Mu Nianwen silently repeated the name in his mind and whispered, “It’s a bit awkward.”
Tan Janglin looked a bit embarrassed but still smiled, “Um… then you can call me TJL.”
It wasn’t until they entered the restaurant and took their seats that Mu Nianwen finally came to his senses, realizing, just now, he was a bit rude to the esteemed boss in the live broadcast room.
Fortunately, Tan Janglin didn’t seem to mind.
There was always a faint smile on his lips, indicating that he was in a good mood. Mu Nianwen secretly observed him, and every time their eyes met, Tan Janglin would squint slightly, making his smile even more pronounced.
Under Xiao Xiao’s questioning, Tan Janglin used his fingers to write his name on the table.
Mu Nianwen thought to himself that although the name sounded strange, it suited his temperament very well.
A modest gentleman, gentle as jade.
Mu Nianwen remembered his speculation outside the shop just now.
The Alpha in front of him, both in appearance and temperament, resembled a romantic artist. Born in poverty with unrealistic ideals, he depended on his melancholic demeanor and charming smile to capture the hearts of wealthy wives for survival. He excelled in sweet talk after affairs, making everyone who spent money on him believe that every penny was worth it.
However, unlike his rude speculation, Tan Janglin was obviously not a talkative person.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, there was some awkwardness at the table.
Mu Nianwen knew he should say something to lighten the mood at this moment, but looking at the gentlemanly face in front of him, his mind was blank and he couldn’t come up with anything to say.
Fortunately, Xiao Xiao was there.
“Your name sounds really nice, why did you name yourself TJL? Because of the initials?” she asked.
“Kind of,” Tan Janglin looked embarrassed, “I’m not good at coming up with IDs, so I wanted to take a shortcut with the initials. I forgot to switch the input method when I entered it, and this word popped up automatically. I found it interesting, so I used it.”
“Oh… I see,” Xiao Xiao nodded, then asked, “What about ‘Charming’?”
Tan Janglin looked embarrassed, “TJL was already taken, so I couldn’t use it. The system recommended some prefixes for me.”
Mu Nianwen and Xiao Xiao raised their eyebrows in unison.
“… I didn’t choose this one,” Tan Janglin hurriedly explained, “I clicked on it by mistake.”
“Can’t you change it?” Xiao Xiao recalled, “I remember changing your name only costs ten yuan.”
“I didn’t think it was necessary at the time,” Tan Janglin explained patiently, “I didn’t have any social needs, I just casually looked around to pass the time. Later, I found out…”
He hesitated, and Xiao Xiao became curious, “Found what?”
“When giving gifts, the streamer would go all out to praise my ID, and it was quite interesting,” Tan Janglin said.
Xiao Xiao burst out laughing.
Mu Nianwen recalled that he had indeed forcefully praised this account, saying it was unique, balanced, lively, and cute with a hint of maturity, a good ID that was appreciated by both refined and popular tastes.
This was probably what they called “money can make ghosts grind.”
“You have such a peculiar taste!” Xiao Xiao said.
Tan Janglin smiled and subconsciously glanced at Mu Nianwen.
“You seem very different in real life from the live broadcast,” he said, “Much quieter than I imagined.”
“Huh?” Mu Nianwen snapped back to reality, “I, uh…”
Xiao Xiao also looked at him with meaningful eyes.
They had known each other for quite some time, and had a lot of private contact. She naturally knew that Mu Nianwen was not usually a quiet person.
Sitting quietly like this today seemed odd no matter how you looked at it.
“Are you just so struck by his handsomeness that you’re feeling shy?” Xiao Xiao bluntly exposed him.
Mu Nianwen’s face suddenly felt hot. “I… I just didn’t expect TJL to look so young.”
Tan Janglin was curious, “How old did you think I was?”
Xiao Xiao interjected again, “He thought you were a middle-aged man.”
