The hot pot here was actually quite good.
The broth was light and refreshing, and the ingredients were exceptionally fresh and tender, as if they had been carefully selected or even air-freighted in.
Xu Shengxia was used to eating gourmet delicacies, but even so, she found this meal incredibly satisfying.
"Wow... Delicious!"
"I'm finally stuffed."
Xu Shengxia didn't have a large appetite, so she was full after trying a little of each dish.
She leaned back in her seat with a contented look, her eyes narrowed in satisfaction. She sipped her cherry juice and patted her full, round belly.
'Time to figure out what to do next…'
'Where should I go after leaving the restaurant?'
'Maybe I'll go to the mall and buy some clothes? And a new phone while I'm at it.'
Her mind made up, Xu Shengxia gathered her things and prepared to leave without further delay.
Just then, the waitress, who had been gone for over an hour, suddenly appeared at the door, blocking Xu Shengxia's way to demand a tip.
"Miss, you promised me. You said you'd give me a 1,000-yuan tip."
"I tied your shoelace for you, and I even got my clothes dirty in the process. Now, please make good on your promise and give me the 1,000 yuan!"
Her expression was sullen as she held her hand out to Xu Shengxia. Her tone wasn't that of someone asking for a tip, but rather someone collecting a debt, as if it were her due.
Xu Shengxia laughed, crossing her arms.
"And you think you deserve a tip from me?"
"You were assigned as the waitress for my private room. I was eating for over an hour, yet you were only here for less than ten minutes.
In those ten minutes, you did tie my shoelace once, but you also knocked over a bowl of my soup right after.
A clumsy, unprofessional waitress with an attitude problem like you—do you really think you're worthy of a customer's tip?"
The waitress's face flushed with anger.
"Are you trying to go back on your word? You're the one who promised me! You can't just be untrustworthy! Besides, why do you think I left? It's because you deliberately spilled soup all over me!"
Hearing this, Xu Shengxia's smile turned sarcastic.
"If you had been gone for half an hour to clean yourself up, maybe I could've been understanding. But you were gone for the entire meal and only showed up after I finished eating."
"And what does that tell me? It means you finished cleaning up long ago. You just didn't want to serve me, so you hid in the security room and watched me eat. The moment you saw I was finished and about to leave, you rushed over here to demand your tip."
"Ma'am, you didn't want to do your job, but you still have the gall to come ask me for a tip. You've really got some nerve."
The waitress was rendered speechless.
Because Xu Shengxia had been right about everything!
She had been hiding in the security room, slacking off. As soon as she saw the girl in the private room was about to come out, she had hurried over to the doorway.
"Get out of my way. Otherwise, I have no problem calling your manager over to discuss your complete lack of service during my meal!"
Xu Shengxia glared at her, her expression one that said 'don't mess with me'.
The waitress definitely didn't dare let her call the manager.
The restaurant had specific rules for its private room staff.
Not only were they required to help customers add food to the hot pot throughout the meal, but they also had to attentively and enthusiastically introduce the specialty dishes and constantly check on the customer's dining experience...
Obviously... she hadn't done a single one of those things.
The reason she had been so arrogant, completely ignoring the service standards, was because Xu Shengxia looked young and dressed shabbily. She felt the girl didn't deserve such attentive service. On top of that, she assumed the girl was clueless and wouldn't even know how to complain, even with such terrible service.
But now she realized she had been wrong.
This girl had not only seen right through her but was now threatening her with the manager.
'Forget it!'
'If she won't pay the tip, she won't pay. It's not worth getting chewed out by the manager and having my pay docked over this.'
In truth, she hadn't come over just for the tip. More importantly, she wanted to take the leftovers from the table full of food Xu Shengxia had ordered but not finished.
She had paid close attention on the security monitor and noticed that the girl had excellent table manners.
Although she had taken from every dish, she had used the serving chopsticks each time, leaving the food completely untouched. The plates and the dishes were all perfectly clean.
This way, she could take the leftovers home with a clear conscience... because they were practically no different from fresh ingredients.
That table of food was worth far more than 1,000 yuan!
At this thought, although the waitress was still annoyed with Xu Shengxia, she didn't say anything more. She stepped aside, allowing her to leave.
Xu Shengxia didn't linger. With a huff, she strode out.
Xu Shengxia had originally intended to go to the front desk to pay the bill, but just as she was approaching it, her eyes darted around slyly. She changed direction and headed for the restroom instead.