Chapter 43

Chapter 43

◎The Lamb Hot Pot Is Good, the People Are Bad◎

Since recruiting adults was even harder than recruiting children, Meng Qi's training class had consistently been one-on-one sessions, even though the initial tuition was based on the rate for group classes and even came with a 50% discount on top of that.

Xiao Yueya teased him that he had hit the jackpot this time. It was often said that art's foundation is built with money, but his entry ticket was much cheaper than others'. Saving here and there, he would save a fortune by the time he built his artistic foundation. Meng Qi thought about it and agreed—Xiao Yueya's words made a lot of sense. He had never attended extracurricular interest classes before, and the main reason was always that he lacked the money.

Since he had gotten such a great deal, he had to make the most of it. As a result, Meng Qi studied even harder, making rapid progress you could see. Even Xiao Yueya praised Meng Qi as the most perceptive, fastest-improving, and most hardworking student she had ever taught.

"Isn't it just that I'm the oldest and most mature?" Meng Qi asked, showing his self-awareness.

Xiao Yueya laughed awkwardly. "Looks like I need to find you a control group soon, or else I'll always sound like I'm just blowing hot air."

Leaving aside whether his natural talent was really that great, Meng Qi himself felt he was improving exceptionally quickly. Straight lines, curves, and circles were now effortless for him. If you gave him any photo, he could sketch a seventy to eighty percent likeness. He figured this was probably due to the muscle memory ingrained in the right hand of the "Meng Qi" from the book.

Of course, it was also thanks to Teacher Xiao's patient guidance.

So, Meng Qi decided to treat Xiao Yueya to a meal to thank her.

After class that day, Meng Qi first asked Xiao Yueya if she had any more classes later. When she said no, he expressed his intention to treat her to a meal. Xiao Yueya was so delighted that she immediately clasped her hands under her chin, her eyes curving into crescents as she asked Meng Qi, "What are you treating me to?"

"You decide," Meng Qi replied.

Xiao Yueya tilted her head in thought, and as if she'd just had an idea, her eyes suddenly lit up. She then asked Meng Qi, "Do you have any dietary restrictions?"

Meng Qi shook his head.

He ate everything, was never picky, and didn't dislike any foods. However, he did have a favorite—pork head meat. He wondered how different the pork head meat in this world was from the kind his grandparents always bought for him.

"Then how about we go for Old Beijing Lamb Hot Pot? I haven't had it since summer started, and I've been craving it. Just talking about it makes me drool." Xiao Yueya's crescent-shaped eyes were filled with anticipation as she stared at Meng Qi.

Meng Qi smiled and nodded. "Sure."

After all, he ate everything.

Besides, he had never tried Old Beijing Lamb Hot Pot before and was quite curious about it. It was said to be different from the usual electric hot pot, requiring charcoal and a special copper pot.

Meng Qi had never seen what that kind of copper pot looked like. There wasn't a single hot pot restaurant like that in his hometown.

Of course, he had never eaten other types of hot pot outside either. However, he would pass by an electric hot pot restaurant every time he rode his bike home. A glance through the glass door was enough to get the gist.

Xiao Yueya asked Meng Qi to wait for her in the classroom while she changed her clothes and touched up her makeup. "Girls need to put effort into putting themselves together before going out. The more effort you put in, the more handsome the guys you'll meet later."

"Is that really a thing?" Meng Qi asked with a puzzled expression.

"Of course! It's the law of attraction, don't you know?" Before heading off to change, Xiao Yueya gave Meng Qi another look and chuckled. "You were the first adult male student I enrolled after putting effort into my makeup. Impressive, right?"

Meng Qi thought about his own face and figured he couldn't really argue with Xiao Yueya, because he also thought he was handsome.

Even before coming here, he had thought he was quite good-looking. Although his eyes were unusual, they weren't scary. Instead, they were as deep as the starry sky, captivating enough to pull you in if stared at for too long.

This was probably also why he had been ostracized by normal children since he was young. Aside from his grandparents and himself, no one would like a child with an eerie aura without a good reason.

Speaking of eyes, Meng Qi suddenly remembered the unfinished sketch hidden in the secret room by the "Meng Qi" from the book—the one with only one eye drawn. Although his brushwork was still quite immature, he tried to pick up a brush and sketch the eye from memory, stroke by stroke, with great care. But when he finished and examined it closely, it wasn't exactly identical—more like completely unrelated. The structure was similar, but the spirit was entirely missing, utterly unworthy of the concentration he had poured into it.

No matter how fast his progress was, he was still far behind the original inhabitant. Meng Qi accepted this calmly and decided to strive to catch up, even though he had no idea when that might happen.

With a sigh, Meng Qi heavily shaded over the eye with charcoal.

Just then, Xiao Yueya returned after touching up her makeup.

Her bun had been undone and replaced with two braids. The ends of the braids were tied with several colorful rubber bands, forming thin, upward-curving lines that resembled the crescent moon hanging in the sky, perfectly complementing her name.

Her dull work clothes had been swapped for a bright green skirt, and her black low heels were replaced with pink high-top sneakers, paired with white scrunch socks. A youthful and vibrant feeling washed over her.

What she called "touching up her makeup" was actually a complete makeover—from serious and stiff to glamorous and striking, almost making her unrecognizable at first glance.

A walking dose of dopamine.

