Fu Siqi called Sun Yuyu to ask for their opinion on whether it would be okay to go to Yushanlou for dinner later.
Sun Yuyu and the others were clearly quite agreeable. Fu Siqi silently grumbled to herself, “It’s Yushanlou—who would say no?”
Fu Cheng Shen had a private dining room at Yuxilou, which he usually used to entertain friends and clients, so there was no need to queue or make reservations. While others were still waiting in line for reservations, Su Luoyan could come whenever she wanted and even order takeout.
Because of this, Fu Siqi was always envious. Her younger sister didn’t have such privileges. Every time she went, she had to make an appointment in advance with Fu Cheng Shen’s assistant and get permission to use the private dining room.
Yuxilou, a private kitchen, was also located in a traditional courtyard house. The alley was narrow, with no parking lot, so cars had to be parked outside the alley entrance, and people had to walk in.
The two of them spent a long time looking for a place to park. The entrance to the alley was already packed with cars, and they had to drive quite far before finding a spot.
“I finally understand why reservations are necessary. Otherwise, there’s nowhere to park. It’s such a hassle every time.”
“Alright, next time we’ll take a taxi here.”
The plaque for “Yuxilou” was written with powerful brushstrokes, said to be personally inscribed by a calligrapher. A pair of stone lions stood at the entrance, red Ming-style lanterns hung from the beams, red couplets were pasted on the walls, and the waitstaff were dressed like traditional inn attendants, each with a welcoming smile.
Su Luoyan had already informed them in advance, so as soon as they arrived, someone came out to greet them.
“Miss Su, Miss Fu, please follow me.”
A hostess in a cheongsam extended her arm to guide them. As they reached the entrance, they could hear someone inside playing the pipa. Su Luoyan immediately recognized it as Bai Juyi’s “Song of the Pipa Player.”
After the two sat down, the retro chandelier overhead cast light on their faces. Separated by a screen, they listened to the rich and vibrant pipa melody, like a young girl singing with her beautiful voice.
The waiter handed them the menu and said, “Please take a look and see what you’d like to order.”
Su Luoyan passed the menu to Fu Siqi. “The task of ordering is yours.”
The head chef at Yuxilou was descended from imperial chefs who had even prepared the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast. After his passing, he left his descendants a recipe book documenting the methods for the Manchu-Han Imperial Feast. Over several generations, some dishes were lost, but with later original creations, they managed to compile a total of 108 dishes.
Each of these 108 dishes was a substantial, time-consuming, and labor-intensive creation, truly testing the chef’s skill. With a limit of 20 tables per day, many people made reservations a month in advance.
Just looking at the menu made Fu Siqi’s mouth water. “Eight-Treasure Wild Duck, Phoenix Tail Shark Fin, Lotus Seed Tofu…”
“Alright, that’s enough for now,” Fu Siqi said, having ordered over ten dishes in one go. After finishing, she suddenly remembered, “I forgot to ask them what they wanted to eat.”
But then she thought it wasn’t important. After all, with such a rare opportunity, eating what she wanted was the top priority.
Just as they finished ordering, Zhuo Min and the other two arrived.
Su Luoyan was surprised. “You arrived so quickly? I thought you’d be later after your beauty treatments.”Zhuo Min said cheerfully, “Since Miss Su has invited us to dine at Imperial Cuisine Tower, why bother with beauty treatments? Those can be done anytime, but this meal isn’t something we can enjoy every day.”
Sun Yuyu had already taken out her phone, eager to act. “I’ll take photos and post them on my social media as soon as possible.”
As a small-time influencer, Qingzi had only heard of this restaurant and knew it was extremely difficult to book—money alone couldn’t guarantee a reservation. Now, unexpectedly, she had the chance to taste its exquisite dishes. Nervously, she asked Su Luoyan, “Miss Su, may I record a video?”
Su Luoyan responded generously, “Of course, feel free.”
“Thank you so much, Miss Su.” Qingzi quickly took out her professional equipment. As long as the footage was visually appealing and atmospheric, combined with the highlight of Imperial Cuisine Tower, the video was sure to attract significant traffic once posted.
Before the dishes arrived, the group sat and chatted.
Zhuo Min asked her, “Yan Yan, you’ve just returned to the country. What are your plans?”
