Jiang Nian’s large eyes filled with confusion.
Was the Male Lead testing her?
She certainly dared to hold onto him, but she was also afraid he might shake her off. That would be far too embarrassing in front of so many people.
After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Nian reached out and grabbed the corner of Lu Zhiheng’s denim jacket sleeve.
If she held here, the Male Lead probably would not mind, right?
Lu Zhiheng felt the extra weight tugging at his sleeve and tilted his head slightly.
He had clearly said she could hold his arm, so why was Jiang Nian not doing it?
Still, there was a distinction between men and women. Avoiding suspicion like this was probably for the best.
Jiang Nian had no idea why Lu Zhiheng suddenly stopped moving.
She lightly shook his arm and said in a sweet voice, “Let’s go. This time you’re not allowed to walk so fast and leave me behind again!”
Lu Zhiheng gave a quiet “mm,” then almost matched her pace by taking only one step every time Jiang Nian took two.
Even with that handsome face of his, the way he was walking now somehow carried the comical air of an elderly man.
Jiang Nian could not help laughing out loud. “You really don’t need to go this far. Just walk normally—slower is enough.”
By the time they reached the restaurant entrance, the rich aroma of food aggressively invaded Jiang Nian’s senses.
Aside from the welcoming staff at the door, many people were waiting in line outside, sitting on little stools while cracking sunflower seeds.
“Handsome sir, beautiful miss, welcome to Sichuan Flavor Residence! Do you have a reservation?” The server enthusiastically greeted them. “Otherwise you’ll need to wait for a table. For two people, it’ll probably take around forty minutes.”
The moment Jiang Nian saw they had reached their destination, she released Lu Zhiheng’s sleeve and waited for his response.
If he had failed to make arrangements and they had to sit outside in the wind waiting for seats—hmph, she would absolutely criticize Lu Zhiheng mercilessly!
Lu Zhiheng suddenly felt the weight that had accompanied him the entire walk disappear. Even the faint scent of orange blossom and jasmine lingering near his nose had dispersed.
For no reason at all, he suddenly felt a trace of disappointment. Before he could think deeper into it, Jiang Nian’s face abruptly entered his vision.
At some point, Jiang Nian had turned sideways and leaned her face close to him. Her eyes even carried a trace of… eager anticipation?
“What’s going on, little classmate Lu?” Jiang Nian lifted her chin slightly. “I don’t want to wait forty minutes.”
Only then did Lu Zhiheng come back to his senses. He shifted his gaze away and said to the server, “We have a reservation. Surname Lu. The private room called Bamboo Grove.”
The server immediately smiled brightly at the two of them. “Alright! Dear guests, please follow me!”
The private room itself was not large. It seemed specially designed for small groups of two to four people. But just like its name suggested, all four walls inside were constructed with bamboo. Even the window frames were styled in an antique fashion. Amid the drifting steam sat a lifelike panda plushie clutching a stalk of bamboo.
Once the private room door closed, all the noise from outside was completely isolated. It truly was very suitable for dating couples.
Jiang Nian silently exclaimed “wow” in her heart and said to System 999:
【The Male Lead’s preparations are actually pretty impressive! I feel like all the scenarios and lines I planned won’t even be useful anymore.】
For example, if the Male Lead had shown up wearing his club uniform, she could have accused him of not taking the date seriously.
If the activities he arranged had been boring, she also could have gotten angry and refused to cooperate.
But now, Lu Zhiheng was dressed cleanly and neatly, had specially borrowed a car to pick her up, and had even reserved a private room at the restaurant she wanted to eat at…
She truly could not find any angle to attack from.
System 999’s childish voice sounded with comforting warmth:
【It’s okay, Niannian. You can totally just enjoy this delicious meal and this date properly. We still have two and a half months to work hard together! We’ve already completed almost one-fifth of the mission now!】
After hearing Little Three-Nine’s words, Jiang Nian felt it made sense. Thus, she lowered her head and seriously began researching what delicious dishes to order today.
After quickly falling in love with several dishes, she realized Lu Zhiheng was not even looking at the menu.
Jiang Nian asked in confusion, “Why aren’t you looking? I think if it’s just the two of us eating, ordering three dishes should be enough?”
Lu Zhiheng nodded. “I don’t need to look. I’ll listen to you. Order whatever you want to eat.”
He had chosen this restaurant specifically for Jiang Nian in the first place. Besides, he himself had never been particularly picky or demanding about food. Even if he chose, he probably would not know what to pick. It was better to let Jiang Nian eat more things she liked.
Jiang Nian was startled. “How can that work?! No way, you have to give an opinion!”
She was not such a heartless person.
Afraid Lu Zhiheng would refuse, Jiang Nian immediately scooted over to the seat beside him with several quick shuffling steps and looked at the menu together with him.
Pointing at various dishes on the menu, Jiang Nian explained, “I checked online reviews. Everyone highly recommends these dishes. There’s meat and vegetables, so at least choose one, okay?”
