Wen Zhile’s eyes widened slightly. “Who is it?”
“Zhou Jihuai.”
No way?
The young girl cautiously cracked the door open a sliver, peering through the gap to confirm it was really him before swinging it wide open. “Wow.”
Had Zhou Jihuai already met Grandma at this point?
But Grandma and Grandma Ye hadn’t formally introduced the two families yet.
Wen Zhile was a little puzzled.
Zhou Jihuai felt like laughing but kept a straight face. “What are you ‘wow’-ing about?”
The girl looked innocent. “Such a handsome guy suddenly appearing under such a beautiful moon—I couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.”
The corners of Zhou Jihuai’s lips twitched upward before quickly settling back down. “Don’t call me ‘big brother.’ Just call me ‘brother.’”
“Is there a difference?”
Zhou Jihuai: “The difference lies in age.”
Wen Zhile pondered this for a moment, then had a sudden realization. “Okay, brother. You came to find me…”
“Yes, to find you.”
Wen Zhile swallowed the word “Grandma.” “How did you know I live here?”
He definitely wouldn’t have used his connections just to find her—that would be a bit excessive. “You went to the hotel.”
“Lucky guess.”
They spoke simultaneously.
Zhou Jihuai pulled her over the threshold. “Are you free? I haven’t had dinner yet. Accompany me for a bite.”
If nothing else, Wen Zhile was an excellent dining companion, and Zhou Jihuai thoroughly enjoyed sharing meals with her.
Wen Zhile stopped at the doorway. “Then wait a moment. I’ll go tell Grandma.”
Zhou Jihuai released her arm. “Go ahead.”
He watched Wen Zhile enter the house, mulling over her words.
Had she already been reunited with her parents?
Wen Zhile soon came running out, locking the door from the outside.
She had told Grandma she was going to the night market with Fang Xiuxiu. Qu Jinghong, who was about to fall asleep, told her to just lock it from the outside.
She slipped the key into her pocket, then handed Zhou Jihuai a book. “I saw this when I went to the bookstore to buy books. It’s for you.”
Zhou Jihuai was somewhat surprised and flipped through a few pages.
They got into the car. Seeing he wasn’t saying anything, Wen Zhile tilted her head and asked, “Brother, don’t you like books?”
“I do.” Zhou Jihuai placed the book in the car’s storage compartment, a slight smile touching his lips.
Since childhood, his looks alone had placed him at the center of female attention. Many girls had given him gifts, but Zhou Jihuai had never accepted any.
This was the first time he had accepted a gift from someone of the opposite sex. Strictly speaking, she wasn’t exactly of the opposite sex—Zhou Jihuai saw Wen Zhile as a little sister.
He had just been caught in a strange, touching moment, viewing it from a father’s perspective of receiving a gift from his daughter. This feeling made him reflect on whether he subconsciously saw Wen Zhile as a daughter.
That was a bit too absurd.
Though she was young, she wasn’t that young.
About ten minutes later, the Jeep stopped in front of Wangjing Pavilion.
In her previous life, Wen Zhile had often come here for meals. This restaurant offered tranquility amid the hustle and bustle, with excellent privacy, making it a favorite among wealthy businessmen and military-political figures.
It was perfect in every way, except for one thing—it was expensive.
While a full banquet at other hotels cost only thirty yuan, ordering just a few dishes here would easily double that amount.
A long red carpet, one meter wide, stretched from the restaurant entrance all the way inside, running through the entire first-floor lobby.
Wen Zhile followed Zhou Jihuai in.
He was a regular. As soon as they entered, the manager approached, politely and respectfully leading them to their seats and presenting them with two menus.
Zhou Jihuai let Wen Zhile order first.
Wen Zhile glanced over the menu and ordered a caramelized pineapple.
“Alright, brother, your turn to order.”
During their previous meal together, Zhou Jihuai had made Wen Zhile promise not to order less due to saving money or embarrassment, but also not to waste—order only what she could finish.
Seeing she had only ordered one dish, he said nothing more and proceeded to order his own food.
The waiter came over to pour them two glasses of juice before leaving with the manager.
After all the dishes were served, Zhou Jihuai started eating.
His training during the day had been intense, and he was already hungry.
Wen Zhile sat quietly, occasionally nibbling on some pineapple.
After a while, voices came from the next table: “Is your brother still in the military base today?”
Zhou Yusheng replied listlessly, “He’s always like this, staying at the base year-round. It’s only been three days—I bet he won’t leave the military zone for another half month.”
Wen Nuan looked at him and asked casually, “Don’t you miss your brother? If he won’t come out, you could visit him.”
Zhou Yusheng said irritably, “No, it’s too much trouble.”
“What trouble? Do you need to register even to visit your own brother?”
“Anyone from outside the military zone has to register and get permission from the person they’re visiting. If he doesn’t want to see you, you can’t get in even if you register.” Zhou Yusheng quickly ordered two dishes and handed the menu to Wen Nuan. “Order something.”
Wen Zhile poked Zhou Jihuai’s forearm and mouthed, “Is that true?”
Zhou Jihuai grunted in affirmation and continued eating.
[Sister, stop eavesdropping. The people at the next table are Dai Nuan and Zhou Yusheng.]
Wen Zhile: ?
Wangjing Pavilion had tall screens separating the tables, so customers couldn’t see each other.
She immediately thought to herself, “Does Zhou Yusheng like Wen Nuan?”
In her previous life, Zhou Yusheng had pursued her for years, but her heart wasn’t in romance—she remained focused on her studies. Plus, she had no feelings for him, so she directly rejected him. Yet Zhou Yusheng only became more persistent.
Their families were closely connected through Grandma, so even when she tried to avoid him, they still ended up meeting frequently.
To be honest, she had found Zhou Yusheng’s clinginess quite annoying in her past life.
[Yes, sister.]
Wen Zhile nearly laughed aloud.
How wonderful!
Zhou Jihuai took a sip of juice. “What’s suddenly made you so happy?”