Chapter 233: No Need to Pretend—It's All Real
Li Tang arrived at the hot pot restaurant about ten minutes early.
Alice had insisted on tagging along—purely out of curiosity. She wanted to witness what a blind date looked like firsthand.
She even pretended not to know Li Tang and entered the restaurant a few meters behind him.
It was still early, and there weren't many diners yet. From the moment he walked in, Li Tang spotted a girl sitting at a window-side booth, dressed in a flowing white dress, looking very much like Snow White.
He approached. "Are you Li Xinqi?"
"I am," she said, glancing up from the menu. She didn't show much expression, then gestured to the seat opposite her. "Please, sit."
Li Tang felt a slight nervousness inside. Seeing how calm and collected she was, he couldn't help but admire her. Not knowing what else to say, he made some small talk:
"You came early?"
"Not really. Just a few minutes before you."
She handed the menu to him.
"I like hot pot. When it comes to food, I take initiative. I've already picked a few dishes. Take a look—see if there's anything you want to add."
"Whatever you picked is fine." Li Tang tried his best to be gentlemanly.
"Then we'll go with this."
She passed the menu to the waiter, then finally lifted her gaze to properly examine Li Tang, scrutinizing his face and demeanor.
"Nice taste in clothing."
"Thank you," Li Tang smiled.
He had to admit—his outfit today did look good.
He owed that entirely to Alice. He looked past Xinqi and spotted Alice sitting alone at the next table, placing her own order.
She looked completely at ease—like a seasoned lone wolf enjoying a solitary hot pot.
Li Tang smiled at Xinqi. "Your dress is beautiful too."
"My mom bought it for me—a 'Snow White' gown she picked up overseas. She insists on dressing me like a child."
Xinqi didn't seem to care much about her outfit, wearing it casually.
"My dad said you're very successful in your career?"
"I've done okay," Li Tang replied modestly.
"Alright then. Begin your performance," she said, leaning her elbows on the table and resting her chin in her hands. Her large eyes stared unblinkingly at Li Tang.
She had a round, soft face with a trace of baby fat and flawless skin. Her features were delicate—especially her cherry lips. She looked like a young girl barely out of adolescence.
"Performance?" Li Tang didn't quite follow.
"Share your success story with me," she said, acting like an attentive listener.
Li Tang was amused by her expression. "There's too much to tell, and none of it's worth bragging about."
"Then let's not talk about it. Let's eat."
Xinqi didn't seem very interested in success stories anyway.
At that moment, the server brought over the hot pot and side dishes, interrupting their conversation.
The soup bubbled atop the flame, and a rich aroma filled the air.
"Not sure if you eat spicy food, so I ordered a half-and-half pot. You can eat from the clear broth side if you don't."
She kindly explained while mixing her dipping sauce.
"I ordered two plates of lamb slices. They taste best with sesame sauce."
"I'm from Qianzhou—we love spicy food!"
Li Tang was no stranger to hot pot. He got up to make his own dipping sauce.
When he returned, Xinqi was already eagerly dipping lamb slices and beef tripe into the pot—clearly in her element.
It was as if she'd found a dining partner and was now enjoying the moment to its fullest.
Despite the messiness of the spicy broth, red oil inevitably splattered onto her pristine white dress.
She noticed but only glanced down, pouted, and continued eating.
"You should eat too. Don't just watch me!"
"I am. I've been in Yanjing for a while now, but I haven't found a hot pot place this tasty."
"Add the duck blood now. Don't let it overcook—it gets tough."
"There aren't enough vegetables. Want me to order some greens?"
The two ate happily, chatting intermittently.
Empty plates stacked up like a small mountain on the table.
After finishing, Xinqi wiped her mouth and hands with a warm towel. She then looked directly at Li Tang.
"Sorry, I haven't had hot pot in ages. I probably forgot all about looking elegant."
"It was delicious," Li Tang gave the meal five stars. "If you like hot pot so much, why don't you eat it more often?"
"My family doesn't eat spicy food. I got used to it during college—my roommates got me hooked. I became an unofficial spicy food girl."
She hadn't expected Li Tang to be so patient. Both of them had mostly eaten in silence, without forcing awkward conversation.
It was easy to forget the actual purpose of today's meeting.
"I'm twenty-seven. You?" she asked bluntly.
"Twenty-four."
"I'm older than you."
"You look eighteen to me. Just a little girl."
Li Tang meant it sincerely.
Through his eyes, she really did seem like a girl from a younger generation.
Outside, night had fallen. The window reflected the warm, lively interior of the hot pot restaurant.
He looked at his reflection—he still looked young too.
"Little girl, huh?"
Xinqi laughed. She was totally open about her age.
"But now I'm suddenly curious about your career. My dad hasn't stopped praising you since yesterday—saying you've done all these amazing things. Is it true?"
"Which things specifically?" Li Tang asked. He'd relaxed after eating.
"I don't remember. But I heard you used to work at Wukuang Group, then started your own company, still in the mining industry. According to my dad, you're his equal now."
"Well, we're sitting face-to-face, same chair height—so yeah, I guess we're equals." Li Tang smiled, using a metaphor.
