Chapter 369 - 161: Pokémon Off the Island (Middle)

Chapter 369: Chapter 161: Pokémon Off the Island (Middle)

"Take it away."

Zhang Shutong waved the waiter over. He had never understood what this thing was for.

He then pointed at the wine glasses:

"And the glasses, we don’t need..."

But before he could finish, Gu Qiuyan snapped the menu shut.

"Should we get some wine?"

"Wine...?" Ruoping subconsciously glanced at the wine cabinet, which looked expensive at a single glance.

"Yeah," Gu Qiuyan said nonchalantly. "We don’t have anything to do this afternoon. Do you all usually drink beer? It shouldn’t get you drunk."

She then whispered something in Ruoping’s ear. Who knows what they said, but Ruoping surprisingly nodded in agreement. And as long as Ruoping agreed, the three guys had no say in the matter.

The waiter, who was just about to take the wine glasses, pulled his hand back.

Zhang Shutong couldn’t help but wonder, ’Is Gu Qiuyan a big drinker?’

He remembered the time they were browsing a supermarket on the island. Gu Qiuyan had stood by the cocktail shelf for a long while, asking if he wanted to buy a few cans to drink with his friends. When he’d asked her if she drank often, she had said, "It’s alright. I have a little when I’m in a good mood."

Zhang Shutong hadn’t understood the subtext of that sentence back then, but he got it now. ’She must be in a good mood quite often.’ He figured her family certainly didn’t lack for alcohol; he just didn’t know what her tolerance was like.

"Red wine or white wine?"

Gu Qiuyan asked, propping her chin on her hand.

She was starting to look like President Gu again, her presence overshadowing the four of them. It was as if this Italian restaurant was her personal cafeteria. She had barely glanced at the menu, but in the time it took to discuss the wine, she had already casually ordered the dishes—from appetizers to the main course and dessert. She would occasionally pause to ask about their preferences, and when everyone seemed fine with her choices, she would deftly move on to the next step.

"Just pick whatever you think is best."

Zhang Shutong couldn’t help but chime in with a reminder.

The four of them rarely drank alcohol. When the guys would heroically shout for "a bottle of white" at a restaurant, they were actually asking for a yogurt drink. If faced with the real thing, their cover would be blown.

He then typed in their group chat that he had been here before; it wasn’t as expensive as they might think, even if the decor was a bit intimidating.

The young lady deliberated for a long time but still hadn’t picked a wine. People always say red wine with red meat and white wine with white meat. Every dish has a suitable pairing, taking into account acidity, astringency, aroma... even the season was a factor.

A more discerning choice would also require considering the wine’s region of origin, the specific vineyard, and the vintage. She, who had seemed so effortlessly in command just moments before, now had a slight frown on her face.

Everyone watched in silent admiration. ’Anything that could make even Gu Qiuyan look like she’s facing a formidable foe must be seriously complicated.’

Zhang Shutong didn’t understand wine, but his previous job had given him a general idea about these things.

"Shutong, maybe you should talk her out of ordering?" Du Kang asked in a low voice.

Zhang Shutong said, "Let me see." He tilted his head and watched Gu Qiuyan’s eyes darting back and forth, agonizing over a particular page of the menu. ’Ah, so that’s what’s going on,’ he thought.

He’d almost been fooled himself, thinking she was seriously considering which wine would best complement their meal. But when Zhang Shutong glanced at the wine names, he realized she wasn’t choosing a wine so much as she was earnestly picking out a sweet drink.

They were mostly sweet sparkling wines, the kind usually served as an apéritif, so there was no need to pair them with a main course. To put it in Zhang Shutong’s terms, they were just "sweet water" you could gulp down like soda. No wonder Gu Qiuyan had suggested they drink; he’d thought she was in high spirits and wanted to open a bottle of proper Champagne.

"This one’s good."

Zhang Shutong reached out a finger and made the decision for her:

"A blend of Moscato and Asti. It’s very aromatic, with a light peach flavor."

Zhang Shutong had drunk this brand quite a few times before. It wasn’t expensive, around eighty yuan or so. His palate was rather dull, so he usually couldn’t tell good wine from bad. When his classmates would eat pizza, he’d just grab some sparkling wine to quench his thirst. He’d done it so much he’d nearly tried every wine they had here.

Zhang Shutong also guessed what she had whispered to Ruoping earlier. White wine is usually served chilled, so she was likely asking if it was a "convenient" time for her to be drinking something cold.

He figured Gu Qiuyan would probably like something more aromatic and just said it offhandedly, only to find the table had fallen silent.

"Since when do you know about this stuff, Shutong?" Du Kang asked, shocked.

’Could you not be so surprised?’ Zhang Shutong thought. ’You’re making it sound like I was clueless before. It was just that we didn’t have the chance on the island.’ After a moment’s thought, he decided to pass the buck to his mom, saying she was the one who loved to drink.

But for Gu Qiuyan to be surprised too... that was another matter:

"How did you know I like peach-flavored things?"

Zhang Shutong couldn’t say why either. He felt it was more like... intuition?

It was as if his subconscious was telling him that Gu Qiuyan liked this flavor.

"Are you doing this on purpose?" Gu Qiuyan suddenly sized him up seriously for a moment.

"On purpose? What do you mean?"

But Gu Qiuyan said no more. Instead, she leaned in closer. The flickering candlelight on the table made her eyes glimmer, and for a second, it felt like her face was about to touch his. Zhang Shutong was just about to speak when she glanced at the others and leaned back again, as if to say, ’I’ll settle this with you later.’

Zhang Shutong realized his good intentions had somehow backfired. ’Maybe it’s better to keep my talents hidden,’ he thought.

Next up was today’s main course—

When you go to a pizzeria, you naturally eat pizza.

When it came to things like this, the girls were naturally more indecisive than the boys.

The three boys decided on mushroom and ham after a single glance, but the two girls started whispering to each other again.

"I don’t really get it, Qiumian. You can just decide," Ruoping said in a very ladylike manner.

"Oh, it’s fine!" Gu Qiuyan said, her tone characteristically earnest. "I come here a lot, and I think everything’s delicious. Can you eat seafood?"

"I can, but you don’t have to accommodate me so much. What about you? What do you like to eat?"