Tenant’s Secret Love

Chapter 77: The real her

After calling my parents to let them know that I wouldn't be home for dinner tonight, I drove Renee to the “Spicy Death” hot pot restaurant, where we used to hang out with friends.

This year, the restaurant has been renovated and the capacity has increased a bit. The only thing that hasn't changed is the old chef Li with his chef's hat and his apprentices, who are busy as ever in the open kitchen.

As soon as we walked in, the strong smell of chili peppers filled the air, and Renee instinctively covered her nose and mouth.

I looked at Renee with contempt and smiled, saying, “If you can't handle it, we can still change places now.”

Renee put her hands down without saying a word, and directly found an empty seat and sat down.

I smiled and shouted to the service counter, ”Give me a dish of clay pot chicken and clay pot carp, with red and extra red.”

The waiter at the service counter answered, and then handed the written order to Master Li in the kitchen.

Twenty minutes later, the claypot chicken and fish I ordered were delivered, along with two more bottles of beer. I felt that this was the best moment of my life, with wine, meat, and the company of a beautiful woman like Renee. More importantly, I was looking forward to seeing Renee's face when she was overcome with tears and snot from the heat. This was definitely not gloating on my part; she had just called me a psycho!

So, really, to define our relationship, I think “enemies” is the most suitable and appropriate term.

I poured myself a glass of beer, gulped it down, and then said to Renee, “Lady, we can eat now, why aren't you picking up your chopsticks?”

“You're being dishonest, you just had a glass of beer to dilute the spiciness,” Renee said to me, very concerned.

Of course I knew that she was being concerned because she was feeling guilty. The two clay pots in front of us were covered in chili peppers, and the spiciness seemed to be boiling in the air.

I smiled and said, “You can have a drink first, I don't mind.”

“If I drink too, who's going to drive us home?”

“That's easy, just drink a drink. I'll get you a can of herbal tea, it's better for you than beer.” I didn't give Renee a chance to make excuses, I went to the service counter and got a can of herbal tea for her, then I raised my eyebrows and said to her, “Drink, eat, and remember this night that killed you with its spiciness.”

Renee looked at me unhappily and said, “I'll eat it, but you don't need to look so smug!”

I immediately put on a serious expression and said to Renee, ”Am I serious enough now? You better eat it quickly. The pot is delicious while it's hot, but the noodles won't taste good if it cools down.”

Renee looked at me and then used her chopsticks to push away the top chili peppers. She picked up a piece of noodles, took a tentative bite, and then froze.

I felt a surge of joy in my heart, and I waited expectantly for Renee to lose her temper again. But to my surprise, Renee calmly ate a piece of the flatbread and then said to me very calmly, “It's not as spicy as I thought!”

I looked at Renee suspiciously, trying to find any signs of her being in denial on her face, but she looked indifferent and flawless. She even picked up another piece of chicken and ate it with relish, and even took the time to give me a disdainful look.

I looked back at Mr. Li and couldn't help but suspect that he had lost his level. Then I picked up a piece of fried dough with my chopsticks and chewed it, feeling the burst of spicy flavor approaching the limit my taste buds could bear.

I slammed my chopsticks on the table, gulped down a glass of beer, and still not satisfied, I finished off Renee's cup of herbal tea. Today, Master Li not only didn't lose his cool, he went above and beyond. The spiciness was literally etched into the noodles!

Renee looked at me with a smile and asked, “Lucas, are you from Xuzhou? You can't handle just a little spice?”

“Are you from Suzhou? Are there any spicy Suzhou people like you?” I said, poured myself another glass of beer, which slightly relieved the situation, and then used a tissue to wipe away the sweat on my nose.

Renee looked at my disheveled appearance with enjoyment and finally asked me with a smile, “Lucas, have you heard of the Carolina Reaper?”

“What the hell?”

“An American bred the world's hottest chili pepper. I've tried it, I can't stand it at all! But this little bit of spice in front of me doesn't scare me.”

I was speechless for a long time before I said, “So you were just acting cautiously. I can't tell you're good at pretending!”

Renee said slowly, ‘There's a saying that goes, ’Those who associate with evil people will become evil themselves. Spending a lot of time with certain people of bad character will lead to some bad habits!'”

Once again, I was choked by Renee and wanted to vomit blood. After a while, I covered my chest and said to Renee, “I have a lump of blood in my heart that I can't spit out...”

“Then you should eat more chili peppers quickly to stimulate it and it might come out,” Renee said with a look of concern.

I suddenly felt that I could no longer continue communicating with her, because I was not in the mood today. I would hold my breath and swallow my anger for now, and fight again after a rest.

...

After leaving the “Spicy to Death” hot pot restaurant, my mouth was burning with pain. I took another sip of herbal tea to soothe the pain, while Renee walked along as if nothing had happened. Her calmness only served to amplify my embarrassment.

After a few steps, I turned back to Renee and asked, “Are you going back to the hotel now?”

Renee shook her head and said, ”It's not time to rest yet, and going back to the hotel is so boring!”

“Then let me take you to play video games, which will help with digestion after dinner,” I said with interest.

“Do you really want to play those video games that only elementary school students are interested in?”

I said a little angrily, ‘If you don't insult me, you'll just get fat! Who told you that only elementary school students like to play video games?”

“When I went to see you yesterday, you were playing with an elementary school student,’ Renee calmly replied.

I looked at Renee for a long time, and said angrily, “I'm just a childish little student, okay, are you satisfied?”

“Don't be defiant, look at you now, angry, I'm going to tie you a red scarf, just like a elementary school student!”

I finally completely lost, and begged, ”I beg you not to insult me, otherwise we really won't be able to get along.”

Renee said with a triumphant smile, “It's not that I have to insult you, a defenseless man, but you have to listen to what I say later.”

“You arrange it? I didn't hear it right, you're suddenly so proactive, I'm really not used to it.”

“You're a little mistaken about me, actually I'm not a very passive person, remember the last time we went to the countryside to sing at night, I was the one who suggested it, wasn't I?”

I was furious: “How dare you mention that? Do you know how miserable I was that time?”

“But you haven't learned your lesson, you're still being selfish and rude!”

Renee's words made me think again about all my bad behavior. I felt a little embarrassed and changed the subject, saying, ”Let's not talk about that, it's pointless. Just tell me what you want to do later.”

Renee thought for a moment and said, “I never got to listen to you sing properly that one time, and I was always quite scared.”

“What were you scared of?”

“That you would find out, and I would end up in a terrible situation. You threw all my quilts and blankets off the bed, like a violent maniac!”

“Are you still scared? It's incredible, you were so stubborn back then!”

“I was stubborn because I didn't want to give in to you, the bastard, but of course I was also scared inside. I'm just a woman!”

Looking at Renee's aggrieved expression, I suddenly felt that this woman also has a cute side. This may be her after letting down her guard, and it is also a more real side of her.