In the end, Ji Silin picked up a bit more fish and deboned it.
Only after placing it in Meng Mian’s bowl did he set down his chopsticks.
Ji Silin picked up his wine glass and took a sip of red wine.
Only then did he look across at Meng Mian again.
She was slender and petite, and her soft little face looked tenderer the longer he looked.
Is she really an adult?
With all that heavy makeup before, he’d assumed she had to be at least twenty-five.
Now, he doubted she was even eighteen.
Even though he knew she had already graduated from university and was working at his friend’s company.
There was no way she wasn’t an adult.
But Ji Silin still asked, “How old are you?”
Meng Mian was still eating. She didn’t even look up. “Twenty-one.”
Six years younger than him.
But she really did look too young. If someone said she was ten years younger than him, people would probably believe it.
“We’ll have dinner together again in the future, same as this. One million per meal,” Ji Silin suddenly said.
To keep his grandfather quiet, they would definitely have to eat together again.
“It’s fine if you don’t give me anything. You’ve already given me so much. But if you really want to, I don’t mind. Hehe.” Meng Mian lifted her snowy little face, looking perfectly well-behaved, telling the truth honestly.
As soon as she finished, she bowed her little head again and went back to seriously eating.
Ji Silin’s cold eyes watched the person across from him quietly.
Before, she had been this honest over the phone. Now, face to face, she was this honest too, and so soft.
Ji Silin watched for a long while, and didn’t feel the slightest dislike.
He even found her cute.
Ji Silin nearly cleared his throat and looked away.
Meng Mian still hadn’t asked why they had to eat together.
Actually, she could guess without asking. It was probably because he was afraid his family wouldn’t believe he really had a girlfriend, so he was having a meal with her to deal with his family.
Seeing Meng Mian still not asking, Ji Silin didn’t bother explaining either.
He still thought this was good.
He didn’t have to explain anything. Meng Mian would just play along.
All he had to do was give her money.
What should have been a meal finished in half an hour, because Meng Mian ate slowly, dragged out for nearly two hours. Only then did the two of them walk out of the private room.
Meng Mian followed behind, unable to resist glancing at Ji Silin.
She had assumed that with all the things she had to be careful about when eating, plus the number of dishes today and how much she wanted to eat, she’d dragged things out even longer than usual. She’d been really slow.
She figured that even if he had good character, he’d get impatient and leave first.
But he hadn’t left, and hadn’t been impatient.
He hadn’t even urged her once.
He certainly hadn’t called her troublesome or fussy.
When she finished eating and set down her chopsticks, he hadn’t immediately asked if she was done or if they could go.
Instead he waited a few minutes. Only when she had tucked her phone into her bag and was looking around, also wanting to leave, did he speak, without a flicker of emotion. “Done eating?”
Only after she nodded her little head vigorously did he stand and say, “Then let’s go.”
Lu Chen had been eating in another private room. He had already finished and was waiting at the door.
The moment he saw their President and Meng Mian come out, he hurried to follow.
Lu Chen had assumed their President would casually send someone to take Meng Mian home.
But unexpectedly, he heard their President say, “I’ll take you home.”
Lu Chen went blank on the spot.
Since when is our President this kind-hearted?
Meng Mian didn’t know how Lu Chen was reacting behind her. She just immediately said, “No need. Just take me back to the company.”
Ji Silin said, “You’re working overtime?”
“No, my scooter is still at the company.” She still needed to ride it tomorrow.
Ji Silin didn’t ask anything more and had the car head toward Li Group.
When they reached Li Group’s underground parking garage and Meng Mian got out of the car and walked straight toward the area where electric scooters were parked, stopping in front of a pink electric scooter.
Ji Silin still paused for a moment.
So it really is that kind of vehicle.
I thought…
Lu Chen and the bodyguards were all stunned too.
They had assumed it would at least be a BMW.
Meng Mian put on her dream helmet, then rode her scooter, quite expertly weaving through the turns, until she came up to Ji Silin’s car.
Ji Silin hadn’t gotten out, but the car window was already lowered.
Meng Mian waved cheerfully at him from outside. “Thanks for dinner today. I’ll be off then.”
The scooter was pink, and the helmet was pink too, yet it matched her snowy little face and bright smile perfectly.
It made her look even more well-behaved, soft, and cute.
Ji Silin looked at her fixedly for a moment before nodding. “Message me when you get home.”
Knowing it meant letting him know she was safe, Meng Mian immediately nodded her head. “Mm.”
Only then did Meng Mian ride off on her scooter.
Ji Silin watched Meng Mian’s slender silhouette.
It was already night, and she was so delicate, and she looked like that.
He suddenly felt a little uneasy about her going back alone like this.
“Follow her.”
Lu Chen had been about to have the driver head back to the company.
Their President’s greatest hobby was work. He worked during the day, and often worked at night too.
Tonight he would have worked late again before going home.
But unexpectedly their President suddenly said this.
Lu Chen went blank again.
Three luxury cars followed unhurriedly behind Meng Mian’s little scooter.
Because they kept a distance, and there were quite a few cars on the road, Meng Mian just focused on getting home and didn’t notice three cars following behind her.
Meng Mian even stopped her scooter partway to buy a watermelon from an old man at a roadside fruit stand.
Once she entered the neighborhood, Meng Mian parked her scooter downstairs before carrying the watermelon and climbing the stairs.
This was an old neighborhood. No elevator. She could only take the stairs.
Because of the way the original owner was, no one had wanted to share an apartment with her. Even if they had at first, they would refuse after a few days of living together.
At the time, the original owner hadn’t been able to afford rent anywhere else, so she’d had to come to this old neighborhood and rent a place.
Two bedrooms, one living room, one kitchen, one bathroom.
The original owner had wanted a one-bedroom place, since it was cheaper, but this neighborhood didn’t have one-bedroom layouts.
Just paying the rent on this place had been a sizable expense for the original owner.
She’d even taken out an online loan before.
But later, after the original owner got three million from Ji Silin, she at least had the sense to pay off the online loan first.
Meng Mian opened the door, and once she got home, she messaged Ji Silin to let him know she was safe.
Still too lazy to type, she sent a voice message. “I’m home.”
She also took a selfie of herself already in her living room and sent it to Ji Silin.
To show she really had gotten home.
Downstairs from Meng Mian, three luxury cars were parked in a row.
Ji Silin sat in the back seat, his cold eyes fixed on the scene outside.
The longer he looked, the tighter his brow furrowed.
This neighborhood was far too old. Barely any of the streetlights inside were lit.
He didn’t see a single security camera either.
At the security booth by the neighborhood entrance, there was an old man who looked to be about seventy, dozing off.
No registration was needed at all. Even people who didn’t live here could just walk in.
Their cars had driven in just like that.
Most of the streetlights in the alleys around the neighborhood were broken too, pitch black.
Far too unsafe.
Suddenly, his phone lit up.
Ji Silin looked down. Sure enough, it was Meng Mian letting him know she was safe.
But looking at the photo, at Meng Mian’s soft, especially cute and well-behaved appearance,
Ji Silin couldn’t help looking at it a couple more times.
Only then did he, without a trace of expression, send his reply.
[Ji Silin: Mm.]