Chapter 16: Strolling and Snacking

Page 1 of 3

Chapter 16: Eating Our Way Around

That morning, after Gao Yun and Daria bought the car, they spent the rest of the day and the entire following day indulging in a frenzied shopping spree through Hangzhou’s major commercial streets, shopping malls, and luxury boutiques.

Donna Karan, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Versace, Dior, Gucci, Valentino, Prada, Giorgio Armani, Lancôme…

Seasonal men’s and women’s clothing, shoes, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, and skincare products.

Daria spent money as though it grew on trees, turning the luxury garments she had once only been able to try on during runway shows into exclusive additions to her own wardrobe. She bought cosmetics and skincare products from international brands in such quantities that it looked as though she were stocking a wholesale shop.

Gao Yun had never been particularly interested in luxury goods, but under her influence, he bought several expensive suits and sets of menswear for himself as well.

At the same time, he planned to take the system’s advice and return to his old line of work. He recalled his long-neglected self-media accounts and decided to make some videos, improving his filming and editing skills in the process. Thus, Gao Yun also bought the latest smartphones, cameras, and other digital products.

Naturally, he could not forget gifts for his family and friends. By the end, with all the odds and ends, large and small packages, the things he had bought actually outnumbered Daria’s purchases.

When they returned to the apartment on the second evening and saw gift boxes and shopping bags scattered across the floor, they finally began to calm down.

After making a rough calculation, they discovered that their total spending had reached ten million yuan, including the seven-point-three million they had spent on the car.

They figured they had more or less bought everything they could possibly need. There was truly nothing left to buy.

So, on the third day—their final day—they decided to stop shopping. Instead, they selected three well-known restaurants in Hangzhou, each with a completely different style, and planned to try them one by one.

The three restaurants were Manshu Kaiseki, the Jinsha Hall at the Four Seasons Hotel West Lake, and the Yuyuan Chinese Restaurant at the Pan Sea Diaoyutai Hotel.

They made reservations at all three restaurants that evening. The next day, as the appointed time approached, the two of them set out punctually.

“So we’re going to the Pan Sea Diaoyutai first?” Daria asked from the passenger seat, brimming with anticipation.

No one could resist the temptation of good food. What was more, as a Russian chef with superb culinary skills, Daria’s love of sampling all kinds of cuisine was only natural.

“Yes. We’ll start with something light.”

As he spoke, Gao Yun switched on his camera and adjusted the settings. Then he aimed it at Daria’s flawless, beautiful face and officially began filming.

“Come on, Comrade Angel. Say your line.”

Gao Yun had once run self-media accounts on both Bilibili and TikTok, where he mainly posted fitness-related educational videos. His audience was small, and he had fewer than thirty thousand followers combined across both platforms. His view counts had been very low.

He had not filmed many vlogs. After all, his former life had consisted of nothing but work, work, and more work. There had been very little worth filming. Even if he had filmed it, no one would have wanted to watch. People were already exhausted from going to work every day—why would they torture themselves by watching someone else’s daily work routine?

Page 2 of 3

What viewers wanted to see were things video bloggers could do that ordinary people could not, things they had never seen or tasted before—in short, anything novel and interesting.

Now Gao Yun had no need to worry about money. He no longer had to work and could do whatever he wanted, so almost anything he casually filmed would make good material. In the future, vlogs would probably occupy the largest share of his video output.

Hangzhou enjoyed a rare sunny day. Daria wore a black, sleeveless Valentino maxi dress with light, elegant makeup, giving her an air of mystery and grace.

As a professional model, she was long accustomed to facing cameras. Completely at ease, she said, “Hello, everyone. I’m Daria. Today, I’m going to eat some delicious food with my warrior, Comrade Gao Yun.”

After a brief pause, she raised both hands as though preparing to charge.

“We’re setting off! Our destination is the Pan Sea Diaoyutai Hotel. Hoorah!”

Gao Yun laughed and joined in.

“Hoorah!”

The Pan Sea Diaoyutai was a luxurious five-star hotel situated along the Qiantang River. Its most expensive room was on the sixteenth floor: the Diaoyutai Suite, reserved especially for heads of state. It originally cost eighty thousand yuan per night, but after the recent dimensional downgrade, even that suite had become cheaper, dropping to sixty-five thousand.

The hotel’s décor blended Chinese and Western styles, with a stronger emphasis on traditional Chinese design. The classical Chinese decorative details immediately conveyed an impression of magnificence and refinement. The Yuyuan Chinese Restaurant they were visiting occupied the hotel’s top floor, the nineteenth floor.

According to the latest edition of China’s Michelin-style Black Pearl Restaurant Guide, 309 restaurants had been selected from seven million establishments across twenty-seven cities in China and abroad.

