Remembering the "premium ingredients" Manager Li had mentioned earlier, Song Qiuya finally let her curiosity outweigh her shock at the prices.
She was hardly a woman who had never seen the world, but charging nearly two thousand for a homestyle braised fish really was beyond anything she had imagined.
Still, today was about thanking Chen Lin.
She pointed at the menu and told the server waiting beside them, "One steamed Sharp-Snout Fish and one braised bream."
Then she expertly ordered a few of the restaurant's old signature dishes before closing the menu.
"And a bottle of Lafite Legend."
"Certainly. Please give us a moment." The server bowed and withdrew, gently closing the private room's door.
The moment the door shut, the space seemed to shrink.
Intimate lighting, a tranquil nighttime view of the bamboo grove, and a table that seated only two.
No matter how she looked at it, something about this atmosphere felt wrong.
Song Qiuya's heart inexplicably skipped into a quicker rhythm, and she silently cursed that presumptuous Manager Li eight hundred times over.
Of all the rooms he could have arranged, why did he have to pick a couples' room?
She instinctively lifted her water glass and took a sip, but her gaze kept drifting toward the man opposite her.
Chen Lin simply leaned back in his chair, relaxed and composed, seemingly oblivious to the strange atmosphere.
Yet the more at ease he seemed, the more uncomfortable Song Qiuya felt.
Unbidden, the image of his tall, dependable back as he faced those robbers that day flashed through her mind.
Thump, thump, thump.
Her heartbeat was so distinct that even she began to feel flustered.
Naturally, Chen Lin noticed the subtle shift in the atmosphere, along with the woman's faintly awkward reserve.
He took the initiative. "Manager Song..."
Before he could finish, she interrupted him.
"Chen Lin."
Song Qiuya raised her head. Her eyes, usually tinged with cool detachment, looked especially bright beneath the lights.
"From now on... just call me by my name. Calling me 'manager' feels too distant."
An unnatural blush colored her cheeks, and she quickly lowered her eyes again after speaking.
Seeing her like this stirred something in Chen Lin's heart, too.
He had to admit that Song Qiuya was exceptional, both in looks and in her distinctive bearing. Even in Magic City, where he had spent four years at university and two years working, he had rarely seen a woman this outstanding.
His gaze seemed a little too direct.
Song Qiuya could feel his eyes resting on her with a warmth she could not ignore. She could only turn her face slightly aside, afraid to meet his gaze.
She was twenty-seven this year, but her strict upbringing and her own unapproachable air had left her romantic history completely blank.
Being stared at so openly by a man left her utterly flustered. She had never experienced anything like it before.
Just then, someone knocked on the private room's door.
The server began bringing in the dishes, and an indescribably enticing aroma instantly shattered the room's hazy romantic atmosphere.
The fragrance was overpowering yet pure.
Song Qiuya's eyes lit up at once.
How could it smell so good?
Chen Lin froze, too. This smell... it's so familiar!
The server opened the wine and left it to breathe beside them, then quietly withdrew.
Looking at the plate of steamed Sharp-Snout Fish, its colors fresh and clear and its fragrance wafting through the air, Chen Lin had a sudden thought.
This fish...
This Peach Blossom Island Restaurant...
Could it belong to Tang Xiaolong's family?
"Chen Lin, hurry and try it!"
Unable to wait any longer, Song Qiuya picked up a small piece of snowy-white fish and carefully placed it in her mouth.
The next second, she went completely still.
An exquisite burst of fresh sweetness exploded across her taste buds. The fish was so tender and silky that it barely needed chewing, sliding down her throat with a delicate sweetness.
Delicious!
Absolutely delicious!
An incredulous sparkle instantly filled her beautiful eyes, and her whole face came alive.
The cool, self-possessed Manager Song vanished, replaced by a little girl who had discovered an unparalleled delicacy.
She immediately picked up a larger, intact piece of fish belly and placed it straight into Chen Lin's bowl.
"Hurry and eat! This fish is incredible! I've never had fish this good!"
Looking at the fish in his bowl, Chen Lin already knew the answer.
He picked it up and put it in his mouth.
Sure enough.
That flavor, that texture-there was no way it could have come from anywhere but his own fish pond, where the fish were raised with Spirit Spring Water.
He did not know whether to laugh or cry.
If I'd known, I would've just taken Song Qiuya home for dinner. Why come all the way here to get fleeced?
This Peach Blossom Island Restaurant is the real rip-off joint!
They caught these fish at my place for a hundred yuan per jin, then turned around and charged fifteen or twenty times as much!
One plate of steamed Sharp-Snout Fish, weighing less than three jin: 2,688 yuan.
One plate of braised bream: 1,888 yuan.
That Tang Xiaolong really is a business genius.
Seeing him finish the bite, Song Qiuya asked eagerly, "Well? Isn't it delicious?"
"Yeah, it's good." Chen Lin nodded.
How could it not be? That's the taste of money.
After a few bites, Song Qiuya lifted her wineglass. The way she had eaten just now had been rather unladylike, and her cheeks were still a little hot.
"Chen Lin, let me toast you."
She looked at Chen Lin earnestly.
"I really have to thank you for that day. If you hadn't been there, I honestly can't imagine what would have happened."
Chen Lin raised his glass as well and shook his head with a smile. "You don't have to be so formal. Like I said before, I was mostly trying to save myself."
Hearing his modest response, Song Qiuya felt her fondness for him deepen.
She had encountered plenty of men who would find any excuse to contact her after doing her the tiniest favor. Their ulterior motives irritated her.
But Chen Lin was completely different.
He had saved her life, yet afterward he had acted as though nothing had happened. If she had not reached out to him yesterday, he probably would never have contacted her again.
At that thought, an inexplicable trace of disappointment rose in Song Qiuya's heart.
Does my charm have no effect on him at all?
But then she remembered the way Chen Lin had stared at her earlier, and that disappointment was instantly replaced by a surge of confidence.
Coming back to herself, she held up her glass and looked steadily at Chen Lin.
"Stop being so modest! Whatever you say, you saved me. That's a fact. I owe you this toast!"
With that, she tipped her head back and drained the deep-red wine in her glass.
Chen Lin felt a little helpless.
He did not actually drink at all, preferring to steer clear of that sour, astringent taste.
But under the circumstances, with a beautiful woman having already drained her glass, he could hardly act all timid about it.
He could only steel himself and drink the wine in his own glass.
A sour, astringent rush went straight to his head.
This tastes fucking awful!
The two ate and chatted casually.
Song Qiuya was clearly in an excellent mood. She picked up another piece of fish, her face full of satisfaction.
"Chen Lin, these two new dishes at Peach Blossom Island are amazing! We're so lucky today-we came at just the right time!"
Chen Lin rubbed his nose and gave an awkward smile.
Over four thousand yuan for two fish, and she calls that lucky?
At my own Farmhouse Courtyard, four thousand yuan would buy a whole fish banquet-twenty different dishes, with no repeats, and guaranteed to be fresher than this.
But he really could not say that now.
It would make things far too awkward.
Before you continue