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墨書 Inktalez
Although Yuki Chiba didn't want to go to the amusement park, Chen Rui decided to take her to the Aquarium instead, one of the three great date spots: the cinema, the amusement park, and the Aquarium.
As noon approached, Chen Rui pondered whether they should grab a bite first when he suddenly felt Yuki Chiba tugging at his sleeve.
Yuki Chiba pointed at a hot pot restaurant, pouting as she said to Chen Rui, "I'm hungry. Let's eat first and do whatever else later."
Chen Rui smiled helplessly. How does this girl always seem to answer the questions I want to ask before I even ask them? Or how does she understand my thoughts so well?
The hot pot restaurant was decorated with distinct Chinese characteristics. Everything inside was made of wood, and the waitstaff wore traditional Tang suits. The first floor featured an open layout with no partitions, filled with square Eight Immortals tables.
The second floor was divided into individual compartments surrounded by wooden barriers at chest height and hanging curtains.
The waiter placed a menu on the table. In this day and age, even in China, physical menus were becoming rare; most places used electronic versions instead.
Chen Rui took the menu, its hard red cover adorned with gold foil calligraphy that read: Shu Xiang Ge.
Opening the menu, Chen Rui realized that this restaurant did not follow the American hot pot style at all; it was a genuine Chinese hot pot establishment. There were no salads or even fruit platters—just broth bases, main dishes, side ingredients, and sauces.
Even so, the restaurant was indeed bustling with business.
If it weren't for the Americans around who looked so different from the locals, Chen Rui would almost think he had returned home!
Not knowing Yuki Chiba's preferences, Chen Rui handed her the menu with a smile. "You can choose."
Yuki Chiba took the menu but remained silent after glancing at it for a while. Chen Rui couldn't help but wonder: although the main text was in Chinese, there were English explanations below; she shouldn't have trouble understanding it.
Yuki Chiba occasionally glanced at Chen Rui, mustering up a lot of courage before finally asking, "Can I just pick whatever I want?"
Chen Rui was taken aback by her unexpected question. After a brief moment of surprise, he quickly smiled and replied, "Yes, you can choose anything."
"One pound of lamb, one pound of beef, and some beef brisket," Yuki Chiba declared, as if she had received a royal decree, beginning an ordering spree that left Chen Rui feeling a bit regretful.
After Yuki Chiba concluded her crazy ordering journey, Chen Rui feigned concern as he glanced at his wallet, which made Yuki Chiba burst into laughter.
"Don't worry, if you don't have enough money, I'll pay the bill," Yuki Chiba said generously.
Chen Rui shook his head. "I invited you out; how could I let you pay?"
"Actually, I'm already very happy," Yuki Chiba said lightly, ignoring Chen Rui's astonished expression. "You might not see it, but I'm really happy because I like you. I've liked you from the very beginning."
Chen Rui wanted to apologize but was interrupted by Yuki Chiba.
"Don't apologize. Ten apologies won't warm someone as much as a single thank you. And there's no need to explain anything; just know that I like you, and it has nothing to do with you," Yuki Chiba's words carried a hint of sadness as she unconsciously lowered her head.
"Thank you; you're a good girl," Chen Rui replied with a smile.
Yuki Chiba lifted her head and looked at Chen Rui, unable to suppress her laughter as she covered her mouth. "Am I being teased here?"
Chen Rui's face darkened: Has this joke gone global?
"Here are your dishes," a boy around Yuki Chiba's age approached with a hot pot in hand, placing it on the table and smiling at Chen Rui and Yuki Chiba.
"Are you both Chinese?" the boy asked tentatively in standard Mandarin.
"Yes, are you? Working hard here?" Chen Rui replied in Chinese.
"Yes, after all, it brings a bit of the domestic vibe," the boy said excitedly upon hearing Chen Rui's words. "There aren't many Chinese people here; most can't get used to American hot pot."
"Is this really considered American hot pot?" Chen Rui asked in confusion. How could a classic Chinese hot pot be labeled as American?
The boy shook his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't express myself well. Most hot pot restaurants are gradually turning into American Hot Pot for various reasons; now, traditional Chinese hot pot places are quite rare, so many people choose not to eat hot pot anymore. It seems you didn't know the situation and stumbled in here by mistake."
"Not at all, we specifically came here after asking locals," Chen Rui fabricated a lie, trying to comfort the lonely boy in a foreign land.
"Oh really? Are you two friends?" The boy quickly corrected himself, realizing it was disrespectful to assume they were a couple.
"She is my girlfriend," Chen Rui replied naturally, but he didn't notice that at that moment, Yuki Chiba was smiling brightly like a blooming flower.
