After eating their fill at the hotel, everyone decided to return to their rooms to rest.
An Ning went upstairs with the others, but just as everyone was heading off to rest, she called Jiang Xia aside. The two of them found a spot in the hotel's open-air garden and ordered two cups of coffee.
"Have a taste?"
Jiang Xia raised his cup and took a small, gentle sip. An Ning stared at the coffee, the color of a bitter herbal tonic, and asked, confused, "Why would anyone drink this?"
"Maybe they like the bitterness. But you can add sugar and milk, which makes it much better."
As he spoke, Jiang Xia opened a nearby jar of sugar cubes, ready to add some to An Ning's cup.
"Let me try it first."
An Ning lifted her coffee cup and took a sip. A pained expression twisted her face, and she grimaced.
"So bitter."
"Americanos are like that. I don't like them either."
