Eating and Holding Hands, Both Leisurely

At the mini hotpot buffet, not only did they have individual hotpots, but the two-person tables also offered a BBQ option with an extra grill installed for roasting meat.

Even though it was noon, there were hardly any people in the shop. A quick glance revealed only a scattered few. The dishes on the conveyor belt kept going round and round, and who knows how long they had been out.

The advantage of a two-person table was the extra grill. The price was also a bit higher than two single tables, but it was still within Xia Yanchun's acceptable range. If she said she was going to ruthlessly fleece Shen Nian, then she had to do exactly that.

It was a bit warm in the shop. Xia Yanchun rolled up her sleeves to mix the dipping sauce. My dipping sauce is so good, even a shoe insole would taste delicious dipped in it.

Classic, Shen Nian smiled, getting up to fetch some food.

There was no rotary conveyor belt on the two-person table side. If you wanted food, you had to get it yourself. The shop had dedicated food shelves where white mist billowed out like a fountain.

Shen Nian picked up some beef. When he reached the fruit and vegetable section, he was surprised to find cherries, and they were quite large too.

In Shen Nian's memory, the price of cherries had always been quite high; judging by the price, they could be considered the aristocrats of fruits.

Round skin, plump flesh... Damn, these cherries were so tempting, he just had to ruthlessly devour them into his stomach.

So, Shen Nian took a large bowl full of cherries.

Hmm? They actually have cherries here? Xia Yanchun was also a bit surprised.

I'll go get some more.

Go on, go on.

They might not eat enough meat to break even, but Xia Yanchun really wanted to try these cherries.

It was obvious the boss was very generous.

The last time she went to the market to buy fruit, she didn't even dare to buy cherries that cost over forty yuan a jin, and those beautifully packaged fruit gift boxes were terrifyingly expensive.

They each took a large bowl. They originally came for lunch, but almost turned it into a fruit buffet.

Just eating fruit definitely wouldn't do. Xia Yanchun ate until she was half full before she started putting food in to boil in the hotpot and roast on the grill.

Shen Nian wanted to grab the tongs to flip the meat, but Xia Yanchun pulled the tongs back, refusing to let him take them.

Don't move, I'll cook for you.

...There's such a good deal?

I'm in charge of cooking, and you're in charge of eating as much as you want. No need to be polite with me.

Shen Nian chuckled softly, This is a buffet, sis.

I know. If we were at any other restaurant, I wouldn't say this.

...

Silly Chun was surprisingly honest.

Since things had come to this, Shen Nian had no choice but to act like an emperor, waiting for Xia Yanchun to place the cooked and grilled meat onto his plate.

The hotpot was a sour tomato soup. It wasn't as fragrant as a beef tallow hotpot, but it was decent enough. Dipped in Xia Yanchun's custom sauce, it tasted mind-blowingly good.

Shen Nian ate very quickly. Once he finished what was on his plate, he pulled Xia Yanchun's small hand onto his lap, rubbing and squeezing it, feeling thoroughly delighted.

Xia Yanchun held a slotted spoon in one hand, fishing around in the hotpot. She finally managed to scoop up a few slices of duck blood, but accidentally let them slip back into the pot. She gave Shen Nian a resentful look and pouted, I can't even fish things out properly with you doing this.

Hurry up and fish them out. Shen Nian let go of her.

Xia Yanchun quickly scooped out all the meat slices and vegetables from the pot, swiftly flipped all the meat on the baking pan, piled food into Shen Nian's bowl, and then reached her hand back onto Shen Nian's lap.

She didn't eat much; the fruits had filled up more than half her stomach. Eating a bit more meat was enough for her, so now she was just watching Shen Nian eat.

Every time she cooked a huge pile of food and watched Shen Nian finish it, she would marvel at his appetite, feeling like he could eat her up too.

Moreover, this guy had to squeeze her hand after every bite. Eating and holding hands were supposed to be leisurely activities, but Shen Nian looked a bit overwhelmed.

Shen Nian was kind of silly.

What are you looking at me for? You're a total pervert.

Hmph, I'm cooking for you and you actually scold me.

