It seems that no man in the world can resist a woman who knows how to play coy. Lu Luochen thoroughly enjoyed Yun Chutong's touches. Whenever she reached out her hand, he would enfold it in his broad palm. When she drew near, he would nuzzle her hair. No matter what Yun Chutong did to his body, he always had a way to reciprocate.
"Sorry, we don't get to see each other often, so we tend to get a bit touchy-feely whenever we can," Yun Chutong suddenly lifted her head from Lu Luochen's embrace and apologized to Wen Sining and Qiao Xi, who were whispering to each other across the table.
The two women were caught off guard and looked at Yun Chutong, utterly confused.
With her innocent looks, even the slightest expression could arouse one's protective instincts.
Qiao Xi nervously placed her hand on Wen Sining's knee.
"It's okay. If you find us intrusive, we can move to another table," Wen Sining said.
Qiao Xi had been itching to leave. She nodded so vigorously that she almost grabbed her backpack and bolted.
Yun Chutong finally detached herself from Lu Luochen. She waved her arms in front of her and shook her head. "No, you've got me all wrong."
As she spoke, she grabbed Lu Luochen's arm and gave it a little shove. "Luochen, help me explain."
To an outsider, it looked like a bunch of strangers forced to share a table. But in Lu Luochen's eyes, Wen Sining and Qiao Xi were like bullies.
"Just sit down. Don't make a fuss," he said.
Yun Chutong turned around. That wasn't the answer she was hoping for.
"Yeah, stay. It'll be more fun this way," Yun Chutong said, insincerely.
Just then, the waiter arrived with the dishes, and their plan to leave was shelved.
When all the dishes were on the table, Qiao Xi was stunned. She had done her research on this restaurant before coming. The food was outrageously expensive. As a salaried worker, she would never have come here, and if she did, she would only order one or two of the most popular dishes to try.
A table full of dishes like this would cost her several months' salary. She nudged Wen Sining and tightened her grip on her chopsticks.
Wen Sining picked up some food with her chopsticks and placed it on Qiao Xi's plate. "Eat up."
Hearing this, Yun Chutong covered her mouth and giggled. "Yeah, Luochen ordered a lot. Try them all. You don't get to eat this kind of food every day."
She pushed a plate towards Wen Sining. The already crowded table made a loud noise as the plate moved, and the dish in front of Qiao Xi almost fell off.
Wen Sining frowned slightly. She picked up the food from the dish in front of her and put it in a basket. Then she roughly stacked the empty plates and called the waiter to take them away.
The food in a French restaurant is usually bite-sized. A person with a big mouth could swallow it in one go.
Qiao Xi knew that Wen Sining was doing this to protect her. She felt touched and didn't want her to be the only one attracting strange looks.
She put down her chopsticks and imitated Wen Sining, gathering all the food in front of her onto one plate.
"What?" Yun Chutong suddenly lost her appetite.
Eating Western food is all about elegance. But these two women were treating it like a street stall, casually mixing different flavors together.
Wen Sining didn't care. She picked up some food and stuffed it into her mouth. As she chewed, she said, "The plates are too big. They take up too much space. Look, it's much more spacious now. You don't have to keep pushing the plates forward."
The implication was obvious. Yun Chutong understood the veiled insult. She sized Wen Sining up and said with a smile, "Ms. Wen, have you never been to a Western restaurant before?"
Whether it's a Chinese or Western restaurant, Wen Sining only saw it as a place to fill her stomach. She didn't think that eating Western food made one superior to those who didn't.
Looking at the arrogance and prejudice oozing from Yun Chutong, Wen Sining finally understood why the old man was so against her and Lu Luochen being together.
Who would willingly push their loved ones into the abyss? After just one day of contact, Wen Sining had already given up the idea of helping them get together.
"Yeah, we usually go to street stalls," Wen Sining said without a hint of embarrassment.
Lu Luochen was surprised by her answer. When he looked up, he felt a strange sense of familiarity.
It felt so familiar!
The sight of her brought back memories of the scarred Wen Sining. Their every move was so similar.
"Ms. Wen, are you from Licheng?"
Yun Chutong swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue and turned to look at Lu Luochen.
Normally, Lu Luochen only had eyes for her. He never paid much attention to other women, let alone showed curiosity about their background.
The hostility in Yun Chutong's heart grew stronger because of Lu Luochen's question. She looked up at Wen Sining and noticed her uneasiness.
Why?
Yun Chutong's eyes darted back and forth between them.
"No," Wen Sining said. "I only came to Licheng when I was a child."
The Wen family had been in Licheng for just as long as the Lu family. It was impossible for them to be the same person.
Lu Luochen regretted asking the question as soon as it left his mouth. After hearing Wen Sining's answer, he stopped dwelling on it.
"Let's all start eating. The food will get cold," Yun Chutong said, trying to sound enthusiastic.
The meal was anything but comfortable. Qiao Xi, who was sensitive by nature, felt that Yun Chutong was hostile towards them. Her mind was so preoccupied that she lost her appetite.
Finally, the meal was over. Yun Chutong even offered to drive them home. After several refusals, they were finally left in peace.
"Sining, do you think she's being so nice to us because she's afraid I'll tell someone about what happened this afternoon?" Qiao Xi leaned on Wen Sining, exhausted. She didn't even have the energy to speak.
Wen Sining gently stroked her face and hailed a taxi. She helped Qiao Xi into the car like an old nanny. "It's getting late. You've had a long day. Go home and rest. I'll treat you to a meal here another day. Take a hot bath when you get home and stop thinking about all this nonsense."
With Wen Sining's reassurance, Qiao Xi felt a little better. She nodded obediently and watched Wen Sining close the car door.
It wasn't far from here to the Lu family mansion. If she took a taxi now, she would definitely get home before Lu Luochen.
Wen Sining stood on the side of the road, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.