“Would something at this level qualify as one of Shanghai’s best Western restaurants?” Su Man asked.
Lu Yuwen surveyed the room. “It qualifies as high-end, but not top-tier.”
Su Man looked at him with curiosity. “There’s something even more upscale than this?”
— Because of her family background, she had attended large and small banquets since childhood, but they had been primarily Chinese cuisine, so she wasn’t especially familiar with the local Western dining scene.
Lu Yuwen considered for a moment, then said slowly, “If we’re talking about the finest Western restaurant, it would probably be Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet. You have to book a month in advance. It’s the world’s first multi-sensory immersive restaurant — there’s only one table in the entire place, and they accept only ten guests at a time.”
“Only ten?” Su Man was startled. “That’s remarkably few.”
Lu Yuwen smiled and explained, “At Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, a single meal lasts five hours — twenty courses, fourteen beverage pairings, with rest intervals in between. For ten guests, there are more than thirty staff members in attendance. If you increased the number of guests, the quality of the service would inevitably suffer.”
Su Man was astonished. “That’s extraordinary. I really couldn’t eat for five hours straight.”
“That’s exactly why they call it a multi-sensory immersive restaurant,” Lu Yuwen said. “It’s less about eating and more like experiencing a theatrical production. Taste, smell, sight, sound — all of it engaged at once, across multiple layers. If we could get a reservation, I’d take you there sometime.”
Just hearing the description made Su Man feel overwhelmed. She shook her head. “Can we just go to a normal restaurant…”
Her voice trailed off slightly — remembering what Lu Yuwen was there for — and she forced herself to add, “If you need to open a restaurant like that… I can come with you… to check it out…”
Lu Yuwen laughed softly. “Don’t worry. The restaurant I want to open isn’t nearly that extravagant.”
Su Man immediately exhaled in relief. “I was thinking the same thing — the most important thing about a restaurant is that the food is good. What’s the point of all that spectacle? It just seems excessive.”
“That’s a refreshingly straightforward perspective, and not a bad one,” Lu Yuwen said, looking at her with warmth. “Though you’ve misread one thing — even with all that spectacle, the food itself is genuinely outstanding. The reason for creating a restaurant like that is because the chef has a great vision and ambition. He wants to deliver a different kind of culinary experience, the way an artist reinvents their craft. I’m not like that…”
He smiled again, his tone easy and gentle. “I’m a businessman. All I think about is maximizing profit. Rather vulgar, isn’t it?”
Su Man curved her lips in a small smile.
She noticed that Lu Yuwen was always this way — his speech polished and even-keeled, never rushed, never sharp. Even when he disagreed, he would first acknowledge something valid in the other person’s view, then offer his own perspective. It never disrupted the atmosphere, and always left the listener feeling comfortable.
He was even considerate of her feelings when he spoke. He really was very gentle.
Good looks, a sharp mind, an appealing character, and a flourishing career — she couldn’t help wondering: was there truly not a single flaw to find in Lu Yuwen?
“Su Man?… Su Man?!”
A male voice cut in abruptly.
Both Su Man and Lu Yuwen startled, and turned to look. A man and a woman stood not far away, arms linked.
The woman had the kind of face you’d expect to see on a social media influencer, her figure graceful and slender. The man was wearing a garish zebra-print suit, and at this moment was staring at Su Man with undisguised astonishment.
“My goodness, it really is you!” The man strode over, carrying a note of surprise and delight. “I almost didn’t recognize you!”
Lu Yuwen looked at the man. “This is…?”
“Wu Xinhai,” Su Man said, her expression complicated. “He’s a… friend from when I was young. I haven’t seen him in years.”
—