Gulu watched as the group of people immediately ditched him and ran the moment they heard Gan Lan call them for dinner. Was he really less important than those shrimp? Didn’t they feel a sense of accomplishment torturing him? He was a super robot! What a bunch of short-sighted, shallow idiots!
Gulu was furious. Fuming, he stomped in their direction. He was going to eat too! No one had ever managed to snatch food from his hands before!
Gan Lan had Yan Yifei place the Luxurious Meat and Crab Stew in the very center of the table. She then took the temperature-controlled box from the robot assistant and opened it. As she took the dishes out, she introduced them to her friends: "This is the three-color stir-fried shrimp, scrambled eggs with shrimp, braised prawns, spicy dry pot shrimp, sweet and sour shrimp, Golden Phoenix Tail Shrimp, golden potato and shrimp balls, broccoli and shrimp tofu soup, garlic butter shrimp, and garlic vermicelli shrimp."
She took another two plates of shrimp from the robot assistant, which had been brought over from the cooler, and said, "These are the hot and sour lemon shrimp and raw marinated shrimp."
Next, she lifted the lid of the large clay pot in the center. A mouth-watering aroma instantly permeated the dining room. Inside the pot, several bright red Big Crabs lay quietly on the reddish broth. Beside them were equally vibrant shrimp, and even chicken feet and pork ribs. The rich variety of ingredients was enough to make anyone salivate at first glance. "This is the Luxurious Meat and Crab Stew."
With a total of thirteen shrimp dishes, this could definitely be considered a mini all-shrimp banquet.
Gan Lan looked at the table filled with the various shrimp dishes she had cooked herself, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. She had prepared every single dish with her own hands, though she also had to thank the three senior assistants who came to help, as well as the robot assistants.
Gan Lan had divided the food into two tables with identical dishes. One table was for the teachers and senior assistants, as they were elders and familiar with each other. The other table, naturally, was for her and her friends. Gan Lan was worried her friends would feel uncomfortable sitting with the teachers, especially since they had all skipped class to be here. She could only help them out this much.
"Let’s all take a group photo! To commemorate the day our junior turned trash into treasure! And to remember our first time having an all-shrimp banquet!" Wen Ningyue suggested. Seeing the food split into two tables had given her a sense of relief. It was a good thing they weren’t eating with the teachers, otherwise she might have felt guilty and awkward. Feeling fully relaxed now, she wanted to do something fun and proposed the idea to everyone.
"Sure, sure, I agree! But is ’turning trash into treasure’ really the right way to use that phrase? These shrimp are all absolute treasures!" Gao Haiyang was the first to chime in, though he couldn’t bear to tear his eyes away from the shrimp on the table, swallowing hard. Skipping class for this trip was entirely worth it. Even if he had to face a torrential storm of scolding later, he wouldn’t be afraid!
Wen Ningyue’s proposal won unanimous approval. Gan Lan held up a plate of three-color stir-fried shrimp with both hands, smiling radiantly. Yan Yifei stood to her left, looking down at her with a gentle gaze. Wen Ningyue linked arms with Gan Lan’s right arm, flashing a bright, toothy grin. The other four friends struck what they believed to be their most handsome poses, with the all-shrimp banquet serving as their backdrop.
CLICK.
The moment was perfectly captured on camera.
"The photos are taken, so let’s eat!" With Gan Lan’s command, she casually took a seat.
The group of friends cheered and sat down as well. They had been looking forward to this ever since Gan Lan first mentioned making an all-shrimp banquet. Actually sitting here and eating the real deal felt absolutely incredible. Hearing Gan Lan’s cue, they eagerly reached for their favorite dishes.
Gan Lan had already eaten quite a lot earlier, so the first thing she picked up now was the raw marinated shrimp. The texture of shrimp sashimi was already quite excellent on its own, so it would definitely taste even better after being marinated with these seasonings.
She placed one in her bowl, put on a pair of plastic gloves, and picked up the raw marinated shrimp. After removing its head, she gave a slight suck at the opening, drawing the entire shrimp out in one go. The marinade was tart and spicy. The raw shrimp meat was cool and refreshing, offering a crispier, sweeter, and spicier bite than cooked shrimp. It was irresistibly delicious. One wasn’t nearly enough, so Gan Lan immediately picked up another.
