NOVEL WEB Chapter 112: Can I Take a Photo with You?
"President Li, the first dish being served to everyone now is the fifteen-year aged huadiao Moutai drunk crab."
As the bell rang, Lisa, accompanied by the service staff, brought the first dish to each person and smiled as she explained, "This is made by steaming hairy crabs and then marinating them for forty-eight hours with fifteen-year aged huadiao, Moutai, and various spices."
As soon as she finished speaking, when the lid was opened, a fragrant aroma of wine wafted into everyone's noses.
Li Weijun and Li Fuguo, who both enjoyed drinking, showed a flicker of surprise and curiosity on their faces.
Then, as a few people tasted, even those like Li Weijun who were accustomed to eating rapidly, learned to chew slowly and savor the dish in this carefully curated atmosphere.
Liu Mei, looking at the large white plate with just one crab on it, glanced at Li Jing, feeling that it wasn't quite the luxurious feast she had imagined, and couldn't help but whisper, "Son, does this count as a dish?"
"Did you think it would be like the big pot dishes from our banquets?"
Li Weijun glanced at Liu Mei and teased intentionally, "Eat slowly, that one bite cost you hundreds."
"That bite could buy my groceries for a week,"
Liu Mei muttered, then delicately tasted a bite, trying earnestly to discern the uniqueness of this dish.
However, aside from the wine flavor and a simple sweetness, she couldn't find anything worth the extravagance of this dish priced at several hundred.
In fact, not just Liu Mei, even Li Weijun and Li Fuguo, who had made lighthearted comments themselves, weren't particularly impressed after tasting the dish.
The main reason was that the high price far exceeded their usual meal expenditure, setting their expectations unusually high.
Additionally, for ordinary people, unlike the wealthy who've sampled various gourmet foods, the subtle differences in ingredient quality, culinary techniques, and flavors weren't very noticeable.
This was why Li Weijun and others didn't find the flavor of this dish particularly impressive.
If asked if it was delicious, they'd nod and admit it was quite good.
But if you asked them to spend hundreds just to eat a single crab, they probably wouldn't even bother with you.
Compared to Li Weijun and the others' reactions, Ge Qin's feelings were entirely different.
Not because Ge Qin had different experiences, but because she always firmly believed that expensive equals good.
Admiring the hairy crab on the plate, she secretly snapped several photos before preparing to taste it.
Hearing Li Xiaoxiao beside her quietly complain about the crab being too expensive, she couldn't help but retort, "Xiaoxiao, you just don't understand, listen to the name—it includes huadiao and Moutai in it, the production cost is much higher than what we've eaten before.
This is the kind of stuff rich people eat; we can't judge it with our perspectives on consumption, plus just look at this environment—if I had money, I'd come here too.
Have to admit, your brother's taste is really good, much better than the boys back home."
Hearing this, Li Xiaoxiao couldn't help but glance at Ge Qin, seeing a flicker of light in her eyes, faintly feeling that Ge Qin and she seemed somewhat different.
But she didn't say much, just nodded, "Maybe so, I might just not be used to this kind of wealthy lifestyle."
Soon after, as Li Jing and the others finished enjoying the previous dish, Lisa briskly brought out the next dish amid the ringing bell.
"This is vanilla rolling stone frost snowflake Wagyu beef..."
"This is bluefin tuna, large red sea bream drunk peony shrimp..."
"This is pufferfish noodle soup..."
Each dish was plated with exceptional beauty and the tableware varied entirely, dazzling Liu Mei and others to the point of not even knowing how to eat.
Fortunately, Zhang Xinxin and An Tong proactively and warmly assisted, so Li Weijun and the others weren't as embarrassed and awkward.
Looking at the array of dishes, Liu Mei exclaimed silently, "Just for a meal, and the utensils have been changed several times already."
"That's why rich people know how to enjoy..." Li Weijun sighed, "If it were our place, we'd be done eating and done washing dishes by now, and yet they are just getting to the second or third dish."
Seeing Ge Qin still taking pictures, Li Xiaoxiao couldn't help but remind, "Sister Qin, the waiter just said that this noodle should be eaten while hot, or it won't taste as good."
"It's okay, I didn't expect to eat such refined things on the first day in Celestial Sea City. Really have to thank your brother properly."
After snapping the last satisfying close-up, Ge Qin picked up a bite of the pufferfish noodles with her chopsticks and took a taste. Although it had cooled somewhat, she still praised, "Really delicious, would be great to eat this often."
Hearing this, Li Xiaoxiao blinked, not knowing what to say, then quietly lowered her head and resumed eating her own.
When everyone finished enjoying this lavish dinner, their reactions differed significantly.
Normally having big appetites, even Li Weijun and Li Fuguo seemed only about seventy to eighty percent full; fortunately, it was dinner, so eating too much wasn't necessary.
Meanwhile, Liu Mei was still agonizing over the costly expenditure here.
Only Ge Qin ate with exceptional satisfaction, indulging in every aspect here, both mentally and physically.
It even gave Li Xiaoxiao beside her the illusion that Ge Qin seemed naturally suited for consuming in such places.
