Chapter 50

Starting from the intersection of First Street and Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, if you walk eastward, you can see Pen’s Landing, a famous landmark left by the colonists who landed in Philadelphia 300 years ago.

If you walk westward, you will see the Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in sequence. The tall trees lining both sides of the road create a very pleasant scene. This street, rich in historical atmosphere, is a microcosm of Philadelphia's long history.

Hidden among the trees is an unobtrusive old building. From a distance, it looks like a well-decorated apartment building, exuding a strong sense of history.

Inside this building is a restaurant named City Tavern, which has been famous in Philadelphia for a long time. It is one of the favorite restaurants for Philadelphia celebrities and discerning travelers. Founded in 1773, the restaurant has a history of over 200 years and is considered one of the landmarks of Philadelphia's dining scene. It was once destroyed by fire but was quickly rebuilt on the same site.

One could say that City Tavern itself is a part of Philadelphia's history.

Many historical figures who once lived in Philadelphia were regulars at City Tavern. The restaurant has always made great efforts to maintain its historical appearance. The exquisite decoration, the old-fashioned furniture, and the waiters dressed in 18th-century attire all contribute to an immersive experience, making diners feel like they are captives of the food.

"I didn't expect that the big dummy's workplace would be so decent..."

Just two days after arriving in Philadelphia, Shen Mofei, a "rich girl" from China, followed the directions given by Chen Mu and arrived at the restaurant. At first glance, she was stunned by the scene before her.

"Excuse me, are you Miss Shen?"

At the entrance of the restaurant, a tall, handsome white man bowed slightly and politely asked for Shen Mofei's identity. After receiving a positive response, he stepped aside and gestured for her to enter.

"Mr. Chen has been waiting for you for a long time."

The waiter led Shen Mofei to a small, inconspicuous room, opened the door, and, with her admiring gaze, guided her inside.

"Hi."

Inside the room, a rectangular dining table was set up. On one side, a young man with yellow skin, even more impressive than the waiter, was sitting, holding a glass of beer with a peculiar color, and smiling as he greeted Shen Mofei.

"Hmph, not bad~"

At this moment, Shen Mofei was somewhat moved. She had clearly heard the waiter refer to "Mr. Chen" rather than "Xiao Chen" or "Chinese Chen."

What exactly is Chen Mu doing in America? Has he become successful? Isn't he just washing dishes in this restaurant?

With these thoughts, Shen Mofei sat down at the table, looking around, and then said, "The environment here is pretty good. It seems you found a good job."

"Hehe, not really."

Chen Mu smiled and pushed a glass of beer toward Shen Mofei, saying, "Tavern Spruce, the signature beer of this place. You must try it."

After saying that, Chen Mu finished his beer in one gulp, looked at the glass, and said in a very pretentious manner, "Aromatic and fragrant, with a smooth taste. No wonder this is a beer personally blended by Benjamin Franklin!"

The tone of Chen Mu's words was completely different from the "big dummy" Shen Mofei remembered. She frowned slightly and tried a sip, indeed feeling a rich aroma. Unlike ordinary beer, this one had clearly been specially processed, making it particularly heavy and fragrant.

"Ha, after a few months in America, you've even started to speak with a pretentious tone~"

Shen Mofei tried to maintain her haughty attitude, though she was actually just from a family with slightly better conditions than Chen Mu. Compared to the real second-generation rich, her family could only be considered well-off.

In fact, this time Shen Mofei came abroad for studies, almost depleting her family's savings. If it weren't for her envy of her classmates and friends studying abroad and her insistence on going, her family might not have supported her journey to America.

"Ha ha, it's a rare opportunity to have a meal with you, so of course, I have to be a bit pretentious~"

Chen Mu smiled and said, "I don't know if you are used to the food here. As you can see, this restaurant serves traditional cuisine, which is a characteristic of America. I ordered some classic dishes. Try them and see if you like them. If not, we can change to another restaurant."

At Chen Mu's invitation, the waiter entered respectfully and served the appetizers.

The delicious bread emitted an inviting aroma, and the pre-dinner soup was rich, with a hint of potato flavor, making Shen Mofei's taste buds come alive as she started to taste.

The exquisite dishes were served on tinware, and for a moment, Shen Mofei felt as if she had traveled back to 18th-century America, dining in a high-end restaurant with social elites, creating a very formal atmosphere.

"Ha ha... This Chinese boy is making good progress!"

Outside the room, a few big guys were peering through the door crack. Allen Iverson was the most excited, seemingly very satisfied with his plan and eager to move to the next step.

"Sir, your main course is here."

After enjoying the appetizers, the waiter entered and served the main dishes, placing them in front of the two.

"Roasted wild rabbit leg with pasta and wild vegetables."

Chen Mu introduced, "A classic dish of this restaurant, the purest 18th-century American flavor. Try it."

