After all that fuss, Shen Wanwan was obviously hungry.
“Want to go eat?”
Shao Yuye was in a great mood. “Sure. What do you want to eat?”
Shen Wanwan signaled for the driver to head to ‘Heart of the Capital1‘.
Brother Li, sitting nearby, looked like he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
There seemed to be only one restaurant near ‘Heart of the Capital’ with the same name, and it was quite famous…
The problem was that you had to fight for a reservation number first, and even after getting one, you still had to book about six months in advance.
Money alone couldn’t get you a table. No matter who you were, you had to wait in line like everyone else.
“You made a reservation?”
The corner of Shao Yuye’s mouth twitched as well.
“It’s just a restaurant. You have to reserve half a year ahead? Tsk.”
The moment he heard that kind of description, he instinctively felt it wasn’t his type.
Shen Wanwan nodded lightly.
“Other people need reservations.
“We don’t.”
The restaurant had originally been bought by Shen Rong as an eighteenth birthday gift for her, purely for her personal use.
Later, she felt it was a bit wasteful, so she opened it to the public. Over the years, the profits from this single restaurant alone had been enough to cover all of Shen Wanwan’s everyday expenses.
“Impressive.”
Brother Li was once again baptized by Shen Wanwan’s overwhelming wealth. His soul seemed to ascend on the spot.
“As expected of the richest man’s daughter. Wanwan, Yuye will be in your care from now on…”
Shen Wanwan was quite pleased by the praise and politely nodded at him.
Watching their interaction from the side, Shao Yuye silently ground his teeth, amused. He reached out and lightly knocked her on the head.
“You little vain devil.”
Shen Wanwan rubbed the spot where he’d tapped her and pouted.
“If you say that about me, I’m going to get angry!”
Shao Yuye: “!”
The destructive power of that sentence was, in his mind, comparable to an atomic bomb exploding.
He immediately rubbed her head again.
“Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. My little sister is the best sister in the entire world! And tonight you’re even treating your big brother to such an amazing restaurant. Ah, I must have accumulated blessings for eight lifetimes to deserve this!”
Shen Wanwan hadn’t been angry at all.
She was deliberately teasing him.
Leaning her forehead a little closer into his palm, she smiled.
“Then I’ll reluctantly forgive you~”
Shao Yuye played along.
“Thank you for your boundless generosity, Your Highness.”
She casually lifted a hand.
“It’s fine.”
While they were chatting, the car arrived at ‘Heart of the Capital’.
The restaurant was located on the top floor. Standing by the windows, one could take in the entire imperial city at a glance.
Shen Wanwan also arranged a private room for Brother Li and told him he could invite anyone he wanted tonight. All expenses would be covered by her.
Brother Li never expected to enjoy such benefits himself. He was so excited he nearly cried, grabbing Shao Yuye’s hand and saying repeatedly:
“Yuye, you really do have an amazing sister! All those hardships I went through following you were worth it, *sob sob*…”
Shao Yuye laughed helplessly.
“…A single meal is enough to buy you off?”
Brother Li corrected him seriously.
“This isn’t just a meal. This is the ultimate, invincible, royal-level luxury banquet.”
Shao Yuye: “…”
He had to admit that money really was useful.
After they sat down, Shen Wanwan asked:
“Any foods you can’t eat?”
“Nope.”
Shao Yuye glanced around.
The waitstaff stood respectfully nearby. Although a few of them visibly became excited when they recognized him, none of them behaved inappropriately.
Their service had excellent boundaries.
When you didn’t need them, they were practically invisible.
When you did need them, they appeared thoughtfully at your side.
Still, he wasn’t particularly fond of places like this.
Shao Hongyuan’s financial status hadn’t been weak either.
Whether because he disliked Shao Hongyuan or simply because such environments weren’t to his taste, compared to places like this, Shao Yuye preferred bustling street-side food stalls filled with sizzling oil and the aroma of spices.
The head chef enthusiastically introduced his signature dishes.
Whether elegant Western cuisine or various Chinese cuisines, he excelled at all of them—
From French, British, Italian, and American cuisine to Russian, German, Japanese, and Korean cuisine.
From Shandong, Sichuan, Cantonese, and Fujian dishes to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Anhui specialties.
Shen Wanwan casually ordered a few dishes depending on her mood.
As Shao Yuye flipped through the menu, his finger suddenly paused.
Curiously, he asked:
“Do you have málàtàng?”
Head Chef: “?”
You came to a place like this to eat spicy hot pot skewers?
Are you serious?!
The chef helplessly looked toward Shen Wanwan.
Closing the menu, Shen Wanwan glanced over casually.
“Can you make it?”
The chef answered quietly:
“…We can.”
Shao Yuye’s eyes lit up.
