The meeting place agreed by Pei Yan and Lu Yi was a Chinese restaurant.
It was not far, and they reached the destination in less than half an hour.
When getting out of the car, Pei Yansi clenched Shen Heyu’s hand tightly as if he were afraid she would leave him the next second.
Shen Heyu, knowing she could not refuse Pei Yansi, did not resist and let him hold her hand.
Zhao Jin had booked a private room for them in advance, although it was only a meeting between Lu Yi and Chen Lingmeng, the standards were nonetheless high.
Pei Yansi had mentioned before that he would play matchmaker for Lu Yi, and Shen Heyu didn’t understand why someone like him would engage in such things, but considering his skill at getting jealous, she could somehow comprehend his actions.
However, she couldn’t grasp the true reason behind his actions.
Shen Heyu still felt that Pei Yansi’s current attitude towards her was very suspicious, he didn’t have her in his heart, but the things he was doing...
Pei Yansi, holding her hand, walked into the restaurant and noticed she was distracted, looked down at her with dissatisfaction, "What are you thinking about?"
Was it because she was about to meet Lu Yi that she was nervous and distracted, always thinking about something else?
When Shen Heyu heard his voice, she looked up and met his cold, deep eyes, shaking her head without speaking.
Pei Yansi did not refuse further and led by the server, entered the private room.
When they arrived, Lu Yi and Chen Lingmeng were already there.
Chen Lingmeng had a menu placed beside her but she wasn’t looking at it. Lu Yi, sitting opposite her, also had a look of concern; neither of them seemed interested in anything.
When they saw Pei Yansi and Shen Heyu coming in, both of their eyes lit up at the same time.
Especially Lu Yi, he excitedly stood up from his chair as he looked at Shen Heyu, wanting to speak, but then sat down again upon seeing her hand in Pei Yansi’s hand, trying to gaze at her calmly while knowing exactly what was going on, yet still deceiving himself by saying, "Heyu, what a coincidence."
Shen Heyu smiled slightly at him, a very polite and appropriate smile. With Pei Yansi by her side, her every move was under his watch; she didn’t dare to make any grand gestures that might lead Pei Yansi to misunderstand and get angry.
It wasn’t that she cared about his feelings, but rather for her own sake since once this venerable ’Buddha’ got angry, she would end up suffering.
Pei Yansi appeared to be looking at Lu Yi but his eyes were indeed always watching her.
He nodded and smiled at Lu Yi, looking very composed and saying little.
Chen Lingmeng’s gaze was fixed on Pei Yansi.
He was dressed in casual home attire, lacking the coldness and business-like seriousness of a suit, which made him appear much softer and even more handsome than usual. Despite being thirty, he was still considered a prime bachelor in many people’s eyes.
Chen Lingmeng’s eyes sparkled with joy, her voice unable to hide her excitement, "Yansi, you’re here too?"
She hurried to clarify her relationship with Lu Yi, saying, "I’m only here to meet him because my dad forced me to; we have no other relationship."
After saying that, she didn’t wait for his response, nor did she glance at Shen Heyu beside him. She pulled out the chair beside her and said, "Yansi, please have a seat."
Pei Yansi stood there unmoving, holding Shen Heyu’s hand in his, and turned his gaze towards the silent Lu Yi, "Doctor Lu, I hope you have a pleasant date."
Hearing this, Lu Yi’s expression turned unsightly and he instinctively wanted to argue, but the next moment, his eyes fell on Shen Heyu.
He remembered what Lu Yunlan had told him the previous night.
Now that Shen Heyu was legally Pei Yansi’s wife, even if he harbored feelings for her...
Especially since he now needed a new life.
He held back the words he hadn’t yet spoken and instead said, "Thank you."
After these two words, he secretly glanced at Shen Heyu, wanting to see her reaction. But her expression was usual, only focused on the menu on the table, looking rather greedy.
Shen Heyu was indeed hungry.
She hadn’t been able to rest or sleep the previous night because she was "tormented" by Pei Yansi.
This morning, when she woke up at the old house, she also skipped meals out of spite towards Pei Yansi, and now she was so hungry her stomach was sticking to her back.
Pei Yansi was observing her behavior and saw her eyes fixed only on the menu on the table.
She seemed completely indifferent to Lu Yi and Chen Lingmeng.
Was it possible she didn’t truly care for him?
In the end, Pei Yansi glanced at Lu Yi, said nothing further, bowed his head and leaned close to Shen Heyu, whispering in her ear, "I’ll take you next door for lunch."
Shen Heyu was stunned for a moment, having thought he would also have her dine with them in this private room.
She quickly caught on and was pulled out of the room by Pei Yansi.
As the two left, Lu Yi gave her one last look, his eyes filled with reluctance.
Shen Heyu didn’t see his gaze, but Pei Yansi, walking behind her, saw it clearly and sneered inwardly.
He knew Lu Yi wouldn’t easily give up on Shen Heyu.
Perhaps facilitating his marriage with the Chen Family was the right choice after all.
As they reached the entrance of the private room, they heard Chen Lingmeng’s anxious voice calling, "Yansi!"
Pei Yansi just frowned slightly without stopping, but Shen Heyu, ahead of him, did stop.
Shen Heyu unconsciously turned around, meeting his gaze.
Didn’t she know Chen Lingmeng’s thoughts about him? Why stop now? Pei Yansi coldly watched her but knew he couldn’t really fault her, so he too reluctantly stopped, turned around, and faced Chen Lingmeng.
Chen Lingmeng had risen from her seat and walked up to him.
She was a whole head shorter than him; she had to look up to see his face. He was always so indifferent, his gaze at her void of any warmth, "Miss Chen, what is it?"
Pei Yansi’s tone was detached, equally devoid of emotion.
Chen Lingmeng, initially fearless, heard his tone and felt a loss of confidence. She glanced at Shen Heyu behind him, and hesitated.
With anyone but Shen Heyu, Pei Yansi always had little patience. Seeing her speechless, he turned silently, planning to leave with Shen Heyu.
Seeing this, Chen Lingmeng couldn’t hold back anymore and blurted out to his retreating figure, "Yansi, can we talk?"
She looked at his back hopefully.
Pei Yansi, however, merely paused, then continued walking without looking back, taking Shen Heyu’s hand and leaving.
Shen Heyu looked back at Chen Lingmeng, her gaze odd. She knew of her feelings for Pei Yansi, but he was noticeably colder...
It reminded her so much of how he was six years ago with her—cold-hearted, callously trampling.
She saw herself in Chen Lingmeng and felt a bitter taste, bowing her head and following Pei Yansi into the private room.