Chapter 279: A Clear Conscience Needs No Accusation

They took a bath together in the bathroom.

Xu Shaochen took Zhao Qingyu out the door.

“Where do you want to go?”

Xu Shaochen asked.

“Hmm…” Zhao Qingyu pondered for a moment before saying, “Let’s eat first, I’m hungry.”

“It’s not even mealtime yet. Besides, I just ate before I came.” Xu Shaochen glanced at his watch; it was not even eleven o’clock.

Zhao Qingyu rolled her eyes and, blushing, said, “It’s all because of you, you little rascal. You kept me up all night, and I woke up late today. I didn’t even eat breakfast. I’m starving.”

“How is it my fault? You’re the one who kept coming back for more!” Xu Shaochen grinned mischievously, feeling wronged.

Zhao Qingyu’s face turned crimson instantly, and she pinched Xu Shaochen, saying, “Say it again, and you’ll never touch me again.”

How could something like this be said out loud? That’s way too embarrassing. She’s a girl, after all; some things can be done but not said.

“Alright, alright, it’s my fault. I get it.” Xu Shaochen put his arm around her and got into the car, then asked Long Er to find a restaurant.

He initially wanted Long Yi and Long Er to eat with them, but both said they weren’t hungry, so Xu Shaochen had no choice but to let them wait outside.

It was a Chinese restaurant, quite spacious, mainly serving Sichuan cuisine. Zhao Qingyu particularly liked spicy food, so Sichuan dishes were undoubtedly the best choice.

“Good afternoon, this way, please.”

As soon as they entered, a waiter in an apron came up and seated them at a table.

It wasn’t yet mealtime, so there were only a few scattered diners in the restaurant, occasionally chatting with the waitstaff. They seemed to be regulars here.

“Here’s our menu. I recommend trying the dry pot; our chef is excellent at making it.”

The waiter handed them the menu and introduced some of the restaurant’s signature dishes.

“You order,” Xu Shaochen said, handing the menu to Zhao Qingyu.

Zhao Qingyu took the menu and just ordered three dishes, as she had always been frugal, saving wherever she could.

“Let’s add a dry pot shrimp and a cold dish with some meat,” Xu Shaochen said, taking the menu and ordering two more dishes before handing it back to the waiter.

“That’s too much; we won’t be able to finish it.” Zhao Qingyu looked at Xu Shaochen and complained a bit.

Xu Shaochen brushed it off, saying, “Don’t worry. Whatever we don’t finish, we’ll take it back to feed Mei Liangxin.”

It sounded as if they were taking leftovers to feed a pig.

(In the hotel, Mei Liangxin, who was playing a game on his phone, suddenly sneezed.)

As there weren’t many customers at this time, their orders were quickly served.

“Shaochen…”

Suddenly, Zhao Qingyu frowned, picking up a small clump of hair from one of the dishes with her chopsticks. It was clearly someone’s hair, possibly a woman’s.

Mind you, it was a small clump of tangled hair, not just a single strand.

If it had been a single strand, Xu Shaochen wouldn’t have cared. After all, everyone slips up now and then. But this clump was kind of gross.

“Waiter, come here.”

Xu Shaochen called out.

“Sir, what can I help with?”

The waiter hurried over.

“Explain this,” Xu Shaochen said coldly, pointing at the clump of hair.

The waiter’s eyes landed on the hair, and his face instantly changed.

“What’s going on?”

At that moment, a male voice rang out as a young man in a black suit walked over.

“Manager Liu,” the waiter quickly stepped back, pointing to the hair on the table.

Manager Liu’s expression also changed. Seeing that the other customers were starting to notice, he quickly covered the hair discreetly and said to Xu Shaochen, “Sir, how about we talk upstairs?”

He was so nervous because he probably had a good idea of what was going on, angrily cursing the whole kitchen staff in his mind.

The oil they used was gutter oil. After refining, the dishes came out very fragrant, but gutter oil is inherently filthy, so this small clump of hair was likely something they missed.

After all, when refining so much gutter oil in one go, it’s impossible for someone to keep a constant watch.

So he couldn’t let this matter blow up, nor could he let the other customers see. He had to suppress it immediately.

“I’d like to hear what you have to say.”

Xu Shaochen didn’t give him a pleasant expression. Seeing how nervous he was, Xu Shaochen suspected there was something seriously wrong here.

After all, it’s inevitable that once in a while something unsanitary ends up in a dish at any restaurant. Usually, an apology and some compensation suffices, so what’s with the nervousness?

After a moment, Manager Liu led them to an office upstairs.

“Both of you, this was a mistake on our restaurant’s part. To apologize, I’m willing to waive the bill and serve you a fresh meal.”

Once they were inside the office, Manager Liu breathed a sigh of relief.

“Friend, getting this worked up over a simple dish change, is there something wrong with the food?”

Xu Shaochen asked casually, but his eyes remained fixed on Manager Liu.

“You’re joking, sir. We only use clean oil in our restaurant. How could there be any issues?” Manager Liu’s eye twitched slightly as he forced a smile and spoke in a calm tone.

Xu Shaochen’s expression darkened. He glared at Manager Liu and said coldly, “Did I say it was the oil? Why are you in such a rush to explain?”

He had already pieced together most of it in his mind. The thought that he had just eaten food cooked with gutter oil made him feel nauseous.

If this hadn’t happened to him, he might have let it slide. But having been tricked, Xu Shaochen wasn’t about to let it go.

Moreover, gutter oil is extremely harmful to health. These greedy businessmen would do anything to cut costs, even sacrificing basic human decency.

“Sir, I don’t understand what you’re implying. I suggest you stop causing trouble. It’s just a small clump of hair. What, are you trying to extort us?” Manager Liu’s tone turned cold as well; he was determined to deny everything.

After all, when gutter oil was exposed a few years ago, it caused an outcry. If word got out about his restaurant, the customers would tear him apart, not to mention the authorities would come cracking down.

Xu Shaochen chuckled lightly, took out his phone, and casually said, “In that case, why don’t we have the Food Safety Bureau and some reporters come check it out?”

“Don’t do anything rash! I’m telling you, slander is a crime! I’ll hold you responsible!”

Manager Liu’s face changed drastically as he barked at Xu Shaochen.