The anticipation of Saturday finally arrived for Meng Ran.
On Friday afternoon, after arranging to meet Gwen the next day, Meng Ran skipped all the way home.
Of course, his happy demeanor didn't escape his parents' notice. After all, our Mr. Evil Spirit's mouth was practically stretched to his ears, and his face was practically screaming two words: Happy!
At dinner, Zhao Li and Meng Huo exchanged glances, the couple communicating through a silent exchange.
Then, Zhao Li asked, "Son, why are you so happy today? Tell Mom what good news you have."
Meng Ran looked at his mother, whose eyes were full of curiosity, the flames of gossip already beginning to burn, and smiled, "Nothing much, I'm happy every day."
Meng Huo, hearing this, also looked at his son and said, "We've raised you this big, and we don't know you? You little rascal, your mouth is practically splitting."
Meng Ran, hearing his father's undermining, gave an awkward chuckle, thinking he had hidden it so well.
Zhao Li gave Meng Huo a reproachful look, blaming him for being so direct.
Meng Ran looked at his parents, then put down his bowl and said, "It's just that I'm going out with classmates tomorrow, really, nothing much."
"A girl, right?" Meng Huo understood what he meant. It had to be a female classmate; who acted like this when going out with a male classmate?
Meng Huo took out a card and handed it to Meng Ran, "You can't let the other person spend too much when you're out. Take the card."
Meng Ran gratefully accepted the card, "Dad, you're so cool when you're tough and don't say much! My mom really has good taste!"
Hearing his son's words, Meng Huo looked tenderly at Zhao Li, then proudly said, "You can say that! Your dad was a well-known handsome young man back in his day."
Zhao Li couldn't help but chuckle at Meng Huo's words, "You're getting carried away. You're old, and you still can't be serious."
After saying that, she turned to Meng Ran and took out five hundred US dollars in cash from her bag and handed it to him.
"Just having a card isn't enough. Bring some cash just in case. And remember to send the person home early; it's not very safe if it's too late."
Meng Ran nodded at the words. It was indeed unsafe at night; he dealt with several small-time crooks every day.
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On Saturday morning, Meng Ran got up early to get ready. He washed up, then styled his hair and chose his clothes.
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In no time, a handsome, sunny guy was ready to go.
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Driving his Black Car, Meng Ran followed the address Gwen had given him and arrived at her house.
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After sending her a message saying he had arrived, Meng Ran waited at the door.
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Soon, Gwen walked out, followed by a middle-aged man who looked very imposing.
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Meng Ran thought this must be Gwen's father. He looked upright and just; he certainly lived up to his position as the police chief.
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Gwen walked over and introduced them.
"Hi, Meng, this is my dad. Dad, this is Meng, the classmate I told you about who's really good at basketball."
"Hello, sir, I'm Meng Ran, Gwen's classmate," Meng Ran greeted proactively.
George nodded in response and then shook his hand.
"I heard from Gwen that you beat Flesh. I've met that kid. It seems your basketball skills are really good if you could beat him."
Meng Ran smiled, "It's alright, not that amazing."
I've only been practicing for two and a half years, Meng Ran thought to himself, a little smug.
George's impression of Meng Ran was quite good; he was handsome, sunny, and polite.
After giving the two of them a few words of advice, George turned and went back inside.
Meng Ran drove his Black Car, taking Gwen to lunch.
His destination was a Chinese restaurant. As the son of the Sichuan Chef, Meng Huo, he had his own opinions about Chinese food.
Meng Ran had been to this restaurant once before with his family. The food was very good, although it wasn't quite as good as his father's restaurant.
But on a date, going under his old man's nose was out of the question, so this place was his best option.
Meng Ran and Gwen chatted and laughed all the way, and they also went shopping nearby. They wandered around until they arrived at the restaurant at noon, lunchtime.
The restaurant was opened by a Sichuan Chef who had lived in New York for over a decade, and it was called Sichuan Flavor.
To cater to a wider audience, the spiciness of the dishes had been adjusted.
Of course, if you wanted to challenge yourself, you could. Just make a note when ordering, and you could experience the fiery passion of Sichuan cuisine.
"Gwen, is there anything you don't like to eat?" Meng Ran asked.
When dating a girl, you have to know if she has any dislikes, instead of just letting her order.
"I don't have any dislikes, and I want to challenge the spiciness you mentioned, the one before you adjusted it."
Gwen blinked her big eyes and said with anticipation. Meng Ran had also told her about the characteristics and features of Sichuan Flavor along the way.
After listening, she also really wanted to challenge the spiciness that Meng Ran said hadn't been adjusted yet.