Every word Chen Mu said had a strong pretentious tone. Although it seemed somewhat comical and amusing to his teammates who knew his usual behavior, even Iguodala almost burst out laughing.

Upon closer observation, it was clear that Chen Mu himself was also somewhat nervous, clearly not used to this atmosphere. However, before this "battle" began, his teammates had given him strict "training."

Especially the white players, who carefully taught Chen Mu some important dining etiquette, which made the black players very unhappy, shouting that the white players were being discriminatory.

However, Shen Mofei, immersed in shock, was completely unaware of all this. She only felt that after drinking a glass of beer, the former boyfriend who used to follow her around and only knew how to please her seemed to have changed into a different person, suddenly becoming very gentlemanly, as if from a noble family, with impeccable table manners.

What has happened to Chen Mu? Did he strike gold after coming to America? How did he suddenly transform, exuding confidence in every gesture, a stark contrast to his previous self!

While tasting the carefully roasted and sliced wild rabbit meat, Shen Mofei kept observing Chen Mu's movements, puzzled.

"About time!"

Outside the door, Allen Iverson's eyes twinkled, and he turned to the waiter, "Where's the violin? Bring the violin quickly!"

The waiter nodded, turned around, and instructed the musicians to prepare while thinking to himself:

These famous basketball stars in Philadelphia must have eaten something wrong today, suddenly calling to book the entire restaurant.

Especially Allen Iverson, the son of Philadelphia, with his great influence and wealth, didn't even care about the cost of booking City Tavern, insisting that "today I want my brother to save face."

Although the consumption at City Tavern is not high, as an old establishment, the reservations are always full. If it weren't for Iverson's face, the owner would find it hard to cancel all the evening reservations and host such a strange dinner party.

Of course, the astronomical payment offered by Iverson was also a reason the owner couldn't refuse.

Soon, the door to the room was pushed open, and a handsome violinist entered, bowed deeply, and then stood aside to play.

The melodious music echoed in the room, making Shen Mofei even more enchanted. She looked up and saw that Chen Mu seemed to be enjoying his meal as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Hmm...?"

Looking back, Shen Mofei noticed that it was already dinnertime, yet there were no other customers in the restaurant except for their table. She muttered to herself, "How strange, do Americans eat so late...?"

"I booked it."

Chen Mu said in a very pretentious manner, putting a piece of rabbit meat in his mouth and chewing it slowly without looking up, "I booked City Tavern for tonight."

"What did you say...?!"

Shen Mofei was thoroughly shocked. How could the financially struggling Chen Mu afford to book such a clearly high-end restaurant? What was going on?

"Ha ha, but it's not entirely accurate to say I booked it."

Seeing the surprised look on Shen Mofei's face, Chen Mu felt a sense of satisfaction, trying to suppress his "small man's triumph" attitude and said calmly, "I just mentioned it casually, and Allen took it so seriously. I feel a bit embarrassed."

"Allen...?"

Shen Mofei was even more puzzled. At this moment, Allen Iverson, knowing it was his turn to act, tidied his clothes, knocked on the door, and entered with a rare friendly expression.

"Hi, Chen, my good brother."

Glancing at Shen Mofei's curvaceous figure and the beautiful legs peeking out from under her skirt, Iverson knew Chen Mu would have a good night, but he still maintained a rare friendly demeanor and asked, "How is the food? Are you enjoying it?"

"Allen, you're here." Chen Mu continued eating without looking up, frowning slightly, "It's pretty good, but some parts are a bit burnt. But the taste is still authentic."

"What's going on!"

Iverson, clearly enjoying the act, pretended to be angry, turned around, and called the waiter, shouting, "What are you doing? How could it be burnt? Bring a new one quickly! How can Mr. Chen eat this!"

The waiter hurriedly nodded and apologized, bending down to collect the dishes, but was stopped by Chen Mu.

"Ah, forget it, Allen, don't be angry. It's just a simple meal, it doesn't matter."

This conversation left Shen Mofei rooted to the spot, her beautiful eyes darting back and forth, completely lost in the strange atmosphere.

"Chen Mu... has really become a boss? Everyone is so deferential to him, has he really turned his life around?"

Looking around, Shen Mofei's eyes finally landed on Allen Iverson, studying him carefully, feeling somewhat surprised.

"Why does this person look familiar...?"

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The readers are just too awesome! I'm truly shocked that we actually made it into the top ten of the new book signing list!

Currently, we are ranked ninth, and there are still a few days left in the first half of next week to make it to the list, with the list closing on the 16th.

As promised, if we make it into the top ten, I will add an extra update, so today I'm doing a ten-thousand-word burst!

As usual, the second update will be at 12:30 PM, and the third update will be around 8:10 PM! Mobile users can visit http://m.piaotia.net

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