The most important thing is, this family day was organized by his stepsister, who has no blood relation to him.
...
Around lunchtime, at the World Trade Center Mall in Beijing.
Ning Youguang met with her friend Li Qing.
As soon as she saw her, she smiled:
"Dressed so nicely, do you have a date tonight?"
Today, Li Qing was clearly meticulously dressed; her hair was carefully styled, her face adorned with exquisite makeup, wearing a bean green, well-tailored strappy dress, beige pointy-toed high heels from Malone Souliers, carrying a silver-chained black mini Hermès bag, looking both exquisite and capable, with a hint of fresh gentleness.
Definitely a stunning and exquisite beauty!
She was armed from head to toe.
They had met before, but she’d never seen her put so much effort into dressing up.
Fishy!
"Meeting you, of course." Li Qing laughed as she linked her arm with hers, and they walked together into the mall.
Only, although she looked so fresh and bright, the smile on her face didn’t last long before it quieted down again.
Having known Li Qing for so many years, Ning Youguang knew she had a lively personality, always cheerful when interacting with people.
But today, she was acting unusually from the inside out.
"You’ve lost weight, have you been dieting recently?" she asked casually.
"Yes, I signed up for a yoga class, three sessions a week." Li Qing replied, forcing a smile.
"No wonder your waist is so thin now." Ning Youguang teased as she felt her waist.
Finally, a hint of joy appeared on Li Qing’s face.
Their laughter and teasing continued as they walked and reached the entrance of Starbucks.
Ning Youguang stopped, "What would you like to drink? It’s on me."
Li Qing blurted out, "Americano." Then she hesitated, "Let’s go in and have a look first."
At the Starbucks counter, they looked at the menu, and Li Qing finally chose a Green Tea and Java Chip Frappuccino.
As they walked out of Starbucks with their coffee.
Ning Youguang took a sip of her Hazelnut Latte and asked, "Aren’t you on a weight loss regime?"
Li Qing took a big gulp of her Frappuccino and said, "Weight loss isn’t important now, happiness is more important."
Ning Youguang nodded, "You’re really skinny already, losing weight really isn’t important."
Li Qing bit on her straw, "Yeah, I’m not fat to begin with, no need to be hard on myself."
Even though her words were confident, her gaze was a bit evasive.
Ning Youguang sensed that she might be troubled.
Finally, they sat in a slightly secluded spot in a popular Japanese restaurant.
According to usual dining seat choices, this wasn’t a good spot, not by the window nor the side, which young girls usually wouldn’t choose when there are plenty of options.
But Li Qing insisted on choosing it, and Ning Youguang said nothing.
She picked up the menu, took a sip of barley tea served by the waiter, and slowly asked, "Why Japanese food? You don’t like raw food."
Li Qing, on the other hand, sat holding her tea cup, observing her surroundings while sipping.
She didn’t answer the question, instead asking a completely unrelated one:
"Darling, how do you define a playboy?"
Ning Youguang paused, raising an eyebrow.
"Someone who loves the sea and is a great swimmer."
"Why do you say that?" Li Qing withdrew her gaze and stared at her.
"In my definition, firstly, this person has to be very ’skilled’, able to handle any type of situation without being awkward, with the right tactics, able to quickly take control in a conversation. Secondly, this person must be very ’flirtatious’, loyalty is absolutely not an option. The internal drive of a playboy is ’insatiability’, like there’s a black hole inside needing constant filling with various people."
"Then that girl in our company fits perfectly." Li Qing turned her head, looked at a seat by the window with a bit of a somber gaze.
Ning Youguang followed her gaze and saw a young couple affectionately ordering, a deep thought flashing in her eyes, she pulled her gaze back and continued to look at the menu, asking, "Did that girl do something to you?"
Li Qing retracted her gaze, looked at her, and said slowly, "Didn’t I tell you before, a handsome guy came to our company building?"
"Yes, a top-notch handsome guy." Ning Youguang smiled, recalling it clearly.
Li Qing chuckled and sighed, "At the time it was just talk, he’s not so extraordinary. To this day, in my life, the only one I ever met who could be called a top-notch handsome guy, apart from your brother, is no one else."
"Thank you on behalf of my brother." Ning Youguang picked up the pen and ticked the menu, "Do you want crispy river shrimps?"
Li Qing nodded, not really thinking about food, and continued, "That handsome guy has a fair complexion and distinct features, considered attractive in the eyes of ordinary people like us."
"Oh, what about the handsome guy?" Ning Youguang continued, "How about beef and asparagus rolls?"
Li Qing kept nodding, "I’m okay with anything, you order what you want, I’m paying today."
Ning Youguang’s eyes shifted slightly, "Then I won’t stand on ceremony." With that, she ticked several more items on the menu.
Li Qing lowered her gaze, "Last month, suddenly the handsome guy tapped my shoulder and asked if I was free over the weekend."
Being asked out by a handsome guy was supposed to be a happy event.
Unfortunately, Li Qing’s expression didn’t contain a hint of joy, instead, there was a feeling of being repelled.
Ning Youguang said nothing, quietly listening to her.
"His voice was very nice, and he would blush when talking to me. At the time my heart skipped a beat, I didn’t expect him, who seemed cold from afar, to be so simple and honest up close... the difference was touchingly cute, so I happily told him I was free, and guess what?" Her eyes showed signs of hurt.
Ning Youguang closed the menu in her hand: "What?"
"He asked me, where’s Yiyi?"