Chapter 261

"Huh, what's this?"

Shi Lei noticed something unusual near her eyes and reached out to look.

Mudrock froze on the spot, motionless. Despite her calm exterior, her heart was in turmoil.

"He got so close..."

"Do you want to kiss me?"

"Oh my god!!!"

"Does my master like me?"

Shi Lei moved closer, reached out and grabbed the thin black object, and tore it off, actually ripping off Mudrock's false eyelashes.

"Oops!"

He looked closely at the eyelashes in his hand, and finally realized something was wrong, quickly apologizing:

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I didn't know it was an eyelash; I thought it was something dirty."

Texas and Croissant, sitting in the last row, covered their mouths, afraid that they would burst out laughing.

Fortunately, they were professionally trained and wouldn't laugh unless they couldn't help it.

"Oh, it's alright. Those are false eyelashes. They were probably applied crookedly by accident. You don't need to worry about it."

The theater is dimly lit now, so it's not convenient to stick false eyelashes back on here if they're torn off.

Mudrock sighed inwardly, tilted his head, and gently peeled off the false eyelashes from the other side. Otherwise, the asymmetrical design would look very strange.

The atmosphere at the scene was extremely awkward.

Mudrock had no choice but to watch the movie first. After about twenty minutes, she felt the time was right. Finally, she unleashed the dating secret weapon she'd learned online:

"I recently bought a strawberry-flavored lipstick, it smells really good, would you like to... try it?"

"Lipstick?"

Shi Lei frowned slightly, his expression somewhat strange:

"Are those chemical products edible?"

Now that the arrow was on the bowstring, it had to be released. Mudrock went all out, closing his eyes and sticking out his lips.

"Why don't you... give it a try?"

That one sentence took all her courage.

Shi Lei didn't approach, but instead gently stroked her lips with his finger. He then put it in his mouth and sucked on it, giving a serious assessment:

"This flavor is very weak, it doesn't taste like strawberries at all. If you like strawberries, I'll swipe my card to buy it for you. There's no need to spend so much money on a strawberry-flavored lipstick."

Mudrock opened his mouth, then froze in embarrassment.

Arknights Limited-Time Artwork. jpg

Ark Pictures

327 Excessive Sweetness 3K

Mudrock remained silent upon hearing this, utterly unsure of what to say next.

I could only stare at the big screen and mentally recall the various dating theories I had learned online.

It seems the owner was simply celebrating an old friend's birthday by going to the movies with her. There was no spark between them, and certainly no romantic relationship whatsoever.

Mudrock thought about it carefully and realized that Shi Lei seemed to treat everyone as a friend. When he first came to Lungmen, he thought Texas was his girlfriend, but after getting to know her for a while, he found out she wasn't.

Without any build-up of romance, the dating tips she learned online were completely ineffective. She needed to think carefully about how to solve this problem.

But it's daytime now, and people usually tend to be more rational, making it less likely to create an ambiguous atmosphere. It would be better to wait until after dinner, when you're having a few drinks, and then seize the opportunity.

"Gurgle..."

Suddenly, a strange sound came from Mudrock's stomach. She immediately frowned, her expression turning somewhat unpleasant.

The dishes everyone eats at night are all carefully selected by Mudrock every morning and evening at the supermarket. There is absolutely no chance of eating spoiled food that will make you sick.

The only thing I've eaten out these past two days has been steamed buns and porridge this morning...

Oh no, could I have eaten leftover bread?

Mudrock clutched his stomach with one hand, not having time to confront the shop owner, and gave an apologetic smile.

"Excuse me, I need to use the restroom."

"Okay, sure."

Shi Lei nodded, not saying much. She had drunk a cup of porridge in the morning; that stuff is quite diuretic.

Seeing Mudrock get up, Texas and Croissant, who were hiding in the last row, quickly crouched down.

The exit of the movie theater was right next to the last row. Fortunately, Mudrock was in a hurry to use the restroom and didn't notice the two people hiding in the shadows when he left.

Once she was back in her seat, Texas gestured to Texas in Croissant language. The two of them crouched very slowly as they walked out of the movie theater, as if afraid of making any noise.

If they stay inside, they risk being discovered. Furthermore, if they wait until Mudrock and Shi Lei leave before chasing after them, they risk losing track of their target.

After the movie ended, the two walked out of the theater. Neither of them had a particularly strong impression of the two-hour-long film.

Mudrock glanced at the time on her phone; it was almost 11:30. She then took her owner in a taxi to a high-end restaurant in the Upper City.

Perhaps realizing that daytime wasn't the time for flirting, she stopped dwelling on those issues.

Today, my owner specially set aside a day to celebrate my birthday with me. Can't I just enjoy it?

After calming down, Mudrock suddenly felt much better.

Upon seeing the guests enter, the waiter greeted them warmly:

"Hello, how many people are in your party? Do you have a reservation?"

"It's just the two of us, we didn't make a reservation. I bought a voucher online, will I be able to use it here?"

The waiters at the upscale restaurant didn't act like the clichéd characters in novels, but responded politely.

"Yes, it's usable. Please come in, both of you."

It wasn't the weekend, and it wasn't even noon yet. Looking around, there weren't many customers in the restaurant.