There were sixteen three-diamond restaurants, seventy-eight two-diamond restaurants, and 215 one-diamond restaurants.

The Yuyuan Chinese Restaurant had an average per-person expenditure of one thousand yuan and was ranked as a one-diamond restaurant. This level was reputed to represent a place everyone should visit for a gathering.

Of the other two restaurants, Manshu Kaiseki, with an average expenditure of eighteen hundred yuan per person, was the most expensive restaurant in Hangzhou and was also rated one diamond.

The Jinsha Hall at the Four Seasons Hotel West Lake cost an average of seven hundred yuan per person and held the highest distinction: three Black Pearl diamonds.

Restaurants in this category were said to be places one absolutely had to experience at least once in a lifetime.

From the moment Gao Yun drove up to the hotel entrance, through parking the car, entering the hotel, and taking the elevator, staff followed them at every step, providing attentive and enthusiastic service without ever becoming overbearing.

When they reached the restaurant on the nineteenth floor, they entered a private dining room with a view and ordered their dishes. After asking the management for permission to film and receiving approval, Gao Yun swept his camera around the surrounding interior before slowly moving the lens from a distance toward the floor-to-ceiling windows, faithfully capturing the panoramic view of the Qiantang River.

At last, he naturally turned the camera toward Daria, seated beside the window, and ended the segment with her cool yet breathtakingly beautiful face.

To be honest, compared with the skills he genuinely loved—guitar, street dance, fitness, and the like—Gao Yun did not particularly enjoy filming and editing. They were too troublesome and consumed too much time.

He had originally learned those two skills with the intention of monetizing them through self-media and making money, but for various reasons, he had failed.

This time, however, the system would provide him with money directly. Though he disliked the two skills, Gao Yun was willing to endure them for the sake of money.

After watching the footage once and confirming that there were no problems, Gao Yun set up a tripod on the dining table, pointed the camera at the two of them, and continued filming without paying it any further attention.

“…”

Daria gazed absently through the window at the vast, tranquil Qiantang River. Seeing this, Gao Yun put an arm around her shoulders and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Page 3 of 3

Daria turned her head. Her pale blue eyes were filled with tenderness and affection.

She smiled. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“Hm…”

Gao Yun had only just understood the meaning of her Russian words when Daria slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

A young waitress carrying the appetizers froze when she saw the scene. After standing there in a daze for quite some time, she quietly set down the dishes and left.

When she returned to serve the first main course, the two had already resumed their normal behavior, chatting and laughing together. The waitress breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

“Good evening. These two dishes are the Diaoyutai Ginseng Emperor Nourishing Soup and the Diaoyutai Cordyceps Lion’s Head Meatball. Both belong to the Diaoyutai state banquet cuisine.”

Diaoyutai state banquet cuisine was a distinctive culinary tradition created to meet the dining needs and preferences of Chinese and foreign guests. It drew upon the strengths of China’s eight major culinary traditions while incorporating the finest aspects of Western cuisine.

In the beginning, Diaoyutai cuisine was used exclusively to entertain domestic and foreign political leaders. As time passed, however, ordinary people could enjoy it too—as long as they had the money.

…

Neither Gao Yun nor Daria had a small appetite. Including the appetizers and desserts, they polished off all fourteen courses.

Cold Yuyuan Four-Piece Platter
Diaoyutai Cordyceps Lion’s Head Meatball
Diaoyutai Ginseng Emperor Nourishing Soup
Crystal Prawns with Sea Urchin Sauce
Yuyuan Wasabi-Baked Steak
Crispy Dragon Meat with Dried Scallops in Abalone Sauce
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall
Dongpo Beef Cheek
Lobster Baked with Crimson Sauce
Crab Claws Braised with Sea Urchin
Tomatoes Stuffed with Nourishing Wild Rice
Yuyuan Special Fried Rice
Snow Fungus Stewed with Sweet Pear
Dessert and Seasonal Fruit

With each dish, the waitress gave a brief introduction to its ingredients and history. For example, the premier loved the Diaoyutai Cordyceps Lion’s Head Meatball, while the Yuyuan Wasabi-Baked Steak had once earned praise from a former American president.

Gao Yun was too busy filming to listen carefully, but Daria listened with rapt attention. She ate while exclaiming over everything, looking every bit the part of a food blogger.

Overall, the dishes were fresh and delicate in flavor, delicious and refined. For Gao Yun, a fitness enthusiast who normally viewed food purely in terms of carbohydrates, protein, and fat, the meal delivered a tremendous assault on both his eyes and his palate.

After finishing dinner, the two of them exercised for a while in the hotel gym to aid their digestion before continuing their culinary journey.

End of Chapter