Watching Xi Yue’s departing back, Shen Yu’s eyes held a trace of confusion; he felt a bit lost.
Was his ability not impressive enough? She hadn’t given him a single word of praise.
Could it be that he couldn’t even compare to a stupid dog and a plant?
The sun had set, and Xi Yue stretched lazily on the sofa.
Truth be told, even though she had been facing the television, she hadn’t taken in any of the plot. She still hadn’t fully recovered from seeing Shen Yu demonstrate his five-elemental abilities earlier today.
She kept wondering what she had ever done to deserve such good luck—having such a big shot work for her for free, while she couldn’t offer him anything in return.
After the morning rush passed, not a single customer came by in the afternoon.
Shaking off her thoughts, she said, “System, I want to go upstairs and eat hot pot. If any customers come, could you remind me?”
【Understood.】
Having received a response, Xi Yue went to call Shen Yu for dinner.
“Let’s go eat. In recognition of your hard work, the boss has decided to treat you to a feast.”
Upon returning to her room, Xi Yue brought out the luxurious hot pot gift pack from the bedroom.
She puffed out her chest slightly and said with pride, “My luck was off the charts today! I pulled this on my first try at noon!”
With amusement in his eyes, Shen Yu replied, “Thank you, Boss, for your recognition. I’ll definitely work hard from now on and live up to this grand meal of yours.”
“Stop being cheeky and come help.” Xi Yue rolled her eyes at him, unpacked the hot pot, and handed him the vegetables inside to wash.
The hot pot was a split pot designed for six people. According to their appetites, Xi Yue poured the spicy beef tallow broth base and the chicken mushroom broth base into their respective sides of the pot, then added water to bring them to a boil.
Purchasing some tableware from the mall, she arranged the sliced beef, sliced mutton, pork belly, various meat and seafood balls, and egg dumplings onto plates.
Fish, shrimp, crab, and all sorts of seafood were stacked up neatly, and of course, essential hot pot ingredients like tripe, beef omasum, and yellow throat were not forgotten.
By the time Shen Yu finished washing the vegetables and came out, Xi Yue was plating the last of the bean products.
By now, the pot was already bubbling away, instantly filling the room with a rich, delicious aroma.
“Hurry, hurry! Mix your dipping sauce so we can start eating!” Xi Yue was practically drooling. Ever since transmigrating, she had been eating instant food every single meal. She had dreamed of having something fresh, and now she finally got to eat it.
A split hot pot sat right in the center of the dining table, surrounded to the brim by fresh ingredients.
“Oh dear! We forgot drinks. I’ll go downstairs to buy some, you start eating!”
“I’ll go downstairs and buy them. You taste the food for me first.” Shen Yu got up and went downstairs.
Shen Yu walked back through the door carrying two cups of chilled drinks, only to see Xi Yue sitting there, staring eagerly at the steaming hot pot.
“Why aren’t you eating? You look like you’re starving.”
“I was waiting for you to come back so we could eat together. I wouldn’t eat alone behind your back. Wow, the drinks are actually cold! You really have great luck,” Xi Yue said in pleasant surprise as she took the drinks.
Shen Yu had stored seven or eight hot drinks in his spatial ring just to collect two cold ones, though he naturally wouldn’t mention that.
Seeing that he had taken his seat, Xi Yue raised the drink in her hand. “Life still needs a sense of ceremony. Cheers! Here’s to us getting luckier and pulling hot pot every day!”
Shen Yu smiled and clinked his cup against hers. “Here’s to my boss getting whatever her heart desires.”
Xi Yue dipped a piece of mutton into the chicken broth for a few seconds, coated it in sesame paste, blew on it a couple of times, and impatiently stuffed it into her mouth.
As she chewed on the tender, juicy lamb, the combination of mutton and sesame paste was too divine for words.
At this moment, she felt like the happiest person in the world!
She tossed fresh spinach, napa cabbage, and sweet corn into the pot as well. The plump, fresh vegetables were appetite-inducing just to look at. The corn was incredibly sweet, bursting with juice in a single bite.
There were springy shrimp paste balls, crisp tripe, and wonderfully fresh seafood.
With every bite, Xi Yue couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration, feeling as though she had truly reached the peak of her life!
Shen Yu watched Xi Yue while he ate. She looked like an adorable little hamster, chewing away with her cheeks stuffed full and her eyes narrowed slightly in bliss.
In truth, Xi Yue couldn’t handle spicy food very well, but she just craved that flavor because the spicy pot smelled so amazing.
