16 vinegar

From chicken katsu don to nabe yaki udon soup, Xu Wenqi had a hard time controlling the drool that was coming out of her mouth. Ordering dishes fit for two people, she was eager to stuff her hungry mouth. After the waiter had closed the shōji and left the private room, Xu Wenqi was left alone. At the moment, she slightly wished for a friend to chat with. However, she wasn't interested in any of the original owner's plastic sister friends.

'There's no use in being rich when she didn't even have any real friends to laugh and talk with. A meal is always better with good company,' she thought while sighing deeply. 'How could the original owner even have the appetite to eat and maintain a fake friendly appearance at the same time?'

Xu Wenqi looked slightly downcast for a moment. In fact, she was no better than the real owner. At the very least, the original owner had friends. Xu Wenqi didn't even have any in this world. Nor did she have any family here either.

Rubbing her astringent nose, she decided to distract herself again and think about some other topic instead. She didn't want to cry again in the restaurant. It was too embarrassing if the waiter suddenly showed up and saw her tearing up sadly alone.

'Ahem, ah...I'm really busy. Ahh, I still have to pick out something for Shen Yue. Oh, I don't know what to get him still.'

She glanced around the room absentmindedly and her eyes fell on the bonsai tree decor placed at the corner of the room.

She arched her eyebrows slightly and considered, 'A plant? Or maybe flowers?'

The vivid image of her wooing the big villain with an extravagant ninety-nine crimson rose bouquet appeared in her mind. Perhaps she should show up with one of the roses in her mouth and an expensive sports car parked next to her as she leans on it in a nonchalant manner. And maybe in the background, there would be a thousand fireworks with an airplane writing the words "I love you" with its jet stream. Imagining this scene and Shen Yue's hypothetical reaction made Xu Wenqi laugh softly.

'How would he react if I did all those things like in a movie?' she thought amusingly. 'I bet he would immediately pull out a gun to shoot me or sharpen his knife to stab me.'

Shaking her head mirthfully, she reflected on other alternatives.

'A plant is not a bad idea but it feels too plain. But then again, he already has everything. If I gift him a watch or tie, it wouldn't have much meaning…'

The sliding of the shōji interrupted her thoughts and the overwhelming rich fragrance of the dishes wholly dominated her senses. Xu Wenqi forgot everything she was thinking about and transformed into a gluttonous pig. Thanking the waiter courteously, she picked up her black lacquered chopsticks and quickly placed a steaming piece of chicken katsu in her mouth. The crisp savory taste swirled in her mouth, making Xu Wenqi want to moan.

'That man really didn't lie, ah! This taste is too heavenly! I'm about to ascend to another dimension. Really, the chicken can rival the food cooked in Shen Yue's house, aghhh!'

While Xu Wenqi was having the best lunch since transmigrating, Shen Yue was skipping lunch again for the third time of the week. If it wasn't for the report from Driver Zhong, Secretary Chen would not have bothered to knock on Shen Yue's office door just before lunch. In his earlier years, Secretary Chen would come to Shen Yue's office to urge him to head to the company cafeteria for lunch. However, his results were always futile as Shen Yue would never listen and continued to work at his desk. Secretary Chen had given up long ago and it was the first time in several years that he had shown up at Shen Yue's office at lunchtime.

Hearing the light knock, Shen Yue, without looking up from his computer, commanded, "Come in."

Pulling the glass door, Secretary Chen walked in front of Shen Yue's desk and bowed before reporting the latest news from Driver Zhong.

"He mentioned that Ms. Xu was looking for places to have lunch before a young man approached her. After a brief conversation, he recommended her to a high-end Japanese restaurant and asked for her number."

Secretary Chen glanced at Shen Yue's face. As expected, not even a fraction of his face changed. Shen Yue was still typing diligently at a fast, stable pace without the slightest emotional fluctuation. What Secretary Chen did not notice was the fact that Shen Yue's entire body stiffened for a minuscule of a second when he heard the last part of the sentence.

Continuing, Secretary Chen said, "However, Ms. Xu rejected him saying the words, 'I have a boyfriend.' After that, she entered a private room by herself."

"She didn't contact anyone?" inquired Shen Yue coolly.

"No."

"No note was passed in between the food?"

"No, Driver Zhong bribed the waiters to check and everything was clear," answered Secretary Chen.

"En. You can go out now."

Bowing once again, Secretary Chen took his leave to head outside for lunch. After dealing with this morning's stress, he was going to treat himself to a big meal.

'Alas, it's really not easy being me,' he sighed.

Shen Yue was still immersed in his thoughts after Secretary Chen's exit, thus causing him to accidentally mistype several words. His eyes darkened as he realized what he had typed. The phrases "lunch" and "number" lied next to the blinking black cursor. Never had he once lost concentration during work.

'The woman pretends to care in one moment and is already flirting with a different man in another,' he jeeringly thought.

The smell of vinegar permeated the air, lacing the office room with a heavy acrid flavor.