Chapter 214 - 184: Liking Is Indulgence, Love Is Restraint

Chapter 214: Chapter 184: Liking Is Indulgence, Love Is Restraint

Chaoyu Seafood Buffet Restaurant.

Gu Heng and Xu Mo sat at a window seat. A steam pot in front of them was filled with all sorts of fresh seafood, and an array of fresh sashimi was laid out on both sides of the table.

"Brother..."

"Did we take a little too much food?"

"I feel like the waitstaff keeps staring at us."

Xu Mo placed a bowl she had filled to the brim with shelled crab meat in front of Gu Heng. Unable to help herself, she leaned in and whispered, her fair little face clouded with apprehension.

"That’s impossible."

"Chao Yu is the most high-end seafood buffet chain in Beichun. Forget the two of us—even if one of those competitive eaters you see online showed up, Chao Yu wouldn’t even bat an eye."

Gu Heng smiled faintly. "The only reason they’re staring at us is probably because my Momo is just too pretty and cute."

"But..."

Xu Mo mumbled under her breath, "But they’re all obviously staring at you."

"Oh, come on!"

"Never mind them."

"Let’s just focus on our food."

Gu Heng shook his head with a smile. He looked at the bowl brimming with snow-white crab meat, then picked up an empty bowl, poured most of the meat into it, and handed it back to Xu Mo.

"If you like crab, you should eat more."

"And you don’t have to shell them for me. We can just ask a waiter to do it later."

Seeing how considerate and sweet Xu Mo was, Gu Heng was filled with an even greater sense of tenderness for her.

’Coming from her family, Xu Mo probably hadn’t eaten much seafood growing up. In her mind, crab was likely the most expensive delicacy of all.’

’Geoduck, scampi, and leopard coral grouper were all far more expensive, yet Xu Mo had a special fondness for crab.’

’At first, Gu Heng had thought she’d spent all that effort shelling the crab so she could enjoy it all herself. He never imagined that the entire bowl was for him.’

’The same action could feel completely different depending on who did it.’

’If one of the girls from Bingbing or Xinxin’s circle had been sitting across from him today, they might have done the same thing. But if they had, Gu Heng wouldn’t have felt a thing.’

’For them, crab was nothing special. They could eat it every day if they wanted. So, an act like that from them would have just been a gesture of flattery.’

Xu Mo, however, was different.

There’s a line in the movie The Continent:

"Liking is indulgence, but love is restraint."

Right now, Xu Mo was restraining her own desire, sharing what she believed to be the very best thing with Gu Heng, even though she knew crab was nothing special to him.

How could a girl like that not make Gu Heng’s heart ache with tenderness?

"Oh..."

"Waiters will also shell crabs for you?"

Xu Mo looked a little dazed, her clear eyes filled with bewilderment.

"They probably do."

Gu Heng smiled, then casually raised his hand.

In an instant, the four waiters who had been hovering nearby shot forward as if they were supercars launching from zero to sixty, swarming their table from all directions.

"Hello, sir!"

A waitress asked respectfully, "How may I help you?"

"Do you offer a service for shelling shrimp and crab here?"

Gu Heng gestured to the steam pot in front of them, a hint of a smile in his eyes as he asked.

"Yes, we do!"

The waitress didn’t hesitate for a second. "Sir, I see your girlfriend is quite fond of crab. We can set up another steam pot for you at the next table to speed up the supply."

"Alright, I’ll leave it to you then."

Gu Heng replied with a smile, "Swimming crabs, brown crabs, king crab legs—bring plenty of each."

"Of course."

"Right away, sir."

The waitresses bowed slightly to Gu Heng and Xu Mo. They quickly opened the steam pot, took out the cooked seafood, and carried it to the adjacent table to begin their work.

"Brother, shelling the crabs and setting up an extra pot... that won’t cost extra, will it?"

Xu Mo was a little hesitant. "If it costs more, then never mind. We have plenty of time to shell them ourselves."

"There’s no extra charge."

Gu Heng poured some crab vinegar into his own bowl and chuckled. "Just relax and eat to your heart’s content."

"Oh..."

"Then their service really is amazing."

"No wonder they’re so successful in Beichun. They get a huge thumbs-up from me!"

Xu Mo relaxed, and a brilliant smile returned to her fair face.

Seeing Xu Mo’s innocent and carefree expression, the smile on Gu Heng’s face deepened.

’The entire Zhen Cui Group belonged to him. Forget having waiters shell shrimp and crab for him—if he asked them to personally feed him, people would be fighting for the opportunity.’

"Eat more of whatever you like."

"But don’t stuff yourself. It’s no good if you end up feeling sick."

Gu Heng picked up two slices of Arctic surf clam for Xu Mo, his expression softening.

"Mhm!"

...

After their meal, Gu Heng took Xu Mo for a stroll through a nearby shopping mall.

They went in empty-handed and came out with their arms full.

Although Xu Mo insisted she had enough clothes and didn’t need any new winter outfits, Gu Heng acted like a relentless swiping machine, buying her four complete outfits, from the inside out.

Since it was just a regular shopping mall, most of the stores were common brands like Bosideng, ZARA, Peacebird, Descente, and FILA—all within a normal person’s budget.

After they had toured the mall, Gu Heng was already getting tired of swiping his card. But when he checked the total, he had spent less than 40,000 yuan—not even enough for a single trench coat from Burberry.