Thanks to Fellow Reader 1326711079 for the support, thanks to Mr. Gu for the support, thanks to "āáǎà" for the support, and congratulations to "āáǎà" for becoming a Disciple. Thank you, brothers, for your support!
"Damn it, Puge, you just ate one of my sprouted rice grains." Zhou Xingxing’s eyes were practically drooling, saliva nearly escaping his mouth, as he suddenly remembered something.
Without hesitation, Zhou Xingxing immediately reached out and grabbed a handful of peanuts from the dish next to Xiaobudian Under the Grapevine’s clear soup noodles.
"Oh my, you can’t do this right now," Xiaobudian Under the Grapevine exclaimed in shock, hurriedly reaching out to stop the hand that Zhou Xingxing was extending.
However, Zhou Xingxing was incredibly fast; Xiaobudian Under the Grapevine couldn’t even react before Zhou Xingxing pinched a peanut and tossed it straight into his mouth.
Zhou Xingxing immediately started chewing.
"Hey Xingzi, you can’t keep eating mine!" Xiaobudian Under the Grapevine’s face twitched as he quickly surrounded the chili sauce and peanuts with his hands, protectively securing them.
"Look at you, acting as if you didn’t eat mine just now," Zhou Xingxing snorted disdainfully, his eyes now closed as he began to savor the delicious fragrance.
"This is just too good," Zhou Xingxing murmured softly, reveling in the wonderful aroma.
"Brother Zhou, if you like it, why not just order a dish of peanuts for only two hundred bucks," Li Changlin said with a chuckle as he watched Zhou Xingxing make a fool of himself.
"What, you can order just peanuts?" At this revelation, Zhou Xingxing could no longer remain composed and quickly opened his eyes, "Changlin, you’re not being fair, why didn’t you tell me sooner?"
"You didn’t ask me," Li Changlin said, spreading his hands, "and it’s clearly written on the menu—one dish of peanuts for two hundred, plus a serving of chili sauce for 588."
"Got it, got it. Miss Lin, would you mind getting me another dish of chili sauce and a dish of peanuts, please?" Just then, Lin Ruonan came out of the kitchen. She had gone in earlier to order fried rice for Zhou Xingxing.
Upon hearing Zhou Xingxing’s new request, even the good-natured Lin Ruonan couldn’t help but twitch.
Seeing that this wouldn’t end well, Li Changlin promptly stood up and said, "Alright, alright, Ruonan, you sit down and take a break, I’ll go talk to Boss Qian."
There was no helping it; Li Changlin had realized that Lin Ruonan wasn’t actually a waitress at this restaurant.
She was best friends with Qian Ziwei, and they had reunited after being apart for quite some time. Lin Ruonan probably felt lost in the moment, so she was just pitching in at Qian Ziwei’s restaurant.
"I should go instead, other people aren’t allowed in Ziwei’s kitchen," Lin Ruonan said, regaining her composure, "Your friends have come all this way, Changlin; you stay and chat with them."
With that, Lin Ruonan turned again and headed toward Qian Ziwei’s kitchen.
Li Changlin shook his head helplessly and sat back down, "Brother Zhou, now you should realize that I wasn’t boasting earlier!"
"That’s right, I’m grateful to you," Zhou Xingxing nodded continuously, "You’re a livestreamer on Endless, right? Fine, when you start your stream tonight, I’ll give you a Diamond Guardian."
At hearing this, Li Changlin suddenly started coughing, "You see, Brother Zhou, Brother Grape has already set up a Diamond Guardian for me."
"He did his, I’ll do mine," Zhou Xingxing waved off dismissively, "It’s just a Diamond Guardian, it’s not a big deal!"
"Then I’ll have to thank Brother Zhou," Li Changlin said, unable to decline the generous offer any longer. He nodded in agreement.
But he hadn’t expected Zhou Xingxing to be so wealthy, apparently worth quite a fortune himself.
Li Changlin was filled with anticipation at the thought of Zhou Xingxing setting him up with a Diamond Guardian.
Soon, Lin Ruonan came out again. This time she carried an egg fried rice combo meal, along with an additional dish of hot sauce and a dish of peanuts.
"That’s fantastic," exclaimed Zhou Xingxing, who couldn’t wait a moment longer and quickly stood up to meet her.
"What a foodie," Li Changlin commentend, unable to hold back a laugh at Zhou Xingxing’s eagerness.
By that time, Li Changlin had long finished his own portion of egg fried rice, but he didn’t order more.
After all, he wasn’t like Xiaobudian Under the Grapevine and Zhou Xingxing, who had been to Qian Ziwei’s restaurant and spent quite a bit several times.
Another important reason was that Li Changlin lived in the nearby community. If he wanted to eat, he could come over anytime. It wasn’t a big deal.
Not long after, Xiaobudian Under the Grapevine and Zhou Xingxing had finished eating. Li Changlin then asked Lin Ruonan to inquire with Qian Ziwei about the total cost.
Though Qian Ziwei had previously mentioned it was on the house, Xiaobudian Under the Grapevine and Zhou Xingxing had ordered an extra two combo meals. Furthermore, Zhou Xingxing had ordered an extra dish of hot sauce and peanuts. Li Changlin felt it wouldn’t be right to let Qian Ziwei absorb those costs on her own.
"No need," Lin Ruonan said, smiling and stopping Li Changlin in his tracks. "Ziwei already told me that she’s got this meal covered."
Seeing her best friend’s business thrive always filled Lin Ruonan with joy for Qian Ziwei.
"Okay then, Ruonan, please go thank Boss Qian for me. Also, there’s another thing. I was thinking of doing a live stream at her restaurant tomorrow afternoon. What do you think?" Li Changlin felt somewhat embarrassed as he made the request.
After all, he’d just eaten thousands of yuan worth of food for free, and now he had the gall to ask for a favor.
There was also a much bigger reason behind his request: Li Changlin needed to find an opportunity to kiss Qian Ziwei.
This was quite an imposition, he thought.
However, to complete his mission, Li Changlin readied himself to go all in.
He felt utterly dejected at the thought, and his heart was filled with waves of gloom.
"Alright, you guys wait for me outside." The restaurant was a bit crowded, with about twenty or thirty people still waiting in line. Lin Ruonan told Li Changlin, then turned and walked back into Qian Ziwei’s kitchen.
"Brother Grape, Brother Zhou, let’s wait outside!" Li Changlin said, finding Zhou Xingxing’s lingering desire for the meal somewhat amusing.
But thinking it over, he couldn’t really blame Zhou Xingxing. After all, he himself had been utterly stunned during his first meal at the restaurant.
The three of them went outside, and before long, Lin Ruonan also emerged.
"Ruonan, you head to my place first. I’ll go with Brother Grape to find a hotel and book a room for Brother Zhou," Li Changlin said as he handed his keys to Lin Ruonan, guessing she had her own reasons for seeking him out.