After Lu Ying finished ordering, she put down her pen when she estimated the portion size was about right, and gently pressed the bell next to the table. Soon, a waiter came to collect the menu.
Once the waiter left, the room fell silent again.
A cup of tea was placed in front of Xi Jun; it must have been brewed for him by Lu Ying before he arrived.
After a moment of silence, he picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp.
Seeing this, the woman picked up the teapot again to pour him another cup, but Xi Jun hurriedly looked up to take the teapot and do it himself.
In his haste, he accidentally touched the woman's hand that was holding the teapot.
Both of them were taken aback.
Whether it was because Xi Jun was a man or because he was too nervous, his hands were very warm.
Lu Ying was startled by the scalding heat of his hands, but she quickly recovered and placed the teapot in Xi Jun's hands, saying, "Then you should do it yourself."
The man took it dumbfounded, stammering, "Th-thank you!"
Lu Ying smiled politely, "You're welcome."
Xi Jun poured herself a cup of tea, feeling dizzy, and then the room became quiet again.
Lu Ying was about to take out the bag to return the clothes to Xi Jun when, just as her hand touched the bag, the man opposite her suddenly stood up and hurriedly said, "I...I'm going to the restroom!"
Then he opened the door and ran out.
Recalling the man's earlobes, which looked as if they were dripping blood, she felt completely deflated and let out a deep sigh.
"Does he really like me that much?"
Lu Ying tried hard to recall, but couldn't remember ever seeing Xi Jun before.
So why do men have such strong feelings for her?
Xi Jun returned quickly. Just as she sat back down, a waiter pushed a cart over to serve the dishes.
The table was covered with plates of all sizes, which seemed like a lot, but in reality, each item was pitifully small.
Xi Jun saw that the sushi on the plate was all different, but there were only eight in total, and each one was very small, about the size of a glutinous rice ball. You could fit two in one bite and there would still be room to spare.
He looked at the woman opposite him, and Lu Ying, who was also looking at him, smiled faintly at him and gestured for him to try it.
"Thank you." Xi Jun could only nod and express her gratitude, then picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of fish from the nearest plate.
The meat looked raw. Xi Yun picked up a piece of meat and was about to put it in her mouth when Lu Ying quickly stopped her.
"Wait a minute, dip it in this, it will taste and feel better that way."
As the woman spoke, she gestured for him to dip his finger into the small dish next to the plate. The dish contained a light brown liquid and some greenish paste.
Lu Ying explained, "This is soy sauce and wasabi. Dipping sashimi in a little bit makes it much better than eating it plain."
Ah, so this is sashimi.
Xi Jun thought to himself, but listened humbly to the woman's explanation, then nodded earnestly, "Thank you, I'll give it a try."
"Please."
As Lu Ying watched the man place the fish pieces into a small dish, and as the pieces touched the dipping sauce, she was about to say that it was enough, but the man seemed to think it wasn't enough, so he flipped it over and stuck the whole thing onto the dipping sauce.
Then place it on your own tableware, use your own chopsticks to pick it up and put it in your mouth.
Lu Ying remained silent for a moment.
But she swore she really didn't intentionally fail to remind the man; she was genuinely just so surprised she forgot.
Then she saw the man pause in his chewing motion, as if he had frozen in place.
Xi Jun didn't know how to describe the feeling. It was very spicy, and then it felt like his throat was spitting out a cold. At the same time, it felt like there were thorns pricking his tongue, dense and tingling, which made him cough involuntarily, covering his mouth.
Seeing the full expression on his face, Lu Ying suppressed a laugh and quickly handed him a tissue, saying with concern, "Sorry, I forgot to tell you that too much wasabi can be choking."
Xi Jun coughed and couldn't speak, so he could only wave his hand to indicate that he was fine.
Seeing that the man had recovered, Lu Ying helped him get a glass of water.
Xi Jun picked up her cup, took a couple of sips to clear her throat, and when she looked up at Lu Ying, she was extremely embarrassed. Her face was red as she said, "I... I've never eaten Japanese food before."
The woman glanced at him a couple more times because of his frankness. Xi Jun noticed her gaze, lowered his head, and said truthfully, "My family isn't very well-off, and this is the first time I've ever eaten at such a high-end restaurant."
As he spoke, the man seemed to be going all out, and shouted at Lu Ying, "Laugh if you want, I really haven't seen much of the world."
Seeing that the person opposite her had turned bright red in the ears and face, yet was still trying to remain calm, Lu Ying couldn't help but laugh out loud.
While feeling embarrassed, Xi Jun was also attracted by the woman's bright smile.
He stared blankly at the woman, unwilling to miss a single expression on her face.
Lu Ying chuckled a few times before stopping, looking at the man staring at him, and said sincerely, "Actually, this is only the second time I've eaten this kind of thing."
"The first time I ate there was with my sister-in-law. To be honest, I don't like Japanese food."
She glanced at the sashimi platter in front of the man and said with a hint of helplessness, "I can't accept eating raw meat."
"Moreover, the portions of these dishes are all very small, so it's better to eat Chinese food."
As she spoke, she picked up a skewer of chicken that was placed near her, opened her mouth, bit off a piece of meat, and chewed it at the corner of her mouth.
Xi Jun looked at her and asked, "Then why did you choose a place like this?"
Lu Ying looked at him with sincere eyes, "Because I wanted to thank you."
The man's heart skipped a beat at her bluntness, and the heat that had subsided slightly returned.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking, "You know I helped you voluntarily. You don't need to book such an upscale restaurant just to thank me, and then eat a meal you don't like with me."
"Besides, you've already thanked me several times, so it doesn't matter whether we eat or not."
Lu Ying looked at the man who was speaking; he seemed to want to look at her, but dared not look at her too much.
She would glance up briefly, then quickly lower her eyes, but after a short while, she couldn't help but look again.
She lost her appetite for the meat skewers and stared intently at Xi Jun, waiting for him to look up and meet her gaze before she spoke.
"Xi Jun, do you know why I chose this place?"
The man was stunned by her gaze, and his chest pounded when she called his name.
He had just asked her why, and she had given him an answer.
Now that it was her turn to ask him, his mind went blank, and he blankly replied, "I don't know..."
Then he heard the woman say—
"Because this place is quiet, and compared to Chinese restaurants, the space here is just the right size for two people, making it perfect for chatting about... topics between two people."
"What do you think, Xi Jun?"
Xi Jun was completely stunned. Her heart was pounding wildly, and she unconsciously gripped the fabric of her pants under the table with both hands. She dared not look at the person opposite her anymore.
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