Chu Lui picked up the cup Li Manni had placed on the table and took a sip.
“So, how is it this time?” Li Manni asked, smiling, but her eyes held mixed feelings. She had changed the beans to a bitterer type, but she was not sure if he was able to detect it.
“Yeah, it’s fine.” Chu Lui held the cup in his hand without saying anything else. Truthfully, it tasted the same, just slightly bitterer than the previous one. However, it still did not have the kind of bitterness he wanted. He was used to that so this cup of coffee was not that bitter to him.
“Where do you want to go for dinner today?” Chu Lui glanced at his wristwatch. In the past, at this timing, he would still be working, but things were different now with Li Manni here. She had just lost a child so she could not go starving.
“I’m fine with anything. I’ll go wherever you choose. I’ll listen to you today.” Li Manni was feeling a little out of sorts. She actually had no appetite, but she could only force herself to eat to prevent Chu Lui from becoming suspicious.
“Manni, we’re husband and wife. If anything is bothering you, you can tell me.” Chu Lui spoke suddenly, his calm black eyes directed at her. He was not blind; neither was he unfeeling. She was acting oddly recently.
“It’s not like that. I’m just really tired.” Li Manni denied frantically. Her heart sank. Did her behavior really seem so deliberate that he had noticed? How could she have forgotten how smart a man Chu Lui was, and how scary his observation skills are? She must be more careful in the future.
Chu Lui put down the cup on the desk. Someone would naturally clean this up later. He picked up the coat he had left at the side and walked to Li Manni’s side, placing a hand around her shoulders habitually. “Let’s go. I’ll take you to dinner.”
“Okay.” Li Manni nodded lightly and followed him out. Everyone in the office looked at Li Manni in envy. She was really a blissful woman. The CEO treated her very well.
The Western restaurant was not very crowded, which gave them a quiet environment to have their meal.
“What’s wrong? Is the food bad?” Chu Lui put down his cutlery and asked Li Manni, seated opposite him, who was eating extremely slowly. He recalled that she loved the steak at this restaurant and thus specially brought her here. However, it seemed she was eating food like it was medicine.
“Oh, no, it’s very delicious. It’s just that I haven’t been here in such a long while that I’ve forgotten the flavor.” Li Manni looked up and forced a smile.
Li Manni, you must stay calm. That day was just a nightmare. Nothing is going to happen. Everything is already over, and that man will never appear again. No one will know, yes, no one will.
She put a piece of steak—slightly over medium-well, just as she liked it—in her mouth and then another. It tasted just like she remembered. She just wanted to stop thinking about those scary memories and just think of the happy ones.
Seeing that she was continuing to eat, Chu Lui ate his portion without talking. They continued their meal in silence. It seemed that it was a habit they had developed. They just ate without much exchange of words.
“Cousin, you guys are here, too?” A boisterous voice broke the silence. The word ‘cousin’ let them know who had arrived.
“I’m really hungry.” Du Jingtang walked over energetically and plunked down at their table, not bothered by how bright he seemed between the couple. He snapped his fingers. “Waiter.”
A waiter had already reached his side.
“May I have your order, sir?” The respectful voice really makes one feel like one was an emperor.
“Give me a portion of steak, medium well, and a glass of good wine.” Then, he pointed his finger at Chu Lui. “Put it on his tab.” Chu Lui just continued eating his food, without blinking an eye.
The waiter noted everything down before bowing. “Please wait a moment.”
Du Jingtang extended his long legs out and took the opportunity to stretch lazily. “Cousin, you won’t be so stingy to refuse to treat me a meal, right? It’s not that expensive anyway. A hair from you could pay for a hundred meals.” He put down his hand and lifted his chin.
“And it’s not the first time anyway.”
“Leave if you speak another word.” Chu Lui spoke, without any inflection in his voice. Du Jingtang retracted his hand, bored. Eating with Chu Lui really gave one indigestion; the air was so dull.
Du Jingtang’s food arrived very soon. He wanted to attack the food with his hands like how a hungry ghost wanted to be reincarnated. He did not eat much in the morning, and so he was going to compensate for it now. Chu Lui just gave him an indifferent stare. He was already used to it—he was always like this.
“Stop looking at me, Cousin. You won’t get full looking at me anyway.” Du Jingtang’s face broadened into a grin. He wasn’t steak, and so why look at him? He finished saying, and his eyes returned to the plate in front of him. Everything else was thrown out of his mind. At this point, nothing was more important than food.
Li Manni lifted her chin slightly. She let out a laugh as she looked at the way Du Jingtang ate. He really was not particular about anything.
Seated not far from them, two people were discussing something as if there were no one beside them.
“Women nowadays are really something. You can know a woman’s face but not her heart. Who knows what kind of intentions one holds under the kind exterior.”
Li Manni lowered her head and chewed on her food tastelessly. Every mouthful was difficult to swallow.
“Yes, well said. I totally agree.” Du Jingtang did not forget to reply while he ate.
Customer A said, “Why do you say so? Did you get hurt by a woman before?” They were close so Chu Lui’s table heard every word clearly. Of course, the ‘you’ here wasn’t referring to Du Jingtang.
It was the conversation between the two of them. Du Jingtang was in charge of only eating as well as providing a listening ear.
“No. I was just bored, and so I spoke my mind.” Customer B, who started the conversation, said.
“Perfect women are not rare, actually,” Customer A continued. “For example, Chu Lui’s wife. She’s so gentle and kind, and when they’re together they look like a golden couple. They’ve been married for four years, and their relationship is still going well. With a wife like that, even rumors regarding the Chu Lui have quelled.”
