12 – No Seafood
Xu Ying’s heart broke down again: Mom, she’s so scary!
After the meal, Ye Hengyu drove them to the mall.
He was usually quite busy, but today he actually volunteered to be the driver and accompany his two younger sisters shopping.
“Big brother, aren’t you busy with company matters?” Xu Ying asked in a sweet, coquettish voice from the passenger seat.
“Not too bad.” Ye Hengyu glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Ye Yuntong lazily leaning against the window.
Her sitting posture was truly terrible—squinting, one leg crossed, looking half-asleep, with an air of delinquency.
She really did resemble a city management officer a bit.
The man sitting next to her, wearing a wig, had a much better posture—upright and scholarly. On closer inspection, his features weren’t bad at all. His eyes, hidden behind thick glasses and the wig, were beautiful—bright and spirited. He also looked quite young upon closer inspection, but his style was outdated, even more rustic than someone from the countryside.
Moreover, his fingers kept moving in the air, and he was muttering something under his breath, as if he had some mental issues.
In short, they were all a bunch of weirdos.
Ye Hengyu was more curious about Ye Yuntong’s past.
He really had no idea how she grew up.
“Tongtong, what did you usually eat when you were in the town?” Ye Hengyu took the initiative to start a conversation.
Half a minute later, a lazy syllable came from the back seat.
“Food.”
It carried a tone of disdain, as if she thought Ye Hengyu was foolish for asking such a question.
Ye Hengyu: “…”
She was truly a conversation killer.
He continued, “I heard your town is by the sea. Do you like seafood? I’ll take you to eat seafood later.”
At the mention of seafood, Ye Yuntong, who had been squinting, opened her eyes. A flash of hostility rose in her beautiful gaze.
Intense irritation.
“Tongtong doesn’t eat seafood!” At this moment, Dong Qi, who had been lost in his own world, spoke up. He quickly added, “She’s allergic to seafood!”
“I see.” Ye Hengyu nodded in understanding and murmured, “Then what does Tongtong usually like to eat?”
“She eats everything except seafood. Tongtong isn’t picky.” Dong Qi answered for her. He glanced at Ye Yuntong again, and a silly smile couldn’t help but appear at the corner of his mouth. “She especially likes meat. Let’s go eat barbecue later.”
“Fine, you decide.” Ye Yuntong continued looking out the window.
This still very casual remark made Ye Hengyu realize the difference—Ye Yuntong was much closer to Dong Qi than to him.
Since returning home, she hadn’t shown any desire to get close to anyone. None of her blood relatives were as important to her as her bald teacher.
She was just too cold.
The car stopped at Huanmao Mall. He turned to the people in the back seat and said, “I have something to attend to and need to go back to the company. After you finish shopping, I’ll have my assistant come pick you up.”
“Okay, big brother, don’t worry about us. I’ll take care of Tongtong.”
Ye Hengyu turned to Dong Qi and nodded. “Thank you, Teacher Dong.”
They got out of the car. As soon as Xu Ying stepped out, a lace-trimmed princess umbrella appeared above her head—her personal bodyguard had already opened an umbrella for her.
The standard accessory for a young lady going out.
The sun was blazing.
Seeing this, Dong Qi followed suit, pulling out an old-fashioned blue-checkered “Paradise” umbrella from his bag and holding it over Ye Yuntong.
Ye Yuntong glanced at the rusted umbrella overhead. Its ribs were far larger than those of a typical umbrella, yet the fabric was patched in numerous places—clearly a broken thing that should have been thrown away long ago. She kicked him and snapped, “Get lost! Is this umbrella meant for blocking the sun?”