Rong Shaoze’s thin lips slightly lifted as he stepped forward to block her path, resting his hand on her shoulder. "The sweet rice balls in fermented rice wine here are famously delicious. Don’t you want to try them? Let’s go have a taste."
Lin Xinlan stared at him blankly, noticing the sparkling in his eyes. She quickly averted her gaze and nodded.
She had thought he was joking when he mentioned taking her to have sweet rice balls in fermented rice wine yesterday. She hadn’t expected him to actually bring her here.
Upon entering the restaurant, they were immediately enveloped by the thick atmosphere of Valentine’s Day.
Almost everyone seated inside was a couple.
A waiter approached them, holding two paper folded hats, and said with a smile, "For the two of you, our restaurant has specially prepared these hats. If you wear the hats, you’ll get a fifty percent discount on all purchases, and you can even get an additional twenty percent off that."
"Really? That’s a great deal!" Lin Xinlan laughed as she took the hat, which were cartoon images of Grey Wolf and Red Wolf.
Rong Shaoze glanced at it and immediately his forehead was lined with black lines: "No need."
He held on to Lin Xinlan’s shoulder, and without saying a word, led her to a nice spot to sit down.
Lin Xinlan was still holding the hat in her hand and didn’t immediately return it to the waiter.
She looked at it and smiled at him, "What made you think of bringing me here to try the sweet rice balls in fermented rice wine?"
"This place has its own unique charm," he replied.
"But today is Valentine’s Day, and the customers are all couples."
What she meant was that they weren’t a couple, so it was inappropriate for them to come to such a place.
Leaning back in his chair with his hands crossed over his knees, Rong Shaoze cocked an eyebrow at her and flashed a lazy smile, "But today we can eat for free."
"..." Lin Xinlan was at a loss for words.
A man whose fortune was ranked first on B City’s rich list actually liked to take advantage of small perks.
"This hat is pretty good, let’s put it on. We’ll get fifty percent off, and then another twenty percent off that."
If he liked to take advantage of small discounts, he probably wouldn’t refuse to wear the hat.
In reality, she mischievously wanted to see the awkward look on Rong Shaoze’s face after he put on the hat.
Rong Shaoze glanced at the cartoon hat and snorted with a laugh, "Childish."
A few couples wearing hats turned to look at him but, noticing his dominant aura, withdrew their gazes in dismay.
Lin Xinlan put the hat aside and began to order food.
She ordered at random and then ordered for Rong Shaoze. He merely glanced at the menu and said to the waiter, "I’ll have the same as her."
"Okay, please wait a moment," replied the waiter.
While waiting for the food, Lin Xinlan looked around. She saw the other couples in the restaurant laughing and chatting intimately. She and Rong Shaoze, on the other hand, were both icy cold, silent as if the other was just a stranger.
The two of them really shouldn’t have come here. They didn’t look like a couple at all, and amid a crowd of lovers, they seemed very odd.
Rong Shaoze caught on to her thoughts and suddenly spoke up, "What’s there to mind? Though we’re not lovers, we are husband and wife. That makes us of higher standing than them, more fitting to dine here, don’t you think?"
Lin Xinlan glanced at him but didn’t respond.
The waiter served their food, along with two bowls of sweet rice balls in fermented rice wine, each bowl containing two.
Rong Shaoze pushed his bowl towards her and said indifferently, "Don’t you love them? Here, you can have mine as well."
"You’re not having any?"
"I’m not fond of these kinds of things."
"I can’t finish them all by myself," Lin Xinlan said helplessly, her appetite was not that big, two were enough for her.
Rong Shaoze insisted firmly, "You’ll have to eat them even if you can’t finish."