Dinner [2]

Never in his life would he felt this type of magnetic pull towards a woman. He is a self-control man but every time he is with Shi Lian, he loses it, every single time. The moment he saw her in that sexy red wine dress, he regrets going outside for dinner. He wanted to hide her from other people's pervert stare on her which she will bestow given her dress. He thought before picking her up that he will be pursuing her slowly without forcing her or something like he did before but if she dresses like this and looks extremely gorgeous, he cannot think he can keep his promise. On top of that, she is sitting with him just a few inches far but still close, and damn he didn't get the idea of scooting closer to her, hold her hands and kiss her. He cannot help but stare at her, he was staring at her like a hungry predator that will capture her at any moment.

She rarely faced him when they had a little talk. He frowns as to why she is so unwilling to look at him. Does he look ugly? Or something else is the problem? He brushes off those thoughts because he doesn't ruin this night just because of his one-sided guesses.

The car stops in front of the Caipeng restaurant. The driver hurriedly frees from his seatbelt and goes to open the door for Zichen. Zichen hops out of the car and tells the driver that he will open the door for Shi Lian. The driver surprised nods and goes again to his driver seat. Zichen walks up to her side and opens the door for her. She gracefully steps out from the car and stands beside Zichen, keeping some distance. The driver drives the car to the parking lot after informing Zichen.

"Let's head inside. Shall we?" he asks and forwards his hand for her to place it on his. He smiles and waits for her action and to his surprise, she put her hand on his. They go inside the restaurant, both blushing on their own.

Caipeng restaurant is one of the best restaurants in Shanghai with its excellent professional chefs and mouth-watering dishes. The restaurant was labeled as the best last year and it was Zichen himself who awarded it. He bought the restaurant last year only. The manager was delighted and he didn't hesitate to sign the documents with him. It was profitable because Fu Internationals not only deals with fashion, it also bestows foods, automobiles, and hotels. The popularity of the restaurant skyrocketed after the announcement that Zichen owned this place. Everyone in the city knows except for Shi Lian. She has no idea that the restaurant is owned by Zichen and he has no intention to disclose it either.

"Have you been here before?" he asks as they enter inside from the main door.

"No. It's my first time" she replies, observing the interior of the restaurant. She instantly likes the environment inside and feels excited to dine here. The place does look extravagant but they also provided it with simple looks as well. The fresh plants outside the restaurant give a fresh feeling when you enter inside. The chocolate brown walls, leather sofas, and pop paintings are really looking great together. Zichen already told the staff to book a table, well he doesn't have to because he is the owner but he felt like he should.

"Here" he shows her the table he booked. Pulling out the chair for her he gestures her to sit. She blushes but did as he orders. He takes his seat opposite her, facing her. Shi Lian is impressed by his behavior today. She thought he would act the usual self like a bossy pervert but she is amused by the way he is paying attention to her. Surprisingly, she likes that he is investing all his attention in her, she likes the way he is staring at her. They stare at each other with an intense burn that one could actually feel the pull. The waiter arrives making them come to reality.

"Hello Mr. Fu, hello Ma'am" greets the waiter, "May I take your orders?"

They haven't checked the menu yet so Shi Lian requests the waiter to wait for a while as she decides what she wants.

"The regular for you sir?" he asks, turning to Fu Zichen with a professional smile. Shi Lian glances at him when she hears the waiter saying regularly. Is he a regular customer here? Does he own this place as well? Numerous questions pop into her mind but she waited for them to talk first and then she can ask him about it.

"No, Lan. Not today. Bring Changyu AFIP No.1" Fu Zichen orders with a knowing nod to the waiter. The waiter disappears to bring the most expensive wine for them. He sure is the wealthiest bachelor in entire Asia. The females present in the restaurant are all drooling and gawking over Zichen. It's not a new thing for him to have such a strong aura and presence in the social circles, he has always been the center of attention.

"You decided?" he asks her. She shook her head and think about what she wants to eat. All the dishes look appealing so it's hard to order one. "Veal with au miro sauce….I would like to have this" she finally decided and waited for the waiter to come with the wine.

Two minutes later, the waiter arrives with the wine Zichen has ordered him. He opens the cork of the bottle and pours the wine elegantly into the wine glass. The luscious red wine smells luxurious and she guesses that only people like Fu Zichen can afford such a delicacy.

"May I take your orders?" he asks with a polite smile, facing Shi Lian. Seeing him smiling at her that Zichen gets annoyed.

"I would like to have veal with au miro sauce. Thank you" she says pointing at the dish from the menu card.

"Very well, ma'am. The veal is one of our best selling dishes and is prepared by our famous chef Tianhua." Commends he and never fails to show his charming white teeth.

"I'll have the same" Zichen speaks with an annoying tone. He cannot help but get jealous of the way she is smiling at him too. She always wore a poker face, she never laughed in front of him and how can she? He never made any action that would bring a smile to her face.

"Yes sir. The dishes will be here in few minutes. Please enjoy the wine" he says in a hurry and vanishes back into the kitchen.

Shi Lian takes a sip of the wine and she instantly likes it. The wine is chilled and the crispy feeling with a little sweetness and sourness is just so refined. She never had any wine like this. She is thinking she should start drinking this but is afraid of what will happen next.

"Do you like it?" he asks, watching her expressions and he already knows she did. The way her face tells what she is thinking is just so cute. She gulped down the wine and he knew she liked it.

"Yeah. I never had such delectable wine before" she smiles as she expresses.

"Glad you like it. Do you want another glass?"

She hesitates as she is unsure if it's highly alcoholic or not. She wants to have more but she should be that greedy and let her health go bad. "Um..no. I am fine"

"It's low alcoholic content and it's good for your health as well. Don't think too much just enjoy" he assures and this time he didn't mock her like how he always did. He was observing her when she took time to answer and her expression told him that she is unsure of it. Her face is like an open book, he thinks and smiles. She is not an open book nor is her face, it's him who can read her expressions like no other.

He pours the delectable wine into her glass. She felt relieved when he assured her before. She holds the glass up to her mouth and takes a sip of that wonderful wine. Oh, man! She is liking it more and more, it's like a heaven's drink and she wants more and more.

The dish arrives. The same average height, charming white teeth waiter comes with his two hands full with two plates of their orders. He places the one from his right hand in front of Shi Lian and the other in front of Zichen. "Please, feel free if you have any requirements."

The waiter moves to another table to take other people's orders leaving the two of them to eat their food.

"This looks appetizing" she compliments the dish and she can't wait to dig in.

"Taste it to know if it's really appetizing or not" he smirks, watching her looking at the dish expectantly.

Without waiting she holds the fork and knife and takes the first bite of the luxurious veal. The soft meat is so tender that it just melts into her mouth and the sauce, sauce is out of the world. The sauce is complimenting the veal very well and that authentic taste is something new but greatly delightful.

They eat their food in silence, in a comfortable way. A while later, Zichen orders dessert for them both and this time Zichen orders it before she can. She drinks almost four glasses of wine and still, she wants more. He was right, the wine contains very little alcohol and she is happy is not drunk yet. Without caring, she gulps down another glass of wine, making Zichen watch her with amusement.