"Why can’t I suck it out?" Sitting to Gan Lan’s left, Yan Yifei had also picked up a raw marinated shrimp. He removed the head and tried to suck out the meat, but failed several times. He looked somewhat puzzled. It looked so effortless when Gan Lan did it. Was there some kind of trick to it?
Gan Lan successfully sucked out another whole shrimp, chewing it with a blissful expression before swallowing. Hearing Boss Yan’s pleasant voice, she turned her head and saw Yan Yifei looking at her in confusion.
"I’ll demonstrate it for you again." Gan Lan picked up another one and removed the head. "You need to gently pinch the tail of the shrimp, and then suck." With that, Gan Lan polished off her third shrimp.
Yan Yifei nodded and followed Gan Lan’s instructions, successfully eating his first shrimp of the night. His eyes narrowed slightly in pleasure. It turned out shrimp sashimi could be this delicious; he had never known.
Seeing that Boss Yan learned it immediately, Gan Lan couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up.
The corners of Yan Yifei’s mouth curled up in a faint smile, feeling a hint of pride. It was just sucking a shrimp out of its shell; it wasn’t going to stump him.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Look at the Captain. Is he really not hiding it at all anymore? When a teenage boy’s heart stirs, shouldn’t he be shy and afraid to speak up? Why is it completely different when it comes to the Captain?" Lu Ziyu whispered to Gao Haiyang, who was eating like a madman.
Gao Haiyang glanced up. It really was true. Especially the way he looked at Gan Lan—his gaze was so tender it practically dripped with affection. It was enough to give someone goosebumps.
No way! Their junior could absolutely not be deceived by this black-hearted guy! He had to protect her!
Gao Haiyang stood up, walked over to Gan Lan’s right side, shoved Wen Ningyue out of the way, and plonked himself down.
Wen Ningyue had been enthusiastically enjoying her meal when she was suddenly pushed aside. The shrimp in her hand nearly fell to the floor. Fortunately, her reflexes were fast enough to save her precious shrimp, but she was still furious!
"Gao Haiyang, there are so many empty seats, why did you have to shove me?! If you had made me drop my precious shrimp, could you even afford to compensate me?!" Wen Ningyue said angrily.
"Hehe, sorry, sorry! I just wanted to come over and chat with our junior!" Gao Haiyang played dumb with an apologetic smile.
Wen Ningyue snorted and moved over a bit, continuing her battle with the shrimp. Right now, her eyes and heart were entirely occupied by this all-shrimp banquet. She didn’t have the time to bicker with Gao Haiyang.
These shrimp were simply too delicious. Her favorite was the sweet and sour shrimp. The tangy and sweet sauce coated the fresh, tender, and springy shrimp meat inside. The taste was out of this world...
There was also that Luxurious Meat and Crab Stew, filled with shrimp, crab, pork ribs, and chicken feet so tender the meat melted off the bone with a single suck. It was just like the black bean sauce chicken feet they had eaten last time, only with a different sauce, but equally delicious. Good heavens, every single dish was incredibly tasty.
Wang Bin, Lu Ziyu, and Wu Mingyu were even more exaggerated; their hands and mouths hadn’t stopped moving for a second. Their eyes couldn’t even take it all in. The moment they popped one piece into their mouths, they immediately stuffed another right in, even eating the shrimp shells in their haste.
Although Gao Haiyang was now sitting beside Gan Lan, his eyes and hands hadn’t stopped either. Occasionally, he would shoot Yan Yifei a contemptuous glare.
"Junior, you have no idea! I skipped my mentor’s class just to come eat this all-shrimp banquet! I don’t even know what kind of hurricane of rage I’ll face when I get back. But! The meat and crab stew is so good! The dry pot shrimp is delicious too, and the shrimp balls and phoenix tails..." Gao Haiyang’s mouth was stuffed full of food, making it very difficult for him to mumble his words to Gan Lan.
"Even eating can’t shut your mouth?" Yan Yifei cast a disgusted look at Gao Haiyang, whose mouth was ready to burst but who was still attempting to grab Gan Lan’s attention.