Сhаpter 12: Wаnting tо Ноld Нer in His Arms
Аftеr leaving thе officе, thе twо tооk thе elеvаtоr dоwn to the gаrage.
Walking up tо thе rarе Раgаni, Нe Yuzhоu раused by thе рassеnger door, оpеned it for her, аnd restеd onе hаnd on the frаme.
This gesturе оf his didn’t sееm unusual to Yin Еnуu—whеnеver she rоde in his сar, he wаs usually thе one whо openеd thе dоor fоr hеr.
Yin Enyu bent dоwn and саlmly toоk her seаt. Hеr liрs рartеd slightly, and shе habituallу рrеpared to thank him.
This time, Hе Yuzhоu anticipatеd whаt she was abоut tо say. Before she could speak, he cut her off, saying, “Don’t say anything.”
Yin Enyu blinked her long lashes. What had she done to upset him this time?
He Yuzhou closed the car door, walked around the front of the car, and took his place in the driver’s seat.
Yin Enyu had already fastened her seatbelt and was observing the car’s interior. It seemed as if nothing had changed.
Even the position of the seat remained exactly as she remembered—still the most comfortable and familiar setting for her.
Had he never adjusted it?
Or had he anticipated that she would be riding in his car today and adjusted it in advance?
The car diffuser on the center console was also the same one she remembered—a black matte metal casing emitting a crisp scent of sea salt, mixed with the woody aroma of sage.
She opened her mouth, wanting to ask him, but ultimately held back.
He Yuzhou was driving, but his peripheral vision still occasionally drifted toward her. Naturally, this small gesture of hers didn’t escape his notice.
“What did you want to ask?”
Yin Enyu turned to look at him. His sharp profile, especially his tall, straight nose, exuded the charm of a mature man.
She asked softly, “Am I allowed to speak now?”
The corners of He Yuzhou’s mouth lifted into a faint smile. “Yin Enyu, what’s going on with you?”
“Do you really just do whatever I say?”
She was being too obedient, making him want to hold her in his arms and give her a gentle squeeze.
Yin Enyu replied, “I was the one who wanted to ask what’s going on with you—your mood is so unpredictable.”
He Yuzhou glanced at her. “You’re the one who hurt me.”
“……”
Yin Enyu was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond.
He Yuzhou didn’t let the silence linger and steered the conversation back to the original question. “What exactly did you want to ask me earlier?”
Yin Enyu didn’t hesitate any longer and spoke directly, “The day I returned to the country, were you at the airport?”
Her intuition probably wasn’t wrong—the gaze she felt outside the airport was most likely his.
And, coincidentally, she had encountered his car on the road after leaving the airport.
He Yuzhou raised an eyebrow. So she had seen him.
If he had known her question would be about this, he wouldn’t have pressed her to ask.
But he didn’t admit it outright, speaking with conviction instead. “I didn’t even know which day you returned.”
“And I’m not so idle that I’d pry into other people’s privacy.”
Yin Enyu looked at him with suspicion in her eyes.
He Yuzhou noticed but didn’t offer any further explanation. Instead, he changed the subject and asked her, “What do you want to eat?”
Yin Enyu leaned back in her seat, looking straight ahead. “Anything is fine.”
He Yuzhou kept one hand on the steering wheel. “You’re the pickiest one, yet you say ‘anything is fine.’”
Yin Enyu pouted. “Then I won’t eat.”
After all, she wasn’t very hungry anyway.
“Once you’re in my car, you’re eating whether you want to or not.” He Yuzhou slightly increased the speed. “I’ll choose the place.”
After a fifteen-minute drive, the car came to a stop.
Yin Enyu turned her head to look out the window. It was the restaurant where she had dinner last night—Tanchiju.However, she didn’t think too deeply about it. It wasn’t strange for him to bring her to this restaurant. Previously, whenever they returned to the country during holidays, they would always come here.
While she was lost in thought, He Yu Zhou had already gotten out of the car and opened the door for her.
Before the two even stepped into the restaurant, the manager had already come forward to greet them respectfully. “Mr. He.”
Then he turned to Yin En Yu. “Miss Yin.”
He Yu Zhou handed him the car keys and gave him a meaningful look.
The manager immediately understood and said no more, going to park the car for him.
As they walked upstairs, Yin En Yu casually asked, “Do you know the manager?”
Given the manager’s flattering attitude just now, one might have thought he was the owner of the restaurant.
But considering his status, it was perfectly normal for the manager to come out and greet him personally.
He Yu Zhou replied vaguely, “You could say we know each other.”
He led Yin En Yu to his private room, which wasn’t much different from the others, except it was more spacious and had a better view.
He Yu Zhou pulled out a chair for her and took the menu from the waiter beside him. “See what you’d like to eat?”
Yin En Yu naturally left the choice to him. “You decide.”
When dining with him, she never needed to look at the menu because he knew her preferences better than she did.
Her instinctive reliance on him put He Yu Zhou in a good mood, and he quickly and skillfully selected the dishes.
He was all too familiar with this menu; there was no need to examine it closely.
Then, he took out his phone from his pocket, typed a few words on the screen, and sent a message.
Just as he was about to instinctively flip his phone face down on the table, he suddenly remembered the person sitting beside him and instead slipped it back into his pocket.
He glanced sideways and noticed that she was also looking down at her phone. His gaze unintentionally swept across her screen—she was chatting with someone.
“Something going on?”
“Nothing.” Yin En Yu casually placed her phone on the table and said offhandedly, “Lu Jing said he wants to invite me to dinner.”
Upon hearing this, He Yu Zhou let out a cold laugh. Lu Jing had ulterior motives toward her during their university days, and now he still hadn’t given up.
“How did you reply?”
Yin En Yu: “I didn’t reply yet.”
She was about to type a refusal when he spoke to her.
He Yu Zhou made the decision for her. “Agree and tell him to come here.”
“I’ll treat him. No need to make us look stingy.”
Yin En Yu was momentarily stunned. “Are you serious?”
What was he scheming now?
“Seriously.” He Yu Zhou crossed his long legs. “After this meal, I guarantee he won’t dare bother you again.”
Yin En Yu was convinced by his last statement. During their relationship, Lu Jing hadn’t sought her out as frequently as he did now. Besides, she knew exactly what his intentions were.
When she had just announced her plans to return to the country for development, he had messaged her, saying he wanted to meet up. She had already refused him once back then.
“Alright.” Yin En Yu picked up her phone and sent a message to Lu Jing.
He replied instantly. Yin En Yu glanced at it and relayed it to the person beside her. “He says he’s nearby and will be here in about ten minutes.”
He Yu Zhou leaned back loosely in his chair. “Fine.”
Yin En Yu: “Then let’s ask the waiter to delay serving the dishes for a few minutes.”
He Yu Zhou: “No need. Once the food is served, you can start eating. There’s no need to wait for him on an empty stomach.”
He would never make her wait for him, let alone someone as insignificant as Lu Jing.He Yu Zhou knew what she was thinking. She was particularly mindful of etiquette, and her upbringing would not allow her to engage in such impolite behavior.
“It won’t be impolite. I’ll just wait.”
Of course, he would not give the other party any room for criticism.
Hearing this, Yin En Yu let him have his way. She understood his intentions and knew he was considering her feelings.
Given his sharp-edged personality, when had he ever waited for anyone?