Mu Nianwen kicked her under the table secretly, explaining, “You usually don’t talk much, you seem mature, so I thought you might be older than us.”
“I should be a bit older than you,” Tan Janglin smiled, “I’m twenty-seven this year.”
“That’s about the same as me,” Mu Nianwen told him, “I’m twenty-five.”
This surprised Tan Janglin, “I couldn’t tell. I always thought you were just over twenty.”
“Because I use beauty filters during the live broadcast, which smooths the skin and gives a nicer look and that makes me seem younger,” Mu Nianwen said, “I don’t look that young in person.”
Tan Janglin shook his head, “You look even younger in person.”
Mu Nianwen blinked twice and looked at Xiao Xiao, “Really?”
Xiao Xiao scrutinized him seriously for a moment, leaned in close to his ear, and whispered, “You used a slimming filter during the live broadcast, removing your baby fat.”
The two of them suddenly began to whisper, and Tan Janglin seemed a little curious, but he didn’t ask, just silently drank some water.
“Why don’t you just say I have a big face,” Mu Nianwen laughed, “Now you’re trying to save face for me?” He looked at Tan Janglin as he spoke, “Do I look very different from my live broadcast?”
Tan Janglin examined his face seriously, “Not much.”
Mu Nianwen’s heart skipped a beat, and he asked again, “Do I look good in person?”
He pretended to be confident, but he was actually quite nervous, his heart pounding.
Tan Janglin hesitated for a moment, then smiled and nodded, his gaze falling on the teacup in front of him without saying anything.
Xiao Xiao watched the two of them quietly, her lips tightly pressed together, her eyes wide open, and her fingers lightly rubbing her chin.
“Not bad, the boss has good taste,” Mu Nianwen gradually relaxed back to his usual self, “Truly a talented young man!” He picked up the cup in front of him, “Here, I toast to you!”
Inside was complimentary ginger tea. Tan Janglin cooperated well, also picked up his cup, and clinked it with him.
After setting down the cup, Mu Nianwen complained, “Why is it taking so long to serve? Is business too good?”
“Are you hungry?” Tan Janglin asked.
“Not really, just a little craving,” Mu Nianwen said, “Look at the noodles on that table over there, they look so tempting!”
Tan Janglin cooperatively turned his head, “Hmm.”
Just as they were talking, the waiter appeared with a tray.
The specialty of this restaurant was crab roe and fish roe noodles. The three of them each ordered a bowl, along with some flavored side dishes.
Before the noodles arrived, the side dishes were served first.
Mu Nianwen picked up a piece of dried radish and put it in his mouth, then quickly looked pleasantly surprised, “This complimentary pickled radish is so delicious!”
Tan Janglin also picked up a chopstick, tasted it, and nodded, “Hmm.”
“I’m a bit curious,” Mu Nianwen put down his chopsticks, propped his chin with one hand, “Do you usually eat at restaurants of this price range?”
The most basic bowl of crab roe noodles in this restaurant cost 88 yuan. The noodles they ordered, with fish roe and crab legs, cost 128 yuan per bowl, and including the side dishes, the average cost per person was about 150 yuan.
Based on their meal, it was a bit expensive for the average working-class person, but for someone like Tan Janglin, it seemed a bit inadequate.
This place was suggested by Tan Janglin, and Mu Nianwen had initially marveled at his thoughtfulness. Now that they were here, he was worried that it might be too casual.
“Yeah,” Tan Janglin said, then turned his head to look at the table next to them, “It looks very enticing. I heard you mention it during the live broadcast, so I wanted to try it.”
Whether out of politeness or sincerity, it made people feel good to hear.
Now sitting face to face, Mu Nianwen carefully studied his face. After the initial astonishment, he realized that the features of this Alpha in front of him were not the most outstanding.
What was truly attractive was the charming temperament in his smiling eyes.
And Mu Nianwen had never been able to resist such a gentle and refined Alpha.
“We always thought you were a very aloof and cool person,” Xiao Xiao, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up.
