Fulai Restaurant didn’t look like much from the outside, but it was actually quite spacious. Passing through the main hall and heading further in, one could see several private booth doors used for group gatherings.
Auntie Ping led them into the innermost booth, named “Mount Tai.”
“Alright, Xiao Feng, you two have a seat. We’ll talk more in a bit! I’m going to go tell your Uncle Ming to start stir-frying your dishes!”
As soon as she opened the door and ushered them in, Auntie Ping hurried off again, thoughtfully closing the door behind her and leaving the young couple alone.
The booth lived up to its name; several landscape photos of Mount Tai hung on one wall, adding a bit of charm. Unfortunately, no one was in the mood to admire the scenery right now. Having just taken off her mask, the girl was pulled down to sit at the round table.
However, that large hand still hadn’t let go. It continued to knead and squeeze her hand as if he couldn’t get enough of it.
“Time to let go!”
Lin Xinyuan glared indignantly at Qin Nanfeng. Despite her embarrassment, she couldn’t bring herself to truly stay angry. This guy only knew how to bully her, yet she had no way to stop him.
Every time she thought about his words from a moment ago, she felt a mix of shame and joy, making her want to ignore him. But she couldn’t help it—this guy was sticking to her like a plaster at the worst possible time. Although… it did feel quite nice…
No! It doesn’t feel nice at all! It’s gross…
The result was that her red-faced, feigned anger lacked any real sting. Instead, it only made the young man’s hand feel restless again.
Acting on impulse, Qin Nanfeng did let go of her hand, but before Lin Xinyuan could react, that large hand suddenly reached out and pinched her small face, beginning to playfully mess with it.
“Wh-what are you doing… mmm…”
Lin Xinyuan hurriedly used both hands to try and pry away the “salty pig trotter” (groping hand) making mischief on her face. Clearly, she lacked the strength to resist. The youth even seemed to get more spirited, reaching out with his other free hand as well.
He worked both sides at once, his strength perfectly controlled—just enough to make Lin Xinyuan feel a little sting without leaving any marks.
“Bad Brother Feng… Bad Golden-Hair…”
The girl cursed weakly, waving her small hands aimlessly. With her fair, tender face being squished into various shapes, she looked both hilarious and adorable.
Qin Nanfeng didn’t stop until he felt enough time had passed.
Lin Xinyuan whimpered and covered her face. As soon as she recovered, she raised her hand to retaliate against the brat. But before she could move, she heard movement from outside the door. She quickly looked over and realized Auntie Ping had returned.
At this sight, Lin Xinyuan’s heart raced, and she reluctantly lowered her hand. She could only settle for a secret pinch to Qin Nanfeng’s waist under the table. She used quite a bit of force, yet looking at the way he smiled at her, he acted as if nothing had happened.
That’s not right! Isn’t the skin on the waist supposed to hurt a lot when pinched? Why does the Golden-Haired Brat look totally fine!
Hmph… Argh! She wasn’t satisfied.
Thinking this, the girl prepared to apply more force to give him a proper lesson. But seeing Auntie Ping approaching with a tray, she could only crossly withdraw her hand and turn her face away, pretending everything was normal.
“Here, Xiao Yuan! If you’re hungry, have some of this first. Your Uncle Ming is almost done with the stir-fry.”
Auntie Ping placed a large bowl of braised meats and a bowl of rice in front of the girl, then leaned down to look at her with a smile. But once she saw Lin Xinyuan’s true face without the mask, a flash of surprise involuntarily crossed her eyes.
This was Auntie Ping’s first time seeing Lin Xinyuan’s features.
The girl’s face was so fair it was almost flawless—fairer than most girls—and her features were incredibly delicate. Her slight “baby fat” only added to her cuteness. To Auntie Ping, this was undoubtedly the prettiest girl she had ever seen in person.
She just didn’t know why the girl’s cheeks were so red… though she assumed it was just lingering shyness from earlier and didn’t think much of it.
“Thank you, Auntie…”
Lin Xinyuan was already starving. Seeing the food, she temporarily pushed the earlier teasing to the back of her mind. After politely and shyly thanking Auntie Ping, she eagerly picked up her chopsticks and grabbed a piece of Bazhirou. She was about to take a huge bite when she felt Auntie Ping’s gaze and stiffened.
Despite being famished, she forced herself to act refined and took a small, gentle bite.
So delicious!
The girl’s almond eyes suddenly lit up. Whether it was because she was too hungry or not, she felt the meat was divine. It was rich but not greasy; the fat practically melted in her mouth. It started with a hint of sweetness, followed by the savory aroma of the meat.
As she ate, she couldn’t help but shovel a large mouthful of rice into her mouth.
“Is it good?”
Watching Lin Xinyuan act composed despite clearly being hungry and wary of her presence, Auntie Ping found it funny and spoke up.
“It’s… it’s delicious!” Lin Xinyuan nodded sincerely, then took a small bite of green pepper, the light in her eyes impossible to hide.
“Then eat more. In the future, you can give Xiao Feng a big, healthy son.”
“Ah… cough…” Hearing this, Lin Xinyuan’s face turned beet red instantly. She nearly choked; luckily she was eating slowly and only let out a small cough. She didn’t dare respond, just silently buried her face in her bowl. However, just as Auntie Ping hoped, she stopped being so restrained with her eating.
Why… why do they always like to say things like that! So annoying…
Seeing this, Auntie Ping withdrew her gaze with satisfaction and turned to Qin Nanfeng, handing him his portion. “Here, Xiao Feng, you eat too.”
As she spoke, Auntie Ping glanced at the girl still focused on her food and gave Qin Nanfeng a look—her expression was very pointed.
Qin Nanfeng understood her meaning almost instantly, his expression turning a bit helpless. It seemed Auntie Ping suspected him of playing with Lin Xinyuan’s feelings. It was understandable; after all, they had seen people around him change constantly in the past, so a misunderstanding was inevitable.
Even though the truth wasn’t what they thought, Qin Nanfeng had no intention of explaining that this had started as a “game.”
With a flick of his gaze, he nodded toward Auntie Ping. The middle-aged woman wasn’t sure if he truly understood, but she simply frowned and quietly withdrew her gaze.
“Auntie Ping, how has business been lately?” Qin Nanfeng asked casually. He took a bite of the braised pork; half of the large slice of pork belly disappeared instantly.
Mmm… still the same flavor. It hasn’t changed.
“Sigh, it’s just like what you saw in the hall. We have to wait for the old regulars to come in the evening to keep things going…” Auntie Ping looked worried and let out a sigh. “There’s no helping it. Physical industries are all affected to some degree, especially catering. We’re just glad we can survive.”
Qin Nanfeng paused mid-motion, nodded, and then suddenly chuckled. “It’s fine. If the shop can’t stay open, I’ll just hire you and Uncle Ming to work at my company. We could use a cafeteria, right?”
“You child, always talking nonsense! Would your boss even agree?” Auntie Ping rolled her eyes at him.
The girl on the side appeared to be eating silently, but she was actually listening intently, taking their words to heart. Her dark, round eyes were sparkling.
Brother Feng… Brother Feng… She wanted to know everything about him!
On the other side, just as Qin Nanfeng was about to respond, the booth door was pushed open again, and a hearty, rough voice boomed into the room.
“Hahaha! I think what Xiao Feng said sounds great!”