Chapter 28 Part 3

“Got it. Please wait; the new dishes will be quick.”

The four sat with their own thoughts, the atmosphere utterly bizarre.

In Cheng Xiangxiang’s mind, Qiao Ke was the sister Chi Yumo liked, but she had no idea what their current relationship was.

Before she could figure it out, this poised and elegant President Shi appeared, seemingly taking special care of Mo Yu.

Did President Shi know her assistant was an old acquaintance of Mo Yu’s?

Did Qiao Ke know her boss had unusual feelings toward Mo Yu?

“Xiao Mo, try this—blueberry yam mash, sweet and sour.” Shi Youwan had only ordered three portions; she didn’t eat it.

While ordering, she suddenly remembered Xiao Mo once sharing a sweet-and-sour snack with her, so Xiao Mo should like this dessert too.

Cheng Xiangxiang tried a bite first.

“Yumo, it’s really good—your favorite flavor. Cool and refreshing, a bit more sour than snow red fruit but not as cloying.”

Hearing Cheng Xiangxiang’s genuine, delighted praise, Shi Youwan felt a pang of sourness.

Right, the one Xiao Mo fed her was a snow red fruit.

—Sis, try this one. Today when I went out driving practice with Kai Ge, we passed this shop. It’s the best snow red fruit—sweet and sour.

—No, still too sour. I can’t eat it.

She’d only eaten half.

And she’d only seen Xiao Mo eat it that one time.

So, because she didn’t like it, Xiao Mo never ate those favorite snacks in front of her again?

In this public setting with four at the table, Chi Yumo endured and ate politely.

She ate spoon by spoon the dessert Shi Youwan pushed over, scraping the jam and yam clean—fully committed to no waste.

At the small table near the private rooms, Zhang Kai leisurely enjoyed the lavish meal Yin Man had sent out.

Across from him, Yin Man used a magazine as a flimsy cover, peeking with half her face exposed. “Zhang Kai, Kai Ge! Don’t you get that you owe me for the food?”

She was two or three years older than Zhang Kai and Qiao Ke, but when she needed something from them, she dropped the pretense and called them “Kai Ge” and “Qiao Jie” smoothly.

Only President Shi’s inner circle got that treatment.

“What I eat gets reimbursed by President Shi. Don’t forget to give the bill to Qiao Ke, Miss Yin.”

“…” Yin Man glared viciously at him. “You know I have a bad temper—don’t push your luck. Spill it: what flower has your President Shi gotten tangled with?”

She could only tell it was two young women, both seated with long hair, couldn’t distinguish Alpha from Omega.

But Shi Youwan sat next to the taller girl on the left—higher chance of Alpha.

Or maybe she sat there to observe the one across?

“I don’t drink and drive, and I don’t drive drunk. As long as I’m with President Shi, I won’t touch a drop.”

“…”

Everyone Shi Youwan picked had lips sealed tight.

Yin Man sighed deeply, thinking Zhang Kai’s mouth couldn’t be pried open. She didn’t dare get closer to look, fearing Shi Youwan would actually get mad at her.

As she itched with curiosity, Zhang Kai mercifully said, “Miss Yin, didn’t bring your phone?”

He’d just received Qiao Ke’s message in the garage elevator about running into Miss Mo and Cheng Xiangxiang.

Since President Shi was dining in the lobby with Miss Mo and the others, their identities were no longer secret.

Plus, President Shi knew Yin Man’s impatience better than anyone.

She couldn’t resist peeking.

“Right, my phone!” Yin Man suddenly got it, showering praise. “Kai Ge, sharp eyes and ears, clever as ever—one sentence wakes the dreamer.”

With that, she tiptoed back to the private room to grab her phone.

Zhang Kai wiped his mouth and left.

By the window, whatever dish Chi Yumo picked, Shi Youwan followed suit and ate the same.

Previously at the Old Mansion, she and Chi Yumo would pick food for each other, but times had changed—Chi Yumo no longer did it for her. She wanted to pick for Xiao Mo, but knew it would upset her.

She’d even noticed early on: after starting to eat, Xiao Mo shifted her bowl leftward, along with her body, hugging the chair’s left side.

Every little detail screamed—Shi Youwan, stay away from me.

A clear “chasm” divided them; crossing it would be rude.

Qiao Ke and Cheng Xiangxiang were both stiff, hard to say who more so. They only picked from the dishes on their side, chewing each bite dozens of times before swallowing.

The only soup was near Cheng Xiangxiang’s right hand.

When Chi Yumo lifted her soup bowl, Cheng Xiangxiang got it and ladled her two scoops. She then politely asked, “Would President Shi like some soup?”

She wasn’t blind.

She’d naturally seen Shi Youwan mimicking the dish-picking.

“Thank you, sorry for the trouble.”

However, Chi Yumo took away Shi Youwan’s bowl of soup. In the next second, she placed the bowl that Cheng Xiangxiang had ladled for her in front of Shi Youwan, signaling her to drink it first.