"Is that what he meant?" she asked skeptically.
"Maybe."
"You don't even pretend?" She was genuinely curious.
"Pretend what?"
"Pretend to be super successful. Pretend to be rich. Pretend to have a powerful background."
"No need to pretend," Li Tang said with a slight smile.
"It's all real."
"Hahaha…"
Xinqi burst into laughter.
"You're actually pretty interesting. Where do you work?"
"Yunding Building. Come visit sometime."
Li Tang asked, "What do you do?"
"Finance, at Shenxia Group—my dad arranged it."
"You have a very impressive father."
"He's my idol."
She looked around, scanning for the server.
"I'll go pay," Li Tang stood up and headed to the register.
No way he was letting her pay.
Back at home, Xinqi rolled down the window and waved goodbye before gently pressing the gas and driving off.
As she parked, she spotted her parents standing eagerly at the door.
"That was fast. What did you eat for dinner?" Zhou Muyun asked, pretending not to know.
"Dad's car was parked less than five meters from the restaurant—with the lights still on."
Xinqi exposed them right away.
"No way. You must've mistaken someone else's car," Li Xingchao denied.
"I wasn't sure at first. But then I saw Mom sticking her whole head out the passenger window. Clear as day."
She looked at them, speechless.
"I told you not to follow so closely!" Zhou muttered.
"Why is it my fault?" Li Xingchao protested.
They flanked her as she walked into the house.
"You two looked like you were enjoying the meal, but you didn't talk for very long," he said, sounding uneasy.
"So, what's your impression of him?" her mom asked.
"He's fine. A normal person."
"Normal?"
The couple exchanged a look.
"There are so many weirdos out there—meeting someone normal is already rare," Xinqi said, thinking differently.
"One meal isn't enough to really understand someone."
Li Xingchao tried to explain.
"Li Tang's greatest strength is his career. When you're with someone, look at their strengths. Next time there's a project meeting with him, I'll take you along so you can see his presence."
"What kind of presence?"
"The aura of a boss." He gave a thumbs-up.
"He looked pretty normal to me—not like a boss at all."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Zhou asked.
"Like those movie bosses—every time they appear, there's background music playing. That kind of aura."
He joked.
The family burst into laughter.
…
After the meal, Li Tang didn't feel any particular emotional fluctuation.
But the hot pot was excellent—he left with a full stomach and a light heart.
His conversation with Xinqi didn't feel like there was much romantic spark, so he didn't press further. No "what do you think of me?" awkwardness.
Still, he found himself respecting her more. She wasn't stunning or intimidating—but she was sincere and natural throughout the whole dinner.
He had expected a spoiled, hard-to-approach rich girl.
Instead, she was refreshingly grounded.
"This is what blind dating is like?"
Alice had insisted on tagging along and eating hot pot alone—experiencing "the highest level of solitude."
A guy even asked for her number and offered to pay—she declined.
Still awkward with chopsticks, she ate slowly. Even after Li Tang had paid, she was still fishing food out of the pot, awkwardly using both hands, chopsticks in each.
"Yes, this is a blind date," Li Tang nodded.
"If I knew she wasn't into me, I'd have just invited you."
"Do you like her?" Alice asked directly.
"Just met her today."
He didn't feel anything strong—just satisfaction from a good meal.
"But you seemed to be having fun."
"We were. Food makes people happy."
"So, what kind of girls do you like?"
"I don't know," Li Tang said honestly.
"Maybe I'm not easily moved anymore. Some things are hard to explain. For me, love is just… something to leave to fate."
"Do you think she's pretty?"
"Yes."
"Then you like her!"
"She's clean and well-spoken, with an impressive background. Of course she's appealing. But admiration doesn't equal love, right?"
Soon, they reached the residential towers behind Yunding.
Alice got off at her building, and Li Tang drove the rest of the way home.
To his surprise, the lights were on in his empty apartment.
He stepped inside—and smelled meat.
His father had come.
"When did you arrive?"
"Evening flight. Just landed," Li Zaiqiang said from the kitchen.
"You could've called—I'd have picked you up."
"No need. Airport's too far. I just grabbed a cab."
He wore an apron and stirred a pot.
"Have you eaten?"
"Yeah. Hot pot."
Li Tang opened the fridge. Still stocked.
"There's beef. I'll make celery beef."
"No need. I made too much pork rib soup. I can't finish it alone."
In no time, dinner was ready. They sat down.
"How's the molybdenum project in Huizhou?"
"We hit ore—and it's looking great."
"What kind?"
"Molybdenite. Looks like a porphyry-style deposit—linked to magma and tectonic activity."
"Sounds promising. Another successful investment?"
"Why are you here so soon? Didn't stay longer with Grandma and Grandpa?"
"The Talego project is restarting. I came ahead with part of the team. The rest will follow in a few days."
"You left the cars at Yunding, right? Nothing stolen?"
"Nope. Security's tight."
"Good. Once everyone's here, we'll head out together with the Geological Bureau team."
The next morning, Li Zaiqiang made noodles with pork rib broth.
Father and son ate breakfast, then headed off to Yunding Building together.
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