MGTSSSR Chapter 1

At the age of twenty-four, Mr. Gu met Song Xiaoci for the first time. Back then, Mr. Gu worked at an internet company as a product operations manager. His daily routine involved interacting with a wide variety of people: planners, event coordinators, designers, media professionals, and tech developers. Unlike other operations managers, Mr. Gu functioned more like a PR representative for the product, spending most of his time at business dinners and social engagements.

 

The first time he met Miss Song was at a private kitchen restaurant.

 

Mr. Gu had originally arranged to meet the editor-in-chief of a local newspaper there to discuss the promotional article for next month’s app launch. However, just as the dishes were ordered, the editor called to reschedule. Left without an opening to start the discussion, Mr. Gu, feeling slightly at a loss, watched as the cold dishes were brought to the table. He called the waiter, hoping to cancel the remaining dishes, but was told the hot dishes were already being prepared. Reluctantly, he picked up his phone to invite a few friends to join him and decided to personally foot the bill, given the restaurant’s pricey menu and difficulty of securing a reservation.

 

Barely ten seconds into scrolling through his contact list, Mr. Gu noticed a shadow looming over him.

 

“May I share your table?”

 

A soft, sweet female voice with a slight southern accent broke the silence. Looking up, Mr. Gu saw the young woman he had noticed when he entered earlier. She had shoulder-length hair and wore a white T-shirt paired with denim overalls. She stood holding a DSLR camera, snapping photos of a plate of sweet and sour spare ribs on his table.

 

Noticing Mr. Gu’s puzzled expression, the girl shyly explained, “I’m here traveling. A friend recommended this private kitchen, saying it’s amazing, but since I’m alone, I couldn’t order much. The dishes here are also quite pricey, so I just ordered my favorite—sweet and sour spare ribs.”

 

Her tone was bashful yet playful, and she even stuck out her tongue slightly at the end. She held a plate of steaming sweet and sour spare ribs in her hands.

 

Oddly enough, Mr. Gu’s frustration dissipated under her bright, pure gaze. With a polite gesture, he invited her to join. The girl happily placed her ribs in the center of the table, among the four cold dishes.

 

“Thank you~ My name is Song Xiaoci. ‘Xiao’ as in little, and ‘Ci’ as in kindness. You can call me Xiaoci. And you are?”

 

“Gu Nan.”

 

“Is it written like this?”

 

As they exchanged names, Xiaoci used a chopstick dipped in tea to write Gu Nan’s name on the table. Her handwriting was small but neat and elegant.

 

“Yes, that’s correct.” Mr. Gu said little, but seeing Xiaoci’s cheerful demeanor, he began to feel lighter. Just as he was about to start eating, Xiaoci stopped him.

 

“Could I trouble you to let me take a picture first? You can go ahead and eat the sweet and sour spare ribs.”

 

“Sure.”

 

Mr. Gu assumed she wanted to photograph the food for sentimental reasons, as part of the travel experience. At that time, he had no idea their hobbies and professions shared a subtle connection. Xiaoci was an independent content creator, running a WeChat public account focused on food and travel.

 

Engrossed in capturing photos with her DSLR, Xiaoci didn’t notice Mr. Gu studying her. Nor did she realize he hadn’t touched the ribs, which he hadn’t ordered himself.

 

To be fair, northern men didn’t generally favor sweet and sour flavors, preferring spicier dishes instead.

 

Before long, Xiaoci finished taking photos, set her camera aside, and began eating with Mr. Gu. They chatted effortlessly throughout the meal, thanks to Mr. Gu’s knack for socializing.

 

“Are you studying in Xi’an?”

 

“Nope~ I’m just traveling here. I’ll head back to Hangzhou in September.”

 

“Staying quite a while, then.”

 

“I planned to leave after two weeks, but there’s so much delicious food here that I can’t bear to go!”

 

“I agree. Whenever I travel for work, I can’t wait to come back for some liangpi and roujiamo!”

 

“Haha, that’s only because you haven’t eaten at the best places!”

 

They talked extensively about food during the meal, even exchanging WeChat contacts. Mr. Gu mentioned he was free that weekend and offered to take Xiaoci to another private kitchen in Xi’an.

 

When it came time to pay, Mr. Gu also covered Xiaoci’s sweet and sour spare ribs. Both had small appetites, but Xiaoci managed to finish the entire plate of ribs on her own.

 

As they parted, Xiaoci shyly but earnestly told Mr. Gu, “I don’t usually eat that much, but I just love sweet and sour spare ribs too much to let any go to waste!”

 

Mr. Gu chuckled, then drove her back to her hotel.

 

Ivy: Hi, I’m back with a new book. It’s just 10 chapters long but it’s very cute and heartwarming. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.