Quick Transmigration: The Beautiful Host Wants to Have Both Love and Career

The chestnut-haired boy stood on tiptoe, peering through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the hot pot restaurant, his nose almost touching the cold glass. His fluffy curly hair was wet with rain, but that didn't dampen his excitement in the slightest.

"Senior, let's go with this place!"

I checked online reviews; they say their mushroom broth is incredibly delicious, the tomato broth is sweet and sour and appetizing, and the tripe is so crisp it practically dances on your tongue after just eight seconds of cooking!

He gripped his companion's sleeve and shook him from side to side, the cartoon keychain in the pocket of his beige hoodie swaying with his movements.

"And it's only three blocks from the school, so we can finish eating just in time for the school to close!"

The young man in black let him pull him forward, the hem of his black coat sweeping across the puddles on the ground.

He looked down at the boy's tuft of hair sticking up on his head, his tone tinged with indulgent helplessness:

"Okay, okay, but it's agreed that half of the hot pot should be clear broth..."

His words abruptly stopped as he looked up and met a gaze coming from diagonally in front of him—in a booth by the window, two young people were sitting around a boiling hot pot, the steam creating a hazy halo between them.

The young man in black instinctively straightened his back, his well-defined fingers lightly touching his brow bone, and nodded in acknowledgment.

Wow! What a coincidence!

The chestnut-haired boy followed his gaze, his eyes instantly shining as if they held two stars.

He shook off his companion's hand and ran to the table in a few quick steps, the Pikachu keychain in his hoodie pocket swaying incessantly with his movements.

"You guys just arrived for hot pot too? The waiter said there were only shared tables left..."

Jun Sui was about to politely decline when the two people's faces stifled his words. Sui Si had already deftly moved the bamboo basket piled with sauce dishes.

He gently placed the chopsticks, still coated in chili oil, on the bone plate, a smile playing on his lips.

"If you don't mind, you can come with us."

As he spoke, he used serving chopsticks to push the boiling mushroom soup pot towards the center.

"We ordered too much food; the two of us can't possibly finish it all. If we don't eat it soon, it'll get soggy."

"Really? Senior, did you hear me?!"

The chestnut-haired boy jumped up and down excitedly, then turned around and grabbed the black-clad youth who was still standing half a step away.

"By the way, let's introduce ourselves."

My name is Gu Yichen, and this is my senior, Mu Shang. We both study architecture at the neighboring University A!

He spoke like a machine gun, “We were late because we had a professional class this afternoon. We were worried we wouldn’t be able to eat, but we’re so lucky!”

Senior, look, isn't this the legendary...?

"Remembering Dust".

Mu Shang gently pressed down on the boy's shoulder, his voice gentle yet carrying an undeniable force.

He bowed slightly and offered Sui Si and Jun Sui a polite smile:

"I'm so sorry to have interrupted your meal. If you encounter any inconvenience, we can help you anytime..."

"What are you talking about!"

Sui Si had already waved to the waiter, "Could you please add two sets of tableware and bring another serving of soup base for the yin-yang hot pot?"

He turned to look at Gu Yichen and deliberately lowered his voice, "I'll let you in on a secret: you have to eat the bunny-shaped custard buns from this place while they're hot, and when you bite into them, the salted egg yolk filling will ooze out."

"You like bunny buns too?"

Gu Yichen slammed his hand on the table, making the spice jars shake.

"I always order two servings every time I come! Last time, I even had a hot pot version of 'Fast and Furious' with my senior because we were fighting for the last basket!"

Mu Shang sighed helplessly, his slender fingers already skillfully unpacking the sterilized packaging.

He slowly poured boiling water into the bone dish, carefully rinsing each piece of tableware until he was sure there were no water droplets on the edges before handing it to Gu Yichen:

"Speak slowly, have some herbal tea to soothe your throat first."

Amidst the rising steam, Jun Sui gently poked the rim of Sui Si's bowl with his chopsticks.

The moment their eyes met, it was as if they had passed through the misty fog and returned to a certain evening in a small world.

They had just met in a shop like this, where a lively and enthusiastic young man was holding the hand of a quiet and reserved companion.

