Chapter 503: Gang of Five?

Chapter 503: Chapter 503: Gang of Five?

Seeing them, Lily Hart remarked, "Oh, has the Gang of Four become the Gang of Five?"

Elliot Chapman smiled sheepishly. Food was precious these days, and he hadn’t wanted to come.

But Elder Shaw had insisted on dragging him along, saying that seeing Elliot would remind Lily Hart of the research institute, which in turn would hasten the advent of the bank.

He couldn’t win an argument with the older man, so he had no choice but to tag along.

Logan Holland grinned cheekily. "So where’s the Sichuan restaurant? I skipped lunch just for this."

Lily Hart rolled her eyes at him but didn’t really mind. They were all old friends.

She pointed to the enormous, vibrantly colored red bell pepper outside. "There."

Elder Shaw and the other four followed her finger and were all stunned by the giant bell pepper.

It was huge! They hadn’t even noticed it when leaving the base earlier. Seeing it up close now, it was breathtaking!

It looked like it could topple over and crush them at any moment.

Elliot Chapman, who often worked with mutated plants, felt as though the bell pepper might open its mouth at any second and swallow them whole.

He didn’t dare look any longer, his gaze falling on the Lucky Cat building in the distance, which finally calmed his nerves a bit.

As Elder Shaw and the others tore their eyes away, Patrick Lowell said, "Your architectural designs... they’re getting more and more... incredible."

Logan Holland nodded in deep agreement. First, it was a giant milk tea, then a massive apple, and now a giant bell pepper.

He thought he’d be used to it by now, but seeing it still left him shocked, amazed, and unable to look away.

Lily Hart lifted her chin haughtily. "Of course. Come on, let’s go eat. I had her save a private room for us."

Frost Shaw and the others were still busy, so Lily Hart led Elder Shaw’s group of five inside first. The moment they entered, a wave of heat washed over them, followed by the clamor and steam of a bustling crowd.

It was as if they had been instantly transported back to civilized times, meeting up with a few friends to eat out at a restaurant.

"Whoa, so this is what it looks like inside? I thought it’d have bell pepper chairs and tables," Logan Holland remarked, looking left and right.

Lily Hart pictured the scene Logan Holland described and couldn’t help but get goosebumps. ’Bell pepper-shaped chairs and tables? What kind of person thinks of something like that?’

"Wow, you sure have a rich imagination!" Lily Hart mimicked his tone, praising him sarcastically.

Logan Holland shrugged helplessly, deciding not to bicker with her.

Lily Hart didn’t see Zoe Corbin at the front desk; she was probably busy somewhere. So, she led them up to a private room on the third floor. The room was in a great spot.

Opening the window revealed a view of the lottery shop and the two rows of various stores stretching out below, each with its own unique character and style.

Combined with the bustling crowds and chattering voices, it created a sense of peace and prosperity.

Elder Shaw stood by the window for a long time. He only snapped out of it when Lily Hart called to him after she finished ordering. He paced back to his seat.

He gave Lily Hart a meaningful look, but she was still chatting with Logan Holland and didn’t notice.

Soon, the table was filled with dishes. This was the largest private room on the third floor, and the table was huge. Thankfully, it had a wooden lazy Susan; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to reach the dishes on the other side.

The moment the food arrived, it immediately captured the attention of Elder Shaw and his group.

Yael Lowell smacked his lips, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He could barely wait, but knowing not everyone had arrived yet, he had to hold his right hand down with his left.

’Steady, hands. Quiet, mouth. Don’t be so impatient.’

Peter Sharp exclaimed in admiration, "Wow, this looks so authentic."

Lily Hart said, a little smugly, "Of course it is! We wouldn’t dare call it a Sichuan restaurant otherwise. Forget it, let’s not wait for them. Let’s eat."

Elliot Chapman was still a bit hesitant. ’How can we, as guests, start eating before the hosts arrive?’ Just as he was about to make an excuse, he saw that Elder Shaw and the others had already picked up their bowls.

Each was a heaping bowl of white rice.

Even though the bowls were already piled high, they kept adding the dishes they wanted on top—bullfrog, spicy chicken, fish in chili oil, and duck blood and tripe in a spicy broth.

They ate like a whirlwind.

Before Elliot Chapman could even react, their bowls of rice were already half-empty.

He instantly threw all his hesitant thoughts to the wind, picked up his bowl, and joined the feeding frenzy.

’Man, I can’t even remember the last time I’ve eaten white rice. It’s so fragrant! Not only is every grain perfectly plump, but it gets sweeter the more I chew.’

The six of them were completely engrossed in their meal, devouring more than half the dishes on the table in no time. Still not satisfied, they kept wolfing it down.

When Frost Shaw and the others arrived, they were greeted by the sight of six people with their heads buried in their bowls, completely uninterested in their arrival. Roman Rowe coughed loudly, but even that couldn’t stir their conscience.

"You guys started eating already?" Roman Rowe was at a loss and could only speak up loudly.

That finally got Lily Hart’s attention. She glanced at Roman Rowe. "Yeah. You’re all such busy people, you know. It’s a little hard to wait."

While Roman Rowe was talking, Frost Shaw had already taken a seat. The spots next to Lily Hart were all taken, so she could only sit opposite her.

Roman Rowe cried out, "Hey now! We got ready to come as soon as we saw the message."

Lily Hart just huffed twice, not bothering to argue with him further.

Everyone sat down one after another, but the dishes on the table were all leftovers. With a wave of her hand, Lily Hart ordered ten more dishes and consolidated the previous ones.

Just like that, the spread was brand new again.

The first six were mostly full but could still eat more. The initial fervor was gone, however, and they were now in a state of chatting while they ate.

Elder Shaw brought up the same old topic again. "Boss Hart, is there any news about the bank yet?"

Lily Hart got a headache just hearing the word "bank." She quickly served Elder Shaw a piece of dry-pot shrimp, trying to shut his mouth with food.

Before the meal, this probably would have worked on Elder Shaw.

But now, he was different. He was about sixty or seventy percent full, his mind was clear, and he didn’t even glance at the shrimp, staring only at Lily Hart.

Lily Hart had no choice but to ask her system. ’Sys, is there any news about the bank?’

The system was speechless.

Lily Hart was also speechless. She tried to console Elder Shaw, "It’ll happen, it’ll happen. Don’t worry, the time just isn’t right yet."

Elder Shaw really wanted to ask, ’When *will* the time be right?’

But he didn’t ask. ’Perhaps even a grand prize requires the perfect alignment of time, place, and people.’ He lowered his head to eat the shrimp Lily Hart had given him. It was delicious.

’When you’re eating, you should just eat. No need to discuss such exasperating matters.’

Logan Holland understood this principle deeply. From the start of the meal to the end, only a few phrases came out of his mouth, repeated over and over: "Delicious! This is so good! This is delicious too!"

The others were more or less the same, though their vocabulary was slightly larger.

"Hey, hey, don’t turn the lazy Susan yet! Let me grab some of that spicy chicken first."

"HISSS... so spicy! Don’t you guys... HISSS... think it’s spicy?"

"Of course I do! Then why are you still eating it? HISSS... Stop eating it and let me have some... HISSS-HAAAH..."

Feeling the heat but wanting to eat more anyway—that was the magic of Hunan and Sichuan cuisine.

The meal ended on a happy note, with everyone drenched in sweat. Lily Hart took small sips of her Coke through a straw, cooling down her mouth.

Roman Rowe, on the other hand, gulped his Coke down, finally feeling the spice subside.

But it had really hit the spot.