“Sister-in-law, order whatever you like. There’s nowhere in the whole of Jing City that I, Young Master Wang, can’t afford to take you.”
Wang Duan said with eager attentiveness as he guided Shi Sheng to a seat.
As luck would have it, the moment she got upstairs, Shi Sheng spotted Qi Ye sitting with his back to her.
For some reason, a strange feeling rose in her chest.
Qi Ye had brought another woman to a Western restaurant for dinner, and now she herself had been dragged into the same Western restaurant by Qi Ye’s childhood friend…
Nothing about this felt right.
Shi Sheng awkwardly averted her gaze, trying to persuade Wang Duan to go to another corner instead:
“Um, how about we sit over there? The lighting’s better on that side.”
Wang Duan acted as if he hadn’t heard, grinning ingratiatingly:
“Why? I think the lighting here is already pretty good.”
“Look, there’s even an old acquaintance sitting right over there.”
With that, he grabbed Shi Sheng by the wrist and headed toward Qi Ye’s table.
Shi Sheng’s face instantly filled with panic.
No way, what was he doing?
She was here to eat, not to walk into a battlefield!
But Wang Duan’s strength was absurd—he practically dragged Shi Sheng right up to Qi Ye.
Wang Duan wore a wild grin, his gaze flicking to Wen Ke sitting across from Qi Ye, the curve of his lips carrying a hint of provocation:
“Oh? Bro Ye’s here eating with someone new again, what a coincidence? I just happened to run into sister-in-law outside, so I brought her in too—mind if we join tables?”
The look Wang Duan cast at Wen Ke was laced with undisguised contempt, as if she were a piece of trash.
Her hand holding the knife and fork trembled slightly.
Wen Ke felt humiliation rise within her, but she didn’t dare show it, forcing a smile onto her face instead.
On the other side, Qi Ye furrowed his brows and said coldly:
“What did you bring her in here for?”
Wang Duan chuckled: “Sister-in-law and I are practically friends by now, aren’t we? Is there anything wrong with bringing a friend to eat at a Western restaurant?”
He then pointed at the rich kids behind him: “See, they’re all friends too.”
Wang Duan grinned cheekily: “Bro Ye isn’t jealous, is he?”
Qi Ye’s expression stiffened: “Jealous of what? Get lost!”
“Will do!” Wang Duan successfully got under his skin, then led Shi Sheng to the table next to them.
From start to finish, Shi Sheng hadn’t said a single word.
She felt so guilty she might as well have knelt before Qi Ye on the spot.
She kept thinking she hadn’t done a very good job of being his little canary today.
The problem was that Wang Duan didn’t seem to sense Shi Sheng’s discomfort at all—instead, he kept enthusiastically ordering food for her:
“Sister-in-law, do you like this beef?”
“Bacon? Egg tarts?”
“There are desserts too, they’re all really good.”
“How about we order one of each?”
The rich kids sitting nearby joined in on the fun:
“Why don’t we order all the expensive ones?”
“I think that works.”
With that, Wang Duan waved his hand grandly and indeed ordered every single dish on that page of the menu.
Shi Sheng: “…”
Well, if that was the case, she chose to just give up entirely.
Shi Sheng kept a wooden expression on her face, and once the dishes arrived, she opened up her stomach and dug in.
This little canary thing—she’d have to play the part today, and she’d have to play it tomorrow too.
What difference did it make?
None.
Shi Sheng pretended not to feel the murderous glare from Qi Ye behind her, focusing entirely on the black pepper steak in front of her.
Mmm mmm mmm, so fragrant.
It felt like her body, hungry all afternoon, was instantly recharged with energy.
Not to mention Wang Duan was right there, taking meticulous care of her the whole time.
Wang Duan was even more obsequious than a servant from the old days:
“Sister-in-law, I’ve already picked out all the cilantro for you.”
“You like it spicy, right? Let me add some extra pepper for you.”
“Here, here, let me fill your glass with red wine.”
“Don’t want red wine, want cola instead? Sure! No problem!”
With that, he kicked the playboy beside him to go fetch it.
A bunch of people scrambled around waiting on her.
Shi Sheng lounged comfortably, letting them fuss.
