this point, he slightly raised his eyes and looked at Zhong Wan curiously, asking, "And you?"

Zhong Wan shrugged: "Me? I'm either in class or working part-time to make money every day. I don't have any time."

As she spoke, she shook her head with a hint of regret.

Her gaze fell on a young couple playing around in front of her, and she couldn't help but smile and say, "That's nice, they're so energetic."

"Oh."

Lin Yan'an scoffed upon hearing this, and was about to retort when he saw Zhong Wan run forward as if she had spotted some treasure.

Lin Yan'an was taken aback when he saw this, and quickly followed.

"Wow, Lin Yan'an, look! It's a dollar!"

Zhong Wan bent down to pick up the coin, turned around and looked at him with bright eyes, holding the coin with a happy expression.

Lin Yan'an rolled her eyes speechlessly: "You really are a money-grubber."

"That's right!"

Zhong Wan readily accepted the title, saying, "Otherwise, why would I have had a whirlwind marriage with you?"

Zhong Wan looked down and wiped the coin, about to put it in her pocket, when she realized she didn't have any pockets; she was just holding her phone casually.

Zhong Wan pouted and casually stuffed it into his pocket.

"Here you go, this is a reward."