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Holding a box of pastries, Ren Yifei finally took a good look at Saman.
The last time they met was at the auction house. It was nighttime, and the place wasn't well-lit to create an atmosphere, so he didn't get a good look at the dessert connoisseur next door. This was the first time he had looked at him so seriously.
The soft twilight light by the sea softened his features, giving him a gentle filter.
Saman turned around and smiled at him. As the wisps of hair brushed against his delicate eyebrows, Ren Yifei suddenly understood why the director of Titanic had to wait for that gentle twilight glow.
"I suddenly realized that you're actually quite... good-looking?" Even with his discerning eye, accustomed to seeing handsome men and beautiful women, he couldn't offer an "ordinary" assessment.
What's rare is that she's tall, with such long legs, and still has some curves.
His height of 1.79 meters is actually most suitable for him to be an actor, and he can act with most girls. But standing next to him now, he looks half a head shorter.
"He must be over 1.9 meters tall," Ren Yifei couldn't help but feel envious.
He's a businessman or an IT professional, with such a straight posture and thick hair, he could easily be a model.
"Huh?" It was so sudden that Saman was stunned for a second before he reacted.
"Uh, well... it's alright." Stared at by those eyes, Saman felt unusually uncomfortable. He turned to look at the sea and the sunset, the golden light outlining his handsome profile.
Ren Yifei smiled while holding the dessert, making Saman's face turn slightly red.
"hooligan."
"Um."
May I call you that?
"Um."
The two stood at the port for ages, talking back and forth, looking utterly ridiculous.
Passersby turned their heads in astonishment.
"Isn't this for dinner?"
Samantha finally calmed down from the compliment he gave me on my looks, and resumed his deceptively sophisticated demeanor: "This is just one of the restaurants I know of; there are many others with different flavors. If you're interested, the Wasteland is quite large."
The private rooms are all located on the second floor near the window. Each room is about 40 to 50 square meters and contains a table, sofas, fruit, and board games.
The side facing the window has a row of floor-to-ceiling windows, but you can also choose the windowless mode.
You can sit there and enjoy the sunset over the beach while savoring delicious food.
This restaurant is very famous in the area and employs top chefs, but only the dishes in the private rooms are prepared by the manager. Furthermore, only those on the celebrity list are eligible to reserve these private rooms.
Therefore, even though the shop owner is a craftsman who doesn't play games, everyone respects him because of his skills.
Food and sex are fundamental human needs, and are of utmost importance.
"He's slow to serve food here, Ah Fei, would you like to have some snacks first? Would you like something to drink?" Saman called Ah Fei by his name repeatedly and even opened the drawer where the snacks were kept, treating him like family.
Ren Yifei, on the other hand, did not seem to mind this quiet intimacy. He reached out and took a creamy yellow pastry.
There was a silver service bell on the table. Saman called someone over and ordered a pot of tea.
The waiter was very professional; he quickly brought over a teapot and teacups, boiled water in front of them to rinse the teacups, and then boiled fresh water. This water came from a specially made ceramic kettle, and was probably soft water specifically for brewing tea.
Ren Yifei had already eaten two pastries, one with a creamy yellow flaky crust and the other with a strawberry pink glutinous crust. They weren't particularly sweet, but they had a strong milky aroma and just the right amount of fruit flavor.
Just then, the waiter brewed a pot of fine tea. The sweet tea was very refreshing and helped to cut through the greasiness. After finishing a cup, Ren Yifei picked up a round, tea-green pastry. As he put it in his mouth, he asked Saman:
"You brought so much, how are you going to eat a proper meal after you've had your snacks?"
Because of the two meals they had shared in the game, Ren Yifei relaxed a lot around Saman, and even joked and laughed like a friend.
Samantha sensed this too, and he became more relaxed: "If you like it, that's fine. If you can't finish the main course, then don't eat it. We can always meet here again next time."
The waiter's hands trembled slightly.
Having worked here, she knew the prices inside best. This private room, even without eating anything, cost 500 white shells just to sit down. And this pot of tea, made with the finest ingredients, cost 200 white shells.
There are also dishes prepared by the restaurant manager himself in the kitchen, and a table of these dishes can easily cost anywhere from 7,000 to 30,000.
Good heavens, this banquet starts at ten thousand, and they just say they don't want it? They can't afford to spend that much. Is this how the wealthy in this desolate corner of the world pursue their lifestyle?
Even the waitresses couldn't help but feel resentful of the rich; she earns less than a thousand a month.
As they were talking, the first dish was served: a small bowl of soup with snowflake-like egg shreds and tender white fish floating in it, sprinkled with chopped green onions and other ingredients. It was light and refreshing, with a beautiful, crystal-like appearance.
Ren Yifei took a bite; it was smooth and slippery, melting into broth upon entering his mouth, carrying the sweetness of the fish, but without much fishy taste.
"Delicious." He was very generous with his praise.
Saman smiled, feeling happier than if he had eaten it himself.
"Be careful, it's hot."
Samantha didn't eat himself, but focused on pouring food for him and stirring it to cool it down. Ren Yifei watched him, and seeing his attentive and focused manner, it was as if the food itself carried a comforting warmth.
The feeling of being taken care of attentively, which I couldn't enjoy when I was young, now appears here as if as compensation.
Ren Yifei put down his spoon, held the bowl, and slowly drank, like a spoiled child without any rules. He secretly glanced to the side and saw that Saman's eyes were smiling, showing none of the shrewdness he had in the dungeon.
Aren't you going to eat?
"Eating," Saman said, glancing at him as he ate.
Ren Yifei may look otherworldly, but when he actually eats, the genuine joy and satisfaction on his face gives people a sense of peace and reassurance.
