Jiang Lingxi couldn’t help but chuckle softly. She took a small, elegant wooden box out of her little bag and placed it on the table, pushing it towards Shen Yunqing.
The surprise was overwhelming, and someone stared at the box right in front of them, momentarily dumbfounded.
"I had prepared something for you," Jiang Lingxi continued eating contentedly after giving the gift. "You’ve gotten bold, daring to ask me for something now."
In her past life, courtiers only offered her tributes; no minister dared to ask her for anything directly.
Shen Yunqing reached out to gently touch the edge of the box and heard her playful remark. He spoke in a barely audible voice, "It’s only because Your Majesty indulges me."
Luckily, Jiang Lingxi had good hearing and could make out what he said.
Seeing that he was about to stop eating and open the box, she stopped him, saying, "Eat first, or you’ll have to wash your hands after touching the ink sticks."
Shen Yunqing had to obediently put the box down.
"Like a child receiving a gift."
This gesture was somewhat childish.
However, seeing him act in a way that didn’t quite match his status was rather endearing.
The rest of her words were swallowed as Jiang Lingxi ate.
Jing Huai noticed Xu Qingmei eating alone in a corner and, after hesitating, decided to walk over.
Though their relationship couldn’t be publicly known, there were not many people in the cafeteria, and since he was seeking out a fellow actor, others wouldn’t think much of it.
However, he had to keep up appearances, "Ms. Xu, may I share a table with you?"
Xu Qingmei had barely touched her Western food. She was discreetly eavesdropping on the conversation between Jiang Lingxi and Shen Yunqing, separated by a screen.
Even she hadn’t expected these two to know each other and seem quite familiar.
Shen Yunqing was someone she had her eyes on, but she hadn’t gotten anywhere with him, and he had been rather aloof.
Yet here he was, treating Jiang Lingxi, a small-time actress, differently, making her feel uneasy.
The two spoke in such low tones that even when she concentrated hard, she could only catch fragmented words that didn’t form complete sentences.
Feeling irritated, Jing Huai came up to her.
Her ’eavesdropping’ session was interrupted, and since the person in front of her was someone she could usually command around and no one else was paying attention, she decided to drop the pretense. She curtly ordered, "It’s inconvenient. Go find somewhere else."
Not expecting Xu Qingmei to refuse, Jing Huai, who was just about to place his plate on the table, froze, staring at Xu Qingmei with disbelief. Facing her irritable eyes, the hand holding the plate shook slightly.
"I’m sorry for disturbing Ms. Xu’s solitude. I’ll leave now."
Before Xu Qingmei took a liking to him by chance, Jing Huai genuinely admired this young top-tier international actress.
In the domestic scene, one might become a top star with just good looks and a hit drama, sometimes purely by luck. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by nοvelfire.net
But those who make it internationally have real talent.
Coupled with her well-maintained reputation inside the industry and among fans, admiration came naturally.
It wasn’t until he interacted with her privately that he realized his perceptions were entirely misguided.
Xu Qingmei was not a good-natured person; the more she suppressed herself, the crazier she was in private.
His feelings shifted from admiration to fear and trepidation as he truly got to know her.
Jing Huai turned away in a daze, no longer thinking about eating, just wanting to leave this space with Xu Qingmei.
As he approached the dish return area with his tray, a lively voice called out from behind.
"Brother Jing Huai, are you leaving?"
Jing Huai turned around to see Qian Yaya standing by the opposite table. Just as he was about to nod, he noticed her gaze fall on his untouched tray, and she said seriously, "Brother Jing Huai, wasting food is wrong."
Being educated on such a basic principle by a high schooler, especially one who was his fan, made Jing Huai flush with embarrassment.
By the time they finished eating, it was nearly nine o’clock.
After putting down the napkin, Shen Yunqing carefully opened the box, revealing two exquisite ink sticks lying inside.
He picked one up, examined it closely, and spoke with some admiration, "Indeed, it’s of excellent quality."
Jiang Lingxi was never one to be humble, "Of course, just look at whose handiwork it is."
Shen Yunqing couldn’t help but smile, "Your Majesty always insists on doing everything to perfection."
He had realized this in his past life!
An unexpected shadow fell over the table where they sat face-to-face.
Jiang Lingxi looked up and wasn’t surprised to see Shen Huchen.
Seeing Shen Huchen’s calligraphy with a brush and that he shared the Shen surname, she had her suspicions.
Though Prime Minister Shen had no wife or children in his previous life, coming from the illustrious Shen Family, it was no surprise descendants had continued the lineage.
Shen Huchen had gathered the courage to come over. He spent the entire meal wondering about the relationship between Jiang Lingxi and his cousin, not even hearing what Lu Sen was saying and got kicked several times under the table.
Since he could remember, after being sent to learn calligraphy and painting from his cousin due to mischief, he had never seen any woman around his cousin.
Now he actually saw his cousin dining with a female celebrity from the entertainment industry, and they seemed to be conversing happily.
If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have dared to dream of such a scene.
Now that he was here, facing Jiang Lingxi, he didn’t know what to say.
He wished he had thought of some words before coming over.
Shen Yunqing put the ink stick back, closed the box carefully, and looked at his little cousin standing like a post, "Why did you come over?"
Shen Huchen, with eyes somewhat similar to Shen Yunqing’s, blinked in disbelief, "I... I just came to say hello."
Is he disliking my presence? Thinking I’m in the way?
Chuchen feels wronged, and Chuchen will stay quiet!
Jiang Lingxi glanced at the boy, who couldn’t yet hide his emotions, and cleared her throat to break the silence in his mind, "Why don’t you introduce us?"
"Shen Huchen, my little uncle’s child."
Seeing Jiang Lingxi show no surprise at all after he introduced him, Shen Yunqing realized she had already guessed as much and was just confirming it.
"He learned from my calligraphy, and I taught him to paint too." Shen Yunqing decided to be open, even exposing some of his cousin’s past, "He was very mischievous when he was little, so my little uncle sent him to me for discipline. And I thought learning calligraphy and painting would be the best way to exercise that."
"So it turns out you were his teacher," Jiang Lingxi sighed with a slight smile, "That makes him my formidable opponent."
During the Yuan Zhao dynasty, who didn’t know that Prime Minister Shen, with his exceptional skills and the Emperor’s favor, was also a master of calligraphy and painting?
"Cousin," Shen Huchen, with red ears, protested softly against having his background exposed, not forgetting to ask the question he was most curious about, "you and Ms. Jiang are..."
Shen Yunqing looked at him, his expression unchanged, "You could use a different address."
"Then, Sister Jiang?"
Jiang Lingxi burst out laughing unkindly.