"Zero, you-you should drink more slowly..." Lu Mingfei watched Zero eat lobster tails and drink vodka, clinking glasses with her now and then.
At first, Zero peeled the shells by hand and ate slowly. After a few glasses of vodka, she simply picked up a lobster tail with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth, cracked the middle of the shell with her front teeth, then braced the underside with her tongue and rocked it back and forth to pry the shell open. With a gentle suck, the meat came right out.
By the time the lobster tails were finished, so was the entire bottle of vodka. Most of the mapo tofu was gone, and only the romaine lettuce remained untouched.
Lu Mingfei hadn't expected Zero to be so efficient even at eating lobster and drinking hard liquor. It felt as though she took the optimal approach to everything, as though nothing could stump her.
"Open a beer for me." Zero seemed unwilling to leave any food and wanted to finish the remaining dishes with some beer.
Lu Mingfei hesitated. "Mixing drinks isn't a good idea, is it? Look at you..."
Zero's complexion was normal apart from a faint flush. That little bit of color had been there since they started eating, and even after an entire bottle of vodka, it hadn't deepened. For a moment, Lu Mingfei couldn't tell whether she was blushing from the alcohol or something else.
In the end, Lu Mingfei obediently opened a beer for Zero.
"Here." Zero raised her beer again. Lu Mingfei clinked his drink against hers, and she tipped her head back for a long swallow, then gave a little hiccup, the smell of alcohol filling the air.
Lu Mingfei hurriedly stood up. "Have some carbs. Mapo tofu tastes best mixed