Kiana swept through the dessert and carb sections in a frenzy, piling up so many different kinds of food she couldn't even carry them all. She had to hand the plates of carbs and desserts—which were piled so high they couldn't fit another crumb—to Shu to carry.
Then, she filled two more plates with roughly the same amount for herself.
Carrying enough food to turn four starving ghosts into bursting ones, the two returned to their seats.
Kiana grabbed an iron spoon, probably taken from the ice cream section, and couldn't wait to launch a fierce offensive on the mountain of carbs.
Meanwhile, just looking at the food piled together without any regard for presentation made Shu lose his last shred of appetite.
He knew that in snack streets, rice bowls and mixed rice were always the favorites of countless people.
That sticky, mushy feeling of ingredients mixed with rice grains, the pleasure of swallowing it whole without needing to chew excessively just to welcome the next bite.
And the sensation of various ingredients' flavors mixing together, covering up each other's flaws while stimulating their unique characteristics—it truly mesmerized many people.
But Shu was not among them.
He still preferred the method of strictly separating the main staple from the side dishes. He almost never even put the dishes on top of the rice to deliver them into his mouth together...
To put it bluntly—he had a bit of an image to uphold, even if there were no onlookers around.
"Kiana..."
"Mhm?" Kiana was currently puffing her cheeks, struggling to suck a mixture of fried noodles and fried rice into her mouth.
"Can you eat enough to make your money's worth eating like this?" Shu gave up on picking up his own chopsticks and instead started focusing on grilling meat for Kiana.
Shu obviously knew what kind of appetite Kiana had, but this restaurant wasn't cheap either.
After all, this was a high-end buffet offering rock lobsters and king crab legs; the price per person was nearly four digits... And the foods Kiana had chosen, although massive in quantity, were simply too cheap.
Of course, he was just asking casually.
After all, he felt the real reason Kiana only chose these was that she genuinely couldn't handle the BBQ and seafood that required cooking yourself.
So, it falls to me, huh~
Shu's casual question made Kiana pause, swallowing the pudding in her mouth.
"Why do I need to make my money's worth?"
"Isn't that how everyone eats at a buffet?" Shu used a basting brush to brush a layer of oil onto the grill paper, then dropped the beef rolls Kiana had brought for grilling into the small hot pot.
"Who said that?" Kiana shoved another huge bite into her mouth, then miraculously articulated a clear question.
"..." That clear response made Shu involuntarily stare at Kiana's mouth for a couple of seconds. "It seems like everyone says that."
"Well, I don't say that." Kiana sullenly set down her fork. Only after forcefully swallowing the mouthful of food did she speak solemnly: "A buffet isn't about eating to make your money's worth."
"Then what is it for?" Shu was even more shocked by Kiana's act of swallowing the food.
You have to know, Kiana's cheeks had just been puffed out like a hamster's. Was her esophagus really that powerful?
"The existence of a buffet is to—" Kiana spread her arms wide, as if embracing the entire restaurant.
"To experience the feeling of 'eating whatever you want'! Taking however much you want! Taking whatever you want to eat! No need to look at the price! No need to worry if it's enough! Just eat if you want to!"
Her eyes were sacred and sublime, like a saint offering praise.
"This is the feeling of absolute unbridled freedom!"
"What?" Shu's attention was sharply pulled back by Kiana's words.
"Think about it. Usually, when you eat, don't you only get to eat one kind, or just a few kinds of food you want?" Kiana smiled at Shu, her lips glistening with oil.
Shu nodded absentmindedly.
"And when you eat, don't you have to consider money, portion sizes, and stuff? There are so many things to worry about, and it's hard to eat freely, afraid you might accidentally not eat enough, or waste food?"
Shu's expression gradually turned grave, and then he gravely pulled out a tissue and handed it to the eloquently speaking Kiana.
Kiana took the napkin, quickly wiped her mouth, and continued speaking.
"But it's different in a buffet restaurant! Everyday life is already so tiring, with so many rules and restrictions. So right now, to just eat to your heart's content exactly as you please—isn't that making you very happy?"
She even gestured for Shu, but couldn't quite articulate it, only speaking vaguely, trying very hard to express her feelings.
"It's... it's... it's like me, just putting my head down and eating! I don't care how expensive it is, and I don't want to care about anything else, just eat, I'll eat, eat, eat, eat, eat..."
"Pfft—" Shu couldn't hold it in, and received a fierce glare from Kiana.
"No laughing! You eat too!"
In anger, Kiana used her fork to stab a small cake—a rare survivor that had maintained its independence despite being piled together—and held it out in front of Shu.
"Alright, alright, I'll eat." Shu raised his hands in surrender. After a moment's hesitation, he opened his mouth and gently bit off the small cake.
Speaking of which... does this count as gluttony?
Shu's sudden, unprompted association made even his chewing motion stiffen for a split second.
However, he quickly tossed the thought to the back of his mind.
It's just a hearty appetite... Ultimately, the traditional Shenzhou concept of 'being able to eat is a blessing' prevailed.
Besides, Kiana wouldn't snatch food from strangers, nor was she likely to eat herself sick. Maybe her hearty appetite not only provided emotional value, but was also a physiological necessity she couldn't neglect.
"So..." He slowly chewed the small cake in his mouth, feeling the aroma of the cake spread, and tried hard to maintain the same clear articulation as Kiana, "are you a king right now?"
"Yes!" Kiana put her hands on her hips, nose tilted up. "King Kiana! Currently enjoying her kingdom!"
Shu fell silent for a second, silently swallowing the cake.
"Then what am I?" he asked with amusement.
Kiana started thinking very seriously, pouting, frowning, and closing her eyes, striking an anime thinking pose.
"You are—" Her frown deepened; it seemed this was a very difficult question.
Finally, King Kiana figured out the answer to this problem of the century.
"You are the king's royal dining companion!"
Shu: "..."
"Responsible for accompanying the king while she eats! Responsible for helping the king grill meat and boil hot pot! Responsible for helping the king walk home when the king eats too much!"
Looking at her triumphant face after making her final decision, Shu couldn't hold back his smile.
"This subordinate is truly sorry for mistreating the king normally."
Kiana froze.
"What?"
"After all, it sounds like the king usually has a very hard life..."
What? Was King Kiana going to lose the loyalty of her most faithful dining companion right after ascending to the throne?!
Kiana hurriedly waved her hands.
"No, no! I didn't mean that!"
She put down her fork, her face full of an earnestness born from urgent prompting.
"Shu, you treat me very, very well."
Shu raised an eyebrow, looking at her teasingly.
"Ugh..." Kiana felt a pang of distress. "Whether it's Mei, or Mom, everyone treats me very, very well..."
"Then... who exactly..." Shu slowly broke into a grin, preparing to ask Kiana a fatal question.
"Everyone treats me very well! I'm an idiot, I only know that everyone treats me very well! I don't know anything else!" Kiana directly killed the match, then flushed red and buried her head deeply.
Shu watched and laughed, and just kept laughing.
"Hahaha... I really... hahahaha..." He laughed so hard his body trembled, but he still managed to pick up the tongs, flip the meat, and then smilingly scoop the beef rolls out of the small hot pot.
Kiana glared at Shu with puffed cheeks. She just felt this guy was really mean.
Even Mei wouldn't use a fatal question like 'Who do you like the most?' to test me!
Damn it, I definitely have to eat this meanie until his wallet aches!
Kiana made this decision inside the buffet restaurant.