Xianyu: "..."
Even the hot pot didn't taste as good anymore.
He was just an ordinary office worker. A wealthy woman who could charm anyone was a bit much for him...
A shut-in and a social butterfly weren't compatible.
Jing Yuan continued, "You might be hopeless at romance, but I think you can still be saved."
Baiheng and Jing Yuan were brimming with enthusiasm. From the looks of it, they wanted to handle the entire confession and dating process for Xianyu, practically wishing he and Bai Zhu would get married right there.
Xianyu: "...That's enough. Stop. It's never going to happen between us."
What's wrong with you extroverts? Are we introverts doomed to be your playthings?
After a brief and utterly ineffectual burst of outrage, he decided to seek solidarity with his fellow introvert, Jingliu, and turned to fish out meat for the silent Sword Champion beside him.
Jingliu was silent for a moment before softly thanking him. She unconsciously bit her lower lip, her hands clenched tightly on her thighs, her knuckles oddly pale.
"Stop talking, both of you, and eat. I wouldn't get along with someone like her."
With a slotted ladle in hand, Xianyu moved swiftly, scooping out ingredients and using good food to shut them both up.
"All right, I won't play matchmaker, but you have to tell my fortune-" Baiheng's eyes curved into a smile. "Jing Yuan told me about it ages ago. Come on, come on, do a reading for me-"
Xianyu had never expected to get off work only to start working again. He said coldly, "I don't do readings outside working hours. Come back on the next workday."
Worried that the pair would cook up more trouble behind his back, he reiterated, "There's no chance between her and me. The duck intestines are about to overcook. Hurry up and eat-"
Baiheng and Jing Yuan exchanged a glance, sighed in feigned regret, then picked up their bowls and resumed eating.
Satisfied, Xianyu added more ingredients and ate.
He had engraved the cooking times for hot pot ingredients into his DNA, keeping a close eye on both the spicy broth and the tomato broth.
Besides feeding himself, he effortlessly scooped ingredients from the tomato broth for Jingliu and Baiheng. After a few rounds, the two women surrendered first, putting down their chopsticks in unison. Yingxing and Dan Feng, sitting across from them, stopped eating shortly afterward.
"Full? Want some dessert?"
Xianyu asked.
He had always found it rather remarkable. When he'd gone drinking with them before, they would say they couldn't drink another drop, yet after leaving the Tavern, they always stopped whenever they passed a snack stall or dessert shop.
Once they caught a whiff of something delicious, even the taciturn Sword Champion couldn't take another step, let alone the well-traveled pilot.
At the time, Xianyu hadn't been able to resist asking, "You call this having no room left?"
Baiheng declared with absolute conviction, "Drinks are drinks, and snacks are snacks!"
Jingliu nodded in wholehearted agreement.
Women had more than one stomach. They had a second one.
And that stomach had room for nothing but snacks.
Baiheng considered it for a moment. "I hear the mousse cake is good. I'll have one. What about you, Jingliu?"
Jingliu blinked slowly, then turned to ask Xianyu, "Do they have any good alcohol?"
Xianyu fell silent.
He had once offered the hot pot restaurant's middle-aged owner some suggestions, but...the restaurant's creative broths, dishes, drinks, and so on...
Were all handled by the genius who had invented fermented mung bean juice broth!
"Their drinks are all very...unusual," Xianyu said with difficulty. "Things like fermented mung bean juice beer, fish mint coffee liqueur, and fermented rice wine with cilantro..."
Yingxing couldn't believe his ears. "What did you say? Beer flavored with fermented mung bean juice?"
Jing Yuan's eyes shook with horror. "Fish mint...coffee...liqueur?"
Dan Feng suddenly found the cilantro in his bowl hard to swallow and quietly set down his chopsticks.
A whole new world opened up before Baiheng. She stammered, "D-do people actually order those things?"
"Yes. They're actually this place's best-selling drinks," Xianyu said helplessly. "Everyone wants to find out just how awful they taste...The only normal alcohol here is the berry wine, but it's too strong. It's really easy to get drunk on it..."
For some reason, Jingliu was determined to drink the restaurant's alcohol today and ordered the strongest berry wine they had.
Xianyu kept opening his mouth to speak, then stopping himself, as he scooped hot pot ingredients for Jing Yuan, the only one who wasn't full yet.
