A pile of shrimp and crab shells lay before Xiao Linye.
Seeing her munching away, her gaze fixed on his face, his lips curled into an indulgent smile. "What are you looking at?"
His sudden voice startled Ye Yuning, making her jump.
Could she say he was handsome?
Probably because she had misspoken so many times before, Ye Yuning now made sure to think before she spoke. She quickly snapped back to reality and shook her head. "Just wondering why you aren’t eating. Isn’t the food to your liking?"
The food here is quite good!
Yet, since he had arrived, he had only eaten one fish; everything else they had ordered ended up in her stomach.
Xiao Linye said, "I don’t eat much."
His words made Ye Yuning pause, stunned. She glanced at the pile of shells in front of her, then at the few in front of Xiao Linye, and her lips couldn’t help but twitch. Although he hadn’t said anything, Ye Yuning now realized a serious issue: the stark contrast in their appetites. She ate far more than Xiao Linye did. Even for breakfast, she ate double his amount!
This sudden realization made Ye Yuning’s mind go blank, and she coughed awkwardly. "AHEM, well, it seems I ate a bit too much."
Hearing her words, Xiao Linye, who was peeling a shrimp, paused. He glanced at Ye Yuning with a smile. Seeing her charmingly coy look, he ultimately refrained from saying that she ate an unusual amount. The words on the tip of his tongue changed to, "A good appetite is a blessing!"
Ye Yuning was speechless. Is that meant to be comforting? Or a compliment?
"About that," she said, "I’ll cover most of the living expenses each month. You don’t need to buy anything; I’ll handle it."
She ate so much, while Xiao Linye, at most, only picked at the food in his own bowl. With an appetite that small, he really didn’t need to contribute to living expenses.
Xiao Linye replied, "No need."
No matter how much his woman ate, he could afford to provide for her.
Unaware of his thoughts, Ye Yuning insisted, "It’s necessary. I’ll buy everything. You eat too little."
Could it be that the ’perverted Seventh Master Xiao’ had tormented him so much he’d lost his appetite?
That was actually quite possible! When she had collaborated with the Xiao Group previously, she had been so angry several times that she couldn’t eat.
Before Xiao Linye could respond, a sudden weight fell on his shoulder. The instant he turned his head, Shi Yan exclaimed in surprise, "It really is you?"
Xiao Linye’s face darkened.
Shi Yan continued, "When I called you earlier, you said you were busy. Was it because of this, this...?!" He glanced at the shrimp in Xiao Linye’s hand, then at Ye Yuning across from them, her small mouth full as she ate.
So, ’no time’ meant he was here feeding his little lady?
Shi Yan inhaled sharply. "Aye, I never saw this coming, you actually..."
"Shut up!" Before he could finish, Xiao Linye cut him off coldly.
Shi Yan was taken aback. He won’t even let me say it?
Seriously, since when was he this patient? I was watching from over there for quite a while; I even thought I’d seen wrong. But when I got closer, it really was him!
"Where’s Qin Yu?" Xiao Linye asked.
That afternoon, Shi Yan had called him, saying he had returned to the country and they hadn’t gathered yet, wanting to make plans for that night. Xiao Linye had indeed been very busy lately.
Shi Yan pointed, "Over there!"
"Let’s go." Xiao Linye had already taken off his gloves and stood up. He then looked at Ye Yuning, who wore a confused expression, and told her, "Wait for me for a few minutes."
Ye Yuning nodded blankly.
She truly was bewildered. Shi Yan, and the Qin Yu he mentioned... she knew them both! Shi Yan was the Second Young Master of the Shi Family, and Qin Yu was the Fourth Young Master of the Qin Family—the younger brother of that foolish Eldest Young Master Qin! How could Xiao Linye possibly know these scions of prominent families?
Xiao Linye didn’t notice her strange expression and started to push Shi Yan away. Curious, Shi Yan turned back. "Hey, aren’t you going to introduce us?"
Shi Yan was exasperated. He’s not even going to let her know? Seriously, since when did he have a woman? What was this all about now? Was he trying to keep her a secret?
Driven by his intense curiosity, Shi Yan was eventually pushed back to their more distant table.
Qin Yu was indeed there.
Upon seeing Xiao Linye, Qin Yu was also surprised. "I didn’t think I was mistaken."
Shi Yan said, "I told you I wasn’t wrong, and you didn’t believe me."
"Who is that woman?" Qin Yu asked.
The few of them had been exceptionally close when they were abroad and had returned to the country one after another in the last two years. So Qin Yu’s question was also quite direct.
Shi Yan also looked curiously at Xiao Linye. A woman...!
While they were abroad, both he and Qin Yu had girlfriends, but Xiao Linye never did. Whenever a woman confessed her feelings to him, he always looked disgusted. It had even led them to suspect that Xiao Linye might have issues with his orientation.
And yet, how long had it been since he returned? He was already eating with a woman?
Shi Yan asked, "How did she latch onto you? Were you threatened?"
It seemed that, aside from being threatened, Shi Yan and Qin Yu couldn’t think of any other reason. They strongly suspected this woman was more scheming than all the previous ones; otherwise, how could she have gotten so close to Xiao Linye?
Xiao Linye’s expression darkened. "What nonsense are you spouting? That’s my wife."