harleyscars Chapter 61 The "Biological Weapon" in the Microwave Oven
Chapter 61 The "Biological Weapon" in the Microwave Oven
The central air conditioning in the office building was humming softly.
It calmed the restless hearts of the people in the office.
Zhou Ming sat in front of the computer, his fingers flying across the keyboard.
But his eyes kept glancing unintentionally at the exquisite insulated bag at his feet.
As a person with severe social anxiety disorder, Zhou Ming is extremely averse to eating in noisy, bustling environments, or even when he has to share a table with strangers.
He would feel very uncomfortable that way.
But ever since he saw the Renjian Yanhuo restaurant in Lin Muyuan's tweet yesterday, his cravings have completely rebelled.
He got up very early today and took a taxi to a remote old street.
I queued for a full twenty minutes at "Human Fireworks" before I finally managed to snag a serving of shredded pork with garlic sauce.
Then he brought the company early in the morning.
"Zhou Ming, did the sun rise in the west today? You actually brought your own lunch?"
Sister Wang, who was sitting next to me, passed by with a water glass in her hand and raised her eyebrows in surprise.
In her mind, Zhou Ming was a bachelor.
The food they ate was either cold meals from convenience stores or pre-made dishes from takeout containers.
Zhou Ming smiled somewhat awkwardly, his palms slightly sweaty.
He subconsciously kicked the insulated bag further inside: "Ah, I just happened to pass by a shop and grabbed one."
"Wow, that's quite sophisticated, even using an insulated bag." Sister Wang didn't think much of it, just joked and walked away.
However, for Zhou Ming, the next four hours were a true test of willpower.
Although the insulated bag was very well sealed, there always seemed to be a faint fragrance wafting out from the zipper gaps from time to time.
This made Zhou Ming swallow his saliva all morning.
Even when forcing myself to stare at those tedious reports, I would give myself orders:
"You can't eat it...it's not the right time yet."
"bite--"
When the time in the lower right corner of the computer screen finally jumped to 12:00, Zhou Ming practically launched himself into the air.
He picked up the insulated bag, head down, and quickly walked through the already agitated crowd, rushing towards the microwave in the break room.
Several people had already gathered in the tea room.
"Old Wang, why does your spicy hot pot smell like laundry detergent?"
"Come on, this is a brand chain. These days, takeout is all oil and salt. It's making my tongue numb."
Several male colleagues were unpacking the colorful takeout boxes, looking utterly bored.
Zhou Ming turned sideways, like a secret agent making a rendezvous, and quickly stuffed his glass lunchbox into the microwave oven, pressing the two-minute button.
The light ring inside the microwave oven began to rotate.
Thirty seconds.
Sixty seconds.
The tea room used to be filled with the pungent smell of cheap cooking oil and spicy hot pot.
But as the microwave oven heats up, an extremely overpowering aroma begins to spread wildly in a radiating pattern, centered on the microwave oven.
"Hiss... what's that smell?"
Old Wang put down the plastic spoon in his hand, and his nose twitched twice like a hunting dog.
"This taste...it's not right."
"It smells so good! Why does it smell like old ginger and aged vinegar?"
Moreover, the aroma isn't overpowering at all; on the contrary, it's quite appetizing.
Zhou Ming's heart was pounding. He stared at the countdown timer on the microwave and prayed incessantly: Hurry up, hurry up, please don't let them surround us.
But things didn't go as planned; the irrepressible aroma had already drifted through the doors and windows into the office area.
"Ding!"
The microwave oven door is opened.
In that instant, the aroma that had been building up inside the oven cavity was concentrated to its maximum.
As Zhou Ming opened the door, it was like an invisible smoke bomb that exploded with a bang.
Zhou Ming kept his head down, not daring to look at the expressions of the people around him.
Carrying a steaming hot lunchbox, I quickly walked back to my workstation.
He had just opened the lid of his lunchbox.
The bright red, oily, and glistening shredded pork with fish-fragrant sauce, which was originally covered on top of the snow-white rice, shimmered enticingly under the light.
"Damn it! Zhou Ming! Confess, what are you eating?"
Old Wang, carrying his box of spicy hot pot that he thought was alright, went straight up to Zhou Ming.
He glanced at Zhou Ming's lunchbox, then at his own bowl of soup with cheap sesame oil floating on top, and suddenly felt a lump in his throat.
"This smells amazing! This is definitely not the taste of takeout!"
Before Zhou Ming could speak, another figure "floated" over from the office area.
That's Ms. Li from the finance department, who eats boiled broccoli every day without fail to maintain her figure.
She was holding a dry, whole-wheat bread in her hand.
Her eyes were fixed on the steaming shredded pork with garlic sauce in Zhou Ming's bowl, and a glistening tear involuntarily trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"Brother Zhou..." Xiao Li's voice trembled slightly, "I...can I smell it? I just want to smell it, I won't eat it."
Zhou Ming was so embarrassed he wanted to disappear into the ground. Although he was introverted, he couldn't stand seeing a girl like that.
Especially when he saw that everyone in the department had stopped what they were doing.
When everyone turned to look at him, he realized that if he didn't share, the office wolves wouldn't let him leave the office today.
"Um... if everyone doesn't mind, I brought a lot, so please have some?" Zhou Ming tentatively suggested.
"I don't mind! Absolutely not!"
Old Wang reacted the fastest; he grabbed a handful of disposable spoons from the tea room and distributed them to everyone.
Miss Li took the first spoonful and shakily put the shredded pork with garlic sauce into her mouth.
In that instant, her pale face, which had been dulled by dieting, visibly regained its color.
"Mmm...woo!" Little Li closed her eyes, a tiny tear of happiness even welling up in the corner of her eye.
"What... what kind of divine flavor is this? It's not greasy at all, and the combination of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors is so perfect?"
I feel like I don't really need to lose this weight!
Old Wang also scooped up a spoonful of rice with juicy filling, and his eyes widened as soon as he put it in his mouth.
"How can this shredded pork be so tender? And this sauce... this sauce is amazing!"
Old Wang ate more and more impatiently, even forgetting about manners, and put down the hot pot he was holding.
"I want to try it too!"
"Leave me one piece of wood ear mushroom! Just one!"
The once quiet office building area was instantly transformed into a small gathering place for people.
A dozen or so white-collar workers, usually impeccably dressed in suits, were gathered around Zhou Ming's workstation, each holding a disposable spoon, as if they were conducting some kind of solemn spoils-dividing ceremony.
Zhou Ming looked at the lunchbox, which was originally full, and found that more than half of it had been removed in a short time.
But that's enough for him to eat.
Although I felt a little amused and exasperated, seeing my colleagues' strong reactions gave me a deep sense of recognition and understanding.
Seeing that there wasn't much food left, no one else picked up their chopsticks, but their aroused appetites had nowhere to go.
"Zhou Ming! Where did you buy it?" Sister Wang wiped her mouth, her eyes fixed on Zhou Ming anxiously.
"Yes! Brother Zhou! Please! I'm willing to exchange three days' worth of milk tea coupons for an address!" Little Li had completely let loose.
Looking at his colleagues who were in a frenzy, Zhou Ming helplessly took out his phone.
I opened the pinned store picture of "Human Fireworks" in the "Protecting the Best Little Rabbit Buns" group.
"In the old street... there's a shop called 'Human Fireworks'."
However, this boss is quite unique; he only supplies one hundred servings per day.
If you go too late, you might not even see any ginger slices, let alone shredded pork.
As soon as he finished speaking, a series of gasps of surprise rippled through the office.