In the brightly lit hot pot restaurant, Lu Zhe and Xia Xiaobing sat facing each other. A steaming hot pot sat between them, with bright red foam bubbling on the surface.
The aroma, fresh, mellow, and spicy, wafts up to your nose.
Before he even started eating, Lu Zhe could feel his mouth drooling profusely.
"Actually, in the eyes of us Chongqing locals, Chengdu's hot pot isn't authentic enough, nor spicy enough. Luckily, the owner of this restaurant near my house is from Chongqing, and I've eaten there twice; it's alright..."
Hearing what General Manager Xia said, Lu Zhe couldn't help but wonder. Did "okay" mean it was a bit spicier than the average level of Rongdu hot pot restaurants?
Two waiters came over with trays, and the dishes, including tripe, beef aorta, beef, sliced blackfish, fresh bamboo shoots, and preserved vegetables, were placed on the table and on the shelf next to the table, surrounding the bubbling red pot, making one's mouth water.
Xia Xiaobing poured in about half of the tofu skin, then added two slices of tripe and placed them in the pot, but didn't let go of the chopsticks.
She said, "Hot pot is actually very particular about the cooking time and the texture. For things like tripe, you need to dip it seven or eight times in the water."
Lu Zhe: "I know, you can take it out and eat it after rinsing it in the pot seven or eight times."
Xia Xiaobing waved the chopsticks in her hand: "These two slices, you can take one yourself."
So Lu Zhe also picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of tripe, and swished it in the pot a few times.
"Twelve, eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven..." Xia Xiaobing counted down the seconds.
Lu Zhe laughed and said, "So meticulous?"
Xia Xiaobing: "I've even seen people use a clock to time their hot pot meals. But that's a bit too serious and takes away some of the fun. Okay, it's almost done!"
The two men picked up tripe, placed it in the oil sauce to cool it down a bit, dipped it in the sauce for a bit of flavor, and then put it in their mouths.
Xia Xiaobing asked, "How does it taste?"
Lu Zhe nodded: "It's really good, and it's spicy enough."
He only needed to chew it twice to be certain that it was almost a lethal dose for Xue Xiaodie and Tang Qi.
Keep in mind that this was just the first bite. The butter hot pot they were eating became more flavorful the longer it cooked.
"Isn't it a bit too spicy?" Xia Xiaobing asked with concern.
Lu Zhe: "It's alright..."
At that moment, the waiter brought over chilled beer, six bottles in a bundle, along with a bottle opener.
"Just leave it here. We can open it ourselves; we don't need to bring any cups," Xia Xiaobing said.
Lu Zhe: "Let's drink it straight from the bottle?"
Xia Xiaobing looked at him with a smile: "Is there a problem?"
Lu Zhe: "No problem, I'll drive."
After saying that, he opened two bottles of beer, placing one in front of President Xia and keeping the other for himself.
As soon as she sat down, Xia Xiaobing picked up the bottle and said, "Come on, bottoms up!"
Lu Zhe was taken aback: "You're going to drink it all in one gulp?"
Xia Xiaobing couldn't help but laugh and said, "How could that be! There's no need to force yourself. This isn't a social event. Drink if you want, and eat if you don't."
After saying that, the two clinked their bottles together and each took a sip.
After putting down the bottle and picking up his chopsticks, Lu Zhe realized a problem: although President Xia said "drink if you want," the only chilled drink on the table was beer.
This hot pot is medium spicy. So, if I continue eating and the spiciness becomes unbearable, won't I have to resort to ice-cold beer to mask the heat?
Xia Xiaobing added another half plate of dried bamboo shoots and bamboo shoots, then picked up two slices of tender snakehead fish and put them into the pot.
She said, "The cooking time for this fish is also important. It's either twenty seconds or half a minute, but it can't be overcooked."
Lu Zhe nodded and picked up two slices of tofu skin. The tofu skin had been cooked through while the two of them were talking and drinking.
After eating the tofu skin with the oil sauce, he subconsciously picked up the wine bottle and took another sip.
Xia Xiaobing looked at him with a smile on her face. Whether it was due to the high temperature, the spicy food, or the alcohol, her already exceptionally beautiful face now had a rosy hue, making her even more captivating.
Lu Zhe put down the wine bottle, picked up his chopsticks again, and saw Xia Xiaobing put the freshly cooked cuttlefish slices into her own bowl.
What's going on when you're eating hot pot with your boss and he serves you food?
Xia Xiaobing smiled and said, "This fish is very tender, you should try it."
Lu Zhe quickly ate the fish, and then, before President Xia could, he picked up a few thin slices of beef.
"I'll cook it, you can enjoy your meal."
After saying that, he used his old trick again—he dipped the strainer into the pot with his left hand, placed the meat slices on the side of the strainer and let them sink into the red oil soup, while he held the chopsticks in his right hand to keep the meat slices steady and make sure they didn't float around.
Xia Xiaobing also picked up a piece of tofu skin, ate it slowly, and gazed at him quietly.
For a fleeting moment, her gaze seemed hotter than the hotpot itself. But amidst the rising aroma, that fervent look vanished in an instant. When Lu Zhe looked up at her, his expression returned to calm.
Lu Zhe divided the freshly cooked meat slices in half, gave half to her and kept the other half for himself, then placed the strainer aside and began to eat the meat.
The thinly sliced beef is spicier than tofu skin, but also more fragrant and flavorful.
After finishing the slices of meat in the dipping sauce, the two of them picked up beer bottles at the same time.
Xia Xiaobing raised her bottle high, as if to clink it with hers, so Lu Zhe also raised his bottle and clinked it with hers.
Lu Zhe: "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Xia. Today..."
"Let's not talk about work tonight," Xia Xiaobing interrupted. "And don't call me President Xia, okay?"
Lu Zhe was taken aback: "Then how should I call out?"
Xia Xiaobing: "Call me 'sister'."
Lu Zhe: "Uh... Sister Xia?"
Xia Xiaobing smiled and said, "Sure, Sister Bing is fine too, whatever you like. Just call me whatever you feel comfortable with. Of course, things will remain the same at the company. When we're chatting, eating, or playing, please don't call me President Xia."
Lu Zhe: "I understand..."
He finally understood that President Xia's purpose was not simply to invite him to dinner to express his gratitude for last night; his real purpose seemed to be to get closer to him.
But why? What makes a new employee who hasn't been with the company long enough to warrant attention?
Just like Xue Xiaodie and Tang Qi, President Xia was also baffled...
Thinking of this, Lu Zhe was initially delighted, but then felt a little uneasy. However, perhaps due to the influence of alcohol, that slight unease was quickly dispelled, and he was mostly delighted.
Xia Xiaobing then asked, "By the way, didn't you say you liked playing games? What games have you been playing lately?"
Lu Zhe: "I haven't been playing games much lately, and most of what I have is single-player."
Xia Xiaobing pondered for a moment and said, "Single-player mode... Have you ever heard of a Dyson sphere?"
Lu Zhe's eyes twitched in surprise, and he exclaimed, "You play that too!"
Xia Xiaobing smiled and nodded.
For her, accurately hitting this guy's weak spot was far too easy. Besides, this kind of hardcore game that requires mathematical calculations was already within her area of interest.
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