“So, you guys always thought I was a cool middle-aged man?” Tan Janglin laughed, “Just because I don’t talk?”
“And you didn’t reply to my messages,” Mu Nianwen said, “You ignored my private messages several times, which made me feel uneasy.”
“Sorry,” Tan Janglin said, “I neglected that.”
Their noodles arrived at this moment.
The sauce, filled with crab roe and fish roe, piled up on top of the noodles, visually stunning, but the only smell was the sourness of the vinegar on the side.
Mu Nianwen and Xiao Xiao both took out their phones to take photos. After playing around for a while, they finally decided to start eating. Only then did Tan Janglin pick up his chopsticks.
After mixing the noodles, Mu Nianwen tasted it eagerly, gradually furrowing his brow.
Strange.
There was a crab flavor, but it didn’t taste very delicious. Instead, the fishy smell was particularly strong, and combined with the slightly mushy texture of the noodles and a lot of crab oil, it was quite greasy.
It wasn’t terrible, just not as delicious as it looked, a bit disappointing.
Mu Nianwen looked at Tan Janglin sitting across from him.
After taking a bite, Tan Janglin picked up the vinegar dish next to him, poured some into the noodles, mixed it again, and tasted it. Realizing that Mu Nianwen was looking at him, he smiled and looked back, asking, “How is it?”
“…How does it taste?” Mu Nianwen asked.
“It’s pretty good,” Tan Janglin said.
Mu Nianwen hesitated for a few seconds, then tried adding some vinegar and tasting it.
The flavor did improve a bit, but it was still only passable.
“It’s just okay,” Xiao Xiao bluntly said, “not even as good as the complimentary pickled vegetables.”
She picked up some pickled radish, put it in her noodles, and took another bite, nodding. “It’s better now.”
“I feel it’s just average,” Mu Nianwen criticized her, “you might as well go downstairs and eat the cabbage and shredded pork noodles for ten yuan a bowl.”
“Maybe that’s even better than this,” Xiao Xiao said, looking at Tan Janglin, “Boss TJL, do you really think this is delicious? You must have eaten better.”
“He’s just being polite, unlike you,” Mu Nianwen criticized her, “Always offering opinions. Right, Boss TJL?”
“If you really find my name difficult, you can call me Tan,” Tan Janglin said.
Mu Nianwen and Xiao Xiao both inhaled sharply and shook their heads, “That’s not appropriate!”
Tan Janglin sighed helplessly, “Then how about Tanglang? When I was in school, I had a nickname, called ‘Praying Mantis.'”
It sounded undoubtedly like a pun on his name, but Mu Nianwen easily found a flattering angle, “That must be describing how slender and elegant you look!”
“…I was wrong,” Tan Janglin shook his head, “Your personality in real life is exactly the same as during your live broadcasts.”
Xiao Xiao interjected softly, “So you noticed how unusual he was when he first came in, right?”
Tan Janglin glanced at Mu Nianwen, his eyes showing a hint of inquiry.
Mu Nianwen forcefully changed the subject, “Actually, I also think these noodles are not that great. If you don’t like it, don’t force yourself. We can go to another place.”
“Not forcing myself,” Tan Janglin said, “It’s fine.”
As he said this, he also picked up some pickled radish into his bowl.
In the end, all three of them ate the noodles mixed with pickled radish.
Mu Nianwen originally wanted to ask the waiter for some more pickled vegetables, but was told that each table was limited and couldn’t be given more. He wanted to order a separate portion, but was told that it was not for sale, only complimentary.
“I’m starting to hate this place,” Mu Nianwen was very dissatisfied.
“How about we go somewhere else?” Xiao Xiao suggested, “Go eat some desserts or something.”
Mu Nianwen readily agreed, “Sure, where should we go?” He turned to Tan Janglin, “TJL… Tan… um….”
Tan Janglin couldn’t help but laugh, “Either is fine.”
