Seeing Chen Xueer looking at him speechlessly, Jiang Cheng asked with a smile, "Does that expression mean you don't want to eat Haidilao anymore?"
She pouted and said huffily, "Chairman Jiang, did you forget? There's a Haidilao right downstairs from our office. They're open twenty-four hours a day. If I stay late working overtime, I occasionally go there for a late-night snack. Let's skip that. I'd rather eat the hotel meals; at least that would be something new."
Looking at Chen Xueer's huffy appearance, Jiang Cheng curled his lips into a smile and continued, "I see. Then how about spicy rabbit heads?"
After he said this, Chen Xueer's eyes suddenly lit up.
Looking at her expression, she seemed quite interested in the suggestion.
However, after a few seconds, her expression became somewhat conflicted.
Mainly because rabbit meat is something that some people already find hard to accept.
And what Jiang Cheng mentioned was the even more terrifying 'rabbit head'.
As soon as Chen Xueer thought about a cute little rabbit suddenly being boiled in a pot and served to her, she felt a bit nauseous, let alone an entire rabbit head.
In fact, she didn't understand what was so good about eating heads; it was all organs, how was one even supposed to start? But this dish was indeed one of Chengdu's delicacies.
She really wanted to criticize the local cuisine, but since Jiang Cheng, a local, was present, she felt embarrassed to say anything.
She could only ask again, "Are you talking about real rabbit heads or...?"
Jiang Cheng replied as if it were obvious, "Can this stuff even be fake?"
Jiang Cheng noticed Chen Xueer's hesitation and continued, "What's there to be conflicted about? I've been eating spicy rabbit heads since I was a kid. It's one of the must-eat delicacies when you come to Chengdu. You definitely have to try it; don't leave with regrets."
Seeing Jiang Cheng recommending this dish to her so seriously,
Chen Xueer's face looked a bit awkward. She suddenly remembered a 'green tea' meme from the internet: "Forget it, bunnies are so cute, how can you eat bunnies? And it's the head, too... maybe let's have something else..."
As Chen Xueer spoke, she tried to gauge Jiang Cheng's expression.
Seeing Jiang Cheng trying to hold back his laughter, she said huffily again, "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?"
"Alright, I'll stop teasing you. I'm really taking you to eat something delicious."
...Half an hour later, Jiang Cheng parked the car by the side of an alley entrance.
Then he got out of the car and led Chen Xueer inside.
After several twists and turns, they soon arrived at the entrance of an alley next to an old, weathered house.
This red-brick house was only one story high and looked very old-fashioned.
In the narrow alley entrance, several small folding tables and small red plastic chairs were set out.
By the red brick wall of each table, a small transparent light bulb hung haphazardly, seemingly used for lighting at night.
In the open-air alley, perhaps for fear of the customers feeling the heat, a striped, colorful, oily plastic sheet was propped up and tied with red ropes overhead.
To be honest, Chen Xueer was a bit dumbfounded when she first saw this scene; it was even more of a 'roadside stall' than a typical roadside stall.
And this little shop didn't even have a sign?
If Jiang Cheng hadn't led the way, who could have found such a place?
Seeing Chen Xueer's surprised expression, Jiang Cheng said, "If you don't like it, I can take you to a mall to eat?"
"I'm not that delicate. I'm just surprised. Chairman Jiang would condescend to come to a place like this? Is this one of those legendary 'word-of-mouth' shops?" Chen Xueer's tone carried a hint of doubt and curiosity.
Chen Xueer was indeed surprised that Jiang Cheng would eat at a roadside stall.
Although others didn't know Jiang Cheng's net worth,
She knew.
Although Xingchen Investment had only been around for two months, the company's market value had already exceeded ten billion. Combined with his other investments, Jiang Cheng's net worth was at least tens of billions.
Usually, a suit he wore cost hundreds of thousands, and the Patek Philippe on his wrist was even more expensive.
But for such a big shot to actually dine in a place like this, how could she not be surprised?
Jiang Cheng nodded upon hearing this.
He could see what Chen Xueer was thinking.
Perhaps in Chen Xueer's eyes, he was a pampered young master.
But he had really been eating at these delicious roadside stalls since he was a child.
And it was Jiang Jianming and Li Yan who used to bring him here to eat.
Even though his net worth was different now, his attitude toward food hadn't changed.
"Food doesn't care about status. You'll know once you eat it. The ingredients in this shop are fresh; they get their stock from the nearby wet market every morning. It's definitely not frozen meat or 'zombie meat'. You can eat with peace of mind. This shop has been here since I was a kid; they've been open for decades, and the cooking is very authentic. If you weren't a local, a typical tourist would never find this place."
Some customers were already dining at this time.
In the few seconds they stood there, the aroma of the hotpot had already wafted into their nostrils.
The fresh, fragrant, and spicy scent made Chen Xueer instinctively lick her lips.
Seeing everyone eating with satisfied expressions, Chen Xueer suddenly started to feel a bit of anticipation.
She said with a slightly anxious tone, "Now that you've said that, I'm even hungrier. Let's quickly find a place to sit before all the seats are taken."
After saying that, Chen Xueer hurriedly pulled Jiang Cheng further inside.
After they found a seat and sat down, a simply dressed Middle-aged Woman walked over.
She familiarly said to Jiang Cheng, "I haven't seen you come here to eat in a long time."
After saying that, the Middle-aged Woman gave Chen Xueer a somewhat gossipy look.
A curious look appeared in her eyes, as if she were guessing the relationship between the two.
"Is this your girlfriend?"
Chen Xueer widened her eyes and looked at Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng didn't answer directly but asked back, "Auntie Li, does she look like it to you?"
"Of course! You two are a perfect match—a talented man and a beautiful woman. You look great together," Auntie Li said, looking at Chen Xueer with satisfaction.
Seeing Chen Xueer smiling shyly, Jiang Cheng said with a chuckle, "She's thin-skinned and shy. Auntie Li, stop praising her."
Chen Xueer didn't refute him upon hearing this, but she secretly rolled her eyes at Jiang Cheng.
Then, Jiang Cheng skillfully began to order: "Two pots, one spicy and one braised-spicy. Also, rabbit meat, yellow throat, bullfrog, pork intestines, beef tripe..."
Because Jiang Cheng ordered quite a bit, after noting down the dishes, the Middle-aged Woman brought over another folding table to join with theirs.
"Here, an extra table for you young couple, so you can eat more comfortably later."
Seeing Auntie Li refer to them as a couple again, Chen Xueer's face turned slightly red once more.
To prevent Jiang Cheng from noticing anything unusual, she even took several deep breaths in secret.
After Auntie Li left, Chen Xueer spoke up, "When did I become your girlfriend?"
"A female friend, isn't that just short for 'girlfriend'?"
Seeing Jiang Cheng's explanation, Chen Xueer pouted and rolled her eyes at him.
Because at this moment, such an explanation didn't really earn him any points.
"Chairman Jiang must have quite a few girlfriends. From what I've seen, there are already several."