Chapter 1235: A Ghostly Disturbance in the Restaurant in Broad Daylight

"Really?"

He was a bit skeptical.

"If you don't want to go, then forget it." Shi Ran picked up her bag and started to leave.

"I want to, I want to, I really do." Yun Qitian finally believed it was true, trotting along behind her, his mouth stretched wide in a grin.

Shi Ran had taken the initiative to invite him to dinner; this was the first time since Qi Heng returned to the country.

It looked like she was finally gradually stepping out of Qi Heng's shadow, a good sign, he thought to himself, feeling happy.

The two went to a Michelin-starred restaurant for dinner, and the steak here was absolutely superb!

Especially the Wellington Steak.

A waiter led the two to their seats, served exquisite silver cutlery, and brought over red wine to pour into a decanter.

The crystal decanter rested in an ice bucket filled with ice cubes.

At this moment, someone brought over a candelabra, lit the candles, and added fresh, dripping-wet red roses.

The waiter served the appetizers, palate-cleansing fruit, and then the main course—Wellington Steak.

The pastry crust of the steak was golden and crispy, while the beef was fresh, tender, juicy, and chewy; one had to book this Wellington Steak half a year in advance to get a taste.

The delicious steak was paired with the finest red wine.

With the romantic candelabra and fresh flowers on the table, and a violinist playing elegant music nearby, the wine didn't intoxicate the people; the people were intoxicated by the atmosphere themselves.

Yun Qitian gave Shi Ran a thumbs-up, not sparing any praise: "Ranran, I admire you so much; you are truly amazing."

"To be able to anticipate inviting me to dinner half a year ago and booking the restaurant so early, I am simply so moved."

Shi Ran:...

"Who said I booked this restaurant half a year ago?"

Yun Qitian: "The Wellington Steak at this restaurant requires at least half a year of advance booking to eat... Could it be that you booked it even earlier? No matter when you booked it, the point is you have me in your heart, and I won't accept any rebuttal."

In truth, whether it was half a year ago or even earlier.

It could not possibly have been because she wanted to have dinner with him.

Such a romantic place.

Such a romantic dinner, the Shi Ran of that time would only have shared it with one person.

That person could only be Qi Heng, not anyone else.

But Yun Qitian had this ability; he could turn all unhappy things into happy ones and think of bad things in a positive light.

His smile was very bright, like a standard sunny, handsome big boy.

Yun Qitian's heart was as pure as his smile, and Shi Ran couldn't bear to lie to him, so she told the truth: "The restaurant wasn't booked half a year ago, and certainly not earlier; it was Zichen who sent me a message this afternoon, gifting me a couple's set meal."

"I figured it would be a waste to eat it alone, so I thought I'd bring some of my younger brothers from home. Who to bring, and who not to bring? It would be even worse if the distribution was uneven, and there really wasn't anyone else, so I brought you. I just didn't expect it to be a couple's set."

Looking at the expression on her face, if she had known earlier, Shi Ran absolutely would not have brought him to this place.

So that was it.

The smile on Yun Qitian's face didn't diminish; instead, it became even brighter.

"Zichen is truly a good kid, knowing I'm pursuing you, he sent a couple's set. This little brother-in-law is so thoughtful, I like him."

"Don't talk nonsense." Shi Ran's face darkened.

Although liking someone was a personal freedom, one couldn't just use titles indiscriminately.

"I'm sorry, I was wrong." Yun Qitian corrected his mistake immediately, his attitude toward admitting fault being excellent.

The reason Zichen had such influence was that the restaurant owner was his good friend, a friend across generations.

The two were full from their meal at the restaurant, and just as they were preparing to leave, a sudden commotion broke out in the back kitchen.

Dozens of chefs were running out, along with the waiters.

And then the customers followed.

"Run! There's a ghost in broad daylight!"

"Ahhhhh!"

Clang, clang, crash!

All sorts of sounds from the back kitchen were endless, descending into total chaos.

Yun Qitian immediately shielded Shi Ran behind him, saying to her with a nervous face: "Ranran, don't be afraid, I'll protect you."

Shi Ran was not afraid.

But she noticed that Yun Qitian's legs were trembling.

Who was actually more afraid?

At first, it was Yun Qitian pulling her, but later it was Shi Ran dragging him outside; regardless, they managed to run out.

"What happened?"

"What's going on?"

"I don't know, I saw the chefs running, so I ran too..."

"Me too, me too!"

It turned out there were quite a few people who had run out in a daze just like them.

Finally, everyone looked in unison at the chefs; the dozens of chefs all had similar complexions—pale, bloodless, and faces full of disbelief.

"There's a ghost in the back kitchen," said a young chef who looked only seventeen or eighteen.

The young chef was an apprentice, and today was his first day on the job; he hadn't expected that instead of learning anything, he would see a "ghost." He would likely never dare to enter a kitchen again for the rest of his life, leaving a deep childhood trauma.

"Nonsense, there are no ghosts in this world. If there were, it would be someone pretending; you must have been pranked," a customer said.

Immediately, someone else became even more dissatisfied: "This is too much, what kind of lousy restaurant is this? I booked a couple's set eight months in advance, and it turns out there's a ghost before it could even be served?"

"I don't think it's a ghost; I think you've just run out of steak, right?" Those who hadn't eaten the steak were very angry and insisted that the restaurant compensate them for their date with their girlfriend.

Originally, he had intended to propose during this romantic date, but it ended up being ruined by the "haunting."

"We aren't lying, there really was a ghost! A female ghost suddenly appeared in the restaurant, with a deathly pale face; she appeared suddenly and then vanished just as suddenly," someone argued.

"Yes, yes, yes, that's exactly how it was, what he said is correct."

Both sides held to their own accounts, and what happened afterward, Shi Ran and Yun Qitian did not know, because the two of them had gone home.

At Yun Qitian's insistence, he still saw Shi Ran home.

The car stopped at the gate, and Shi Ran got out: "Thank you for bringing me back, drive slowly on the road, and stay safe."

"Aren't you going to invite me in to sit for a while?"

"No need, my grandparents and parents aren't home, there's no one inside who needs you to pay your respects, there are only a few brats at home, if you go in, they'll pester you to death."

The Sheng Family's boys accepted Yun Qitian much faster than Shi Ran did.

They all liked Yun Qitian very much, and every time they saw him, they were incredibly enthusiastic.

Yun Qitian was a chatterbox, and Sheng Zichen and Sheng Zihan were the fighter jets among chatterboxes; they could talk too much, and they asked about everything, often posing questions that were impossible to answer.

"Alright, you get some rest early too, I'm heading back."

Yun Qitian did not insist, and drove away.

She walked through the gate—and got a fright!

"Whoa! What are you all doing?"

All four younger brothers were standing at the entrance, lined up in a row.

If it were any other time, she wouldn't be afraid, but since there had just been a "haunting," she found it quite creepy.

Zichen: "Sis, I heard the restaurant was haunted; did it happen after you finished eating, or before you ate?"

Shi Ran:...

Is that the point?

Litian: "Sis, what did the ghost look like? Did you see it with your own eyes? Can you describe it to us? I've never seen a ghost in my life."