Chapter 168: The Offensive
An Han had never heard of a restaurant that required advance payment just to make a reservation. She often watched food review videos online, but no one had ever mentioned such a thing.
However, seeing how serious and confident Su Peng looked, she began to waver a little.
After all, she had never been to a fancy restaurant before, who knew what kind of rules those places had?
Noticing the hesitation on her face, Su Peng firmly grabbed her wrist and started pulling her toward the restaurant.
“Hey! Why are you dragging me?”
“You said you wanted to eat, didn’t you? Whatever you want to talk about, we can talk after we eat.” His tone left no room for argument. “Nothing’s more important than eating. Now hurry up.”
Because Su Peng was taller, his legs were longer, and An Han couldn’t keep up with his pace. She stumbled a bit as he pulled her along.
She finally managed to steady herself but had to half-run to avoid being dragged off balance.
“When did I ever say I really wanted to eat?” she argued stubbornly, trying to keep up. “Let go of my hand, I can walk by myself!”
This guy! He suddenly turned so forceful again! And now he was acting deaf, pretending not to hear her!
She felt a bit annoyed inside, but the moment she remembered that Su Peng would be paying for the steak, her irritation disappeared completely. The earlier nervousness and uneasiness also faded away as soon as she saw the huge picture of steak on the restaurant’s poster.
“Do you have a reservation, sir?”
“The name’s Su.”
Su Peng casually answered the waiter and finally let go of An Han’s hand. He turned to remind her, “Stay close. If you get lost, I’m not coming to find you.”
“Do you think I’m a three-year-old?”
An Han rubbed her reddened wrist and frowned, grumbling, “You really hurt me…”
“Then should I rub it for you?”
“You’re just trying to take advantage of me again!”
She glared at him angrily.
The restaurant’s lighting was dim and soft, with Western-style decor. Gentle background music played in the hall, and most of the guests were well-dressed, speaking in quiet voices. Nothing like the noisy atmosphere of a normal restaurant.
An Han’s face was full of curiosity as she looked around, studying everything. When she finally looked up again, she realized she had fallen behind Su Peng and quickly jogged to catch up.
Following the waiter through the hall, the two were led into a private dining room.
An Han sat down stiffly, her posture straight and tense as the waiter carefully set the utensils in front of her. Her expression was stiff, she barely dared to breathe.
The most expensive meal she had ever attended before this was a wedding banquet. But wedding banquets were always lively, surrounded by family and friends. This place, however, felt so formal that she didn’t even dare to move too much.
Having a blind date in a place like this… really maxed out the “high-class” atmosphere.
But instead of the intended guest, she was the one taking Lin Shasha’s spot!
Nervously, An Han poked the gold-trimmed cutlery with her finger and whispered, “This isn’t… real gold, right?”
“It’s not worth much even if it is,” Su Peng said casually, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. “I once went to a place where the owner claimed his teacups were collectibles worth thousands.”
“......”
Seeing how tense her little face looked, Su Peng chuckled and said, “They’re usually just bluffing. Even if you drop the cutlery, no one’s gonna make you pay.”
“Really…”
An Han still couldn’t relax. She kept glancing toward the waiter standing by the door and then asked quietly, “Can we… make them leave?”
Being watched by the waiters while eating and talking was really uncomfortable. Before Su Peng could say anything, the two waiters heard An Han’s words, bowed slightly, and left the private room.
That made An Han feel much more relaxed. She rested her chin on one hand and muttered helplessly, “I’m never coming to this kind of restaurant again.”
“What if the food is really good?”
“If it’s good, that’s another story…”
Now that only the two of them were left in the room, An Han originally wanted to play with her phone. But when she took it out, she noticed Su Peng’s eyes on her. His gaze was burning, full of tenderness and affection so strong that even someone without sharp senses could feel it clearly.
Her body froze again. She quickly lowered her head, hiding her flushed face behind her bangs. Pretending to focus on her phone, she tapped the screen again and again, though her mind was growing more and more confused.
The atmosphere… felt completely like a date.
And with the slightly dim light in the room, if they added two candles and a glass of red wine, wouldn’t it be a perfect candlelight dinner?
She just wanted to know what steak from a fancy restaurant tasted like, how did it suddenly turn into such an awkward romantic scene!
“You look prettier than usual,” Su Peng said in a low, husky voice, leaning forward slightly and looking at her seriously.
An Han knew he was right, she had just boosted her appearance stat a little, so she did look better than a few minutes ago.
But in this atmosphere, she couldn’t help doubting that he said it only to flirt.
Feeling uneasy, she kept her head down, not daring to meet his eyes. Still, she could feel his heated gaze lingering on her. From her face, down to her neck hidden under her jacket, and even her slightly raised chest…
She could almost feel a faint pink haze filling the room. That made her tighten her legs nervously and shrink her shoulders inwards.
The door was knocked on again. Two waiters came in, each placing a steak in front of them and pouring red wine into their glasses.
Alright, now the only thing missing was candlelight.
An Han sighed softly in frustration and tried to ignore Su Peng’s gaze, focusing all her attention on the knife, fork, and steak in front of her.
“Want to try mine? Rib-eye,” Su Peng said, picking up a piece of steak with his fork and holding it up to her lips.
“No, no,” she shook her head in a panic. “I have my own.”
“The taste is different.”
Can you please not talk in that low, raspy voice?! It’s way too charming!
Instinctively, she glanced up at him. Only to see the teasing smile and playful look in his eyes. Clearly, he was enjoying how flustered she was.
He’s totally trying to flirt with me on purpose!
Even though she knew it perfectly well, her face still turned red all the way to her neck and ears. Her heart was beating wildly, like a little deer crashing around.
Fuming, An Han glared at him. “You used to flirt with girls like this too, didn’t you?”
She tried to break the mood before her brain turned into mush and Su Peng got the upper hand again.
But Su Peng’s expression was completely different from his usual gentle one. As he cut into his steak, he answered casually, “Only with you.”
“Ugh! Can you act normal for once?” An Han tapped the table. “Can’t I just eat in peace?”
Su Peng shrugged, leaned back against his chair, and his tone went back to normal. “I just wanted to see what type you like.”
“I like girls!” An Han replied firmly.
“I like you.”
An Han froze, her mind completely blanked out.