“I haven’t really thought about what to do yet.” Finding a job had been repeatedly postponed.
Suddenly, Sun Yuyu remembered that her brother was working on a new project—preparing a variety show. The production team was currently looking for a costume designer.
“Yan Yan, would you be interested in working as a costume designer for a variety show?”
“My brother’s company is preparing a show about traditional culture. I don’t know the specifics, but if you’re interested, I can ask him for the project proposal.”
Su Luoyan wasn’t in a hurry to respond. “Let me think about it first.”
“Alright, I’ll send you the proposal when I get back.” If Yan Yan agreed, her brother would be more than happy to do her this favor.
That evening, Sun Yuyu sent over the project proposal. Su Luoyan sat on her bed and skimmed through it.
The show’s theme was to promote traditional culture, involving costumes and clothing from various dynasties, requiring a professional costume designer.
Sun Yuyu mentioned in her WeChat message that the show had invited a professor from the History Department of Beijing University. This professor had also studied fashion design and ran her own fashion studio, offering plenty of learning opportunities.
The production team was currently recruiting designers who needed to possess professional skills, understand history, and be capable of design. Moreover, the team didn’t want to use existing designs available on the market, making the challenge quite significant.
For Su Luoyan, this was indeed an excellent opportunity. She had a deep appreciation for traditional culture, and her mentor was an expert in this field.
While studying in France, her advisor had recommended a Chinese-French teacher named ANN, a renowned designer in the overseas Chinese community. At 85 years old, ANN had moved to France in the 1970s.
ANN had extensive research experience in traditional Chinese clothing and qipao. In the 1990s, she spent some time in Hong Kong, during the peak of its film industry. ANN had served as a costume designer for many movies, and her work could still be seen in various video compilations across platforms today.
By the time Su Luoyan studied under ANN, she was no longer designing for film crews, but the two occasionally discussed those experiences. ANN said that seeing her designs on the big screen, especially when they sparked discussions, gave her a great sense of accomplishment.
Su Luoyan had to admit she was genuinely intrigued. She wanted to experience the sense of accomplishment her teacher had described.Fu Cheng Shen emerged from the bathroom wearing a gray bathrobe, a towel in one hand as he dried his hair.
Seeing her engrossed in something, he didn’t disturb her. Instead, he retrieved a hairdryer from the bedside table and prepared to return to the bathroom to dry his hair.
Su Luoyan, however, noticed his intention and immediately tossed her phone aside, stepping forward to offer her help.
“Brother, let me dry your hair for you.”
Fu Cheng Shen raised an eyebrow, looking at her with an expression that seemed to say, “What scheme are you up to now?”
“What do you need my help with?”
Su Luoyan chuckled softly, taking the hairdryer from his hand. She climbed onto the bed, pressed down on Fu Cheng Shen’s broad shoulders to make him sit, and prepared to dry his hair.
“Nothing escapes you, Brother.”
She set the hairdryer to the second setting, where the warm air was gentle and the noise minimal, allowing them to hear each other speak clearly.
Su Luoyan explained the situation with the variety show to Fu Cheng Shen. While she was acquainted with Sun Yuyu, she knew little about Sun Yuyu’s brother, not even his full name.
Fu Cheng Shen had met Sun Yuyu’s brother, Sun Yuming, a few times in business settings and had a favorable impression of him.
“Sun Yuming is a capable person and quite reliable. So, what are your thoughts?”
Su Luoyan turned off the hairdryer and placed it on the bedside table. Just as she was about to sit on the edge of the bed, she was pulled into a warm embrace and settled onto the man’s lap.
Fu Cheng Shen drew her into his arms, playing with her slender, pale fingers while also measuring their size.
“I want to give it a try. Do you remember ANN?”
“Your Chinese fashion teacher?” Fu Cheng Shen had never met this teacher but knew Su Luoyan held her in high regard.
“She once told me that seeing the clothes she designed being discussed on television was an incredibly fulfilling experience. I want to experience that too.”
“Do whatever you wish. No matter what happens, I’ll always have your back.” He would forever be her support, ready to catch her even if she fell into an abyss.
Su Luoyan buried her face in his chest, breathing in the familiar scent of their shared shower gel.
Fu Cheng Shen, can I truly take these words to heart?