Is telling the truth considered scolding?

I'll hit you. Xia Yanchun pinched Shen Nian's fingers, pinching them until her fingertips turned white, but Shen Nian didn't even frown.

After scooping out three more plates of food for Shen Nian and eating for an hour, Xia Yanchun finally heard him burp.

Full?

Seventy percent full.

You definitely have to poop three times a day, Xia Yanchun leaned close to his ear and whispered her complaint.

Bro, we're eating and you're talking about this.

Hehe, you're almost full anyway.

Is seventy percent full considered full?

Still eating?

Stop talking and keep cooking.

Oh, oh.

Xia Yanchun really didn't know what to do with Shen Nian. She went to get a few more plates of meat and put them in the hotpot to boil.

At this point, Xia Yanchun didn't even know if she was ruthlessly fleecing Shen Nian or comfortably serving him a meal.

Shen Nian propped up his chin. When he had no food to eat, he ate fruits.

He could always eat a lot. Because of his High Spirits, his body could always be maintained in optimal condition. It was fine when he was just sitting in the classroom studying, but once he exercised, or rather, started consuming energy, he would get hungry very quickly...

Before his grades were as good as they are now, when he was working hard to memorize English vocabulary and ancient Chinese poems, he got hungry even faster and ate even more than he does now.

Now that his energy consumption from studying had gone down, otherwise, he could definitely eat even more.

The food he ate all became consumables for High Spirits.

Nearing two o'clock, Shen Nian didn't even know how much food he had eaten. The stacked plates had been cleared away by the waiters round after round.

I feel like you've eaten enough to break even.

Guaranteed. Shen Nian flashed an OK sign.

He had eaten a massive amount of cherries alone. This was the easiest time ever to break even.

Let's go, let's go! Xia Yanchun patted her butt and stood up.

After stepping out of the restaurant, she raised her arm and sniffed, confirming there was no smell, then leaned over to sniff Shen Nian.

The smell of the sour tomato soup wasn't as strong as the beef tallow hotpot. Fortunately, there was no odor; otherwise, she would have to borrow some fresh fragrance spray from other girls when she got to the classroom.

Looking at Shen Nian's unzipped jacket, Xia Yanchun couldn't resist and reached her small hand up to feel around.

Hmm, his abs hadn't disappeared.

What are you doing?

Touching your stomach.

I'm asking why you're touching my stomach...

Nothing, I was just afraid you ate too much and made your abs disappear.

What's wrong? Do you only like me because I have abs? I couldn't tell, Xia Yanchun, that you were actually after my body. Well, there's nothing I can do about it. I'll just have to surrender myself to you tonight.

Get lost, get lost, get lost!

Xia Yanchun huffed angrily and quickly ran ahead, leaving Shen Nian with the view of her cute ponytail.

...

Buying bubble tea took some time, and it was almost time for class by the time they got back to the classroom.

Shiyan, your bubble tea.

Chun is the best, Chun is the greatest! Li Shiyan squinted her eyes. Having a less-ice bubble tea to drink right after waking up, was this heaven?

Ahem, I bought this, Shen Nian spawned next to them and interjected.

He was the one who paid for it; it wouldn't be right if she didn't say a few nice words to him.

Li Shiyan glanced up at Shen Nian and numbly took a sip of the sweet bubble tea.

Thank you...

Not Shen Nian is the best? Shen Nian rubbed his chin. This hateful little loli dared to treat them differently; she was courting death.

Shen Nian is the best... Li Shiyan said in a tiny voice.

That's right, that's right. Shen Nian was satisfied now.

Ignore him. He's too full and has nothing better to do, acting crazy. Xia Yanchun gave a sweatdrop expression, pulling Li Shiyan along to ignore him, protecting her Bestie from being kicked around like a cotton ball by Shen Nian.

Shen Nian picked his ear, pretending he didn't hear a thing.

This little cutie was so adorable. If he didn't tease her more now, he wouldn't get the chance to do so once they went off to different universities after the college entrance exams.

Shen Nian actually felt a bit reluctant; after all, it would be hard to find such an adorable and easy target to tease in the future.