Jing Yuan watched as one untouched ingredient after another landed on his plate, quickly forming a little mountain taller than a drinking glass. He protested, "...Are you treating me like a garbage disposal?"
Xianyu: "Just eat."
Only Jing Yuan left. Once he's full, I can go home and lie down.
As Xianyu kept scooping, a weight settled on his shoulder.
It was Jingliu.
She frowned, pressing a hand to her temple. The instant she leaned against Xianyu, she straightened up again, as though fleeing some terrifying beast.
Xianyu didn't think much of it.
After all, he and Jingliu weren't particularly close.
He would have immediately put some distance between himself and the other person too.
He didn't notice her bright red ears. Instead, he marveled at her glass, which was empty except for a little wine at the bottom.
This stuff actually made Jingliu dizzy, and she's a monster at the drinking table. That wine really packs a punch.
Xianyu then looked at Baiheng, whose alcohol tolerance was slightly lower than the Sword Champion's.
The Foxian woman had just taken a glass from Dan Feng. She boldly downed it in one gulp, then smoothly closed her eyes, tilted her head, and collapsed.
At the sight, Jing Yuan eagerly tried to have a sip too, only for Yingxing and Dan Feng to firmly refuse.
Their reasoning was that Jing Yuan was still too young. He could drink once he turned two hundred.
Xianyu, who had been about to join Jing Yuan for a drink: "..."
Jing Yuan gave up, and Dan Feng sent him off to settle the bill.
The High Elder was extravagantly generous, telling Jing Yuan to simply give his Jade Abacus number and charge it to him.
"I have a membership. I'll come with you."
Xianyu took off his apron and followed Jing Yuan.
He had never liked owing anyone favors, even for a single meal.
He might feel guilty accepting a share of the profits, but the revenue he had brought Bai Zhu was enough to cover free meals for the rest of his life.
He decided to enjoy this free meal with a clear conscience.
Before Jing Yuan and Xianyu could give the Jade Abacus number, the server told them there was no need to pay.
Bai Zhu had already made arrangements for Baiheng.
"So we ended up benefiting from Baiheng's childhood friend after all..." Jing Yuan felt a pang of regret, then asked nosily, "Xianyu, you and her-"
One look at his friend's expression told Xianyu what he was about to say. He cut Jing Yuan off decisively. "Not happening. Forget it."
Xianyu was utterly done.
Looks like I can't even come here for hot pot anymore. I'll have to find a way to return the profit share too.
Only a handful of occupied tables remained in the restaurant.
After Jing Yuan and Xianyu left, Dan Feng gave Jingliu a meaningful look.
Jingliu felt a vein throbbing in her forehead. Suppressing her anger, she asked, "What exactly was all that nonsense you were spouting just now?"
Seeing Jingliu lose her temper, Yingxing froze for a moment and said nothing.
Unbothered by her anger, Dan Feng remained perfectly composed, slowly raising a hand to give Jingliu a thumbs-up.
"I underestimated the Sword Champion. Don't worry." He sighed, then said to Yingxing, "Yingxing, we'll take Baiheng home with Jing Yuan later."
Sensing something was wrong, Jingliu narrowed her eyes and scrutinized Dan Feng's face. Finding no cracks in his composure, she could only give a cold snort.
Seeing that Jingliu was clearheaded rather than drunk, and looked ready to leap up and smash Dan Feng's dragon head at any moment, Yingxing simply replied, "Oh."
Baiheng abruptly sat up as though rising from her deathbed, shaking her head as she struggled upright. Her voice was faint. "This wine...really hits you afterward!"
A second later, the Foxian collapsed again.
Helpless, Jingliu caught Baiheng's arm, but before she could pull the drunk woman upright, Dan Feng took over.
The High Elder moved swiftly. He and Yingxing firmly supported Baiheng, one on either side.
Before Jingliu could speak, Xianyu and Jing Yuan returned.
Xianyu had grabbed a handful of mints and was about to share them with everyone when Dan Feng spoke.
"Xianyu..."
The High Elder stopped after merely saying Xianyu's name.
Xianyu waited quietly and patiently.
"Jingliu is drunk...She needs..."
Perhaps the High Elder was used to issuing orders from his lofty position. Only after a long pause did he find the right wording and continue,
"Sorry for the trouble, but could you take her home?"
Xianyu: "???"
Huh???
Before you continue