After finishing an entire steak, she looked at Wang Duan with appreciation:
“Good kid, nice work.”
Wang Duan’s eyes lit up: “Of course! Who do I take after!”
He deliberately leaned closer to Shi Sheng:
“Sister-in-law, it’s gotta be me. If it were Brother Ye, he might not even know you don’t eat cilantro…”
The moment he finished speaking, Qi Ye slammed his knife and fork onto the table, unable to hold back any longer:
“What nonsense are you talking about! Of course I know she doesn’t eat cilantro!”
“I’ve known Shi Sheng for five goddamn years—how could I not know what she likes and doesn’t like?!”
Shi Sheng: “…”
That’s not necessarily true—like the mango allergy.
Qi Ye: “I know more than the salt you’ve eaten!”
That’s not necessarily true—like the mango allergy.
Qi Ye: “Do you even know what stylus she uses for her drawings? You don’t even know that, and you’re still trying to suck up?!”
That’s not necessarily true—like the mango allergy.
“Shi Sheng, don’t you agree!”
Shi Sheng jolted, blurting out instinctively:
“Mango allergy.”
Qi Ye: “…”
For a moment, the air went still.
Qi Ye’s temple veins throbbed:
“You only remember the mango allergy, is that it?”
Shi Sheng coughed a couple of times.
Tactical drinking of water.
A bit awkward, but no panic.
After a moment, she spoke up:
“It’s just a meal, why did you suddenly start arguing with Wang Duan, A Ye?”
Qi Ye said in exasperation: “If he hadn’t deliberately provoked me, would I have argued with him?”
Shi Sheng: “…”
The problem is, everything he said was true…
Shi Sheng didn’t dare say that.
Shi Sheng kept silent.
She was embarrassed, but Wang Duan wasn’t embarrassed at all.
He grinned: “Admit it, Brother Ye, you’re just jealous.”
Hearing this, Qi Ye’s body stiffened.
After a long moment, he let out a cold scoff, offering no further comment.
He sat back down and said to Wen Ke across from him:
“What are you staring at? Eat.”
Wen Ke pressed her lips together hard, forcing a faint smile.
Seeing this, Wang Duan yawned:
“Don’t mind him, he’s always stubborn as hell.”
“Sister-in-law, come on, let’s keep eating. After we finish, I’ll take you for a ride.”
The moment he finished, Qi Ye clenched his knife and fork, producing a creaking sound.
Wen Ke watched the silverware deform and crumple in his hand, lowered her gaze, and bit her lip desperately, not daring to say a word.
After that, Qi Ye’s side was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Wang Duan’s side was peaceful. He was naturally a lively person, cracking one joke after another, even lifting Shi Sheng’s spirits when she hadn’t been in high spirits to begin with.
Speaking of which, among all the hangers-on around Qi Ye, Shi Sheng liked Wang Duan the most.
Because he had enough social awareness and didn’t put on airs as a rich second-generation heir in front of her.
Wealthy but humorous with a youthful spirit.
All in all, Shi Sheng got along with him quite well.
When they finally paid the bill and left the restaurant, Wang Duan said with a grin:
“Sister-in-law, my motorcycle is parked right outside the mall. Want to come for a ride with me?”
He lifted his chin and bragged, “My skills are top-notch, sister-in-law. All you have to do is relax on my back seat…”
Before he could finish, Qi Ye walked over from behind and grabbed Shi Sheng’s arm, pulling her away.
Shi Sheng turned her head in a panic. “Hey, what are you doing!”
Qi Ye didn’t say a word, his aura oppressive enough to be frightening.
Watching the two walk further and further away, Wang Duan’s smile slowly faded.
He stood at the entrance of the Western restaurant and lit a cigarette.
A rich kid came up behind him. “Young Master Wang, what’s going on?”
Wang Duan let out a chuckle. “What do you think?”
In the swirling smoke, Wang Duan’s gaze was deep.
He had known Qi Ye for so long—whether the other was sincere or just pretending, Wang Duan could tell at a glance.
But if Qi Ye kept this up…
Wang Duan stretched lazily with the cigarette between his lips and said in a languid tone:
“Just wait and see—your Brother Ye’s wife is about to run off!”
“Anyway, there’s nothing I can do to help.”