“If you can’t eat something you like, then I won’t have much appetite either.”
After speaking, Jiang Nian blinked at Lu Zhiheng insistently, as though she absolutely had to hear his choice.
Instead of hearing Lu Zhiheng’s pick, however, she heard the system notification again:
【Male Lead Lu Zhiheng’s dislike value +2. Current dislike value: 21.】
Jiang Nian was full of question marks.
What kind of strange increase was this? Could it be because she was forcing him to make a choice?
Jiang Nian and System 999 strongly agreed with this line of thinking, and together they added another point to their攻略 handbook:
【Lu Zhiheng dislikes being pressured and dislikes being forced to make choices.】
“Fine then!” Jiang Nian pouted. “If you won’t choose, then I’m just going to act like a dictator!”
Lu Zhiheng pushed the menu slightly toward Jiang Nian. “You choose. I’m fine with eating anything.”
Seeing him like this, Jiang Nian stopped being stubborn. She placed the order through the electronic system, then returned to her seat across from Lu Zhiheng and waited for the dishes to arrive.
Not long afterward, all the food was served. Jiang Nian also ordered two bowls of iced jelly dessert for herself and Lu Zhiheng.
Looking at the lavish table full of Sichuan dishes and the spicy aroma floating through the air, Jiang Nian’s appetite immediately surged. Still, she did not forget to first take a photo of the food.
“Phones eat first.” Jiang Nian quickly snapped two pictures before announcing, “Alright, alright, let’s eat!”
The two of them finished the meal rather quickly. The main reason was because Jiang Nian buried herself in eating, while Lu Zhiheng also quietly focused on eating. The only sounds between them were Jiang Nian occasionally sniffing and sucking in air while complaining about how spicy it was.
Whatever. She was weak with spice but still loved eating it!
After the meal, Jiang Nian contentedly wiped her mouth. Lu Zhiheng had finished earlier and had even gone out to get a mint candy for her palate.
After he returned, Jiang Nian looked at the empty plates covering the table and proudly declared, “As expected of us—not a single bit wasted!”
Lu Zhiheng casually picked up Jiang Nian’s bag for her. “You deserve most of the credit.”
For a moment, Jiang Nian could not tell whether he was praising her or mocking her, but then Lu Zhiheng added:
“You ordered just the right amount.”
Jiang Nian hmphed softly. Now that sounded better!
After leaving the restaurant, Jiang Nian popped the mint candy Lu Zhiheng had gotten her into her mouth. The cool freshness perfectly suppressed the lingering spicy aftertaste.
Only after finishing the candy did Jiang Nian remember she had not even had time to touch up her makeup after leaving the restaurant. But the two of them had already walked quite a distance, so going all the way back to use the restroom again felt unnecessary.
Jiang Nian tugged lightly on Lu Zhiheng’s sleeve. “Give me my bag for a second.”
Lu Zhiheng watched Jiang Nian pull out a round compact case and a lipstick from her bag before handing the bag back to him again.
Jiang Nian opened the powder compact, which had a small mirror inside, and checked her makeup. It was still perfectly intact.
Pleased with herself, she raised her chin proudly. “My makeup looks good today, right?”
Following System 999’s suggestion, Jiang Nian had tried a light Thai-style makeup look for the first time today. She had even added highlighter and felt the result suited her quite well.
Of course, it was mainly because her natural foundation was already excellent!
Lu Zhiheng knew very little about makeup, but he did feel Jiang Nian looked somewhat different from the last time he had seen her at the dessert shop.
He dryly uttered two words:
“Looks good.”
“Hehe, of course it does!” Jiang Nian said proudly before gesturing for him to stretch out his hand. “Help me hold this for a second.”
Jiang Nian placed the powder compact into Lu Zhiheng’s hand, casually adjusted the angle of the mirror he was holding, then twisted open the lip glaze.
She tilted her head slightly upward and leaned close to the mirror, focusing carefully while touching up her lipstick.
Her eyelashes lowered gently, the tip of her nose lifted slightly, and her lips pursed softly outward. Like her shoulders, her lips carried a faint rosy hue.
Lu Zhiheng steadily held the powder compact like a professional human tool.
Only, his gaze uncontrollably shifted from the mirror back to her face so close before him.
From beginning to end, Jiang Nian never looked at him once. Yet Lu Zhiheng somehow felt an odd discomfort, as though he himself were the one being stared at.
The distance between them was too close. He could clearly see the slight tremble of her lip when she pressed them together. He could see the watery sheen gradually spreading across the lip glaze, carrying an indescribably alluring charm.
His breathing paused for half a beat almost imperceptibly, and his Adam’s apple rolled lightly.
The fingers holding the powder compact unconsciously tightened slightly.
Lu Zhiheng quickly moved his gaze away and looked elsewhere. His usually cold voice carried a trace of fluctuation.
“Are you done yet?”