Chu Lui picked up the cup Li Manni had placed on the table and took a sip.
“So, how is it this time?” Li Manni asked, smiling, but her eyes held mixed feelings. She had changed the beans to a bitterer type, but she was not sure if he was able to detect it.
“Yeah, it’s fine.” Chu Lui held the cup in his hand without saying anything else. Truthfully, it tasted the same, just slightly bitterer than the previous one. However, it still did not have the kind of bitterness he wanted. He was used to that so this cup of coffee was not that bitter to him.
“Where do you want to go for dinner today?” Chu Lui glanced at his wristwatch. In the past, at this timing, he would still be working, but things were different now with Li Manni here. She had just lost a child so she could not go starving.
“I’m fine with anything. I’ll go wherever you choose. I’ll listen to you today.” Li Manni was feeling a little out of sorts. She actually had no appetite, but she could only force herself to eat to prevent Chu Lui from becoming suspicious.
“Manni, we’re husband and wife. If anything is bothering you, you can tell me.” Chu Lui spoke suddenly, his calm black eyes directed at her. He was not blind; neither was he unfeeling. She was acting oddly recently.
“It’s not like that. I’m just really tired.” Li Manni denied frantically. Her heart sank. Did her behavior really seem so deliberate that he had noticed? How could she have forgotten how smart a man Chu Lui was, and how scary his observation skills are? She must be more careful in the future.
Chu Lui put down the cup on the desk. Someone would naturally clean this up later. He picked up the coat he had left at the side and walked to Li Manni’s side, placing a hand around her shoulders habitually. “Let’s go. I’ll take you to dinner.”
“Okay.” Li Manni nodded lightly and followed him out. Everyone in the office looked at Li Manni in envy. She was really a blissful woman. The CEO treated her very well.
The Western restaurant was not very crowded, which gave them a quiet environment to have their meal.
“What’s wrong? Is the food bad?” Chu Lui put down his cutlery and asked Li Manni, seated opposite him, who was eating extremely slowly. He recalled that she loved the steak at this restaurant and thus specially brought her here. However, it seemed she was eating food like it was medicine.
“Oh, no, it’s very delicious. It’s just that I haven’t been here in such a long while that I’ve forgotten the flavor.” Li Manni looked up and forced a smile.
Li Manni, you must stay calm. That day was just a nightmare. Nothing is going to happen. Everything is already over, and that man will never appear again. No one will know, yes, no one will.
She put a piece of steak—slightly over medium-well, just as she liked it—in her mouth and then another. It tasted just like she remembered. She just wanted to stop thinking about those scary memories and just think of the happy ones.
Seeing that she was continuing to eat, Chu Lui ate his portion without talking. They continued their meal in silence. It seemed that it was a habit they had developed. They just ate without much exchange of words.
“Cousin, you guys are here, too?” A boisterous voice broke the silence. The word ‘cousin’ let them know who had arrived.
“I’m really hungry.” Du Jingtang walked over energetically and plunked down at their table, not bothered by how bright he seemed between the couple. He snapped his fingers. “Waiter.”
A waiter had already reached his side.
“May I have your order, sir?” The respectful voice really makes one feel like one was an emperor.
“Give me a portion of steak, medium well, and a glass of good wine.” Then, he pointed his finger at Chu Lui. “Put it on his tab.” Chu Lui just continued eating his food, without blinking an eye.
The waiter noted everything down before bowing. “Please wait a moment.”
Du Jingtang extended his long legs out and took the opportunity to stretch lazily. “Cousin, you won’t be so stingy to refuse to treat me a meal, right? It’s not that expensive anyway. A hair from you could pay for a hundred meals.” He put down his hand and lifted his chin.
“And it’s not the first time anyway.”
“Leave if you speak another word.” Chu Lui spoke, without any inflection in his voice. Du Jingtang retracted his hand, bored. Eating with Chu Lui really gave one indigestion; the air was so dull.
Du Jingtang’s food arrived very soon. He wanted to attack the food with his hands like how a hungry ghost wanted to be reincarnated. He did not eat much in the morning, and so he was going to compensate for it now. Chu Lui just gave him an indifferent stare. He was already used to it—he was always like this.
“Stop looking at me, Cousin. You won’t get full looking at me anyway.” Du Jingtang’s face broadened into a grin. He wasn’t steak, and so why look at him? He finished saying, and his eyes returned to the plate in front of him. Everything else was thrown out of his mind. At this point, nothing was more important than food.
Li Manni lifted her chin slightly. She let out a laugh as she looked at the way Du Jingtang ate. He really was not particular about anything.
Seated not far from them, two people were discussing something as if there were no one beside them.
“Women nowadays are really something. You can know a woman’s face but not her heart. Who knows what kind of intentions one holds under the kind exterior.”
Li Manni lowered her head and chewed on her food tastelessly. Every mouthful was difficult to swallow.
“Yes, well said. I totally agree.” Du Jingtang did not forget to reply while he ate.
Customer A said, “Why do you say so? Did you get hurt by a woman before?” They were close so Chu Lui’s table heard every word clearly. Of course, the ‘you’ here wasn’t referring to Du Jingtang.
It was the conversation between the two of them. Du Jingtang was in charge of only eating as well as providing a listening ear.
“No. I was just bored, and so I spoke my mind.” Customer B, who started the conversation, said.
“Perfect women are not rare, actually,” Customer A continued. “For example, Chu Lui’s wife. She’s so gentle and kind, and when they’re together they look like a golden couple. They’ve been married for four years, and their relationship is still going well. With a wife like that, even rumors regarding the Chu Lui have quelled.”
