Sweet Beloved Reborn

Proofread by Liang Yaping

Song Qinghuan doesn’t know the guilty pleasure in Xu Ningzhou’s mind at the moment. She knows that this is Xu Ningzhou’s territory, so she cannot fight face to face with him. The social experience of the previous life warns Song Qinghuan that it is better not to offend men like Xu Ningzhou, even if you don’t like them. Otherwise, you are just asking for trouble.

“Have lunch first.”

Xu Ningzhou locks Song Qinghuan’s suitcase in the trunk. After getting off the car, Song Qinghuan thinks that Xu Ningzhou, a kind of playboy, will order a luxurious restaurant, but he doesn’t, instead he chooses a private restaurant elegantly decorated.

The name of the restaurant is “The Pleasure of Eating Fishing”.

The moment she sees the name, Song Qinghuan becomes less impatient.

“Master Xu, welcome.” After seeing Xu Ningzhou come in, the waiter in the restaurant greets him with a familiar tone and leads the way ahead.

The private restaurant is decorated in a bamboo pavilion style, that is, the decorations inside are all modified with bamboo. This restaurant seems to echo the sound of tinkling water, with a view to relieving the impetuosity in summer with the fragrant smell of bamboo, which successfully creates a quiet and comfortable environment.

In the hall of the restaurant all the independent small rooms are elegantly decorated with bamboo curtains.

The rule of this restaurant is to reserve ten tables at most every day. When the reservation is full, it will not welcome extra customers and order. The dishes will be changed with the mood of the boss every day. Money being no problem, the boss opens this restaurant only for the very pleasure of cooking itself. His cooking skill is of top level. As an old saying goes, “Money talks.”

Xu Ningzhou’s elegant and noble temperament matches well with the private room. While greeting Song Qinghuan to take a seat, he unties his cufflinks and rolls his sleeves up, revealing his arms with beautiful muscle lines.

Song Qinghuan sits down and watches him quietly. Xu Ningzhou is very handsome, especially his deep and charming eyes. Even if he changes his career, becoming a star, he will definitely overshadow other young and popular stars.

Xu Ningzhou picks up the ceramic teapot on the table to pour tea after rolling up his sleeves. Unsurprisingly, he hands the first cup of tea to Song Qinghuan, saying: “Drink a cup of honey lemon tea as an appetizer.”

Song Qinghuan is very careful of Xu Ningzhou. After taking the teacup with both hands, she says to Xu Ningzhou, “Thank you.” But she does not drink it first.

Xu Ningzhou drinks a cup of tea, puts down his teacup and leans back on the chair. He puts his right hand on the table, taps his fingers on it and looks at Song Qinghuan with a smile, saying: “Relax. I won’t eat you.”

Song Qinghuan thinks that she is unfamiliar with him, and he is still in the same line with Song Shuyao, so how can she be relaxed? But she cannot say it out. Song Qinghuan just takes a sip of tea, which is slightly astringent and cool when being swallowed, saying: “How do you want to revenge on me?”

“Huh?” Xu Ningzhou rubs his chin with his fingers. Looking at Song Qinghuan, he says, “What about eating and drinking with me?”

Song Qinghuan frowns slightly, biting her lower lip and asking, “For how long?”

Xu Ningzhou does not expect her to be so decisive, joking: “A week?”

“Deal,” Song Qinghuan picks up the teapot to pour tea for Xu Ningzhou. “A week later, we’ll be square. I hope you won’t bother me at that time.”

Xu Ningzhou’s eyes are full of sweet and charming smile. He shrugs his shoulders and promises happily.

Finding trouble? It never happens from beginning to end, OK?

“Oh, you’re on time at last today,” says the man, wearing a black-and-white striped apron. He pushes a small dining car into the elegant room and is stunned when he sees a beauty sitting opposite Xu Ningzhou. “Who is this?”

“Song Qinghuan, my friend.” Xu Ningzhou stands up to help serve the dishes. He introduces quite frankly, “This is Sun Jiayu, my uncle.”

“Your friend…” says Sun Jiayu, thinking that he comes with her alone, she must be his girlfriend.

In his thirties, the man is as gentle as Englishmen. He smiles at Song Qinghuan and says, “Hello, I’m the boss here.”

“Hello.” Song Qinghuan finds that today’s dishes are all made of lemon, bright in color and extremely fragrant in flavor.

They make people mouth-watering!

Sun Jiayu is the boss and chef of “The Pleasure of Eating Fish”. He has a warm temperament, and his voice is gentle when he speaks.

He introduces to the two: “Today the special is lemon. Ningzhou says that you don’t like meat that much, so I prepare seafood. The main dishes are fish with lemon and fresh pepper, shrimp ball inlemon and vanilla flavor, and sliced lemon salad with sugar.”

“Ah?” Song Qinghuan takes a surprised look at Xu Ningzhou, then she is a little embarrassed and says to the boss, “Thank you.”

“It doesn’t matter. I hope you have a good meal.” Sun Jiayu goes out laughing and pushing his dining car. When he leaves, he turns his back to Song Qinghuan and blinks vaguely at Xu Ningzhou.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Xu Ningzhou pretends not to see it.

The table is a small round table. When Xu Ningzhou serves, he puts the fish with lemon and fresh pepper on his left side.

On the golden fish soup, there are green peppers and small line peppers which are cut into circles. A circle of lemon slices is set on the side like a small sun. When the heated rapeseed oil is poured on, the pleasant sound can be heard. A slight smell makes the delicious smell of lemon, fresh peppers and fish with spicy fragrance assail your nostrils, which stirs up people’s appetite in the hot summer.

“Try the fish first.” Xu Ningzhou gently picks a piece of fish, dips it in the soup and puts it in Song Qinghuan’s bowl.

“Thank you. I’ll do it myself.” Song Qinghuan takes her chopsticks with her left hand, picks the fish slice and puts it into her mouth. Suddenly, a strong smell of sour and spicy comes, but the flavor is not that simple and rough. When the fish slices slip slowly across her throat, a faint aroma of lemon reaches the tip of her tongue. With the golden soup, it tastes soft, mellow and delicious.

Song Qinghuan’s big, watery eyes brighten at once. She asks, “Is this sole fish?”

“Yes.” Xu Ningzhou looks at her left hand holding her chopsticks, and the smile in his eyes overflowing, saying: “Eat at ease. Don’t worry about the fishbones.”

Song Qinghuan purses her lips and looks at Xu Ningzhou with complicated eyes, but she soon lowers her eyelids and eats carefully.

She knows that Xu Ningzhou has done a research on her, but she doesn’t know why he did that. She dislikes eating meat, which is a sequela of the kidnapping. She likes seafood, such as fish, but she is fed up with fishbones.

In the process of eating, Xu Ningzhou behaves himself well. He knows that song Qinghuan doesn’t know him very well, so he controls the rhythm very well which will neither make her think that he is courteous nor make her feel embarrassed because of alienation.

With delicious dishes, Song Qinghuan does feel warm in her heart.

Song Qinghuan suddenly remembers what Xu Ningzhou said in the car. He is a gentleman.