Since their last encounter at the golf course, Xie Changyan had occasionally sent her a few messages.
Lin Xu felt stifled.
Remembering the indifference with which he had previously treated her messages, when he took the initiative to message her, a desire for revenge stirred within her, and she decided to intentionally ignore him for a few days.
However, this plan hadnât even been in effect for two days before she drooled over a picture sent by Xie Changyan.
Xie: âFlaming Lily Restaurant has recently introduced a few new dishes. Would you like to try them?â
Lin Xu, who had not yet eaten lunch, swallowed her saliva as her stomach growled on cue.
But she resisted and did not give in.
It wasnât as if she had to eat with him.
Ji Tingyang also had VIP access to Flaming Lily Restaurant, so he could take her there.
Muttering this to herself, Lin Xu saw the next message from Xie Changyan.
Xie: âThe opportunities to try the new dishes are limited. I just got the last one, and if youâre not interested, Iâll tell the boss to give it up.â
Limited opportunities?!
Sheâd miss out if she didnât act?!@@novelbin@@
Before Lin Xu could fully process it, her hands moved faster than her brain, and she sent out a message first.
Willow Wadding: âIâm very interested!â
As if she couldnât wait.
Lin Xu regretfully slapped her own palm, and before she could retract the message, Xie Changyanâs âSee you in a bitâ got there first.
Alright then.
She had to keep the appointment.
Lin Xu had intended to take her time getting there, but her stomachâs growling from her procrastination rushed her, forcing her to ask the driver to go faster.
Upon arriving at Flaming Lily Restaurantâ¦
After giving the private room number to the waiter, Lin Xu followed him there.
Xie Changyan sat with his long legs crossed, leaning languidly back in his chair, exuding a casual yet noble air.
He looked up when he heard noise.
Upon seeing Lin Xu, the corners of his eyes lifted, and his gaze filled with a light smile.
âI just happened to be hungry.â Itâs not that she wanted to see him.
Lin Xu pouted.
Xie Changyan let out a pleasant chuckle and handed her the menu, âTake a look and see what you want to eat, donât starve yourself.â
Lin Xu skillfully ordered a few of her favorite dishes and then reminded the waiter not to forget to serve one of each new dish.
âOf course, weâll prepare them for you right away, please wait a moment.â After taking note, the waiter nodded and left.
Once the waiter served all the dishes, Lin Xu continued to eat in silence as if she came just for the food, showing no intention of communicating with Xie Changyan throughout the meal.
Xie Changyan didnât speak either, just occasionally topping up her tea and serving her dishes.
He almost seemed like a waiter.
Until Lin Xu couldnât keep up and her bowl was nearly overflowing, she hastily said, âStop, stop, stop, I canât finish all this. You eat too, donât just keep serving me.â
Xie Changyan pulled back his hand and looked at her with a genial smile, âNot angry anymore?â
Lin Xuâs eyes flickered with a hint of guilt as she stammered, âIâm not angry, I was just focusing on my food. Itâs proper to not speak when eating and not talk when sleeping.â
Her stubbornness was just like Ji Zeqiuâs.
Lin Xu wasnât sure if her inability to cope was inherited or if she had caught it from Ji Zeqiu.
Staring at his smiling, silent eyes, Lin Xuâs ears grew even hotter as she muttered softly, âYou never responded to my messages in the past few weeks, and now itâs only been two days.â
âHmm, Iâll continue sending you messages after this, and you can keep me waiting as long as you like. Butâ¦â Xie Changyan smiled, âcan you reply to my date invitation at least?â
âDate?!â Lin Xuâs eyes widened in surprise.
âIsnât a one-on-one time between a man and a woman a date?â Xie Changyan teased with a light smile.
As expected, she couldnât outtalk him. Even with memory loss, he was still so good at arguing.
Lin Xuâs cheeks quietly flushed with crimson, huffing as she poked at the food in her bowl, until she went to the restroom and the blush on her cheeks had still not faded.
Before she returned, a call suddenly came from behind her.
âLanyue.â
Upon hearing her daughterâs name, Lin Xu immediately halted her steps and quickly looked around.
Could her daughter be here?
âIâm over here, over here.â A man walked up to her, squinting and smiling.
Lin Xu stared at his face for a while before she remembered who the man in front of her was.
It was Wu Yanghui.
He mistook her for his sister.
âHow coincidental, youâre eating here too?â he said, scanning the surroundings in a circle, âDid you come by yourself, or are Ji Tingyang and Ji Zeqiu here too?â
Wu Yanghuiâs face was plump; his cheeks shined with an oily redness, his lips plastered with a fake smile, his eyes darting around, sizing up his next scheme.
âI came by myself. Is there something you want?â Seeing him reminded Lin Xu of what Ji Zeqiu told her about being bullied, so her expression naturally wasnât pleasant.
âNothing much, just that itâs been so many years since Iâve seen you, and I wanted to say hello.â Wu Yanghui said with a smile.
âWhat hello? Are we on good terms?â Lin Xu gave him a sideways glance.
If they were on good terms, Ji Zeqiu wouldnât treat him with such disdain.
Wu Yanghuiâs expression stiffened, but he quickly put on an even broader smile, âLook at what youâre saying, weâre all relatives here. If we donât get along, who can we get along with?â
Seeing Lin Xu remain silent and cold, he rushed to justify himself.
âYes, I did hit Ji Tingyang several times when we were kids, locked up Ji Zeqiu in a little cabin, and I even took your toys. But I was too young then, I didnât understand anything.â
âNow Iâve grown up and I know I was wrong. Plus, my parents took you three siblings in for four or five years. Letâs just put those things in the past, what do you say?â
The more she listened to his words, the uglier Lin Xuâs expression became.
She wondered if hiding the bad news and only sharing the good was inherent in children, as Ji Zeqiu did the same.
He merely lightly mentioned that his cousin bullied him, without discussing any details.
And Ji Tingyang hadnât mentioned anything to her at all.
She had imagined some scenarios herself, thinking they were just the usual childâs play of pushing and pulling.
After all, they were relatives, and she hadnât thought there was more to it.
But she hadnât expected the bullying to be this severe.
She laughed in anger, her eyebrows and eyes filled with frost, as she replied coldly, âHow can we put it in the past?â
âHow about I beat you half to death first, lock you in a dark room, and then take your stuff and see if you can say itâs all in the past, how about that?â
Wu Yanghuiâs smile faded from his face, looking at her sternly, âEven if I did something wrong in the past, if it werenât for my family taking you guys in, you three siblings would have ended up in an orphanage! I canât believe you have no sense of gratitude at all. Itâs a good thing your parents died early; otherwise, they would be so ashamed of you.â
âDo you really think your family took us in out of kindness?â Lin Xu scoffed.
She didnât need to ask to know why things happened as they did.
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