The ex-wife of a former CEO regrets resigning to raise her child and retire from public life.

Chapter 54 Just a small bite

Lu Ming wiped the red oil from the corner of his mouth, let out a long sigh, and had a peaceful look on his face, as if he had just finished a meal.

He glanced at the two plates on the table, which were even cleaner than his face, and then looked at the group members around him. They all understood and spontaneously stood up.

"Tap, tap."

The empty plates were neatly stacked together.

Lu Ming picked up a wet wipe from the side and wiped the table in front of him as shiny as possible.

"Let's go, Brother Chen! This shredded pork with garlic sauce is unbeatable!"

Lu Ming gave Chen Feng a thumbs-up in the kitchen, and then he and several young men, like a disciplined patrol team, orderly withdrew from the store.

In this WeChat group "Protecting the Best Bunny Buns," which was only formed last night, "wiping up immediately after eating and stacking plates neatly" seems to have become an unspoken custom that everyone consciously follows.

For them, the delicious food provided by such a boss made them want to do something for this little shop.

Just as Lu Ming and his group were leaving, three figures brushed past them.

The man walking at the front is named Zhou Wei.

Zhou Wei was dressed in a sophisticated dark blue business suit today, with silver-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, exuding a rigorous and even rigid professional elite aura.

But at this moment, his brows were furrowed tightly, and he hesitated noticeably the instant he stepped into the store.

A rich, fishy aroma, like some kind of precision-guided missile, shot straight to the top of his head through his nostrils.

"Hmm..." Zhou Wei subconsciously pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and covered his mouth and nose.

For him, the smell was not appealing; instead, it unearthed long-buried, nauseating, and terrifying memories.

That was five years ago, when he went on a business trip to the north after he had just started working.

To fit in, he went with his colleagues to a restaurant that claimed to serve "authentic Sichuan cuisine" and ordered a dish of shredded pork with garlic sauce.

That was the first time he had ever tried this dish, but what was served was a plate of meat strips soaking in a bright red, viscous liquid, exuding a strong, sweet and greasy aroma.

To cater to the locals' preference for sweet flavors, the owner took it upon himself to add a lot of tomato sauce to the shredded pork with garlic sauce.

Even now, Zhou Wei feels a spasm in his stomach whenever he thinks about that meal.

That cloyingly sweet, greasy taste, combined with a rotten orange-like sourness, felt like a violent assault on the taste buds.

Despite his rigid personality and insistence on "not wasting anything," he swallowed the plate of "red oil tomato and pork strips" with a flushed face and cold sweat.

From then on, the phrase "fish-flavored shredded pork" became a taboo subject for Zhou Wei.

He gradually began to develop a physiological aversion to anything that smelled like fish.

Sometimes, in the office building cafeteria, as soon as he smells that dish is on the menu, he will immediately turn around and leave. Sometimes, in more severe cases, he will even feel dizzy.

But fate had other plans; he couldn't avoid all kinds of shredded pork with garlic sauce.

Sometimes he has to entertain clients, and if this dish is served at the table, he always tries to decline it.

If you really can't avoid it, you can only take a bite like taking medicine, close your eyes, hold your breath, and then find an opportunity to swallow a lot of alcohol to counteract the taste.

Over time, he even diagnosed himself with "fish flavor allergy".

"Boss, do you still have bunny buns today?" Old Xu, who was following behind Zhou Wei, asked casually.

Chen Feng looked up from the kitchen, his hands still busy: "Sorry everyone, we're not selling steamed buns today. Our specialty is shredded pork with garlic sauce."

Upon hearing the words "We don't sell steamed buns," Zhou Wei's heart sank.

The reason he came all the way to this old street today was because he listened to his two good-for-nothing friends, Lao Xu and A Qiang, brag about "juicy buns" all night.

He had been hoping that the so-called fairy bunny bun could wash away the fatigue from his all-night drawing session the previous night.

But who would have thought that upon entering the door, he would be greeted by this nauseating smell of his "arch-enemy".

"Old Zhou, your face is as white as paper, shall we head back?"

Old Xu knew he didn't like the taste, so he quickly stopped looking greedy and patted Zhou Wei's arm with some concern.

Ah Qiang, who was standing next to him, also stopped. Although he was starving, he still acted like a true friend and said:

"Yeah, Lao Zhou. Let's go somewhere else. There's a noodle shop on the street ahead. We can make do with that."

Old Xu and A-Qiang knew Zhou Wei's problem all too well. Although they were thinking about Boss Chen's cooking, they decided to make an immediate "strategic shift" in the face of their brother's health and appetite.

Zhou Wei adjusted his silver-rimmed glasses and looked at his two mischievous friends who were already prepared to "retreat," but a feeling of guilt welled up inside him.

He knew that Lao Xu and A Qiang had stayed up all night yesterday to help him review the blueprints, and accompanied him to the construction site early this morning. They were so hungry they were seeing stars.