He set the menu aside and began ordering enthusiastically.
“I also want deep-fried stinky tofu. And some fried skewers. Is it too late in the season for crayfish?”
As he spoke, he even sighed regretfully.
Head Chef: “…”
It had to be said that this idol was genuinely down-to-earth.
After quite a while, the fried stinky tofu Shao Yuye had ordered was finally served.
The difference was obvious from the presentation alone.
Compared to the street-stall version casually served in a small plastic bowl—eight pieces for ten yuan—the plate brought out by the waiter contained only a pitifully tiny single piece.
The plating was exquisitely refined. It was served on an expensive gold-rimmed embossed plate, drizzled with just the right amount of rich, velvety sauce. The single piece of stinky tofu lay wrapped within it, its surface gleaming delicately under the lights.
Shao Yuye finished the entire piece in one bite.
Tsk.
His verdict?
Not as good as the roadside stalls.
After all, the roadside stalls gave much larger portions.
The fried skewers, however, tasted quite good. He finished them with satisfaction. Then a waiter brought over an enormous basin—
When the lid was lifted, it revealed a container filled with small-sized Boston lobsters.
Shao Yuye’s pupils shook.
“What is this?”
“This is the crayfish specially prepared for you by our head chef. It uses—”
Shao Yuye: “…”
His horizons had truly been broadened.
Turning to Shen Wanwan, he asked, “Want some too?”
Shen Wanwan was elegantly cutting her steak and firmly declined his offer.
“No.”
Shao Yuye: “…”
Unexpectedly, the two achieved a kind of harmony throughout the meal. Neither accommodated the other’s preferences, yet somehow both seemed to be accommodating each other.
The scene, however, looked strangely bizarre.
One was the very picture of elegance.
The other…
…was simultaneously refined and utterly down-to-earth.
Even though the waitstaff had all received excellent professional training, many of them couldn’t help suppressing a laugh when they saw the pair.
It was the first time they’d seen an idol being so genuinely himself in private.
Shen Wanwan found herself thinking the same thing.
Her brother possessed many qualities she herself lacked.
If their mother had taken her brother with them back then, perhaps life in that run-down old apartment afterward wouldn’t have felt quite so unbearable.
Both of them left the meal feeling thoroughly satisfied.
By the time they departed, Wang Xiaoli and her circle of socialite friends had finally passed the restaurant’s verification process and obtained the opportunity to dine there.
The group was overjoyed.
They had waited more than half a year for this!
How could they not take a ton of photos and show off on social media?
The women had just raised their phones to take selfies when someone suddenly exclaimed,
“Hey, isn’t that Shen Wanwan?”
Wang Xiaoli turned around to look.
It really was her.
Previously, Wang Xiaoli had mocked Shen Wanwan and been thoroughly humiliated in return. This time she refrained from making any jealous remarks and merely looked curiously at the man beside her, who was wearing a baseball cap and mask.
“Isn’t that the guy we saw with her last time?”
“I think so. I remember him being tall and handsome, but he seemed a little more reserved back then.”
The socialite circle loved comparing themselves with one another.
Who bought a new luxury handbag.
Who received an expensive gift.
That sort of thing.
But everyone tacitly avoided comparing themselves to Shen Wanwan.
Doing so was simply asking for humiliation.
No matter what the category was, Shen Wanwan always found a way to outclass them completely.
Still, ever since the incident at the luxury boutique in West City, the identity of Shen Wanwan’s new boyfriend had remained a mystery.
Someone couldn’t help asking,
“Damn it, it’s been this long and nobody’s figured out who Shen Wanwan’s new boyfriend is?”
At the same time, several gossip accounts online began posting their latest juicy rumors.
[Today’s Hot Topic
[A certain hot-tempered young male celebrity loves to market himself as a lifelong single, but in reality he’s a huge playboy behind the scenes. His fans have all been fooled by his innocent image. On top of that, he’s especially good at playing the victim, which keeps his fans completely devoted to him. Recently, however, he seems to have become overconfident in his fans’ loyalty and finally overstepped. Rumor has it that his team is already buying up photos to suppress the scandal. The PR costs have reportedly reached seven figures. Otherwise, if this scandal comes out, his career will be finished.]
Countless gossip lovers flooded the comments section.
[A hot-tempered young celebrity? Who?]
[Could it be the person I’m thinking of? If it’s really him, that’ll be a devastating shock. This wouldn’t just be an image collapse, it’d practically be fraud.]
[You really can’t judge a person by appearances. The entertainment industry is such a mess! Thinking about how I voted for him before makes me feel blind.]
[So who is this hot-tempered celebrity? At least give us a hint!]
- I’m not sure what this is but it is most likely to be the name of a (fictional) famous building. ↩︎