Chatper 15: A Playful Dinner

Chen Siqi grabbed Chen Yuchen's arm and led him straight into the self-service Japanese restaurant on the first floor of the five-star hotel. The buffet was 298 yuan per person, but Siqi didn't seem to care. Once they were seated and the sashimi arrived, she immediately pulled out her phone to snap photos for the fan group. She accompanied the pictures with a cheeky caption: "Having dinner with Mr. Chen!"

The chat group exploded with reactions:

"OMG! Siqi, you actually met Mr. Chen!"

"Sushi? So jealous!"

"Come on, tell Mr. Chen to stop slacking and get back to writing!"

Seeing the excitement in the chat, Chen Siqi giggled to herself, then put her phone away to focus on the food. Although she came from a second-tier city in Jiangsu-Zhejiang, and had eaten Japanese food before, the beautifully presented sashimi still made her want to take extra pictures, even though the taste wasn't anything special. The "looks" were definitely top-tier.

Chen Yuchen glanced at her and asked casually, "Didn't you say you couldn't afford a hotel room? So how do you have money to treat me to dinner?"

"That's different!" Chen Siqi blinked innocently, answering with confidence. "A single room for 399 yuan is way too expensive, but I've wanted to eat this sushi for ages. Plus, since you were nice enough to let me stay, I figured I should repay you somehow!"

Chen Yuchen sighed, "Stop calling me 'Uncle.' We're not that far apart in age."

"Oh? Then how old are you?" Chen Siqi asked mischievously, her eyes twinkling as she teased, "I thought you had a baby face…" She suddenly stopped mid-sentence, her face turning red.

"Baby face what?" Chen Yuchen raised an eyebrow, realizing something was off.

"Nothing, nothing." Chen Siqi quickly covered her mouth, unable to stifle a laugh.

Watching her antics, Chen Yuchen couldn't help but find it amusing. This girl isn't as harmless as she looks. He thought about how she was a die-hard fan of his novels, which often contained some mature content, and started to wonder just how "innocent" she really was.

"What's so funny?" he asked, his tone calm, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Nothing…" Chen Siqi stuck out her tongue, pretending nothing had happened. But inwardly, she was wondering, Can this guy read minds?

As more plates of sashimi and tempura were brought to the table, Chen Siqi eagerly dug in. Munching on a shrimp, she suddenly complained, "Uncle, why did you make the main character go bankrupt? I loved him so much! You can't be this cruel to him!"

"I'm not going to change the story just because you like him," Chen Yuchen replied bluntly, calmly picking up a piece of sashimi and eating it.

Chen Siqi pouted, clearly displeased. "I treated you to dinner; can't you at least let me sneak a peek at your drafts?"

Chen Yuchen glanced at her, amused by her attempt at being cute. With a slight smile, he said, "We'll see how you behave."

The moment he said that, Chen Siqi's face lit up. She immediately started piling food onto his plate, grinning as she tried to butter him up.

After they finished the sushi, Siqi pulled Chen Yuchen down to the underground mall connected to the hotel. While they strolled around, she spotted a gorgeous dress that made her eyes sparkle. She was tempted to try it on, but with her wallet nearly empty, she could only sulk, her lips forming a pout as she stared longingly at it.

"If you're broke, don't window shop," Chen Yuchen muttered as he gently tugged the back of her shirt collar, "Don't embarrass yourself."

"Hmph, you have no sense of fun," Siqi grumbled, clearly annoyed.

After wandering the mall for a while, Chen Yuchen spotted a limited-edition Longines watch on sale for 5,000 yuan. Without hesitation, he swiped his card and bought it.

Watching him spend money so effortlessly, Chen Siqi looked at him in surprise. "Wow, you really are a wealthy Mr. Chen, huh?"

"If you like something, just buy it. No need to overthink it," Chen Yuchen replied coolly, not even glancing at her as he strapped on the watch.

Envious, Chen Siqi muttered under her breath as they walked, "Big bro, I treated you to dinner, don't you think you should buy me something in return?"

"I didn't force you to treat me," Chen Yuchen shot back without hesitation.

"Ugh, big bro… I'm your loyal fan, after all…" Chen Siqi pouted, putting on an exaggeratedly pitiful face.

"Since when do celebrities buy gifts for their fans?" Chen Yuchen raised an eyebrow, not giving her any leeway.

Frustrated, Chen Siqi puffed out her cheeks, clearly upset. But even though she acted like she wasn't happy, she was over the moon when they returned to the hotel and Chen Yuchen secretly bought her the dress she had been eyeing. It only cost 300 yuan, but it made Chen Siqi light up with joy. She hugged the dress to her chest, practically skipping all the way back to the room like a child with a new toy.

Sometimes, spoiling this "little fan" can be quite fun, Chen Yuchen thought with a smile.