These two are true "carnivores," and they talked about this restaurant for half an hour the whole way.

If Zhou Wei were to drag them along to starve because of his own "psychological trauma," he would feel that he was being too "pretentious."

"Alright, stop acting like I'm some kind of weakling."

Zhou Wei loosened the handkerchief covering his mouth and nose, forcefully suppressed the churning in his stomach, took a deep breath, and his tone became resolute:

"Please sit down. I just can't stand the smell, so I won't eat it."

You guys order what you want, I'll just sit here and take care of some work, it'll be nice and quiet for a bit.

"Really?" Old Xu was still a little hesitant.

"What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and pay, or you'll be nagging me for half a year after they're sold out."

Zhou Wei put on a stern face, deliberately displaying the authority of a superior.

Old Xu and A-Qiang exchanged a glance and chuckled.

They knew Zhou Wei and knew he was serious, so they stopped refusing.

Old Xu moved swiftly, dashing over to Mengmeng to pay for both.

The three of them found a seat by the window and sat down.

Zhou Wei took out his tablet from his briefcase and forced himself into work mode.

He tried to distract himself by working on architectural drawings, but things weren't as simple as he thought.

The fish flavor in this restaurant is just too... weird.

At first, it was as resistant as he remembered, but as time went by, he seemed to be able to accept it.

He relaxed and gradually smelled the spiciness of the old ginger, the richness of the pickled peppers, and a faint sourness.

It's not sweet; in fact, it has an enticing "salty and savory" flavor.

"Slurp—"

Old Xu next to me has already started eating.

Zhang Qiang brought two plates of bright red and translucent shredded pork with garlic sauce to the table.

The shredded meat, coated with glistening gravy, shimmered with an alluring amber luster in the sunlight, while each strand of wood ear mushroom exuded a moist, black pearl-like quality.

"This taste!" Old Xu exclaimed, his voice so loud that Zhou Wei's hand holding the pen trembled.

"Old Zhou, you really don't want to try it? This shredded pork is as tender as tofu, and the key is the spiciness—it's refreshing without being overpowering, and the sourness… oh my, I can't quite put my finger on it, but this time it just feels different!"

"Snoring, snoring!"

Ah Qiang didn't even have time to speak; he simply dumped half a plate of food onto the rice and frantically shoveled it away.

His somewhat round face swelled up like an inflated pufferfish from chewing so fast, and he didn't seem to care that a little bit of bright red sauce stuck to the corner of his mouth.

Zhou Wei stared at the architectural drawings on the screen, but his gaze began to drift involuntarily.

The lines on that structural diagram look exactly like strands of meat.

"What's going on..." Zhou Wei cursed himself inwardly.

He has a "fish-fragrant allergy"! He's the kind of person who feels like vomiting just from the smell!

But why is it that these two rough men, who usually eat fast food like they're being force-fed ducks, are now eating what they consider to be "the most delicious food in the world"?

Their greasy mouths and the way their Adam's apples rose and fell with each swallow were relentlessly provoking Zhou Wei's nerves.

Zhou Wei put down his tablet; he was completely unable to concentrate on his work.

He didn't want to look, but his peripheral vision seemed to have a mind of its own. Unconsciously, he was watching the two people in front of him frantically eating rice.

This physiological betrayal made Zhou Wei feel ashamed, but even more so, he felt a suppressed hunger.

He took out his phone and started scrolling through his WeChat Moments, trying to distract himself.

But it was completely useless.

Just then, Lao Xu keenly noticed Zhou Wei's momentary wavering.

This mischievous friend revealed a wicked smile. He picked up a shredded piece of meat covered in sauce and trembling slightly with his chopsticks, and slowly waved it in front of Zhou Wei's nose.

"Old Zhou, look how tender this shredded meat is."

Old Xu's voice carried a devilish allure: "Smell it carefully, does it smell like tomato sauce? Is it cloyingly sweet?"

This is art, Lao Zhou, this is art that the master created with fire and oil..."

"Go to hell." Zhou Wei pushed Lao Xu's hand away irritably, but his nose twitched uncontrollably twice.

At that moment, he felt that his defenses had been completely breached.

Zhou Wei felt a muffled, desperate groan come from his stomach.

The sound was inconspicuous in the noisy shop, but it resonated loudly in his mind.

"Gulp."

Zhou Wei swallowed hard. The movement of his Adam's apple was so loud that even the diners at the next table could hear it.

"Old Zhou, your body really does tell the truth," A-Qiang chuckled, joining in.

"Come on, don't hold back. Just one bite. If it's not good, I'll take care of all the drawing assignments next month!"

Zhou Wei stared at the plate of bright red, alluringly glistening shredded pork with garlic sauce, the last shred of reason in his eyes being swallowed up.

"Just...just a tiny bite?"

Zhou Wei muttered to himself, as if giving himself a final order to compromise.

Meanwhile, Lao Xu and A Qiang were already grinning like two cats who had just stolen some fish.