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Chapter 43 Such a Beautiful Girl

The tall, skinny delinquent carried his dish back to the table and flashed his buddy an “OK” gesture.

His partner lowered his voice, “Once the drug kicks in, we’ll haul those two away, and since you did the work you get the girl first.”

“Forget that girl for a moment, guess what I just saw inside.” The tall delinquent waggled his eyebrows.

The partner said, “What else could you see, the cook, right?”

“Yeah, the cook, but the cook is a woman, and she’s stunning!” The tall delinquent’s eyes shone.

“Tch, no way she’s hotter than that chick.” The partner glanced at Shao Linlin.

The tall delinquent said excitedly, “She’s even hotter; I’ve never seen such a gorgeous babe.”

He got so worked up that his voice rose, letting both Shao Linlin and Lu Li hear him.

Shao Linlin ignored the two punks; she would never care about irrelevant opinions.

Lu Li inwardly dismissed the claim.

Hah, prettier than Shao Linlin? Impossible.

Among the girls Lu Li had met, Shao Linlin was top-tier; apart from Xiao Mingyue and Chu Zining, no one could match her.

In truth, Shao Linlin was only a notch below those two; her baby-face made her look cutely naive and full of energy, unlike one who was ethereal and one who was gentle as water.

Even Xiao Mingyue and Chu Zining, those pinnacles of human beauty, still fell short of Shao Linlin in certain aspects… Lu Li shifted his gaze away from the collar of her blouse.

Luckily I’m a leg man, otherwise I might try to chase her.

“Lu Li, so that little apprentice is actually a girl?” Shao Linlin finally realized.

“Looks that way.”

“Hey, Lu Li, aren’t you curious what she looks like?” Shao Linlin smiled, “How about we take a look and you tell us which of us is prettier?”

“Not curious, and I don’t want to compare.” Lu Li only wanted to eat.

“Fine…” Shao Linlin lowered her head; she had hoped Lu Li would say she was pretty, but he did not take the bait.

As for losing in looks to that little apprentice? Ha, she refused to believe it; she was the cutest girl in the world.

Before long Auntie Zhao came back with sesame flatbread, handed it to the delinquents, and went into the kitchen for dishes.

She brought out two plates, first placing a braised-rib dish on Lu Li’s table, then giving the sweet-and-sour fish to the janitor.

Lu Li and Shao Linlin were starving and immediately dug in with their chopsticks.

“The flavor isn’t great; the apprentice’s technique is still a bit raw,” Lu Li subconsciously critiqued.

“This isn’t good? I think it’s delicious.” Shao Linlin offered an objective opinion.

Lu Li shook his head and said no more; he was not disparaging it, merely feeling the dish had room to improve.

With his Minor-Accomplishment level Culinary Arts, he could tell there were plenty of flaws, though for home-style fare it was still respectable.

Soon the other two dishes arrived; Shao Linlin ate with gusto, and Lu Li, watching her wolf down food, polished off another bowl of rice himself.

Only the tall delinquent was baffled; he had waited forever for Lu Li and Shao Linlin to keel over, yet nothing happened.

Could the drug have expired? No way, he had just bought it.

He did not realize that the janitor in the corner had long since collapsed onto the table and drifted into baby-like sleep.

His partner demanded, “Didn’t you say you dosed them?”

“I did dose them; how the hell do I know what’s wrong?” The tall delinquent looked vexed.

The partner glanced again at Shao Linlin, “Damn it, the meat was right at our mouths and we can’t eat it.”

A thought struck the tall delinquent; he narrowed his eyes, “If this won’t work, we can switch targets.”

“Switch targets?”

The tall delinquent nodded, “That cook is even hotter than this chick; we lure her outside and it’s the same deal.”

The partner hesitated, “That guy won’t come out and mess things up, will he?”

The tall delinquent shook his head, “He doesn’t look nosy, and the cook has nothing to do with him; unlike this chick, she’s not his girlfriend, so he probably won’t step in.”

“Really?”

“As long as we don’t cross the line on the surface, what can he do? We’ll flop on the ground and see whose side the cops take.” The tall delinquent sneered, “Stop overthinking; if you want meat, follow me.”

With that, he yanked a hair off his leg, grimaced, tossed it into the dish, then slammed the table and shouted, “Boss! Boss! Get over here, what’s the meaning of this?”

Auntie Zhao hurried over, “What happened?”

The tall delinquent said, “There’s hair in this dish, isn’t that disgusting? Explain yourself… does your cook have any sense of hygiene?”

Auntie Zhao glanced at the plate and frowned.

She had first assumed Chu Zining’s hair had fallen in, but this curvy strand was nothing like Chu Zining’s straight long hair.

Noticing the tattoos on the punks’ arms, she grew wary, “How about I replace the dish for you?”

She intended to take a loss and settle the matter peacefully.

The tall delinquent refused, “I’ve already eaten some; what’s the point of a replacement?”

Auntie Zhao bit her lip, “Then I’ll comp this dish for you.”

The tall delinquent slapped the table, “Do you think I care about the price? Go get the cook out here and have her apologize to me!”

Auntie Zhao’s mouth twitched; with little Chu’s timid nature, these punks would scare her to death.

She pulled a long face and said, “How about I apologize to you instead?”

The tall delinquent glared, “Why should you? The one who did it should apologize; I’m not being unreasonable! Is she coming or not? If not, I’ll smash your shop.”

The two punks pounded the table arrogantly, radiating menace.

Auntie Zhao was out of options; her husband was away, and she felt guilty inside.

“I’ll call her over, but could you please be polite and not frighten her?”

“She made me eat hair and I should be polite? Hurry up!”

Auntie Zhao hesitated but finally went into the kitchen.

Shao Linlin couldn’t bear it and asked Lu Li, “Lu Li, should we help Auntie Zhao?”

Lu Li shook his head, “The cook served hair to a customer; on principle we can’t help, and apologizing is appropriate.”

Shao Linlin nodded; that made sense, after all it was only an apology.

“Lu Li, aren’t you really curious what the little apprentice looks like? I’ve come to Good Flavor many times and never seen her.”

Shao Linlin craned her neck expectantly; she planned to call Lu Li over when the apprentice appeared and then ask who was prettier… he would have to answer.

Hmph, I’ll record Lu Li praising my looks and send the clip to Dad; let’s see him look down on me then.

Just as Shao Linlin was daydreaming, a slender figure stepped out of the kitchen.

Shao Linlin instantly fixed her gaze there, then her eyes widened as she exclaimed, “Wow! What a… what a beautiful girl!”

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