They quickly served up the things they had ordered. Because they were afraid the tomato fish soup would get cold, the fish soup was brought in a small pot. The pot was placed on the hot plate, and the waiter pressed a few buttons next to it before leaving.
Lu Lingchuan didn't speak, and Shen Nian was also silent. Both of them remained quiet.
Shen Nian stared at the tomato fish soup in front of her, waiting silently.
The fish soup was already hot when it was served, so it only needed to be heated for a short while before it started bubbling.
Just like before, Shen Nian first put some chopped celery and beef cubes in her own bowl, then scooped a few spoonfuls of the tomato soup with a large ladle.
Picking up her own small ceramic spoon, she stirred it around in the bowl a few times, scooped up a spoonful, and ate it.
Lu Lingchuan stared at her silently for two or three minutes before slowly withdrawing his gaze and picking up his chopsticks to eat.
The atmosphere at the table was very quiet. The two were so quiet that there wasn't even the sound of eating. There was only the occasional sound of Shen Nian's ceramic spoon hitting her bowl.
The lamb rolls Shen Nian had asked for were brought up long ago and happened to be placed right in front of her.
When she looked up, she just happened to meet eyes with the lamb rolls. Shen Nian's eyes went blank for only a second before returning to normal. She used her chopsticks to pick one up and put it in the pot.
The moment Shen Nian put the lamb roll in the pot, Lu Lingchuan had already fixed his gaze back on her.
The lamb rolls were sliced very thinly, so they didn't need to be cooked for too long. Just scalding them for a bit was enough before they could be eaten.
Lu Lingchuan watched as Shen Nian picked up the scalded lamb rolls with her chopsticks. Without even dipping them in the side condiments, she expressionlessly stuffed them in her mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
One after another.
Someone who didn't know her seeing this scene would definitely think she really liked eating lamb rolls, otherwise she wouldn't just stare at the lamb rolls and eat so much.
Only Lu Lingchuan knew clearly that she actually didn't like lamb at all. In fact...she would feel nauseous from even just a whiff of the gamey smell.
After Shen Nian ate over half the plate, Lu Lingchuan finally couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up, "You never used to eat lamb before."
His voice was very soft, and his gaze at her was very mild.
"..." Shen Nian's frail figure paused. Just then, the lamb roll she was holding had also finished scalding, so she stuffed the lamb into her mouth, slowly chewing it before swallowing.
"People all change."
Lu Lingchuan's pupils suddenly contracted. His hand gripping the chopsticks tightened abruptly.
People all change...
"Buzz--" A phone ringtone interrupted their bizarre atmosphere. Lu Lingchuan put down his chopsticks on the empty plate next to him, then took out his phone.
The ringtone was still ringing, and the caller ID name was flashing on the screen.
He lightly knitted his brows, glanced at Shen Nian again, then got up and left to take the call outside.
The moment Lu Lingchuan left, Shen Nian, who had been struggling to stay strong, suddenly collapsed like a crumbling iceberg, no longer able to hold herself up.
The lamb rolls boiled in her stomach, and not only did her sense of smell and mouth reject it, even her stomach couldn't stand the taste either.
Shen Nian immediately lowered her head to grab the trash can by her feet. Disregarding the astonished looks of those around her, she hugged the trash can and vomited violently, throwing up all the lamb rolls she had just eaten.
But even after throwing it all up, the strong gamey smell still lingered in her mouth. No matter how much she rinsed her mouth, it was futile.
Because she had vomited so forcefully, her eyes were a little red, and the corners of her eyes brimmed with faint teardrops. Shen Nian pulled her lips into a bitter smile.
As expected, some things just couldn't be mutually accepted through acclimation, just like her and lamb.
From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a figure, and Shen Nian immediately put the trash can back. She grabbed a tissue from the side to wipe her mouth before crumpling it up and throwing it in the trash can, pretending nothing had happened.
Lu Lingchuan sat back down and placed his phone to the side. He said lightly, "That was a call from Xu Lawyer just now."
Even Lu Lingchuan didn't know why he said that.
It was an explanation.
She must be overthinking when he had picked up the phone and left to take the call outside, so he said this to explain...the call wasn't from someone else, it was from Xu Lawyer.
"Oh." Shen Nian also didn't expect Lu Lingchuan to say this to her, but she came to her senses and responded lightly, "I see."
"Xu Lawyer asked us to go there at 10 AM tomorrow morning."
To discuss Lu Lingrui's matter.
The next court session was only a few days away.
"Okay." Shen Nian acknowledged.
After eating a few more pieces of fish, Shen Nian said to Lu Lingchuan, "I'm almost done eating, I'm going to the restroom first."
Then she got up and left.
Lu Lingchuan stared at her gradually retreating back for a good while before withdrawing his gaze, staring complexly at the trash can by his feet.
...
Shen Nian stood in front of the sink in the women's restroom, one hand on her chest, desperately trying to vomit something up, but she had already thrown up most of it earlier. Now, she couldn't vomit anything else out.
But the gamey taste in her mouth was still so strong, so strong that Shen Nian felt dizzy and muddled. She felt like her brain had been stupefied by the smell.
She scooped up some water to rinse her mouth before spitting it out, but no matter how much she rinsed, she still felt like the taste wouldn't go away.
"Excuse me, are you Miss Shen Nian?"
A soft voice sounded from behind her. Shen Nian turned off the faucet and looked back to see a young waitress dressed in this restaurant's uniform standing there.
It was a server from this restaurant.
Shen Nian nodded slightly. "Yes, I am. What's the matter?"
The girl took out a bottle of mouthwash from behind her and smiled at Shen Nian, "This is mouthwash your boyfriend asked me to buy for you. Your boyfriend specifically told me you don't like the taste of mint, so I bought peach flavor, nice and refreshing peach taste. I don't know if you'll like it."
Looking at the mouthwash in the server's hand, Shen Nian was startled. "My boyfriend?"
"Yes!" The server blinked. Then she revealed an envious look, "Miss, your boyfriend treats you so well, and he's so handsome too. And he's so attentive. I wish you two lifelong happiness!"
A tall, handsome, and attentive boyfriend was probably every girl's dream man.
Shen Nian came to her senses and knew who the server was talking about.
Other than Lu Lingchuan, who else could it be?
The corners of her lips curved up slightly. "Thank you."
She felt her pocket for the change she had left over earlier. Finding a 100 yuan bill, Shen Nian handed it to her, "Thank you for the trouble. This is a tip."
"No no no!" Seeing the money Shen Nian held out, the server quickly waved her hands. "I didn't do anything much, you don't need to tip me. And--"
"I helped your boyfriend buy mouthwash. The mouthwash was less than 50 yuan, but your boyfriend directly transferred me 500 yuan. I wanted to transfer it back to him but he refused."
