At nine o'clock in the evening, Rose's city's second-floor VIP hall.
The layout of the VIP hall is somewhat like the character "回", with a few chefs in the middle of the room preparing dishes, separated by a corridor which is neither too narrow nor too wide, and dining tables are arranged around for guests to sit.
For privacy, there's quite a distance between tables, with green plants and fish tanks serving as barriers.
The overall décor of the VIP hall is quiet but warm and romantic in a light brown tone, with the slightly yellowish lighting shining down on the dishes on the tables, making it very easy for people to settle down.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting."
Dressed in a suit is Luo An, engaging in quiet conversation with Mona, who's in a long dress, when a beautiful waitress in the restaurant's uniform gently places two plates in front of them.
The waitress, while adjusting their tableware, introduces with a smile:
"This is the first appetizer, also one of our signature starters, caviar with coconut lychee cake.
The taste of either caviar or coconut lychee cake alone might be somewhat strange.
But enjoyed together, the salty freshness of the caviar and the sweet lightness of the cake perfectly merge, and it's sure to give you a novel and delicious experience."
Looking at the plate with the cake that resembled a mini castle and the caviar scattered atop like a forest, Mona's eyes lit up instantly. It may be unknown whether it tastes good or not, but it certainly looks amazing.
Luo An was also surprised, raising his eyebrows but not rushing to taste it. Instead, he turned to the waitress with a smile and asked:
"I remember your restaurant's promotional slogan mentions that the dishes on the first floor are different from those on the second.
But this dish, it seems to be available on the first floor too?"
"Sir, you might be mistaken, this dish is not available on the first floor."
The beautiful waitress shook her head, smiling as she explained:
"The dishes on the first floor of the restaurant change every day, always focusing on innovation.
The VIP hall dishes on the second floor change weekly – there might be fewer choices, but the flavors are definitely more satisfying for our guests' taste buds."
After a brief explanation, the waitress bowed and left, giving the guests their private time to enjoy the food.
"Luo An, what did she mean by that?"
Mona frowned slightly:
"I didn't quite understand."
Luo An took a small sip of red wine and explained:
"What she means is that the ordinary customers on the first floor are the restaurant's guinea pigs.
Their chefs create all kinds of new dishes daily for those who queue up the whole day and finally dine there to taste, whether they are good or bad is left to fate.
The excellent and tasty ones will be recorded and added to the menu of the second-floor VIP hall; the not-so-tasty will naturally be discarded."
Mona: "..."
Luo An shook his head and decided not to pursue this topic further. Just as he picked up his fork to try the appetizer, he found the cake on his plate had disappeared.
"?"
Luo An looked in disbelief at Mona, who swallowed the cake in her mouth as if nothing happened, picked up her wine glass, and clinked it against Luo An's, revealing a beautiful smile at the corners of her lips:
"Cheers."
Luo An resignedly clinked his glass with hers:
"It seems that the cake is indeed delicious."
Mona took a small sip of red wine and nodded with a smile:
"I'm already looking forward to the next dish."
As they continued their leisurely conversation, several dishes were served in succession – an eight-ingredient seafood soup, lobsters in a secret sauce, a specially flavored seared steak, sea urchin olive pasta, and vanilla cream nutty crumble ice cream...
Eight dishes, each with a different appearance but all looking very nice and unique in flavor, made Mona's eyes sparkle, and Luo An display a face full of smiles.
"It really is a nice restaurant."
On the drive home, Luo An nodded in satisfaction:
"Apart from not being quite full, these dishes really have no flaws."
"..."
Mona gave Luo An a speechless glance, and after they returned to the villa and rested for a moment, they began heading back to their rooms to prepare for a bath and rest.
With a full belly and a game in mind, Luo An, fresh out of the shower, confidently entered Mona's bedroom. Seeing him, Mona humphed coldly, grabbed Luo An's arm, and pushed him down beneath her.
Two hours passed by in the blink of an eye. Luo An took a few deep breaths and gently patted Mona, who was lying on top of him, and whispered,
"Let's take a shower before we sleep."
"There's no rush."
Mona's cheeks were slightly flushed. She extended her hand to tidy the sweaty, somewhat disheveled strands of hair on her forehead without moving away from Luo An. She propped herself up using Luo An's chest, sitting above him and looking down at him seriously,
"Did Joseph reveal any useful clues tonight?"
Hearing Mona bring up this matter at this moment, Luo An's brows furrowed slightly,
"Mona, you..."
Luo An had just started speaking when Mona reached out and covered his mouth. She bowed her head and stared intently into Luo An's eyes, speaking with gravity,
"Luo An, I've never been the kind of woman who hides behind you. When we face problems, we face them together. We are united as one."
Mona knew that Luo An had been silently investigating the death of his parents. She had also used her own means to help look for clues, which, like Luo An's, led to no results.
After the interrogation of Joseph this afternoon, Mona saw the interrogation record written down by Michelle. Knowing Luo An very well, she immediately guessed that Luo An would definitely find time to talk to Joseph.
Indeed, Mona's predictions were correct. Luo An had asked her to go home first, while he drove to the temporary detention prison.
The dinner at Rose's city restaurant that evening was mainly because Mona wanted to help Luo An relax. She was somewhat worried that Luo An might have come across some leads and, in the heat of the moment, do something foolish.
Luo An revealed a smile, moved Mona's hand away from his mouth, and took her into his arms, gently kissing her ear,
"Mona, meeting you is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me."
"I love you, Luo An."
Mona gently bit Luo An's neck and asked again,
"Did you get any leads from Joseph?"
"Yes and no."
Luo An briefly described the conversation. Hearing that Joseph said these wealthy people hadn't found anything, Mona's pupils narrowed. She was about to get up when Luo An held her tightly first, his voice firm,
"Don't worry, I know my limits, I know what to do, and I won't take an ill-advised action."
After a brief silence, Mona bent down and bit Luo An's neck hard again, whispering in his ear,
"Don't go at it alone, always call me to join you, understand?"
"I understand."
Luo An's lips curled into a smile as he nodded slightly,
"We are united as one."
"Mhm."
The two of them didn't continue talking, just holding each other and enjoying the quiet.
Suddenly, feeling something odd below, Mona furrowed her brows and slapped Luo An's arm,
"Let me up."
"Not letting go."
The now mostly recovered Luo An, after a short rest, suddenly rolled over and pinned Mona beneath him, laughing,
"You just said, we are united as one."
"That's not what I meant!"
Mona's eyes widened,
"Also, aren't you tired? Even if you're not, I am!"
"I know you're tired, so this time, you don't have to do anything."
Mona: "…"
A silent night... truly silent since they were out of strength to talk.
The next day, at 10:30 in the morning, Luo An opened his eyes and got up to wash.
Since the case had been solved, Luo An had, as usual, given everyone in the special investigation team two days off before leaving work yesterday. That's why he had been playing games with Mona all night long.
Ding-a-ling—
While washing up, Luo An's phone suddenly rang. He pressed the answer button, and an elderly voice came through,
"Good morning, Luo An."