Upon hearing this, the boy smiled and called out to a passing waiter, "Frank, could you please bring us four cans of Pepsi?"
The waiter quickly placed the drinks in front of them and excused himself. The boy smiled at Chen Rui and said, "Consider this drink as my treat. Carbonated drinks aid digestion and help expel heat from the body while also hydrating well. Drinking alcohol can irritate the stomach; I hope your girlfriend is the type who gets tipsy from carbonated drinks." With that, the boy laughed and left.
"I hope so too," Chen Rui chuckled helplessly. Did such girls really exist? It seemed like they did, but the chances of someone with his bad luck encountering one were slim.
Of course, there were rarely such coincidences; Yuki Chiba was not the type to get dizzy from carbonated drinks. However, they indeed enjoyed this meal exceptionally well.
If only they didn't have to think about the bill...
"Was it good?" Chen Rui asked knowingly.
Just after finishing their meal, Yuki Chiba still looked unsatisfied. Seeing her discomfort, Chen Rui took the initiative to ask if she wanted to order more. However, it seemed that out of courtesy, Yuki Chiba felt embarrassed to continue eating.
She had already consumed four and a half pounds of meat by herself, not counting the vegetables and drinks. Chen Rui couldn't even imagine how much this girl could eat.
"Being able to eat is a blessing; since you ate so much, let's ask for a discount," Chen Rui recalled the boy's cheerful face when they were settling the bill.
"It's okay," Yuki Chiba replied with a smile. "The taste is still very good, but it's not the best I've ever had; I didn't eat that much."
Chen Rui was sweating profusely as he exclaimed, "What do you mean you didn't eat that much? If you really let loose and ate freely, how much could you consume?"
"That Boss is actually pretty nice," Chen Rui remarked.
"Do you know him?" Yuki Chiba leaned in, puzzled.
"No, not really."
"Then how do you know the Boss is nice? It seems like we've never even met him."
"That boy is the Boss. He might be a bit young; I thought you noticed," Chen Rui explained.
"How did you figure that out?" Yuki Chiba's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Chen Rui shyly scratched the back of his head and smiled. "It's simple. He's so young, yet he casually mentioned the name of someone older than him. Most importantly, that person neither mocked him nor hesitated to help him."
"What does that mean?"
"It means, first, that the relationship between them isn't necessarily very close. Second, even if the relationship isn't great, that person still helped him, which indicates that the boy's status is higher than his." Yuki Chiba quickly recalled the scene, seemingly similar to Chen Rui's observation.
"However, you can't be sure. Anyone can lend a hand," Yuki Chiba countered.
"In this kind of service industry, competition among employees is fierce. Plus, it's always seniors helping juniors; it never goes the other way. And when we were checking out, he had the cashier give us a discount. Are you sure that's something an intern could pull off?"
"That's true, but he could also be the Boss's son. What makes you think he's the Boss? I say he's not! What do you think?" Yuki Chiba began to pout, her older sister demeanor fully on display.
"Alright, alright! You're right; he's not the Boss. He's the Boss's son," Chen Rui conceded, choosing not to argue with Yuki Chiba and instead focusing on the route to the aquarium.
"What are you looking at?" Seeing Chen Rui fixated on his phone, Yuki Chiba frowned and made exaggerated expressions to grab his attention.
"Nothing much," Chen Rui finally decided to take a taxi; he simply couldn't endure the chaotic and bustling traffic any longer.
Taking a taxi was relatively simple; all one had to do was state the destination, and how to get there was the driver's responsibility.
In Chen Rui's memory, there was only one local aquarium: Shark Reef Aquarium.
After announcing the name to the driver, Chen Rui clearly noticed the driver glance at him through the rearview mirror and asked, "Is there something wrong?"
The driver shook his head. "If you're going for fun, try to take it slow and stop to look around."
Chen Rui found the driver's words puzzling, but since his tone sounded like a piece of advice, he quietly took note of it.
Upon arriving at Shark Reef Aquarium, after purchasing tickets, the staff handed Chen Rui a device that provided information about each exhibit area.
Chen Rui glanced at it: there were several exhibit areas, and before heading to the next one, he could listen to relevant information about it in advance.
Watching Yuki Chiba's excited demeanor, Chen Rui couldn't help but think: that driver too—several exhibit areas? How long would it take to walk through them if they were taking their time...
Seeing that Chen Rui wasn't reacting much, Yuki Chiba let go of his hand and ran toward the first exhibit area. Chen Rui smiled helplessly and quickened his pace to catch up.
The first exhibit area featured a crystal corridor with seven degrees of transparency, where many fish and girls' smiling faces could be seen.
Looking at Yuki Chiba's sweet smile, Chen Rui completely forgot the driver's words.
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