Shrine - Chapter 102

Chapter 102

The studio was indeed close to the restaurant. Within a few minutes, Ruan Ruan saw a young woman in a cream-colored knit sweater and brown riding boots enter. Her curly ponytail swung back and forth as she walked with a devil-may-care swagger. The girl with long, straight black hair next to her, however, was dressed much more warmly in a preppy duffle coat, her hands stuffed in her pockets.

They booked the whole place? Peng Xiangzhi glanced around, her eyes falling on the carcass of the tuna, then shifting to Shi Ran at the end of the long table.

Holy crap, she cursed silently.

What… level of… meeting… was this?

Shi Ran leaned forward slightly, watching her with a silent, cool gaze. In her mind, Peng Xiangzhi used her fingers to measure Shi Ran's face. Was it even possible for a human to have a skull and features like that? It had to be 3D-printed.

Ji Mingcheng gently guided Peng Xiangzhi to greet everyone, making introductions one by one, before they sat down opposite Chen Piaopiao and Tao Jin.

The cello music was a long, drawn-out note, like a saw cutting through someone's ribs. Peng Xiangzhi looked left, then right. On the opposite side were four SSRs. On this side… well, it was hard to say. She couldn't disparage herself without also disparaging Su Chang, and she was afraid Su Chang's fans would come after her.

"Have you ordered yet?" Peng Xiangzhi, unable to bear the silence for another second, asked in a low voice.

Ruan Ruan smiled a little shyly. "We were waiting for you to watch the tuna carving demonstration. The head chef is preparing now."

"Ah…" So there was a carving demonstration. Peng Xiangzhi understandingly retracted her gaze. Seeing that everyone had fallen silent again, each absorbed in their own world, pair by pair, she really couldn't hold back. After much deliberation, she finally asked, "Can I be so bold as to ask? What's the situation here? A lesbian get-together?"

"Pfft." Chen Piaopiao laughed, as did Tao Jin. Ruan Ruan pressed her lips together, looking at her with a curious smile. Shi Ran shot her a glance.

Su Chang was taken aback, and Yu Zhou broke into a sweat, wanting to pull out her phone to message Peng Xiangzhi.

"Are you… outing yourself?" Chen Piaopiao tilted her head to look at her, then cast an ambiguous glance at Ji Mingcheng.

Ji Mingcheng pushed up her glasses, suddenly recalling a common saying—it's not a party without a pig at the table.

Peng Xiangzhi linked her arm with Ji Mingcheng's, being very forthright. "Yeah, we are. Are you?"

She lowered her voice and wiggled her eyebrows.

Chen Piaopiao shook her head, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "She's my senior from school. We're both married."

"Ah, sorry, sorry, sorry," Peng Xiangzhi apologized profusely. "My bad, I just, I assumed."

"It's fine. Actually…" Chen Piaopiao slowly glanced at Tao Jin. "But that's all in the past."

Peng Xiangzhi's neck stiffened. She blinked a couple of times, thought for a moment, and understood. Old flames.

Ruan Ruan lowered her head to hide her smile and secretly glanced at Shi Ran. Shi Ran's index finger was resting on the end of her chopstick, a barely perceptible smile on her lips.

As they spoke, the head chef was ready. Everyone stopped talking and turned their attention to the viewing area. The blue-green tuna shimmered with a gentle luster. The head chef used a long knife to slice open the thick skin, and the red flesh instantly spilled out, releasing a rich yet refreshing aroma of fat. The texture was fine and the meat was tender, with almost no visible bones, its color as beautiful as a row of pomegranate seeds.

Several other chefs then began to portion the tuna, following the lines of the bones and the grain of the meat. The head was cut off, larger than two human heads combined, while the most prized parts were used for sashimi.

From the enormous fish, each person received just one thick slice, served on a delicate little dish, fragrant and rich with fat.

With a dab of wasabi and specially made soy sauce, the umami of the sashimi was instantly amplified. Yu Zhou took a bite and her eyes widened in amazement. She had been to her fair share of high-end restaurants, but none had ever been this fresh.

Su Chang smiled and asked softly, "Is it good?"

Yu Zhou nodded like a happy commoner. It was a real eye-opener.

The tuna was marinated, seared, and made into hand-pressed sushi, much like a typical Omakase meal where the chef decides the menu. While they waited, the restaurant served fresh sea urchin. Su Chang was lowering her head to taste it when she heard Shi Ran call her name. "Su Chang."

Hm? Su Chang looked up, wiping the corner of her mouth with a napkin.

"Want to go pick a bottle of wine?" Shi Ran's gaze was placid.

Su Chang's family was in the wine business, something that had come up during a break in the recording studio.

"Let's go." Su Chang put down her napkin.

