Few moments later, the waiter came back with trays of food and we started to cook our food in the boiling broths. Soon enough, the room started to fill up with the delicious cloud of steam. The smell of pork, mushroom, vegetables, and other items filled us with more appetite.
There was still no sign of our mysterious acquaintance anywhere. After my second bowl of food, I excused myself to the restroom as the group chattered away. Suze had warmed up to the twins more as they had a shared fondness toward bamboo shoots.
I looked around the restaurant for the familiar face of our missing guest. Maybe I might spot him somewhere by chance. I went to the restroom and spent the next five minutes idly patting my hands dry when I heard the same deep unbothered voice from a room nearby.
"Don't worry mom. I've got it under control. I'll see you at home," he said as he exited a private room.
I walked back to our private dining area and saw that almost everyone had had too much to drink and were barely audible. When I said almost, I meant except for Hiro who had missed the whole meal.
I went back to my seat next to him. I was about to open my mouth to ask him what to do about the rest of the group. But he just ignored their poor behavior. He seemed to know what he was doing. So, I went along with it.
The next hour of dinner was filled by unsanctioned singing from our drunk teammates. I somehow felt the second-hand embarrassment, but Hiro didn't look bothered by the unruly scene.
We were both still fishing for food from the scalding rich broth into our bowls. He had a remarkable appetite and stomach volume, that Hiro guy. I was impressed by how much he could eat. My jeans could hardly contain my belly by the time I finished my last bowl.
'I'm impressed," he mentioned as he patted his lips with a napkin.
"Excuse me?" I almost choked on the oolong tea I was sipping on.
"You can eat," he pressed on a button to call a waiter.
"Well, I love hotpot. And it's a luxury dinner," I wiped my mouth.
"What do you want for dessert?" he asked.
"A mango pudding sounds nice," I scanned the tiny menu.
"Make that two, please," he ordered to the waiter by the door.
"Make it three!" Suze exclaimed.
"Us too!" the twins raised their hands.
"Make me!" Michael happily announced.
"Six mango puddings coming right up," the waiter smiled patiently.
"How am I supposed to get them back home?" I pondered.
"It's okay. I'll have someone drive them home," Hiro reassured.
"Thanks. But I was supposed to send the twins home. Their mom will be upset."
"My driver can carpool them in Michael's car. Don't worry about it. They do this all the time. Suze is not always that moody, she just needed to loosen up."
"Yeah, I can see that," I eyed the captain in awe as she sang along to the music on TV.
'I'm not always the best junior. We both shared an unspoken pressure from the seniors. I'm sorry I wasn't the friendliest host earlier. I just had a lot in my mind."
"No worries, I didn't know what to say either. I'm new to all this," I shyly sipped my cup of tea.
"All good. It's my first competition too."
"But you were so good. You had me in that last round," I said in disbelief.
"Well, it's my first competition. But I was trained to debate with people since I was a kid. I was raised in a family of lawyers, you see."
"I guess you'll be the first boyfriend to ever win an argument," I joked.
'Hahaha… good one. My dad didn't stand a chance against my mom. I hope my faith will end differently," he smiled.
"Is your mom a lawyer too?" I asked curiously.
"Oh, no. She just has the stereotypical female gene. Her family delves in the food business."
"Like restaurants?"
"Mango pudding!" Michael exclaimed and distracted the conversation.
The waiter served us our dessert, and everyone enjoyed their cold, refreshing meal. After our meal, a male in a formal suit guided our drunk friends into Michael's SUV and drove them to their respective houses.
I was left alone with Hiro at the entrance of the restaurant. That was when I realized that no one had paid for the food. I pulled out my wallet and walked to the cashier, but Hiro blocked my path and shoved my wallet back in my purse.
"It's on the house."
"What do you mean? Who's the house?" I scratched my head.
"My mom owns the place, Ren. Don't worry about it. She's glad I still have friends. That's enough payment for her," he explained as he guided me to the parking lot.
"But we ate so much. It must've been expensive," I zipped my purse as I struggled to keep up with his pace.
"It's fine."
"Thanks. But where are we going? I need to call a cab home."
"I'll drive you home. Is that a problem?" he turned to face me.
"Oh, that's really kind of you. You've done so much for us today. I feel bad to bother you any further."
"I need to drive home anyway. I'll drop you off on the way," he continued walking.
"Thank you so much. I'm sorry if any of us were a burden to you."
"You worry too much," he gave a reassuring look and smiled.
We reached his car and he opened the door for me. It was a fancy Jaguar sedan with matte black paint. The leather seats were beige, and the flooring was carpeted. It was probably the most expensive car I had ever stepped my foot in. Hiro noticed my face as I looked around the interior of the car. A smile crept up his face as my fascination got the better of me.
"She's a beauty, isn't she? Bought her myself for my 18th birthday. Saved up enough money from working in my mom's restaurants and my dad's office. Not my best effort, but I'm proud of it," he tapped his steering wheels.
"You bought this yourself?" my eyes widened.
"Yeah, unlike other privileged kids, our parents made us work for our own pocket money," he started the car and drove out.
"Us? You mean your siblings?"
"Yeah, they told us that money doesn't grow on trees and we need to earn it."
"What about that free dinner then? How did you earn that?"
"Oh, food's no joke to her. She will feed any of my friends with food to the brim. She won't let anyone under her roof starve," he grinned.
"Typical moms, huh?"
"Yeah. But she can be nasty when provoked."