A few scallion bits floated on the milky, fragrant soup.

Cheng Xiangxiang didn’t find anything wrong with Chi Yumo’s action and continued ladling soup into a new bowl. Meanwhile, the inner thoughts of the other three at the table were as complicated as could be.

Shi Youwan didn’t eat scallions, and both Chi Yumo and Qiao Ke knew that.

But Mo Yu didn’t.

Shi Youwan half-closed her beautiful eyes, so no one could see the sour bitterness in them.

Xiao Mo was deliberately making things difficult for her, trying to dissuade her in this way and make her back off.

Qiao Ke inwardly wailed. Should she remove the bowl of soup with scallions for President Shi? But it was Miss Mo who had served it to President Shi.

Sigh.

She could only sigh inwardly, grateful that the dishes didn’t include anything too spicy or sour. Otherwise, if President Shi followed Miss Mo’s choices, the suffering would have been even greater.

“Mo Yu, here.” Cheng Xiangxiang handed a new bowl of soup to Chi Yumo.

Chi Yumo smiled as she took it and drank more than half of it right away.

Just as she set down her bowl, Shi Youwan picked up the scallion soup she had given her and sipped half of it down.

She even swallowed the scallions without changing her expression.

Shi Youwan, why put yourself through this?

Afraid she might throw up, Chi Yumo pulled out several more tissues and handed them over.

She received a “Thank you, Xiao Mo.”

After eating the hard-to-swallow food she had given her, she could still smile and say thank you. The endurance and poise of Shifeng Group’s president were indeed beyond ordinary people.

A few scallion bits probably wouldn’t cause any issues, right?

It wasn’t an allergy that could be life-threatening.

Once they had mostly finished eating, Chi Yumo took out her phone and messaged the driver.

Seeing her boss staring at the other’s phone, Qiao Ke caught on and quickly pulled Shi Youwan’s personal phone from her pocket. “President Shi, your phone is with me.”

She had pocketed it from the private room’s table.

After sending her message, Chi Yumo placed her phone on the edge of the table. Shi Youwan picked up her own phone and asked, “Xiao Mo, may I add your contact?”

Chi Yumo shook her head in polite refusal.

Chi Yumo took out her tablet from her bag and typed: [I’m an artist under contract. President Shi, if you have any matters, please contact Sister Mu Xi. I follow the company’s arrangements.]

The rebuffed woman wasn’t annoyed. This also reminded Shi Youwan that she and Shen Muxi hadn’t privately exchanged contacts yet.

She turned to Qiao Ke instead. “Later, send me Shen Muxi’s contact info.”

“Yes, President Shi.”

Chi Yumo messaged Cheng Xiangxiang:

[Eaten enough?]

[Don’t let President Shi pay.]

[Next time, it’s my treat. Thanks, Xiangxiang.]

Cheng Xiangxiang replied:

[No need to be so polite with me.]

[The online bill is with me. I’ve paid.]

After sending the messages, the two exchanged a glance, and Cheng Xiangxiang spoke first. “President Shi, Assistant Qiao, are you done eating too? Mo Yu and I have to head somewhere else later. The driver’s waiting for us in the garage.”

Shi Youwan couldn’t bring herself to act like a bully blocking their way.

Even though Xiao Mo and Cheng Xiangxiang had added each other as friends right in front of her, even though Xiao Mo had messaged Cheng Xiangxiang in her presence yet refused her, she could only tuck her heartache safely inside her body, not letting it spill out to upset Xiao Mo.

Thus, Shi Youwan was the first to stand, followed by Qiao Ke, Cheng Xiangxiang, and Chi Yumo. They exchanged polite farewells like strangers who had temporarily shared a table.

Qiao Ke stepped into the aisle and smiled at the two. “Miss Mo, Miss Cheng, go have fun. This meal is on President Shi.”

The few dishes and desserts Shi Youwan had ordered later were the type that were small in portion but high in price—costing more than the original four dishes. Conservatively, this table would run at least three thousand yuan.

In the past, Chi Yumo’s monthly living expenses had only been two thousand yuan.

Cheng Xiangxiang was about to say she had already paid when Chi Yumo raised her hand to stop her, typing four words on the tablet: [Thank you, President Shi.]

It was time to say goodbye again.

Shi Youwan stepped aside to clear the path. Chi Yumo gave a slight nod and walked past her without looking back.

Some feelings might only happen once in a lifetime; some might only need once. Only those who have lived through their youth know how swiftly time flows and how fleeting the falling petals are.

Shi Youwan’s own youth was long gone, but she had possessed Xiao Mo’s best two years of youth.

How lucky and fated they were to keep unexpectedly encountering, meeting, and reuniting amid the sea of people time and again. They had clearly been in love, yet they hadn’t truly loved each other properly before this affection faded.

“Xiao Mo.”

The woman with unsettled emotions finally couldn’t hold back and called out to the girl walking farther and farther away with her back turned.