A Long-Awaited Hot Pot Moment

In the blink of an eye, a week quietly slipped by.

On Friday evening, Lin Hai finished practicing Spear Zen on the second-floor balcony and began chatting with Gwen, who was also reading on the balcony, about the hottest topic on campus lately—graduation theses.

More than half of the first semester of senior year had already passed. Even at a top institution like the California Institute of Technology, an atmosphere of anxiety had begun to spread.

"I heard someone in our department has revised their thesis proposal several times, and their advisor still hasn't approved it." Gwen closed her book and rubbed her brow.

Lin Hai smiled and was about to speak when the phone beside him began to vibrate. He gestured for Gwen to wait, then picked up the phone.

"Good evening, Ms. Vanessa."

"Good evening, Dr. Lin." Vanessa's voice came through the phone. The background was quiet, with only the faint sound of traffic. "The salon I mentioned to you last time has ended. I just parted ways with Pepper and am currently on my way back to Fisk Tower."

"How did it go?"

"Everything went smoothly. Just as we discussed last time, I 'casually' mentioned that I had received a very special little accessory from you. After wearing it for a few days, I slept much more soundly, my complexion improved somewhat, and my skin felt more moisturized."

She paused, seemingly recalling the scene. "As expected, Pepper was very interested. She examined my bracelet carefully and even smelled it."

"In the end, she clearly said that, if it was convenient, she hoped I could ask whether you still had bracelets like this. If so, she would be very willing to purchase one."

She continued explaining her next arrangement. "I told her I would need to ask you