190: Encounter at a hot pot restaurant

“I really want to eat hotpot. I haven't had it in so long. Can we have hotpot?”

“Okay, then let's have hotpot.”

...The consequence of Li Chuxia's desire for hotpot...

...was that she and Chen Su waited in line for two full hours.

It wasn't until 8:30 that they finally heard their number called by the machine at the entrance.

“Chen Su, it's our turn.”

Li Chuxia quickly stood up and pulled Chen Su toward the entrance.

“This is our number!”

The waiter greeted them politely, “Alright, this way please!”

Then, the waiter led the way.

He brought Li Chuxia and Chen Su to a table that had just been cleared... The two of them ordered a four-grid pot.

They ordered a spicy broth, a tomato broth, and a mushroom broth.

The last grid was left for plain water.

Chen Su looked at the QR code menu on his phone and asked Li Chuxia.

“Do you dare to eat pig brains?”

Li Chuxia had never eaten such a thing before.

Hearing the words "pig brains," Li Chuxia's first instinct was that it would be hard to swallow.

But if Chen Su liked it, she was willing to give it a try.

She said slowly, “I've never had it. Is it good?”

“I think it's delicious, but many people are afraid to try it. If you're not up for it, we won't order it.”

“Order it, I want to try it too,” Li Chuxia said hurriedly... After they finished ordering, the waiter brought the food out quickly.

pig brains need to be cooked for a long time, so Chen Su used a spoon to lower them into the mushroom broth.

Then, the two began to cook the fatty beef and lamb rolls... It seemed like a reflex.

From the moment he sat down, Chen Su became busy.

When the beef was cooked, he placed it in Li Chuxia's bowl.

When the lamb was cooked, he also placed it in Li Chuxia's bowl.

When the shrimp were cooked, he shelled them and gave them to Li Chuxia as well.

Li Chuxia's gaze remained fixed on the busy Chen Su.

Naturally, she noticed that Chen Su's bowl was empty.

“You should eat too. Why do you keep giving everything to me?”

She transferred the fatty beef, shrimp paste, and lamb rolls from her bowl into Chen Su's... Chen Su said, “You eat first. It's so late, you must be starving.”

Seeing that Chen Su wanted to give the meat back to her, Li Chuxia stared at him and said.

“Was it like this when you used to eat hotpot with Xu Jing? You'd only eat after she was full?”

“Uh~, not exactly. I ate too.”

Chen Su felt a bit awkward; in the past, it really had been just as Li Chuxia described.

Whenever he went out to eat with Xu Jing, Chen Su would take meticulous care of her.

“I'd be surprised if you actually ate,” Li Chuxia rolled her eyes... Since it was Li Chuxia's first time eating pig brains.

Chen Su was worried they wouldn't be cooked through if left for too short a time.

The pig brains in the pot were cooked for a full twenty minutes before he fished them out.

After taking them out, he placed the pig brains in a small dish on the side and picked up a small piece.

He dipped it in some dry dipping powder and placed it in Li Chuxia's bowl.

“Try it first. If you don't like it, just spit it out.”

Li Chuxia gently put it in her mouth and chewed a few times.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up.

“Mmm~, pig brains are actually this delicious!! They're soft, tender, and smooth—rich and creamy, just like eating bone marrow.”

“Good, right? I really like eating this too.”

Chen Su smiled and placed another piece in her bowl.

One serving of pig brains was quickly finished between the two of them.

Li Chuxia still wanted more, clamoring for another piece... Just as the two were eating happily, two figures walked into the hotpot restaurant.

A man and a woman.

The man looked very imposing and tall, while the woman was quite beautiful.

The waiter led the two of them to a corner table.

Chen Su had his back to the door and didn't see who had arrived.

Li Chuxia, sitting opposite him, immediately noticed that the newcomer was He Youwen, Chen Su's college roommate.

She had interacted with Chen Su's roommates to some extent before.

“I think I see your classmate who's a police officer.”

“Where?”

Chen Su put down his chopsticks and looked around but didn't see He Youwen.

“In the corner by the window, behind you to the left. There's a girl with him.”

Chen Su followed Li Chuxia's direction and turned to look.

“Hey, it really is him!!”

“Should we go over and say hello?”

“No rush!”

Chen Su pulled out his phone and took a close-up photo of He Youwen and the girl sitting opposite him.

Then, he sent it to the dormitory group chat.

[Chen Su: Shocking gossip!!]

[He Youwen eating with a girl.jpg]

[Ye Sheng: Awesome!! Still waters run deep, huh~~]

[Feng Wenjun: I bet a pack of spicy strips that there's definitely a secret between Xiao Wenzi and this girl~]

[Chen Su: You guys should've seen it; Xiao Wenzi has been grinning since he walked into the shop. He looks so happy!!]

...In the corner of the hotpot restaurant.

“Officer He, I'm really sorry about what happened last time. To show my apology, I'll toast you with tea instead of wine. Cheers.”

The girl sitting across from He Youwen raised her teacup and drained it in one go.

“Ning Ruonan, it's no big deal. Don't take it to heart.”

The girl's name was Ning Ruonan.

Most people might not recognize that name.

But if her deeds were mentioned, probably half of Maple City would know her.

She was the sister-in-law of that famous, talkative, wealthy driver.

The sister of the notorious Maple City Super Male Driver.

Ning Ruonan, known as the Female Demon of Maple City Ride-hailing.

As for how she and He Youwen met.

That was thanks to Chen Su... That day, Chen Su had invited Zhang Bingchun and Shen Minghua to dinner and called him along as well.

Everyone had been drinking at the dinner party.

Before leaving, Chen Su insisted on swapping taxis with He Youwen.

And so, He Youwen was lucky enough to get into Ning Ruonan's car.

For a distance of only five or six kilometers, Ning Ruonan drove for a full five hours before finally delivering He Youwen to the Wenchang District Public Security Sub-bureau.

By the time they arrived, the sky was already beginning to brighten.

He Youwen, who was exhausted, didn't scold Ning Ruonan after getting out of the car.

He even reminded her to drive carefully on her way back...

It was the first time Ning Ruonan had ever encountered a passenger who didn't curse at her after getting out.

She felt extremely guilty.

After going back and sleeping, she went to the Wenchang District Public Security Sub-bureau to ask about He Youwen.

She planned to invite him to dinner to apologize.

But He Youwen had been too busy lately and couldn't find the time.

Today was a rare day when He Youwen didn't have much overtime.

After work, he saw Ning Ruonan waiting for him at the entrance of his workplace again.

He Youwen felt it wasn't right to keep a girl waiting forever, so he finally agreed to have dinner with her.

But when they came over, he very gently asked Ning Ruonan to step out of the driver's seat.

He drove her car to the mall himself...

“Officer He, do you have any dietary restrictions? Let's order first!”

“None, I eat everything.”

...After He Youwen finished speaking, he glanced at his phone.

He saw 999+ unread messages in the dormitory group chat.

He clicked to open them.

He was instantly stunned on the spot...