“Since you haven’t started eating, sister, it wouldn’t be proper for me to begin first. Let’s wait for the soup together.”
“We’ll start once the soup is served.”
Yang Jingying smiled and replied.
The two were playing a game of politeness that deserved an 82 out of 100. The remaining 666 points were withheld in three installments, lest they become too proud.
Neither dared to touch their chopsticks.
Xu Shi and the others were in no hurry to start either.
As time passed, the growling of their stomachs became impossible to ignore.
Xu Shi and the others couldn’t help but think that the soup probably wasn’t anything ordinary either.
They had had enough.
They would have to ask the server to replace it later!
Who in their right mind would dare to eat this?
No one dared to take a bite.
Not long after, there was a knock at the door.
The server pushed a cart back into the room.
She glanced at the table.
Good heavens!
Not a single insect had been touched.
Cough, cough, cough…
Weren’t these ladies supposed to be adventurous eaters?
Why weren’t they eating?
The server placed the six bowls of soup on the table one by one.
Then, with a polite smile, she reminded them,
“Ahem… everything’s here now. Why aren’t you eating?”
The server meant well, but she quickly realized her mistake.
She shouldn’t have said anything.
After all, customers who ordered these kinds of dishes usually had some experience with them.
But here, the dishes on the table remained untouched.
Clearly, these were all first-timers.
They hadn’t even dared to look at the food, let alone eat it.
“Ladies, your Dragon and Phoenix Soup is all served, and the other dishes are ready too.”
“I won’t disturb you any longer. Please enjoy your meal. I’ll take my leave now.”
With that, the server awkwardly turned and left.
“Thank you,” the women replied politely.
Then they silently stared at the soup.
Wait, no—it was Dragon and Phoenix Soup.
There was snake in it.
Xu Shi’s lips twitched.
She couldn’t help but mutter to herself,
“Damn it! Why did I thank her? I should’ve asked her to replace the whole meal. What a blunder!”
The so-called Dragon and Phoenix Soup was just a fancy name people had come up with.
Wasn’t it just chicken soup mixed with snake soup?
Since when did chicken become a phoenix?
And when did snakes evolve into dragons?
If the person who named this dish were here,
she’d make sure to give them a piece of her mind.
This was false advertising at its finest!
How shameless!!!!
At least chickens and snakes were somewhat related in the animal kingdom.
But this? This was straight-up mythology.
Zhou Qiaoqiao swallowed hard, her red lips trembling slightly.
“Sister, the soup’s here. Let’s drink up. This Dragon and Phoenix Soup is very nourishing.”
Yang Jingying’s face turned pale. “Hehe… didn’t you say you were experienced with this kind of thing? Surely you know how to enjoy this soup. Why don’t you show us how it’s done?”
Dragon and Phoenix Soup sounded fancy,
but it was just chicken and snake boiled together.
On the table, alongside this soup,
were various insects.
The epitome of dark cuisine!
Show off her skills?
If you’re so brave, why don’t you do it yourself?
Zhou Qiaoqiao rolled her eyes. “That was a long time ago. How about this—let’s both drink it together. No backing out, okay?”
Zhou Qiaoqiao was certain Yang Jingying wouldn’t be able to stomach it.
She said this to make the other woman back down.
Don’t push her into doing something she couldn’t handle.
“Hmph… the water beetles sound delicious. Why don’t you try one first?” Yang Jingying sneered.
Trying to stall?
No way!
No matter what,
she was determined to make Zhou Qiaoqiao take the first bite.
Only if Zhou Qiaoqiao ate those disgusting little bugs first
would she consider it a victory.
Zhou Qiaoqiao was speechless.
Water beetles? Those black cockroach-like things?
How could anyone eat that?
Was dragging this out really necessary?
If Yang Jingying didn’t eat first,
she wasn’t going to budge either.
Otherwise,
what was the point of calling her “sister”?
Xu Shi cleared her throat. “Sisters, could I offer a suggestion?”
Yang Jingying and Zhou Qiaoqiao stopped their battle of wills
and turned to Xu Shi.
Xu Shi pointed a slightly trembling finger at the food on the table.
“I think none of us have much of an appetite here.”
“It’s not that we’re not hungry, but the dishes at this restaurant just don’t suit our tastes.”
If the restaurant owner had heard her words,
he would have burst into tears!
Ladies,
if you didn’t want to eat this, why did you order it?
You should’ve chosen something you could actually stomach.
These dishes were meant for customers with specific tastes,
not for you!!!!
Xu Shi’s suggestion was the perfect out.
The two women’s faces lit up.
They had been trying to figure out how to leave gracefully,
and here was the perfect excuse.
Yang Jingying was the first to nod in agreement.
“Xu Shi’s right. It’s not that I’m not hungry; it’s just that these dishes aren’t suitable.”
Zhou Qiaoqiao, seeing how shameless Yang Jingying was, pursed her lips.
She didn’t say anything.
Shen Manni and Lin An’an breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally!!!
The battle was over!
What a relief!!!!
With that, the five women reached an unspoken agreement.
They grabbed their bags and prepared to leave.
Just then, the door swung open with a clatter.
The person who walked in was none other than An Youyi.
“Xu Shi, hey, you’re all here too?”
“Didn’t you invite me to dinner?”
An Youyi looked utterly clueless.
The women, bags in hand,
all standing up,
stared at her in confusion.
Most people would have been puzzled by the scene,
but An Youyi simply glanced at them
and carelessly took a seat at the empty spot.
Xu Shi was mortified.
They were about to leave,
and An Youyi had to show up now?
Xu Shi forced a sweet smile and explained,
“The dishes here… well, they don’t suit our tastes. We were thinking of going somewhere else.”
“Oh, I see. You’re scared, aren’t you?” An Youyi’s calm words cut straight to the truth!
The women froze.
You’re not scared?!?!
This stuff is terrifying… what the…
Before they could react,
An Youyi picked up a water beetle
and popped it into her mouth.
No removing the head or tail.
She went straight for it!
The crisp crunching sound
echoed through the silent private room.
An Youyi swallowed it, and for once, her usually expressionless face showed a faint smile.
“Delicious!”
Ψ(￣∀￣)Ψ
Some things smell bad but taste good.
Some things look scary but are delicious.
An Youyi’s performance
left everyone utterly stunned!
The women stared at her as if she were a god.
How could you eat that??????
Aren’t you scared?
Isn’t it creepy?
Oh, right, you’re an assassin…
Never mind then.
Sorry for disturbing you, carry on.
Yang Jingying and Zhou Qiaoqiao were dumbfounded.
“An Youyi, is the water beetle really that good?”
“You’re not just saying that to trick us into eating it, are you?”
From the way they subtly swallowed,
it was clear
they were curious to try it too.
They just couldn’t overcome their mental barriers.
An Youyi picked up another water beetle and casually tossed it into her mouth, chewing without a care.
Crunch, crunch…
“I’m not that bored.”