However, obviously, the other party's financial capability could not meet her pursuit of quality life.
After the meal, when everyone was taking a break, Zhang Xinxin and others also began to appreciate the arrangement of the room around them.
Since the third floor was within the scope of Li Jing's activities, there was still plenty of space to move around, even with their sizable group.
At this time, Ge Qin, who had been stealing glances at Li Jing for a while, finally got up after a few internal struggles and walked over.
"Li Jing."
Hearing someone call him, Li Jing turned his head and saw Ge Qin in stylish and fashionable attire approaching him.
Noticing now, Li Jing realized that Ge Qin's clothes were different from what she wore at the train station. The overall look was fashionable and high-end, further highlighting her slender figure and good looks.
In fact, after witnessing Li Jing's financial prowess, Ge Qin had deliberately changed into this well-prepared upscale outfit during her hotel rest. If not for coming to Celestial Sea City, she might have been reluctant to bring it.
At this moment, she was wearing a black Sandro tweed jacket paired with a white Maje silk blouse on top, and a Maje floral skirt on the bottom, finished with Stuart Weitzman over-the-knee boots.
The entire set almost cost Ge Qin two whole months of salary. To get herself a high-quality autumn ensemble, she scrimped and saved, even using Huabei, to reluctantly acquire each clothing item. To report errors, please visit the original post on M|VLEMPYR.
This encounter with Li Jing finally gave this outfit a chance to shine.
Back in her hometown, she even felt it was wasteful for other guys to see her wearing this outfit.
Seeing her walking towards him, Li Jing couldn't help but think that she did indeed have the potential to be the school beauty. Coupled with her refined look after reaching adulthood, she could definitely be considered goddess-level back in his hometown.
Thinking this, Li Jing did not hide his gaze and took a few more glances at her, nodding secretly; her overall rating was at least around 8.5.
Especially Ge Qin's naturally fair skin, which added even more charm to her already appealing looks.
Feeling the admiration in Li Jing's eyes, Ge Qin felt a wave of joy in her heart. She slightly puffed out her chest before approaching with a smile and saying, "Li Jing, it's been a long time. Can we take a photo together?"
"A photo?" Li Jing raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, photos can capture the moment. Looking back at them later provides a unique experience, so I love taking photos as keepsakes."
As she spoke, Ge Qin added, "Of course, it's okay if you don't want to; it's just a personal habit of mine."
"No problem, it's just a photo."
Seeing Li Jing agree, a hint of delight flashed across Ge Qin's face. She then turned to signal to Li Xiaoxiao behind them, who immediately stepped forward to help take the picture.
Surprised that she had already made ample preparations, Li Jing raised his brow slightly but said nothing more, standing openly next to her for the photoshoot.
His nose lightly caught a hint of sweet fragrance from her, and Li Jing felt somewhat intrigued. His peripheral vision noted her beautiful side profile, which involuntarily took him back to his memories.
Although he hadn't interacted with Ge Qin much in the past, her exquisite looks had once stirred his heart, causing him to feel a bit nervous every time he faced her.
Even now, when Li Jing searched his youthful memories for the image of Ge Qin's face, it still had a faint halo.
Li Jing knew this was the glow added by his youthful memories of her.
If he were his past self, Li Jing was sure standing next to Ge Qin for a photo would have caused him a mix of nervousness and joy.
But now, his mindset was much more level and confident, whereas she seemed a little restrained standing before him.
This swap of main and supporting roles once again made Li Jing marvel at the power of money.
While Li Jing was reflecting on his past with her, Ge Qin was secretly observing him.
In the past, Ge Qin thought Li Jing looked average, but now, for some reason, she found him much more appealing, especially his side profile, which compelled her to take several more looks.
During the photoshoot, Ge Qin, intentionally or not, slightly tilted her head towards Li Jing, her body moving subtly closer yet maintaining an appropriate distance.
Not far away, Zhang Xinxin also noticed the situation and raised her refined brows, commenting to An Tong beside her, "That Ge Qin's clothes aren't bad. This set probably costs nearly ten thousand, comparable to my previous spending level."
An Tong took a curious glance at Ge Qin and nodded, "Indeed, her spending level is much higher than Li Jing's family."
Zhang Xinxin smacked her lips, "But I actually prefer the uncle and auntie, not too fond of this Ge Qin."
Hearing this, An Tong glanced over, "You don't like any woman who gets close to Li Jing, do you?"
"Who said that!" Zhang Xinxin immediately retorted, "I think Xiaoxiao is quite nice."
"Hehe, that's because she's no competition to you."
Seeing her candidly expose her, Zhang Xinxin put her hands on her hips in displeasure, "Aren't you the same? Can you really stay calm while watching other women hit on Li Jing?"
An Tong was silent for a moment, then calmly said, "I only know I'm Li Jing's assistant. Who he interacts with is his decision, and it's not my place to demand anything."
Hearing this, Zhang Xinxin's expression changed slightly. She bit her lip, wanting to argue, but didn't know what to say.
In the end, she could only turn her face away, noticeably lacking in confidence, and mumbled, "I was just complaining. Why are you taking it so seriously..."