Shi Ran left the table with Su Chang. Led by the restaurant's head chef, they went down to the wine cellar. Sometimes the restaurant acquired good vintages that were hard to find on the market. Shi Ran liked them, so she would buy them and store them here. She had stored so many that she couldn't quite remember what she had, which was why she needed to go to the cellar to choose.

Peng Xiangzhi watched their retreating backs and chuckled. One ultimate heartthrob, two ultimate heartthrobs. She wanted to use some small-time AI to make a video of the two of them fighting.

Hahahahahahahahahahaha.

Ji Mingcheng, the human stabilizer precision-engineered to handle her, sensed the evil overflowing from the screen. She handed Peng Xiangzhi a napkin, signaling for her to cover it up.

Before long, Shi Ran and Su Chang came back up the stairs. The head chef took the white wine they had selected to let it breathe. The two of them stood in the stairwell chatting for a while. Shi Ran, wearing a rather loose, modified blouse, had her hands in her pockets as she asked Su Chang about the voice project. She had noticed that Su Chang had a keen sense of what kind of drama dubbing young audiences liked, whereas the two shows starring the Little Radishes Shi Ran had signed had been forced to change their voice actors repeatedly because the dubbing in the trailers didn't suit the actors' faces.

After the wine was served, everyone had become more familiar with each other, and the atmosphere at the table relaxed. They stood in small groups with their wine glasses next to the tuna, watching the head chef cut the fish and prepare the dishes.

Peng Xiangzhi took out her phone to take a selfie with the tuna head, while Shi Ran sat at the end of the table, her elbow resting on the edge. Ruan Ruan stood behind her, her hands draped over Shi Ran's shoulders and crossed over her chest. Ruan Ruan was engrossed in a conversation with Yu Zhou, occasionally and unconsciously stroking Shi Ran's face.

Yu Zhou found it magical. The top celebrity famous for her World-Weary Face was now being held by the soft and fragrant Little Bread, as docile as if she had no temper at all.

After a couple of glasses, the volume of conversation grew louder. Peng Xiangzhi stared at Chen Piaopiao and Tao Jin, muttering to herself that no matter how she looked at them, they seemed to be having an extramarital affair.

Meanwhile, Yu Zhou excitedly video-called Chao Xin and Xiang Wan to show them the filleted tuna skeleton.

Chao Xin had just picked up Xiang Wan from her training at the museum. The two were in the car, about to head home to cook some noodles. The lighting in the car was poor, and Xiang Wan couldn't see clearly. She leaned closer to the screen. "What is this object?"

"A dinosaur. Does your museum have one?" A tipsy Peng Xiangzhi leaned over, speaking with the air of a seasoned expert.

Yu Zhou, both annoyed and amused, gave her a push and whispered, "Wan Wan, it's a tuna. It's huge, hundreds of pounds."

"You guys are having Japanese food?" Xiang Wan blinked on the screen, her voice crisp.

"Yeah, it's super delicious. We even had the tuna marrow. Oh my god, I've never had it before. It's like a little wine cup." Yu Zhou showed her the remnants on the cutting board so she could also broaden her horizons.

Xiang Wan tilted her head, not quite pleased. "Why didn't you call me?"

"Someone else is treating," Yu Zhou explained in a hushed voice. "The host brought two friends, so I couldn't invite too many people. Director Peng and the others were nearby. If you want to eat it, I'll treat you next time. We can come again."

"I'll look up how much it costs later. If it's too expensive, we'll forget it," she added.

Xiang Wan smiled happily and agreed, "If it is too expensive, we shall go Dutch."

"Excellent. I'm hanging up now. You two drive safe." Yu Zhou replied in her own half-archaic, half-modern way before ending the call.

She wanted to eat the tuna marrow again. She'd have to go home and sweep out her little piggy bank.

On the other side, it was much quieter. A slightly tipsy Ruan Ruan was still in the same position, hugging Shi Ran from behind as they watched the pastry chef make dessert. Chen Piaopiao walked over with her wine glass. Ruan Ruan suddenly thought of something and pulled her hand. "Have Tao Jin come over."

Tao Jin turned to look at her. Ruan Ruan smiled, her eyes bright and her teeth pearly. She cupped Shi Ran's face with both hands, directing her gaze to meet Tao Jin's, then lowered her head and asked softly, "Did you see it?"

Shi Ran understood instantly and gave a faint smile.

"What is it?" Tao Jin smiled back.

"Nothing, just looking at you." Ruan Ruan tightened her arms, her body sinking softly to half-lean against Shi Ran's back, her head gently nuzzling against Shi Ran's.

Did you see it? The whale. She was fulfilling a small part of her promise first. When they both had time, she would take Shi Ran sea fishing.

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