Chapter 198 - 144: Zhiyu’s Identity Exposed
A Wellington Steak, 480.
A French Foie Gras, 360.
’Do these numbers even represent money? They look like they were just scribbled on randomly.’
Shen Yu began calculating how much spending money she had left.
’After this meal, once I’m back in the Capital City, I’ll probably have to eat nothing but bread for two months straight...’
But then she silently reassured herself: ’It’s worth it! There’s nothing I wouldn’t spend to treat Dr. Jiang!’
You can’t put a price on Dr. Jiang’s happiness!
But...
’Maybe Dr. Jiang can have the nice food, and I’ll just order a vegetable salad... The salad is sixty-eight, too? This is robbery! Aaaah!’
In the end, Shen Yu bit the bullet and ordered a steak for Jiang He, and a plate of pasta for herself.
Jiang He didn’t stop her the entire time. Only when the waiter was about to take the menu away did he calmly add, "And an order of pan-seared scallops and a black truffle mushroom soup."
Shen Yu: "Uh, um, it’s fine, it’s fine..."
There were many small details throughout the meal.
When Shen Yu wasn’t sure how to cut the steak, Jiang He would cut it into pieces for her.
Jiang He knew Shen Yu didn’t like cauliflower, so he picked it out for her in advance.
The ache in Shen Yu’s heart over the money was gradually replaced by a sweet feeling.
’Oh, well. Worst case, I’ll just have to pick up a few more part-time jobs when I get back. This meal was definitely worth it.’
The meal came to an end.
Shen Yu put down her knife and fork, picked up her napkin to wipe her mouth, and prepared to call the waiter over to get the bill.
Just then, Jiang He suddenly stood up, grabbed Shen Yu’s wrist, and said in a low voice, "Run!"
Before Shen Yu could even react, Jiang He had pulled her up from her seat.
"Hey? Where are we going?"
"Dine and dash!"
Jiang He pulled her along, striding swiftly toward the restaurant’s main entrance.
Shen Yu’s eyes instantly went wide.
’Dine and dash?! Did I hear that right?!’
"Jiang He! Are you crazy?! We’re going to get caught!"
A waiter not far away turned around and looked at them.
Jiang He paid no attention, just pulled Shen Yu along and made a run for it!
Wearing flats, Shen Yu sprinted along the sidewalk after Jiang He, her heart pounding like a drum.
Passersby turned to stare.
Only after they had run a full block did Jiang He finally stop.
Shen Yu leaned against a wall, panting heavily. Her cheeks were flushed from running, and her eyes were filled with panic.
"Jiang He... we’re done for. I’m in the middle of applying to be an exchange student. Now I’m going to have a criminal record!"
Seeing her flustered state, Jiang He couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
He pulled a slip of paper from his pocket, held it between two fingers, and dangled it in front of Shen Yu.
"Look what this is."
Shen Yu took a closer look.
It was a machine-printed receipt from the restaurant, stamped with a red seal.
"You..." Shen Yu was stunned. "When did you pay the bill?"
"When I went to the restroom earlier, I paid at the front desk on my way. If I really let you treat me, wouldn’t you lose a few pounds from starving when you get back to the Capital City? I couldn’t bear that."
Shen Yu finally realized what had happened.
’I’ve been tricked again!’
"Jiang He! You’re the worst! Who scares people like that?! I was already thinking about how to write my withdrawal application!"
Annoyed, Shen Yu wanted to make a finger gun gesture, only to realize her hand was still being held by Jiang He.
She said, "Let go!"
Jiang He said, "I’m applying to hold it a little longer."
Shen Yu said, "Denied."
Jiang He said, "A little longer, and I’ll treat you to some mung bean cakes."
A traitorous stream of drool almost escaped the corner of her mouth.
Then she coughed, looked away, and said, "Fine... I guess I’ll have to let you hold it then..."
...
「In the hotel room.」
Jiang He had used the excuse of needing to use the restroom to come up, and now he was refusing to leave.
’This was a move to pick up girls that Li Zijian had taught him. To think he’d end up using it on his own wife...’
The SPLASHING sound of water came from the bathroom; Teacher Shen was taking a shower.
’Jiang He was getting antsy, his mind filled with naughty thoughts.’
’Today... could they pick up where they left off last time? Hmm?’
To make sure no one would call and interrupt later,
Jiang He took out his phone and started furiously replying to messages.
As soon as the screen lit up, he saw over a dozen unread text messages, all from Chen Hao.
[Holy shit! Old Jiang! Why did you transfer me fifty-two thousand?!]
[Did you rob a bank?]
[Text me back as soon as you see this! I’m panicking!]
[Pick up the phone, man!]
Jiang He thought.
’I have to take care of this potential problem right away.’
’Otherwise, if he calls later, the whole mood will be ruined.’
So he immediately dialed Chen Hao’s number.
The phone was answered after just one ring.
"Old Jiang! You son of a bitch, you finally called back! What the hell is with the fifty-two thousand?"
"I didn’t rob a bank. It’s to pay you back. You’ve fronted a lot of money for me recently, about twenty-six thousand in total. I’m paying you back double as interest."
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line.
"Holy shit, why are you keeping such a clear tab with me! We’re brothers, a few tens of thousands is nothing! Besides, I have you to thank today! Guess what? The principal talked to me, Yizhou, and the others today!"
"What did he say?"
"The principal’s exact words! As long as we follow you and do a good job on that miRNA project, we’ll get a direct recommendation for grad school! We can even pick which affiliated hospital we want to go to in the future! Old Jiang, I can’t take this money. I’m still counting on you to get us published in a top journal!"
"Take the money. Those are the rules. Business is business."
"No, but, Old Jiang..."
"Okay, enough chat. Chen Hao, listen carefully to what I’m about to say."
"Uh, go on."
"From now until tomorrow morning, do not call me under any circumstances. I won’t pick up even if you do. If it’s important, text me. Got it?"
"Huh? Why? Are you on some kind of secret mission?"
"Yes. A top-secret national security mission. People could die."
He hung up the phone.
Jiang He felt he was brilliant, having perfectly dealt with a potential unwanted interruption.