What to Do if You Mess With an Omega? - Chapter 21

The shrimp tails connected end to end, forming a circle. The shrimp meat, white with a hint of pink, whetted the appetite at a glance.

Luo Tianran had not expected this prickly shrimp to be edible in such a way. As she spoke, she had always found the thing’s shell too hard to gnaw at. As a child, out of curiosity, she had once chipped half a tooth trying it, and from then on, it had gone straight onto her blacklist. One careless moment could puncture the mouth, and it looked utterly ugly. Eating it always left a nauseating taste churning in the mouth.

Were they not eating the same kind of shrimp?

Ning Yingwu had already recovered from his shock. He hurried to the side, his hand shaking as he tapped on his optical computer. No one knew whom he was contacting.

Ning Hanzhu ignored him. She was on the capital star anyway, and she would run into the main family members sooner or later. Early or late made no difference. She handed the plate to Xu Yuqing. “Try it.”

Luo Tianran said curiously, “You arranged it quite artistically.” It made it hard for anyone to start eating right away.

Before she finished speaking.

Xu Yuqing had already skewered one with a toothpick. The shrimp meat was Q-bouncy and full in the mouth, with spicy aromas assaulting the senses. The heat followed, searing every inch of the tongue, the flavors intertwining to bring a unique sense of satisfaction.

She ate three in a row.

Ning Hanzhu saw a faint sheen on the tip of her nose and handed over a cup of lemon fruit tea without a second thought.

Xu Yuqing took it and drank two sips. The spiciness on her tongue seemed less intense now. She continued to eat with her head down, her full lips looking as if they had been painted with lipstick, her cheeks blooming with red flushes.

Luo Tianran saw how eagerly she ate and smacked her lips. Was it really that good?

“Yang Xiu, fetch me some prickly shrimp too. I want to try it.”

“…Yes, miss.”

Yang Xiu shot Ning Hanzhu a fierce glare. The latter felt nothing. Ning Hanzhu kept watching Xu Yuqing eat. Seeing how thoroughly satisfied she looked, Ning Hanzhu felt an indescribable sense of pride.

Who said she did not know Xu Yuqing’s preferences.

Every time this woman ordered caramel pudding for them, she tasted at most one bite herself and fed the rest to Ning Qianqian’s little belly. The caramel had a slightly bitter and astringent texture, and some people naturally did not like it.

But she had discovered that Xu Yuqing had little interest in desserts. Before, through Luo Wu, she had ordered food from Yijian Shisuo on her own initiative and chosen spicier dishes. Although most of the food had ended up ruined, Xu Yuqing’s preference had been thoroughly grasped by her.

This woman loved spicy food, but for some reason, she always ordered sweets she did not eat.

“What have you peeled here? Yang Xiu, are you going to let me eat or not?”

“Sorry, miss.”

Yang Xiu tried to move as lightly as possible with his hands, but each time, he managed to separate the shrimp body from the tail. These few small prickly shrimp made him face them like a formidable enemy.

Ning Hanzhu saw this Alpha fumbling about so clumsily, utterly different from his usual self, so she said from the side, “First remove the front two shells, then secure the shrimp body and pull the tail. It’ll come right off.”

A little trick that frequent eaters all knew.

Yang Xiu tried it, and sure enough, he drew out a complete shrimp. Practice made perfect; after a few attempts, several intact shrimp lay in the plate.

Luo Tianran looked at the presentation of the shrimp and, for some reason, felt they did not look as nice as the ones Ning Hanzhu had peeled. Still, she reluctantly picked the best-looking one among them and tasted it.

“Huh.”

Luo Tianran’s pupils widened in surprise. “How did I never think of eating it this way before?”

This prickly shrimp was generally served to thick-skinned, rough-meated Alphas. Omegas, being too delicate, had very refined tastes in food, clothing, and use. Naturally, this ferocious-looking, spiny meat fell to the Alphas. But many Alphas would not touch prickly shrimp unless absolutely necessary. Unprocessed prickly shrimp tasted like rotten mud from a sewer ditch; one bite could make a person retch.

Who could have imagined that prickly shrimp with the shell peeled open would taste so delicious?

“Go get me some more.”

“I want some too.”

Xu Yuqing’s limpid eyes signaled her. Ning Hanzhu just found it amusing. This delicate Beta lady must have tried thirteen-spice crayfish before, or she guaranteed the woman would crave it endlessly afterward.

But the thirteen-spice seasoning…

Ning Hanzhu had not tempted Xu Yuqing into overeating. Instead, she had first awakened the little glutton in her own belly. Nutrient solution could fill the stomach, but it had no real flavor.

The ordinary kind was much like bean powder, while the slightly more expensive nutrient solution that restored mental strength added fruit flavors, somewhat like various brands of thickened fruit juice.

The consequence of drinking too much nutrient solution was that these past few days, she missed hot pot, barbecue, spicy hot pot, and stir-fried dishes from back then more than ever—the spicier, the more she craved them.

“Just now, thank you.”

“Hm?”

Ning Hanzhu looked around and found only the two of them there. “Are you talking to me?”

Yang Xiu choked.

He should not have spoken.

The two continued selecting food from the buffet until their plates were full. Yang Xiu glanced at the entrants and suddenly said in a low voice as he left, “Be careful of Miss Xu’s suitors.”

Ning Hanzhu, “???”

Why did she need to watch out for Xu Yuqing’s suitors?

How strange.

Ning Hanzhu continued picking food for Xu Yuqing. When footsteps approached, she even stepped aside proactively, only for someone to elbow her hard. The plate in her hand flew out like a frisbee.

But in her eyes, it all unfolded like a movie in slow motion. The trajectory of the falling plate revealed itself clearly before her. She even anticipated in advance where it would land.

With one quick step, she caught it steadily, averting the tragedy of the food spilling again.

“Ah, that was close.”

If that plate had crashed down, it would not just shatter with a clatter; the food would scatter everywhere, drawing attention for sure. It would become a minor banquet mishap at that point.

This person had ill intentions.

“You’re the Alpha Miss Yuqing brought today? You don’t look like much.”

The man crossed his arms, but his upturned phoenix eyes made him unforgettable. The scrutinizing gaze resembled that of a superior looking down on an inferior, which irritated people.

What made it worse was that he stood shorter than Ning Hanzhu. Tilting his head up to make that gesture just looked comical.

Ning Hanzhu bared eight neat white teeth at him. “No matter how little I amount to, she brought me along. How come she didn’t bring you?”

Fvck.

The man jumped in fury at those words. “You, some no-name nobody, dare speak to me like that? Do you know who I am?”

Ning Hanzhu did not care who he was.

“You’re already angry?”

No way—it was too fragile a heart.

Ning Hanzhu found his flustered and exasperated look somewhat comical and beckoned with her finger. “Come here. I’ll tell you a secret about Miss Yuqing.”

The man’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Ning Hanzhu said, “Believe it or not.”

He shuffled closer to Ning Hanzhu. “Spill it.”

Ning Hanzhu said softly, “Miss Yuqing said she doesn’t like those who are too short, especially under one meter seventy-five. Tsk, you look like you’re only one meter seventy-four.”

“Damn.”

“…”

Ning Hanzhu laughed with schadenfreude. As she walked away, she pretended not to see and ground her heel heavily over the top of his foot.