Meng Qi raised an eyebrow, finally convinced that Xiao Yueya was indeed his peer and no longer the aloof teacher.

The Old Beijing Lamb Hot Pot restaurant Xiao Yueya wanted to visit was quite a distance from the training center, so Meng Qi hailed a taxi. After a twenty-minute ride, they arrived at their destination.

After getting out of the car, the first thing they saw wasn't the hot pot restaurant's sign but the large signboard of the "Ren Zhen" chain hotel.

Meng Qi: ...

His good mood instantly dropped by half.

However, the rich, sesame paste aroma filled with the warmth of everyday life that greeted them upon entering soothed Meng Qi's wounded heart, reigniting his anticipation for today's hot pot meal.

Just then, a man in a suit and tie with an employee badge walked toward them. He seemed to be the duty manager of the hot pot restaurant.

Thinking the man was in a hurry to leave, Meng Qi considerately stepped aside to make way. Unexpectedly, the man was actually heading toward him. Upon reaching them, he bowed to Meng Qi and Xiao Yueya, then smiled and said to Meng Qi, "Young Master Meng, why didn't you let us know you were coming? I could have reserved the best spot for you in advance." He paused, then added somewhat apologetically, "It's truly unfortunate today—the restaurant is packed. Only a few seats are left in the main dining area. What do you think?"

So, this was someone who knew the "Meng Qi" from the book.

Meng Qi's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly regained his composure. Calmly, he said to the hot pot restaurant manager, "It's fine. The main dining area is good too. Just find a relatively quiet spot for me and my friend."

"Of course, thank you for your understanding, Young Master Meng. How about that spot over there? It's by the window and tucked away—bright and quiet."

The hot pot restaurant manager pointed toward the back of the main dining area. Meng Qi followed his direction and thought, well, it was okay—the very last table in the farthest corner, a place customers rarely wandered to. It did seem quiet.

Meng Qi asked Xiao Yueya, "Is that spot okay?"

"I think it's great," Xiao Yueya first expressed her gratitude to the manager, then pulled Meng Qi along as they walked inside. Leaning closer, she whispered to Meng Qi, "Thanks to you today, we got a seat right away. On a normal day, we'd have to wait half an hour just for a table."

"Is it really that exaggerated? Didn't he say there were still several empty seats?" Only then did Meng Qi realize he was enjoying the privileges that came with the "Young Master Meng" identity. If Xiao Yueya hadn't reminded him, he wouldn't have known.

Xiao Yueya raised a finger to her lips and shushed him. "Keep your voice down. See those people sitting over there cracking melon seeds? If you hadn't come today, I'd be sitting there cracking two yuan's worth of seeds too."

Meng Qi: ...

Of course, Xiao Yueya took charge of ordering. The young lady seemed to be a regular at this restaurant. She took the menu, checked off items with a few swift strokes, and finished in under a minute, saving a lot of time on deliberation. She then handed the completed menu to the waiting manager and politely said, "You can go attend to other matters. I'll take care of Young Master Meng from here."

Meng Qi: ...

After the manager walked away, Xiao Yueya asked Meng Qi with a gossipy expression, "Which family's Young Master Meng are you? Are you a shareholder of this hot pot restaurant?"

To be honest, Meng Qi didn't know whether the "Meng Qi" from the book had invested in this hot pot restaurant. The novel never mentioned it, but he guessed it was unlikely, as he hadn't achieved financial freedom. The manager probably recognized him because of the neighboring "Ren Zhen" chain hotel.

In other words, today was another day of him riding on someone else's coattails.

At this thought, Meng Qi decisively shook his head. "Not a shareholder, just a regular." Probably.

Hearing this, Xiao Yueya didn't pursue the topic further. Instead, she asked Meng Qi if he knew how to mix sesame sauce dipping bowls. She proudly promoted herself to him, "I'm really good at mixing sesame sauce dipping bowls. Every time I go out for hot pot with friends, I mix all the dipping sauces. How about it? Want me to show off my skills today?"

What a coincidence—Meng Qi really didn't know how. So, he happily agreed to Xiao Yueya's suggestion.

The meat was tender and succulent, cooked to perfection—from being placed into the copper pot to being retrieved and dipped into Xiao Yueya's own special blend of sesame dipping sauce, it took no more than fifteen seconds. Meng Qi savored every bite, thoroughly satisfied, and was quick to praise Xiao Yueya, "Awesome!"

Whether she was teasing Meng Qi on purpose or not, Xiao Yueya shook her head and refused, "The beef here isn't as good as the lamb. Don't order beef; it'd just waste this excellent broth."

What else could Meng Qi say? He just buried his head and kept eating.

Later, the restaurant manager came over again, saying a private room upstairs had become available and asking if Meng Qi wanted to move there.

If it were the "Meng Qi" from the book, he'd probably have agreed. But Meng Qi himself actually thought the main dining area was quite nice—the bustling, lively atmosphere filled his heart, leaving him no time to dwell on other thoughts. It even gave him the illusion of being in the real world, making him feel that he, at this very moment, was truly alive and not just an empty line of code.

"Wow! So handsome! Today's makeup was totally worth it!"

Across the table, Xiao Yueya suddenly exclaimed while looking out the window. Curious, Meng Qi followed her gaze, only to turn his head back the next second.

I mean, the two guys standing side-by-side outside were handsome, alright—it was just my luck to run into them.