Lu Nanxun and Liu Qingye were the last pair to return to the house.
Not because their date had been particularly enjoyable, but because the Western restaurant they had gone to was simply too far away. The drive had taken nearly an hour.
On top of that, traffic in Shanghai was always terrible on weekday evenings, so by the time they got back, it was already past nine.
On the way home, Liu Qingye had been hoping to take their relationship a little further.
She had just been about to speak when she noticed that Lu Nanxun had his eyes closed, his head resting against the seatback, looking utterly exhausted.
Sensing her gaze, Lu Nanxun slowly opened his eyes and said apologetically, “Sorry. I’ve been getting up too early and going to bed too late lately. I haven’t had much time to rest.”
After he put it that way, could Liu Qingye really keep dragging him into conversation?
She could only nod understandingly.
“It’s all right, Nanxun. Get some rest.”
And so, they rode the rest of the way in silence.
Liu Qingye felt terribly put out. The moment they arrived at the house, she jumped out of the car and didn’t bother waiting for Lu Nanxun.
When she opened the front door, she found the house unusually quiet.
Raising her voice, Liu Qingye called, “Where is everyone?”
Three seconds later, a figure came rushing out of the kitchen. Ji Mingtian was still wearing an apron, and his eyes lit up when he saw Liu Qingye.
He asked excitedly, “Yezi, you’re back! Have you eaten dinner?”
Seeing how eager he was, Liu Qingye’s earlier hurt and frustration at being ignored in the car eased somewhat.
Instead of answering right away, she turned to look at Lu Nanxun behind her and said softly, “Dr. Lu and I had Western food outside.”
“Oh, all right…” Ji Mingtian scratched his head in disappointment. “I thought you hadn’t eaten, so I cooked a whole lot of food. I didn’t realize you two were on a dinner date.”
After changing his shoes, Lu Nanxun looked up at Ji Mingtian. “Mingtian, is there much food left? I think I could eat a little more.”
Ji Mingtian hurriedly waved his hands.
“Actually, there’s only one serving left.”
He had specifically saved it for Liu Qingye, not Lu Nanxun.
Who would have thought that Liu Qingye would pretend not to understand the implication and simply nod?
“Then Dr. Lu should go eat some more. I’m going to put my things away in my room.”
Ji Mingtian was embarrassed, helpless, and utterly devastated.
All he could do was watch Lu Nanxun follow him into the kitchen, where the man even complimented him on how good his cooking was.
Ji Mingtian asked miserably, “Dr. Lu, how was your date today?”
Lu Nanxun answered succinctly, “It was all right.”
Ji Mingtian was insanely envious.
What did he mean, “all right”?
Hadn’t he noticed how carefully Yezi had dressed up today? He’d had a romantic candlelit dinner with the woman of his dreams, and all he could say was that it was all right.
Lu Nanxun took another bite, set down his chopsticks, and asked, “Where is everyone else?”
Ji Mingtian drooped. “Oh, they all went to the media room.”
“Then why didn’t you go?”
Ji Mingtian fell silent.
He couldn’t exactly admit that he had been hovering in the kitchen, waiting for Yezi to come back so he could watch her eat the food he had made.
The people in the media room had also heard footsteps and voices coming from outside. One by one, they came out and made their way toward the dining area.
Wang Aitian had sharp eyes. “Dr. Lu, you’re back? Haven’t you had dinner yet?”
Lu Nanxun turned toward her voice, looking somewhat expectantly at the people behind her.
But behind Wang Aitian were only Cen Yu and Zhang Weiyi.
He withdrew his gaze and looked down at the plate in front of him as he explained, “I ate dinner earlier, but I have a big appetite. I’m a little hungry again.”
Zhang Weiyi was rather straightforward.
He said bluntly, “Wasn’t that food Mingtian made for Yezi?”
Lu Nanxun froze. “…Was it? I didn’t know.” His face filled with apology.
Ji Mingtian hurriedly waved his hands. “It’s fine. Yezi said she was already full, and there’s food left anyway. It makes no difference who eats it.”
He thought to himself that he must be the most magnanimous person in the world when it came to his rival in love.
Only then did Lu Nanxun belatedly realize that Ji Mingtian’s feelings were for Liu Qingye.
Cen Yu added, “If you’re still hungry, I can use the remaining ingredients to make you some egg fried rice.”
Lu Nanxun replied, “This is enough, thank you.”
His gaze wandered over the three people in front of him before he asked, “Is there another pair of date partners who haven’t come back yet?”
Wang Aitian immediately caught on. With a smile, she said, “How could that be? Yueyue and Mr. Xu came back ages ago. You and Yezi are the ones who returned last.”
Lu Nanxun gave a soft “Mm.”
He told himself that he shouldn’t be paying attention to them, yet he couldn’t help himself.
He lowered his head and took another bite of food, pretending to ask casually, “Aren’t they in the media room?”
Cen Yu glanced outside the house. “They seem to have gone for a walk. They should be back soon.”
…
Ji Liuyue was a model, so eating a cupcake at night made her feel terribly guilty.
Working out at the gym would be too exhausting, so she decided to go for a walk instead. Maybe she could burn off some of the calories she had consumed.
Who would have thought that the moment she stepped outside, she would see Xu Jinsi heading out as well, a garbage bag in hand?
“Are you taking out the trash?” she asked.
Xu Jinsi nodded and said teasingly, “Some people cook, and some people wash the dishes. My only purpose is to take out the trash.”
Ji Liuyue gave him a look, her opinion of him improving slightly.
She had assumed he was the kind of rich young master who had never lifted a finger around the house. She hadn’t expected him to take the initiative to do chores.
“Going for a walk?” he asked.
Ji Liuyue nodded.
“Wait for me to take out the trash, and we’ll go together?”
“Sure.”
The two of them then strolled leisurely along a small river outside the house. The evening breeze was pleasantly mild, neither warm nor cool, and the temperature was comfortable. It was a very relaxing walk.
As they walked, Xu Jinsi suddenly asked, “What was your ex-boyfriend like?”
Ji Liuyue’s heart gave a little jolt.
Oh? He was already interested in her past relationships?
Curiosity was the beginning of falling for someone, Xu Jinsi!
Ji Liuyue raised her brows. With a mischievous grin, she began counting on her fingers.
“Which one are you asking about? Number 78 or number 112?”
Xu Jinsi could tell she was joking, of course, and played along. “Number 250.”
“Oh, I’ve only dated 249 people. Do you want this number?” The corners of her lips lifted as she suddenly stopped and looked at Xu Jinsi with an amused, teasing smile.
Xu Jinsi said, “Can we change it to a nicer number? That one is a little…”
Ji Liuyue laughed again. “Sure. Wait until I date someone else and break up with him, then I’ll come looking for you. Number 251?”
The moment Xu Jinsi heard that she was still planning to find another man to date before him, jealousy flared up again.
He was racking his brain for a way to respond and get a little dig in at her when Ji Liuyue continued,
“All right, I won’t tease you anymore. I have had quite a lot of experience when it comes to relationships.”
She made no effort to hide it. After all, pretty girls had never lacked admirers, from childhood to adulthood.
The original owner had claimed on the show that she had been single since birth. But after the dating show aired, many people who knew the truth dug up evidence that she had dated more than three men. As a result, she had been viciously criticized by netizens.
Xu Jinsi steadied himself and asked, “How many?”
Ji Liuyue began recalling her past.
“One relationship in high school, two in college, and one after graduation—that makes four in total. Four is a pretty unlucky number.”
“So I’m actually rather looking forward to number five. I wonder when Mr. Number Five will show up.”