At this moment, Gu Yichen was gesturing wildly as he recounted amusing stories, while Mu Shang listened quietly and silently scooped the cilantro out of his bowl. This scene perfectly overlapped with the scene in his memory.

When Gu Yichen clearly uttered her and her senior's names, Jun Sui and Sui Si exchanged a glance, both of them startled.

These two names were exactly the same as those of their once most cherished best friends.

In the steaming hot pot, Gu Yichen's cheeks, stuffed full of custard buns, looked like a hamster stealing nuts, and even his speech became slurred.

Are you... a couple?

Before he could finish speaking, a golden custard filling slid down his chin, leaving a small stain on his off-white hoodie.

He was completely oblivious, his bright eyes scanning back and forth between the two of them.

"Gu! Yi! Chen!"

Mu Shang's voice suddenly rose, and his well-defined fingers tapped heavily on the edge of the porcelain bowl, making a crisp sound.

His earlobes turned crimson at a visible speed, and he hurriedly pulled out a tissue to wipe the filling from the corner of the boy's mouth, but his movements were slightly stiff due to his panic.

"How can you ask someone such a question so casually?"

Jun rested his elbow on the table, his slender fingers gently stroking his chin, his raised eyebrow carrying a hint of amusement.

Sui Si leaned forward slightly, a few strands of her hair falling down, edged with gold under the warm yellow light:

Why do you think that? Is there any reason?

His voice carried a hint of laughter, with a slight upward inflection at the end, as if inviting the other person to continue.

Gu Yichen swallowed the food in his mouth in one gulp, then excitedly slapped the table, splashing soup that left dark spots on the tablecloth.

"It's intuition!"

He stretched out his finger, which was stained with milky yellow, and first drew an arc in the air.

"The light in your eyes when you spoke, and the way your fingertips touched when you handed me the shrimp paste, it's clearly..."

Suddenly, she changed the subject, leaning over the boiling hot pot and pointing precisely at the almost untouched tomato broth in front of Jun Sui.

"You frowned three times while you were cooking the tripe, but you only looked at it and didn't eat it, and you didn't touch the red soup at all!"

They clearly preferred the tomato broth, but insisted on ordering the mushroom broth. Isn't that just making concessions?

Mu Shang rested one hand on his forehead, his fingertips gently massaging his temples, a long sigh escaping his throat.

"Could you please give me some face...?"

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Gu Yichen's cheerful laughter.

"It's ok."

Jun Sui suddenly spoke, his deep voice carrying a hint of languor.

He slowly reached out his hand, through the rising steam, and intertwined his fingers with Sui Si's under the table. The plain ring on his ring finger gleamed warmly under the light.

“He’s right.” His thumb gently stroked the back of his lover’s hand. “We’ve been together for exactly nine years and three months.”

"Look!"

Gu Yichen proudly raised her chin at Mu Shang, the Pikachu keychain in her hoodie pocket swaying incessantly.

"My eyes are like a human radar! Last time during club recruitment, I spotted them all at a glance..."

Before she could finish speaking, Mu Shang gently tapped her forehead with a wad of tissue.

Mu Shang's ears turned bright red, but he couldn't help but smile and say, "I'm sorry, he grew up in a theater troupe and doesn't know how to behave properly."

"Who's gone too far!"

Gu Yichen suddenly leaned closer to Mu Shang, deliberately lowering his voice, but it was enough for everyone to hear.

"Someone secretly searched for 'couple watch recommendations' last week and hasn't deleted the browsing history yet~ And just now, they peeked at their senior's watch three times. Are they thinking of buying the same one again?"

Mu Shang tightened his grip on the teacup, causing it to collide with the table with a crisp sound.

He turned his face away, a blush spreading from behind his ears all the way down his neck: "Eat your hotpot."

The sound was muffled, like cotton soaked in water.

Sui Si and Jun Sui exchanged a glance, and memories suddenly surged back.

In the same shop, in the same scene, a clumsy person spilled plum juice on a cold-blooded killer, thus beginning a chaotic and messy entanglement.

At this moment, Gu Yichen's cunning eyes and Mu Shang's barely concealed embarrassment gradually overlapped with the image of those two lively best friends in his memory, as if time had never gone far.