Having witnessed so much pretense and affectation at the dinner table, Saman was easily captivated by this sense of satisfaction: "If you like it, we'll order it again next time."
Later, they added crystal shrimp dumplings, abalone in oyster sauce, taro and char siu, scallops with vermicelli, fruitwood roasted duck, sweet and sour pork, and so on.
Saman didn't know what he liked, so he simply ordered a variety of signature dishes from all over the country. He even specially ordered a plate of stir-fried snails, which he had seen Ah Fei enjoy at the Spring Banquet.
Ren Yifei accepted everything offered, eating quickly and cleanly, one bite after another.
He enjoyed the plate of snails very much. He would suck on the snail's tail first, then suck hard on the snail's head, and the plump snail meat would come out. There was no need for the toothpick at all.
Sometimes, when he's enjoying his meal, he'll lick the soup off his fingers, making his lips turn bright red from the spiciness.
Ren Yifei was particularly easy to talk to during meals, and Saman took the opportunity to enjoy being fed. He peeled crabs and turned the dishes around, not eating much himself, but just paying attention to what Ren Yifei liked to eat the most.
Originally, the work of transferring dishes and peeling shrimp and crab was done by the waiters.
She stayed there the whole time, but wisely moved aside so as not to disturb them.
As he ate the soft, chewy taro paste on the hot plate and the char siu piled on top, his stomach signaled that he was about 80% full. He should have stopped eating at this point, but whether it was the wonderful atmosphere or the truly delicious food, Ren Yifei couldn't stop eating.
He looked at Saman: He had thought the meal would be unpleasant, but it wasn't.
Ren Yifei has never liked discussing business during meals, always feeling that the food loses its aroma from the fumes.
But from the moment he scooped the first bowl, Samantha either remained silent, focusing on eating or feeding him, or he would observe which dish he was interested in and then explain the ingredients and flavor of that dish as if he knew it by heart.
Ren Yifei, on the contrary, felt at ease, whether sitting or eating.
I ate slowly for almost an hour, and when I finished the meal, I saw that there were more than a dozen dishes on the menu, and I ate them all clean.
The restaurant recommended by Saman does have excellent food; the owner probably wouldn't dare to cheat these big shots who are always risking their lives.
However, Ren Yifei used to eat out more often, and he ate these kinds of exquisite banquet dishes in small portions. So he actually prefers home-style dishes or the hearty street food.
"Where did you buy this box of pastries?" After finishing his meal, Ren Yifei wiped his mouth and asked where the pastries came from.
Saman understood. The food was delicious, but not to the point of wanting to come back. This restaurant had limited appeal to Ren Yifei, but the dim sum was to his liking.
"It's not far from here."
"Okay." Ren Yifei raised his hand and pressed the service bell. "Check, please."
A meal of white clams costing over ten thousand yuan was only possible because he had the money at that moment. At other times, Ren Yifei would have thought it was too expensive.
"Even a royal chef in real life wouldn't charge this much."
There aren't any particularly expensive ingredients; it's purely about the skill of the cook. When converted to the prices in the Wasteland, it's enough for an average player to live on for a year.
"Does this restaurant have any special history?" Ren Yifei asked.
Samantha was somewhat surprised by his keen observation: "All the famous restaurants in the Desolate Corner are owned by the same family. Wherever a good chef comes from, they will soon be poached here."
"Voluntary?"
Saman smiled without saying a word: What kind of voluntariness is this, this "voluntary action" from the desolate corner?
Ren Yifei sat in his seat, a cup of tea in his hand to cleanse his palate. He thought about seeing an old friend earlier.
At the time, it seemed sudden and accidental, but now, thinking back, it's hard to say whether someone was behind it. A single thread can lead to countless crabs.
These people in the desolate corner have all carved out their own territories and become kings.
"Is anyone at the Dianjin Post-Production Studio?" Ren Yifei didn't like these uncontrollable factors.
"That boss is indeed persistent, but it was you who gave her the confidence to persist." Samantha knew immediately which one he was asking about. Of course, he had inquired about such an important matter, and since Ren Yifei wanted to know, he was willing to answer.
"The confidence I gave you?"
"People outside say it's Black Rabbit's official studio, and the boss seems to have tacitly agreed." After that, he simply rejected all attempts to probe further.
As long as Afei continues to make videos for her, this studio will have the confidence to stand its ground.
"They earned it themselves, what does it have to do with me?" Ren Yifei said.
It was the studio's capabilities that attracted him, not some sentimentality.
Seeing Ren Yifei still leisurely sipping his tea, Saman asked, "Will you be unhappy if I inquire about you?"
"If you're unhappy, you won't ask anymore?"
"No, how would I know what you like and dislike if I didn't ask? If I came up to you and offered you drinks and dancing, you would have deleted me immediately." Samant put on an honest face, trying to gain sympathy.
With such an elite-looking face, he insists on acting like an honest, strange person. It's an eyesore. Ren Yifei turned to look at the sea to cleanse his eyes.
The sea outside the window was a deep blue, and the sun had already sunk below the horizon, leaving only a golden edge on the horizon. But the sky was not dark; there were five-colored spatial fish in the sky and seven-colored exquisite lanterns on the ground.
The vastness of the sky and the exquisite human architecture on the shore are cleverly combined.
"I haven't congratulated you yet on entering the Star Ranking." A thin contract appeared on Ren Yifei's desk. There was also a helmet with the number 001 and a small gift box on it.
"Now that the game is finished, I'd like to formally invite you to become my business partner."
Author's Note: Saman: You may not trust me, but you must trust my ability to make money.
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