Finally, office hours were over. It was time to get off work.
Han Muzi had just finished packing up. Just as she was getting ready to head to the dining hall downstairs, she saw a man with a smile standing at the door. “Getting off work?”
Seeing Ye Linhan reminded her of her date with him for lunch. She looked at him awkwardly, which was probably due to her imagining things, as she seemed to have forgotten Ye Linhan’s lunch invitation.
“Yes.” Han Muzi nodded.
Ye Linhan spontaneously turned around and walked out. After a few steps, he did not see her, so he turned his head and looked at her. “Why aren’t you moving?”
“Oh.” Han Muzi came back to her senses and quickly caught up to him.
When entering the elevator, they went in one after another. Han Muzi and Ye Linhan were maintaining a good distance between each other. Even when they were walking around downstairs, one would be following the other.
Ye Linhan had not said anything in particular. As a gentleman, he opened the car door for her, and she hesitated before asking, “Are we going somewhere far? There should be restaurants nearby, why don’t… we just eat somewhere nearby?”
Hearing this, Ye Linhan had a gentle smile on his lips as he whispered, “Even though lunch is not as important as breakfast, we still cannot take it lightly. You have lost considerable weight in the past five years—have you not been eating well?”
Han Muzi remained silent.
“Let’s go. I have already made a reservation; it will be a shame if we don’t go.”
Since he had already made it so clear—which was apparently to give her pressure—did she have a reason to not get in the car?
After she got in the car, Ye Linhan was about to bend over to help her fasten her seatbelt but Han Muzi’s face changed a bit. She uttered quickly, “Let me do it myself.”
Ye Linhan did not insist and instead smiled. “Sure.” He walked over to the other side and got into the driver’s seat.
Sitting in Ye Linhan’s car, Han Muzi felt conflicted, for Ye Linhan had been trying to engage in some conversations with her that were appropriate.
Han Muzi looked at the clock and couldn’t help but ask, “Is it still a long way to go?”
Ye Linhan did not respond. He then made a turn and remarked, “We are here.”
Han Muzi gazed blankly into the distance for a moment before she came to her senses.
“I will drive the car to the parking lot. The air quality there is not the best, so why don’t you get down first and wait for me inside?”
“Sure.” Han Muzi agreed, got out of the car, and went into the restaurant to wait for him.
After around three minutes, Ye Linhan came back with a set of car keys in his hand. “Let’s go in.”
Ye Linhan seemed to be a regular patron here. The moment he brought Han Muzi into the restaurant, a waitress immediately came up and led them in. As the two of them were following the waitress from behind, Han Muzi subconsciously tried to maintain a distance from Ye Linhan, but he would always slow down his pace to match hers, and this made Han Muzi feel embarrassed. Ultimately, she decided to just walk at a normal pace.
Upon entering the private room, Ye Linhan smiled and asked, “All these years that you’ve been abroad, you’ve just been eating western food, haven’t you? Bringing you to have Chinese food all of a sudden, would you be unaccustomed to it?”
Hearing that, Han Muzi shook her head. “No, I actually ate a lot of Chinese food.”
“That seems about right.” Ye Linhan chuckled. “You prefer Chinese food and don’t really like Western food.”
Han Muzi looked at him and did not respond.
The waitress said, with a smiley face, “This is the first time Mr. Han brought a girlfriend.”
Ye Linhan smiled and did not deny it. It was Han Muzi who frowned and looked at the waitress somewhat unhappily. “Sorry, I am not his girlfriend.”
The waitress was in shock and looked at Ye Linhan awkwardly.
Ye Linhan was not upset. He looked at Han Muzi gently and explained, “Not my girlfriend, yet.”
This simple sentence mysteriously resolved the awkwardness between the waitress and Han Muzi.
“I am truly sorry. What would you like to have?”
Han Muzi sat down and thought about what Ye Linhan had just said. He had talked about fair competition yesterday. Was he serious about that? Is he starting to court me? Otherwise, why would he come to the office to take me out for lunch all of a sudden?
Han Muzi ordered something without much thought and passed the menu to Ye Linhan.
Contrary to her, Ye Linhan did put in a lot of thought when he was ordering. He ordered several dishes and even gave the waitress a couple of instructions when handing the menu over.
“No problem. Mr. Ye and Miss, please wait for a moment.”
After the waitress had left, Ye Linhan stood up and poured some tea for Han Muzi while saying, “I always came to this restaurant in the past, but I always came by myself. This is the first time I am bringing a lady so that made her misunderstand.
Is he trying to explain to me? Han Muzi shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I already made myself clear.”
Ye Linhan looked at her and kept quiet for a while before saying, “You don’t have to rush into denying and explaining it.”
“What do you mean?” Han Muzi looked at him, befuddled.
“That is because I am officially courting you. Even though you may not be my girlfriend now, eventually, you might be.”
Han Muzi was rendered speechless. How did this determination, that’s only found in Ye Moxuan, find its way to Ye Linhan? He looked very gentle in his eyes, but what he just said sounded so self-absorbed.
At this point, Han Muzi smiled with her red lips. “Really? Are you that confident I will be with you?”
“It’s not that I am confident, it’s just that I am courting you whole-heartedly now. I want to protect you, Muzi.”
Han Muzi did not know how to respond. Initially, she thought he was self-absorbed, but what he just said in his defense left her at a loss for words. She looked down at the silverware in front of her and didn’t continue.
“If we start seeing each other, I will not let you get hurt. Be it you or Little Bean, I will treat you both to the best of my capabilities.”
Han Muzi looked up and locked her eyes on him. “You know that Little Bean is Moxuan’s child. Why would you…”
“I don’t mind.” Ye Linhan moved his hands slightly and poured himself some tea. He then took a sip of it, classily.
“I didn’t mind five years ago; do you think I will still mind five years later? I only care about you, and you alone.”
“But I don’t.” Han Muzi interrupted him. “I don’t care about anyone but my child.”
Ye Linhan paused and tentatively asked, “Are you afraid that I will not be nice to him?”
Han Muzi did not respond, but she had always felt that who in this world would not want to have their own children? Who would raise a child for others? Furthermore, the grudges between Ye Linhan and Ye Moxuan could not be easily resolved.
At this juncture, Han Muzi shook her head. “That is not what I meant. What I meant was—”
“That’s enough. It’s lunchtime; let’s not discuss this issue now. How I’ll treat you is something that you will find out in the future. Sincerity requires time to be proven and tested. From now on… I will have ample time for you to test my sincerity.”
