"Is something wrong, sir? Are you dissatisfied with the food? We can replace it for you," the waiter asked with a polite smile.
"No, it's not about the food," Xu Mo shook his head. "I just don't remember ordering any of this..."
"One moment, let me check." The waiter looked down at the menu in his hand with a puzzled expression but didn't seem to find anything unusual. He then replied courteously, "Sir, I'm not sure what happened, but the order and table number I received from the kitchen match this. Please enjoy your meal for now—I will report this to our restaurant manager, and they will come to handle the matter shortly."
After the waiter left, Xu Mo and Lin Yijing exchanged glances, both at a loss for what kind of trick this restaurant was playing. Despite the table being filled with mouth-watering dishes, they hesitated to take a single bite.
Of course, there was an exception. Tang Guo showed no concern for the peculiarity of the situation. With a fork in one hand and a knife in the other, she eagerly dug in while mumbling, "Since it's already on the table, we might as well eat! Even if they made a mistake, that's their bad luck. What, are they going to ask us to spit it back out?"
"Let's just eat... This actually saves us the trouble of ordering. I could only understand the prices on that menu—the French at the front? Not a single word," Lin Yijing laughed self-deprecatingly. At this point, she had no choice but to go with the flow.
Xu Mo shot a vicious glare at Tang Guo, who was happily devouring the food. Meeting this girl might have been the biggest mistake of his life... Looks like there was no escaping a hefty bill today.
As for Western dining etiquette, Xu Mo knew nothing beyond using a knife and fork. But since there were no other customers in the restaurant, he didn't have to worry about anyone laughing at them for being uncultured. In the end, they enjoyed their meal quite freely.
By the time they were about 80% full, the restaurant manager finally arrived, approaching the table with an apologetic expression. After offering his apologies, he explained the reason behind the unexpected meal service.
"Sir, here's the situation... Our restaurant is hosting a 'Couples Month' this month. Your table happens to be the 999th couple to visit, so we've specially prepared this 'Endless Love Couples Set' for you. No need to worry—the entire meal is on the house, as you are our lucky guests."
"Couples Month? 999th couple?" Xu Mo was utterly dumbfounded by this unexpected stroke of luck.
This was way too surreal! He had never even won a lottery before, yet somehow, eating out randomly had landed him a free meal?
"Wait, you and this young lady aren't a couple?" Seeing Xu Mo's hesitation, the manager immediately grew suspicious.
"No, we're a couple! In fact, it's not just the two of us—we're actually a trio!" Tang Guo quickly stepped in to cover for Xu Mo's reaction, shooting Lin Yijing a meaningful glance. The message was clear—if you deny this, you'll be the one paying for the meal!
Left with no choice, Lin Yijing blushed and nodded in agreement... Being misunderstood was better than staying behind to wash dishes.
"A trio?" Now it was the manager's turn to be confused.
"What? Never seen a guy with two girlfriends before? Jealous, huh?" Tang Guo retorted confidently.
Tang Guo's sharp tongue left the manager wiping cold sweat from his forehead as he forced a smile. "N-no, it's just that… such a relationship is quite rare, so I was a little surprised…"
"That just means you haven't seen enough of the world, old man. It's the modern age—you need to keep up!" Tang Guo patted the manager's shoulder with the air of a wise elder imparting life lessons.
Xu Mo was completely speechless. This girl could really spout nonsense... But then again, this manager was a bit too gullible. Who had ever seen such a harmonious three-person couple? And yet, he actually believed it…
"Please wait a moment. As our lucky guests this month, we have a special mystery gift for you."
The manager took a step back and clapped his hands. Immediately, a waiter came over carrying a large bouquet of roses and a small gift bag.
The waiter holding the flowers clearly hadn't expected such an unusual three-person situation, so he looked toward the manager for guidance. The manager, in turn, was at a loss and threw the question to Xu Mo with his eyes.
Why are you looking at me? Neither of these girls is actually with me—how should I know who to give the flowers to?
Whenever Xu Mo found himself in a tough spot, Tang Guo always seemed to step in just in time. This time was no exception. With a wave of her hand, she generously declared, "Give them to her! As the senior wife, I wouldn't stoop to fighting over such a small thing."
Seeing the manager and waiter's twitching expressions as they tried to hold back laughter, Xu Mo suddenly had the urge to slam his head into the table. This was beyond embarrassing…
In the end, the bouquet of ninety-nine roses was placed in Lin Yijing's hands. She hadn't expected such a gift, and though she and Xu Mo weren't actually a couple, the romantic atmosphere made it impossible for her not to feel a little shy.
"That's it? How unexpected…" Tang Guo muttered, momentarily stunned.
"Hmm? What?" Xu Mo, still reeling from Lin Yijing's bashful expression, didn't catch what Tang Guo had said.
"Nothing…" Tang Guo quickly waved him off.
At that moment, the manager called over another waiter holding an instant camera. He smiled at the trio and said, "Lastly, we have a small request. To promote our Couples Month, we hope the three of you can take a promotional photo for us."
"What kind of promotional photo?" Xu Mo suddenly had a bad feeling.
"A couple's kissing photo."
Ki-Ki-Kissing?! With who? Tang Guo? Or Lin Yijing?! Xu Mo felt as if the entire world had come crashing down—this was going way too far…
"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're not actually—" The manager's suspicions flared up again.
"N-no… Just give me a moment… I drank too much… feeling dizzy…"
—
"Hahahaha! That was the most hilarious meal ever! Let's come back here next time!"
On the bustling street, Tang Guo walked ahead of Xu Mo and Lin Yijing, laughing heartily without a care in the world, as if she hadn't just lost a kiss moments ago.
Behind her, however, Lin Yijing, still clutching the bouquet of roses, was far less at ease. Ever since they left the restaurant, she had kept her head down, silently staring at the flowers in her arms, lost in thought.
It was understandable. Tang Guo had already given her first kiss to Xu Mo long ago, so another one didn't mean much to her. But for Lin Yijing, who hadn't even held a boy's hand since she was ten, even a simple kiss on Xu Mo's cheek was a monumental moment—how could she not feel flustered?
Yes… In the end, Lin Yijing had only kissed Xu Mo's cheek. It was a compromise made at Tang Guo's suggestion, one the restaurant accepted. Otherwise, she probably wouldn't even have the courage to walk beside Xu Mo right now.
"Lin Yijing, if you're not feeling well, we can skip the amusement park. I'll take you home instead."
Among the mystery gifts from the restaurant were three amusement park tickets and three night cinema tickets, both valid only for that day. Even though they were free, they weren't cheap, and Xu Mo didn't want them to go to waste. But seeing Lin Yijing so troubled, he didn't want to force her.
"No, I'm fine. Don't worry," Lin Yijing took a deep breath, trying to clear her chaotic thoughts. She forced a smile and said, "Shang Shan City's Dinosaur Amusement Park tickets cost over a hundred yuan each. I've never been there before—letting them go to waste would be such a shame. Let's go together!"