Chapter 497: Settled in One Stroke
"Mmm, this Dongpo Pork Knuckle is absolutely delicious."
Picking up a piece of tender pork with his chopsticks and placing it into his mouth, De Hongchen paused slightly, casting a meaningful glance at the two girls who had just entered, dressed in the uniforms of the Sun-Moon Royal Spirit Engineer Academy.
So those people… really did use Meng Yun to test Qi Han.
Although he had already handed over the position of Hall Master of Mingde Hall to his son Yao Hongchen, De Hongchen still held the title of dean of the Sun-Moon Royal Spirit Engineer Academy. How could he not know about the death of a student in the academy?
Through the special channels of the Mingde Auction House, De Hongchen had already learned that the twenty-thousand-year Gargoyle torso bone sent from the Banlan City branch had been provided by Qi Han. According to the report from the person involved, Meng Yun, Qi Sen had died while being hunted by a ten-thousand-year Gargoyle.
The Mingde Auction House, which only answered to Mingde Hall, was beyond the reach of the Secret Intelligence Division's investigations. Therefore, the fact that Qi Han was the provider of the Gargoyle torso bone had not been mentioned in their intelligence reports.
Because of this, the Secret Intelligence Division could not confirm whether Meng Yun and Qi Han were connected—but De Hongchen had already reached his own conclusion long ago.
However, he had not shared his speculation with anyone.
Silently chewing the delicious pork in his mouth, a sharp glint flashed in De Hongchen's eyes.
After finishing his meal, he would need to make a trip to the palace.
…
"Ah Yun, the dishes in this restaurant are so expensive!" After flipping through the menu just a couple of times, Zhao Yuqing couldn't help but click her tongue. "Even the best restaurants on Sun-Moon Avenue aren't this pricey. How about… we go somewhere else?"
"No need, let's eat here." Meng Yun glanced at the menu, her brows knitting ever so slightly before she spoke. "I'll treat you this time, let's consider it a celebration for me obtaining my fourth spirit ring."
"Huh?!" Zhao Yuqing was first overjoyed, but then a hint of worry appeared on her face. "But do you have enough money?"
"I do." Meng Yun touched her small purse and gritted her teeth.
Her family background was even poorer than Zhao Yuqing's. Normally, in a situation like this, she would have backed out even earlier. But this time, she didn't want to leave.
The reason was simple—the owner of this restaurant was her savior.
If Qi Han hadn't stepped in that day to kill the Gargoyle, she would have already died in its vicious jaws.
Yet he hadn't asked for anything in return, only telling her not to speak of what had happened.
This left Meng Yun, who disliked owing others, feeling quite uneasy.
Fortunately, she had run into him again.
She hadn't yet figured out how to repay Qi Han for saving her life, but at the very least, supporting his business now was a given.
Although… the food really was expensive!
The cost of a meal for the two of them could have bought her several rare metals she had wanted for a long time.
The two girls leaned their heads together and whispered for a bit before quickly deciding what to order. When Qi Han came over again, Meng Yun raised her hand somewhat awkwardly and placed their order.
Knowing Meng Yun's financial situation, Zhao Yuqing avoided choosing expensive dishes. Meng Yun herself had always been frugal, so the two only ordered two portions of egg fried rice and three dishes that looked quite good, totaling less than fifty gold coins.
Because of this, Meng Yun felt a bit embarrassed—coming to support her benefactor's business yet being so stingy. Only when she saw that Qi Han's expression remained unchanged did she quietly breathe a sigh of relief.
Mm… next time, after saving up more money, I'll come support his business again.
She thought so to herself.
Watching Qi Han finish recording their order and turn to leave, Meng Yun suddenly remembered something and spoke up.
"Um… I don't think I know your name yet…"
"I'm Qi Han," Qi Han said with a smile.
Qi Han…
Meng Yun nodded firmly, engraving the name of her savior deeply into her memory.
They didn't have to wait long before their egg fried rice was served. The ones delivering the dishes were Pururu No.1 and Pururu No.2.