She ate the spicy sliced beef while huffing and puffing, taking quick gulps of her cold drink.
Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead and the tip of her nose. The corners of her eyes turned red, her eyelashes grew slightly damp, and her lips were swollen and bright red.
Looking across at Shen Yu, he was eating from the spicy pot without batting an eye. Apart from his lips being a little redder, there wasn’t a single change in his expression.
He ate no slower than she did, yet his movements were remarkably elegant and graceful.
Xi Yue had started with great momentum, but before even finishing a quarter of the food, she was forced to retreat from the battlefield.
Rubbing her round, stuffed belly, she slumped back in her chair, watching Shen Yu clear out the remaining three-quarters.
She hadn’t expected him to be such a big eater despite looking so lean.
“There’s enough in the fridge for two more meals. Let’s do this again tomorrow!”
Shen Yu pulled out a paper napkin and wiped his mouth, thoroughly satisfied with the meal.
After the apocalypse began, even though he could eat fresh vegetables thanks to his wood-elemental ability, he really couldn’t have prepared a meal as lavish as today’s.
He stood up, walked back to the bedroom, and handed Xi Yue a paper bag he had brought back today.
“For me? What is it?” Xi Yue opened the bag curiously.
Inside was a jewelry box. Opening it revealed a ruby necklace.
A delicate chain was adorned with a dazzling ruby that sparkled brightly under the light, looking just like a beating heart.
“This is way too beautiful! Where did it come from?” Xi Yue touched the gemstone gingerly.
“I passed by a jewelry shop when I went out today. A zero-dollar purchase.” Shen Yu toyed with a gold bracelet in his hand, which then morphed and transformed into a golden rose right within his palm.
Xi Yue looked up, staring blankly at Shen Yu as he offered the flower to her, before slowly reaching out her hand to take it.
Having finished her shower, Xi Yue changed into fluffy pajamas and lay in bed, staring at the golden rose in her hands.
The flower was exquisitely detailed; the rose petals and even the veins on the leaves were life-like.
Thinking back to when she took the golden flower earlier, neither of them had spoken after that.
Shen Yu had turned around to silently clean up the table, and she couldn’t even remember how she had walked back to her bedroom.
This was just too awesome!
Xi Yue snapped out of her daze after a long while. The employee the system found for her was truly terrifyingly capable!
How could he know how to do so much?!
But why a rose?
That gold bracelet earlier was pretty nice too—at least it could be worn.
After trying to figure it out for a long time to no avail, Xi Yue simply gave up.
Just then, the doorbell suddenly rang outside. Xi Yue opened her bedroom door and saw Shen Yu opening the front door.
Qian Lele stood at the doorway holding Fang Xiaojun by the hand. He was carrying a bag of fruit that looked quite heavy, leaving red marks on his hand from the weight.
“Brother, Grandpa asked us to bring this to you and Sister. He was afraid it would spoil, so he asked us to drop some off for you.” Qian Lele looked timidly at Shen Yu.
“Lele and Xiaojun! Have you guys eaten yet? You don’t need to give this to us, keep it for yourselves.” Xi Yue walked to the door, looking down at the two somewhat nervous children.
“Grandpa is still waiting for us to go back and eat. We’re having seafood noodles today! Grandpa said we must give this to you to thank Sister for letting us stay here.”
At the mention of eating, both children smiled, clearly looking forward to dinner.
“That’s right! We must give it!”
Fang Xiaojun nodded beside his brother in agreement.
“You guys are so well-behaved. Help Sister and Brother say thank you to your grandfather, and hurry back to eat.” As she spoke, she patted their little heads and accepted the bag.
Hearing that, Qian Lele and Fang Xiaojun let out a sigh of relief, waved goodbye to them, and eagerly ran toward the elevator.
Shen Yu took the bag from Xi Yue’s hand, closed the door, and spoke, “That child’s name is Lele?”
“Yeah, his name is Qian Lele. Their family’s luck is absolutely incredible. They picked up a pile of crystal cores on their way here, and after going out that afternoon, they picked up another pile.”
“I remember you were there that day too. When they came back that afternoon, they brought two whole bags of crystal cores. I don’t know what kind of scary monster killed all those zombies and left all the crystal cores behind.”
“Not only that, Qian Lele is amazingly good at drawing blind boxes. Out of ten items, he can pull cakes, hot pot, and fruit!”
A thoughtful look flashed across Shen Yu’s eyes…