Chapter 90: Chapter 90: The Interrupted Dinner

By the time the two of them emerged from the bedroom, it was almost six in the evening.

Earlier, Wu Yun had called the front desk and asked them to book a table at the Dragon and Phoenix Hall. He wanted to try some local Modu cuisine for dinner.

Qi Fei straightened her dress, reapplied her lipstick in front of the bathroom vanity mirror, and then came out to link her arm with Wu Yun’s left.

The couple took the elevator to the eighth floor and followed the signs, easily finding the Dragon and Phoenix Hall.

A hostess at the entrance greeted them. "Good evening. How many in your party? Do you have a reservation?"

Wu Yun gave his name and phone number. The hostess used her walkie-talkie to have a server lead them to a window table, which had a prime view of the river and some of the skyscrapers in Lujiazui.

Once they were seated, Wu Yun handed the responsibility of ordering over to Qi Fei. After all, he’d never had local Modu cuisine before and had no idea what was good.

Qi Fei was different. She had already been studying at university in Modu for a year, so she had a good sense of the local palate and how it differed from that of people from Sichuan.

Qi Fei skillfully ordered several dishes, including signature items like yellow croaker soup with osmanthus and mushrooms, crystal shrimp with crab roe, braised pork belly with baby abalone, and old Modu-style smoked fish.

Wu Yun noticed they were all rather light dishes. After the server left, he asked, "Senior, is this stuff any good?"

Qi Fei thought for a moment before replying, "For us Sichuanese, the local cuisine can be a bit salty and sweet. It’s fine to have once in a while, but I definitely couldn’t eat it all the time."

"At school, I usually stick to food from back home, like Sichuan Cuisine. I only try other things occasionally for a change of pace."

Qi Fei remembered the first time she came to Modu and tried a dish recommended by a local. The taste instantly made her want to run back to Sichuan.

She’d never asked a local for a food recommendation since.

The seven or eight dishes arrived quickly and were arranged neatly on the table.

At some point, taking pictures of food before eating had become a common habit among many girls, and Qi Fei was no exception.

She picked out a few good shots of the food, a selfie they had taken in the car today, and the photos Wu Yun had taken of her that afternoon. She arranged them into a nine-photo grid and added a caption: "The sweetest spring breeze can’t compare to you; my deepest affection is yours alone. Thanks to my dearest Xiaoyunzi for this Peace Restaurant experience! Just you watch, I’m going to eat you broke!"

Wu Yun saw that Qi Fei had posted on her Moments, so he opened it, immediately liked it, and left a comment: "Don’t worry, you could eat for a lifetime and you’d never make me broke!"

Putting his phone down, Wu Yun picked up a piece of the old Modu-style smoked fish. He took a bite; it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, a mix of salty, sweet, and savory flavors. Though called smoked fish, it was actually deep-fried and then soaked in a marinade.

For Wu Yun, eating a piece or two was a nice novelty, but any more than that would have been too rich. Fortunately, the portion sizes were in line with the "refined" lifestyle of Modu locals—which is to say, tiny. For someone used to the huge bowls and platters of Sichuan Cuisine, it took some getting used to.

Otherwise, he would have complained that she’d ordered too much when she picked out seven or eight dishes.

While sampling the other dishes, Wu Yun asked, "Senior, how did that audition of yours go?"

Qi Fei looked a little downcast. "They told me to wait for a notification, but then nothing," she said unhappily. "Later, when I was out renting the office space for you, I heard that the production had already cast the role. The part I was competing for went to a fourth-year senior."

Seeing the look on Qi Fei’s face, Wu Yun immediately tried to console her. "It’s okay, Senior! As soon as I get the company up and running, I’ll hire people to find a movie for you! And if we can’t find one, I’ll finance it myself!" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Qi Fei took this as just his way of comforting her and broke into a smile. "Xiaoyunzi! Thank you! Tonight, I’ll let the investor ’have his way’ with me!"

Wu Yun sat up straight with a mock-serious expression. "Ma’am, please have some self-respect. I am a respectable businessman!"

Just as the two were playfully bickering in low voices, Qi Fei’s phone vibrated.

Qi Fei picked it up and saw it was a call from Song Qin, so she answered it.

"Feifei, that Wang Xingyu is here again!" The voice from Qi Fei’s phone wasn’t very loud; even with his sharp hearing, Wu Yun, sitting across from her, could only catch a few words.

Qi Fei’s brow furrowed. Without trying to hide the conversation from Wu Yun, she said, "Didn’t I tell him I have a boyfriend? Why is he here again?"

Song Qin quickly explained the situation over the phone. Apparently, Wang Xingyu’s father had sent over some local specialties for Qi Fei. Since Wang Xingyu had just seen her social media post, he didn’t call her directly. Instead, he’d gone to Song Qin, asking where Qi Fei was because he wanted to meet her boyfriend.

There was no way Song Qin would tell Wang Xingyu, so she had called Qi Fei directly instead.

"Qin Qin, just tell him to thank Uncle Wang for the gifts, and that Wu Yun and I will treat them to dinner separately when we have time."

When Wu Yun saw Qi Fei hang up, he asked, "Who was that? Is someone trying to steal my girl?"

Qi Fei nodded and laughed. "See? You don’t come to Modu often. I could cheat on you and you’d never even know."

If Wu Yun hadn’t seen that Qi Fei’s Affinity level hadn’t changed, he probably would have been genuinely nervous about who it was!

Still, Wu Yun feigned anger. "Who the hell dares to try and steal my girl? I’ll teach him a lesson he won’t forget!"

Before Qi Fei could react, Wu Yun continued, "Senior, the whole reason I’m opening my company in Modu is because I care about you!"

Qi Fei knew Wu Yun cared about her deeply, so regardless of whether his words were just sweet talk, she started explaining the whole story.

Apparently, ever since the family gathering with Old Qi and Old Wang, Wang Xingyu had been messaging Qi Fei frequently, acting like an older brother caring for his younger sister. This made it hard for Qi Fei to refuse his attention, especially since Wu Yun hadn’t confessed his feelings to her back then, and their own relationship was still in an ambiguous, flirtatious stage.

Fortunately, after Qi Fei posted the photos from Wu Yun’s confession on her Moments, Wang Xingyu went quiet for a while. He only occasionally liked her posts and didn’t make any real moves.

Just when Qi Fei thought the matter was settled, Wang Xingyu found out she was back in Modu for school. He started showing up on campus every other day, trying to invite her to a meal, sometimes using his parents as an excuse to invite her to his house for dinner.

Qi Fei had never once agreed to go out to eat with him alone. She had only been to Wang Xingyu’s house once, and she simply had dinner and returned to school right after.

Qi Fei considered it a minor issue, since it was common for people to make grand confessions outside the dorms and such. She had mentioned it briefly to Wu Yun during a video call but later forgot to go into detail because she got busy helping him find an office.

Wu Yun knew Qi Fei was explaining everything in such detail because she was afraid he would get the wrong idea. He reassured her, "Senior, I trust you! Once things settle down in a few days, let’s treat your classmates to a nice meal. And while we’re at it, I’ll get to meet this Wang Xingyu for myself!"