"Wow, this kitty is so cute~ It can even split itself to carry plates—so smart!" Seeing Pururu merge back into one, Zhao Yuqing immediately exclaimed in delight. She carefully reached out her hand, and after Pururu gently rubbed against her twice, she showed a satisfied, silly grin.
Looking at the familiar Pururu, Meng Yun was momentarily lost in thought.
She remembered that on the day he saved her, Qi Han had been holding this very cat.
Back then, she had thought it was just a pet. She never expected the little fellow to be so intelligent—even capable of serving dishes…
Only after Pururu returned behind the partition did she come back to her senses, lowering her head to look at the egg fried rice in front of her.
A rich and wonderful aroma, which she had overlooked just now, suddenly drifted into her nose, making her instinctively take a deep breath.
So fragrant!
There was nothing flashy about the smell—just a rich, natural fragrance of egg mixed with the aroma of stir-fried rice. Simple, yet it instantly whetted the appetite of the already starving Meng Yun.
Looking at the plate before her, where each grain of rice was distinct and evenly coated in egg, she subconsciously swallowed.
She really wanted to scoop up a big spoonful and put it into her mouth!
And she did exactly that.
The rich aroma of the egg fried rice burst forth the moment it entered her mouth, filling her senses. As she chewed, the rice and egg blended together, creating a flavor so wonderful that Meng Yun had never experienced before—it almost felt unreal.
She ate rice every day, but she had never imagined it could taste like this.
She subconsciously scooped up another spoonful, chewing as she went, and soon found herself eating faster and faster.
Beside her, Zhao Yuqing wasn't faring any better. For her, this was also her first time tasting such delicious food. Just a five-gold-coin portion of egg fried rice was already this amazing, making her even more curious about the other three dishes.
Before long, the remaining dishes were brought over by Qi Han himself.
"Pork Tripe Chicken, Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork, and Tin Foil Roasted Brain Flower. Please enjoy."
After placing the three dishes between them, Qi Han returned to his busy work.
Meng Yun and Zhao Yuqing exchanged a glance, then picked up their chopsticks and reached toward the freshly served dishes.
Time to eat!
…
"Yuqing, you go back first. I want to stay and talk with the owner of this restaurant."
"You two…" Zhao Yuqing blinked, then quickly put on an "I get it" expression. "Alright, alright—I won't be a third wheel."
"Don't talk nonsense." Shooting her tactless roommate a glare, Meng Yun bit her lip and walked straight toward Qi Han.
The lunch service had already ended, and customers were leaving one after another. Qi Han had started cleaning the tables and chairs.
He missed having staff to help more and more.
Suddenly, Qi Han sensed someone approaching. Looking up, he saw Meng Yun standing there with a conflicted expression.
"Hm? You haven't left yet?"
"Um… you saved me before. Could you tell me how I can repay your kindness?"
"Huh?" Qi Han blinked. "Just keep it a secret for me, that's enough. It was just a small effort…"
Meng Yun said nothing, only looking at him stubbornly.
The atmosphere suddenly froze.
Wait… hold on.
Isn't she a perfect candidate for a waiter?
Thinking of this, Qi Han paused his cleaning and turned to look at Meng Yun seriously.
"If I remember correctly… you're at the four ring level, right?"
"Yes." Hearing a possible turn in his tone, Meng Yun felt a surge of joy.
If she could repay his life-saving kindness, she wouldn't have to carry this mental burden anymore.
Otherwise, she always felt uneasy, as if she owed him something.
Of course, if Qi Han made any unreasonable demands, she wouldn't foolishly agree.
But from her brief interaction with him, he didn't seem like that kind of person…
As her thoughts wandered, she suddenly heard Qi Han's proposal.
"How about this, you work as my waiter for twenty days, and we'll call it even?"
"…Huh?"
<+>
Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 505: Qi Han's Choice[1]
Link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/becoming-food-in-155496005[2]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/posts/becoming-food-in-155496005
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/becoming-food-in-155496005