Seeing Gwen's excitement, Meng Ran also smiled, "That's very spicy, you know? How about we order one dish to try first and see if you can handle it?"
Gwen nodded after hearing his suggestion. That was indeed more reasonable.
Then, Meng Ran called the waiter and ordered a Mapo Tofu, specifically stating that he wanted the normal level of spiciness.
The waiter, upon hearing Meng Ran's order, immediately said, "Certainly, sir. I'd also recommend ordering a drink; it'll help with the spiciness later."
The waiter was accustomed to people like Meng Ran, who wanted to try the normal level of spiciness. Most of them ended up regretting their choices. Therefore, he kindly suggested that Meng Ran order a drink to alleviate the heat.
Both of them also ordered large glasses of orange juice. The icy-cold orange juice was a perfect match for Sichuan Flavor cuisine. However, they had to be careful; too much spice could turn them into human flamethrowers.
Meng Ran, of course, didn't want them to turn into flamethrowers, so he ordered a Mapo Tofu first, letting Gwen try it to give up on the idea. Otherwise, how would the date proceed?
The dishes were served quickly. To his surprise, Gwen used her chopsticks very skillfully.
Meng Ran then remembered what Gwen had said in the car earlier. He just hadn't thought she'd be so proficient; he'd assumed she was just learning.
Gwen, seeing Meng Ran's astonished expression, smiled triumphantly. "Hmph, you believe me now, right? I often ate Chinese food with my family before."
Gwen carefully picked up a piece of tofu. The tender white tofu was coated in vibrant red bean paste, garnished with green scallions.
Before the tofu even touched their lips, the numbing and spicy aroma had already invaded their noses. The tempting fragrance and the overwhelming spiciness made them swallow involuntarily.
Gwen blew on the tofu and popped it into her mouth. The numbing, spicy, and savory flavors exploded together, instantly captivating her. She was completely won over by the Mapo Tofu.
Meng Ran sat opposite her, watching Gwen lost in the food, and couldn't help but doubt his own senses.
"Isn't this dish spicy? Wait, I ate it too, and it was definitely spicy." Meng Ran was already prepared to hand Gwen some juice.
"And this incredible chopstick skill… I'm not even sure I could pick up the Mapo Tofu." Besides her tolerance for spice, Gwen's chopstick skills also impressed Meng Ran.
Wow, if she didn't actually have blonde hair and blue eyes, I'd suspect Gwen was a Sichuan person who'd been trafficked to New York, a true Sichuan-New Yorker.
Gwen saw Meng Ran not eating much and wondered if she had scared him with her appetite, and she immediately felt a little embarrassed.
She looked at Meng Ran, who seemed to be in a daze, and said, "Meng, why aren't you eating?"
Meng Ran snapped out of his thoughts and saw Gwen looking a little embarrassed. He immediately understood; it seemed his lack of chopsticks action had caused her to misunderstand.
"I was just thinking about what else to order. What do you think of the spiciness?" Meng Ran smoothly changed the subject, defusing the awkwardness.
"It's great, I think it's delicious. I don't know much about ordering more dishes, I'll leave it to you," Gwen replied.
After hearing this, Meng Ran steeled his resolve, encouraging himself internally: Don't back down! Gwen can handle the spice so well, there's no reason I, a Chinese person, should be unable to.
So he called the waiter over again and ordered Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork, Husband and Wife Lung Slice, and Water Boiled Pork Slices, all with the normal level of spice.
In the waiter's surprised gaze, Meng Ran nodded to confirm the order.
It was the waiter's first time seeing a customer who wasn't questioning their life choices after being exposed to the spice, truly impressive.
The dishes were served one after another, and Gwen continued to eat happily.
Instead, Meng Ran was the one who couldn't handle the spiciness. He drank three large glasses of orange juice during the meal. Gwen even asked him if it was too spicy.
What a joke! Meng Ran couldn't possibly be, he solemnly declared that he was just a little thirsty.
When it was time to pay, the Sichuan Chef, who usually kept to himself, heard that there was a blonde, blue-eyed beauty at their table who wasn't afraid of spice. He specifically came over to take a look.
In the end, the Sichuan Chef and Gwen had a great chat, and he gave Gwen a Special VIP Card, telling her she could get an 88% discount on future visits. He also gave Meng Ran another large glass of juice.
Meng Ran said he happened to be thirsty again and thanked the Sichuan Chef profusely.
After dinner, the two went to the cinema to watch a movie, and then they went for a drive. Finally, Meng Ran safely dropped Gwen off.
Fortunately, Meng Ran's constitution was extraordinary, and he didn't have an upset stomach, otherwise today's date might have ended after lunch.