Shi Lei knew that Mudrock was ordering food through group buying to save money. She buys, washes, and cooks vegetables every day, almost becoming everyone's full-time chef. She doesn't seem to have any part-time jobs or other work, so her thriftiness is perfectly reasonable.

He was very kind to this family member. For example, when she was hired by Rhodes Island and went on a three-month business trip to Columbia, he insisted on giving half of her salary and bonuses to Mudrock afterwards to help with household expenses.

After she finished ordering, Shi Lei stood up and said:

"I'm going to the restroom, I'll be back later."

"Oh well."

He left the lobby and went to a blind spot where Mudrock couldn't see him. He asked a waiter to call the manager and inquire who owned the restaurant.

Today, the high-end restaurants in Upper City and the core area are basically controlled by Mount Choryu and Schwayer Group.

These two companies support mailing bills to the company, but this probably wouldn't be possible for individually owned restaurants.

Seeing that Shi Lei was young yet possessed an extraordinary demeanor, the lobby manager dared not be negligent. Normal customers would simply eat and not ask such questions.

"Sir, we are a catering brand under the Schwayer Group. How can we help you?"

"Can you send the bill to Penguin Logistics?"

Upon hearing the words "Penguin Logistics," the lobby manager's eyes lit up, and he suddenly realized what it meant.

The group headquarters had already issued an approval document stating that Lungmen had a special guest. As long as he came to the restaurant, all expenses would be waived and all his requests would be fulfilled.

He had been the lobby manager here for over a year and had never seen Mister Zhongli in person. He had assumed the man looked down on the shop, but he never expected to meet him today.

"Oh, we can mail the bill. Is there anything else you need? We're happy to assist you."

"Bring all your signature dishes to table number 18. Also, do you offer custom birthday cakes? If not, I'll ask around at other places."

The lobby manager was very enthusiastic, but accidentally let slip:

"Of course, Mr. Zhong! What flavor and style of birthday cake would you like? I'll inform the kitchen right away and have one custom-made for you."

Shi Lei didn't even say his name, but when he heard the other person call him by his code name, he instantly understood.

Anyway, the money will still be paid; one thing at a time.

"Any taste is fine, you can carve words on it, just say Happy Birthday to Mudrock. I don't know how many candles you need, just prepare thirty. The finished cake needs to be wrapped in a gift box, I have another use for it."

"No problem, I'll contact the kitchen right away."

"Wait a minute, I have another request."

Shi Lei stopped the lobby manager and explained the cause and effect of the matter, as well as the subsequent plans.

"Okay, Mr. Zhong, I'll arrange it right away."

Mudrock sat in her seat and yawned. Her master's absence made her feel a little sleepy.

A short while later, a waitress approached. She bowed slightly and said warmly to her:

"Miss, I'd like to confirm something with you. Is the last four digits of your phone number for the online plan you purchased XXXX?"

Upon hearing this, Mudrock's heart skipped a beat.

She thought the couple's package deal she bought through group buying was no longer valid, and immediately became nervous:

"Yes, it's my number. What's wrong?"

"Congratulations, beautiful lady, you've become our 100,000th customer. You can enjoy all our signature dishes for free, without any charge."

Mudrock could hardly believe his ears, thinking it was a hoax:

"Oh? Really? But I didn't see this promotion when I was buying it online."

The waitress didn't give herself away; she explained calmly and unhurriedly:

"Online is online, and in-store is in-store. This is an event in our store, and it wasn't posted online."

Mudrock was surprised by her good fortune, and a happy smile spread across her face. However, as a former mercenary, she still remained somewhat wary.

She didn't believe it was true until the lobby manager came over with several waiters to explain the rules, saying that the 100,000th customer could enjoy all the signature dishes for free.

Mudrock was overjoyed, a smile playing on its lips. It felt that since meeting its owner, life had become so much more colorful, and everything had improved.

She really wanted to share her joy with Shi Lei alone. But he went to the bathroom, and why hadn't he come out yet?

Mudrock waited at his spot for more than ten minutes without seeing anyone, and began to anxiously make a phone call.

The moment the bell rang, Shi Lei appeared in her field of vision and walked towards her.

Mudrock noticed that he was carrying a square gift box that looked like it contained a cake, and was delighted.

It turns out the owner had just pretended to go to the bathroom and went to order a birthday cake for himself.

She ordered a small cake for dinner and wasn't sure if she could cancel it before lunchtime.

Never mind, if I can't return it, I'll just pack it up. How can a cake I buy myself taste as good as one bought by my employer?

"Please sit down."

Mudrock urged Shi Lei to sit down and excitedly shared his 'super lucky' experience with him:

"You know what? I won the lottery! It must be because of your good luck, hehe!"

Shi Lei feigned surprise and grinned:

"Won a prize? What's the prize?"

"The waiter said I can enjoy all of their signature dishes for free!"

Looks like you're having a really lucky day.

"Yes, I can't believe it. Their lobby manager came over and told me personally that I won the prize! This seems to be the first time I've ever won anything in my life, I'm so happy."

Seeing her smiling like a child, Shi Lei showed a fatherly expression of relief.