Yu Qingge’s legs were slender, long, and full of elasticity. He Li grinned as he held them in his hands, clearly enjoying the moment.
“How is it? Feels good, doesn’t it?” Yu Qingge leaned in and asked softly. “Can you forgive me for what I did earlier?”
He Li nodded. “I guess I can forgive you… barely.”
“Hehe!” Yu Qingge giggled at his response, but in her heart, she was already thinking she’d definitely dare to do it again next time.
She had figured He Li out by now—gentle and responsible, he wouldn’t really get mad at her, but he also wouldn’t let her cross the line easily. If she wanted to date him, even marry him, she’d have to keep trying.
“I’ve got plenty of time and energy.”
“Even if you’re the hardest man to win over, I’ll conquer you!”
“Just wait, I’ll find the right opportunity next time…”
A flicker of shyness flashed in Yu Qingge’s beautiful eyes. Clearly, she was plotting another attempt to tempt He Li into ‘committing a crime.’
He Li had no clue what was going on in her head.
Still happily caressing her leg, he suddenly remembered something. “By the way, I’ve already driven your car out and didn’t even ask—where exactly are we going?”
“Weren’t you going to treat me to lunch?”
“To Smoke and Clouds Restaurant!” Yu Qingge replied. “It’s on Hongxia Street. I’ve been there a few times. It’s pretty nice.”
Smoke and Clouds Restaurant? He Li had some impression of it.
It was a high-end, well-known place—lots of internet influencers checked in there regularly. He had never been there himself and didn’t know how the food actually tasted.
Not that it mattered. Since someone else was treating, he was happy to eat!
With that in mind, He Li stepped on the gas and sped up.
The restaurant wasn’t exactly close to the company, but driving Yu Qingge’s luxury car, it took just over ten minutes. When they arrived, it was right in the middle of the lunch rush, so the place was buzzing with people.
As soon as He Li and Yu Qingge stepped out of the car, they drew attention from everyone in and around the restaurant.
After all, Yu Qingge was drop-dead gorgeous.
Luxury car. Beautiful woman. How could that not draw stares?
“That red Porsche must be a custom model worth over 10 million, right?”
“Tsk tsk, a beauty driving a multi-million luxury car!”
“Where’d this stunner come from? Never heard of her before.”
“She’s even better looking than top celebrities. At least she’s not using filters like those influencers.”
“Exactly. This is real beauty…”
“But who’s that guy? Dressed so ordinary. Is he her boyfriend?”
“Boyfriend? Him? He doesn’t match. Probably just her driver!”
“Yeah, only rich heirs from elite families deserve a white-rich-beauty goddess like her, right?”
…
Voices of gossip filled the air around them.
He Li glanced at the crowd but didn’t take any of it to heart.
Strangers judging the man she liked? Not on her watch.
She shot a cold glance at the ones scoffing at He Li, then suddenly hooked her arm around his tightly. He Li instinctively tried to pull away, not wanting to cause a scene, but Yu Qingge held on with force.
He could distinctly feel the intense pressure of her ample chest against his arm.
“Why are you holding me so tightly?” he couldn’t help asking.
Yu Qingge smiled, “Because I knew you’d try to pull away.”
“I didn’t want to let go.”
“They look down on you. Say you’re not good enough for me.”
“So I’m going to let them know that I belong to you!”
“Let them choke on it. Hmph hmph!”
Hearing that, a warm feeling bloomed in He Li’s heart.
He didn’t care what those people said, but Yu Qingge standing up for him still made him happy. He leaned close to her ear and said softly, “Thank you for standing up for me.”
Yu Qingge’s eyes lit up with joy.
It was rare for He Li to thank her so gently.
“If you really mean it, then treat me better from now on!”
“I’ll try my best~” He Li shrugged.
They found an empty table and sat down side by side. Yu Qingge even leaned against his shoulder, looking incredibly close to him.
This scene made the others in the restaurant fume with jealousy.
“Isn’t that guy just a driver?”
“How the hell did he land a goddess-level white-rich-beauty?”
“My net worth is in the tens of millions and I don’t have that kind of luck. What the hell? Why doesn’t someone like her notice me?”
“I’ve looked him up and down. He’s got nothing special.”
“What does she see in him?”
“It’s fake! Gotta be fake. It’s all an act!”
…
People who could afford to eat at Smoke and Clouds weren’t exactly poor and usually carried some pride. Seeing someone like He Li, who didn’t look rich at all, outshining them—of course, they were upset.
Yu Qingge took one look at them and laughed happily.
“Look at them. Their eyes are practically burning with jealousy!”
“I bet they’re dying inside right now.”
“Let’s see if they still dare to look down on people after this.”
He Li chuckled, glanced at the envious crowd, and shook his head. “Forget them. Let’s eat. Once we finish, I’ll take you shopping and head home early.”
Yu Qingge pouted. “What’s the rush? Take your time!”
“If need be, you can take a paid day off tomorrow and accompany me again.”
He Li didn’t hold back at all. He was starving.
He picked up the small, palm-sized dishes—each only a few bites but costing several hundred yuan—and downed them one by one.
“See? I told you. Restaurants like this never fill you up…”
Even as he complained, he kept eating. Yu Qingge just stared at him with sparkling eyes and laughed.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you eat to your heart’s content!”
She pressed the service bell and waved over a waiter.
“More dishes, please. Black truffle pasta, pan-seared lobster, marinated foie gras rice…” she rattled off over a dozen dishes. In just moments, she had spent thousands of yuan, making even the waiter look at her differently.
One after another, luxurious dishes were brought to the table.
He Li kept his head down, eating furiously. But at one point, he noticed Yu Qingge hadn’t touched a single bite.
“Why aren’t you eating? Just watching me eat fills you up?”
Yu Qingge rested her chin in her hands, tilted her head, and gazed at him. “I can eat this kind of food any time.”
“But I can’t always have you by my side.”
“So I want to look at you while I still can.”
“Go on, eat. Oh… there’s something at the corner of your mouth!”
She reached out her fair fingers, gently wiped a grain of rice from the corner of his lips, and popped it into her own mouth with a smile.
That smile was so enchanting, it stunned He Li for two full seconds.
Coming back to his senses, he twirled some pasta with a fork and brought it to her lips. “Didn’t you say we’re going shopping after this?”
“You’ll need energy for that. Eat something. Open up—come on, eat more.”
“Hehehe!” Yu Qingge’s eyes sparkled as she hugged his arm. “If you feed me, then I’ll eat~”
And just like that, she happily took a big bite.
He Li sighed. “You’re a grown woman and still want to be fed?”
“When I’m with you, I’ll always be the little woman who needs to be fed!” Yu Qingge smiled and leaned in with her mouth open. “So feed me more. And in return, I’ll feed you too~”
As she spoke, she scooped some food with a spoon and brought it to his mouth. “Ahh, open wide~”
“…Ah.” He Li froze for a second but opened his mouth anyway.
The rest of the restaurant collectively exploded inside.
Looking at Yu Qingge—rich, gentle, loyal, stunning—and watching her basically throwing herself at He Li, even feeding him affectionately, it was unbearable.
Seeing the two of them exchanging bites and sweet talk…
Everyone around them felt like they’d been force-fed dog food.
They just couldn’t understand how a goddess like that ended up with a guy like He Li.
Every successful man present felt like they were better than him.
They didn’t get it. They only felt heartbroken and bitter.
A perfect cabbage had been eaten by a pig—a pig worse than them.
In that moment, an overpowering, sour scent like lemon juice spread across the entire restaurant… and lingered.