Although it was Dong Enyu treating, they were in Yong Le’s car, and it was Yong Le who chose the meal.
They didn’t go to a fancy restaurant; instead, Yong Le took her to a street food stall and ordered plain noodles. When the lady boss brought over the noodles and side dishes, Dong Enyu suddenly found it amusing. Was Yong Le trying to help her “recover her memory”? But she would rather forget all those crappy things.
“Is this all the value of the deal?” Dong Enyu deliberately teased Yong Le, even though the batch of goods was really bad.
Yong Le didn’t mind. She shrugged and handed Dong Enyu chopsticks. “It doesn’t matter what you eat; the most important thing is who you eat with. Even plain noodles taste better than five-star shark fin soup when eaten with Aunt Dong. Don’t you agree?” She acted like a kid trying to please an elder during the New Year, even calling Dong Enyu “Aunt Dong,” her words as sweet as honey.
Dong Enyu blinked and simply ignored it. Did she not know what Yong Le was thinking? Now she was interested, coaxing and deceiving, but once bored, she would throw her away. Dong Enyu wasn’t buying it.
Yong Le pouted, about to say something to please Dong Enyu, when a luxury car suddenly stopped in front of the street stall, attracting the attention of the people around. Even Dong Enyu and Yong Le looked towards the car. Unexpectedly, the woman who got out was Zhao Han, accompanied by three men in black suits who seemed to be bodyguards, each with a serious expression and wearing sunglasses like they were in a movie.
Zhao Han’s face was gloomy. Without thinking, she headed towards the street stall, wearing a designer suit and dark blue high heels. She approached Dong Enyu’s table, pulled out a chair, and sat down without regard for her status, while the three bodyguards stood close by, scaring nearby customers into either changing seats or taking their food to go.
The atmosphere suddenly became strange…
“Hello, Miss Zhao.” Dong Enyu held her chopsticks, greeting Zhao Han first to prevent her from flipping the table later, which would be unlucky for her.
“What are you doing here with her?” Zhao Han stared intently at Dong Enyu. The “her” she referred to was Yong Le, sitting on the right, but her gaze remained fixed on Dong Enyu’s face.
Yong Le, as if used to it, boldly took a bite of noodles and smiled faintly. “Teacher Zhao, are you blind? You see the two of us eating noodles here; of course, it’s a date. What else could it be, a fight?” The sound of her slurping noodles was particularly loud, making Zhao Han glare at her fiercely.
How could those cold eyes be blind?
Seeing the two of them not backing down, Dong Enyu quickly waved her hand to ease the tension. “Mr. Han did some business with Coral Reef Group, so I’m just treating Miss Yong to a meal as thanks.” She spoke lightly, making this forced date sound like a social dinner, almost biting her tongue while speaking.
Sure enough, she needed to learn the art of lying from Huo Ai…
Upon hearing about business, Zhao Han’s originally cold eyes became even more intense.
“What business?” Zhao Han asked Dong Enyu, but Yong Le slammed her bowl on the table, drawing Zhao Han’s glare.
“This is confidential, no comment,” she shook her finger, her mischievous smile full of provocation. How could she be afraid of Zhao Han? Even if Zhao Han had connections with many big shots, Yong Le didn’t care, so her tone naturally lacked respect. “If you have nothing to do, just leave. Don’t be a big light bulb here, getting in the way.” She glanced at Zhao Han’s bodyguards, chuckling softly.
“If you find it annoying, then get lost.” Zhao Han didn’t back down. Who could make her move?
“That’s not possible. I promised Huo Ai to send Aunt Dong back, can’t lose her,” Yong Le crossed her arms, refusing to give in, urging Zhao Han to leave quickly so as not to affect the street stall owner’s business. “Someone as high-status as Teacher Zhao might disturb the lives of ordinary people here, so go back to where you came from.” Her tone was like shooing a dog, just missing a few hisses.
Zhao Han didn’t seem to take Yong Le’s provocation seriously, but the bodyguards beside her couldn’t hold back. One wanted to step forward to speak, but Zhao Han stopped him with a glance. “I know you have a busy schedule, so no need to wait. After Dong Enyu finishes eating, I’ll take her back to Haijiao Headquarters, so you can report to Manager Huo.”
The two of them exchanged words, but Dong Enyu treated it as background noise, focusing on finishing her noodles.
“No need to argue, I have somewhere to go.” Dong Enyu waved her hand, like an emperor telling two concubines not to fight for favor.
Hearing this, Yong Le propped her chin with her hands, raising her eyebrows. “Where to?” Besides going back to the company, where else could Dong Enyu go?
“My roommate didn’t come home last night, so I plan to stop by her company to check on her.” Indeed, not seeing Mu Lin for a few days made her uneasy. Dong Enyu quickly paid the bill and prepared to leave. Yong Le and Zhao Han also stood up, but she noticed Zhao Han’s face turned even darker, staring at Dong Enyu like she was an enemy.
“I’ll take you there.” Yong Le took the lead, reaching out to hold Dong Enyu but was dodged.
The meaning in her eyes was clear; walk, but don’t touch.
Under Dong Enyu’s warning, Yong Le chuckled a few times but didn’t insist. The two of them walked towards the roadside, but Zhao Han quickened her pace, occupying the front seat before Dong Enyu could sit in the passenger seat. As soon as Yong Le got in the car, she frowned, looking in the rearview mirror to see the woman who should have been beside her now leisurely sitting in the back seat, her smile making Yong Le unhappy.
The passenger seat represented the position of the hostess, and Zhao Han wasn’t in that kind of relationship with her…
“Teacher Zhao, are you annoying? I’m taking Aunt Dong to see her little lover, not to a hotel. Why are you so nervous?” She rested one hand on the window, keeping her distance from Zhao Han. From outside, she could see Zhao Han’s three bodyguards had already driven the black car, parked behind, ready to follow.
Zhao Han mimicked Yong Le’s action, resting one hand on the window sill, but her posture was much more elegant, like a king looking down on her. Her beautiful lips moved, speaking coldly, “Shut your filthy mouth and drive.” She spoke each word clearly, so clear that Dong Enyu almost burst out laughing, thinking how Zhao Han didn’t just kick Yong Le out of the car, really letting her off easy.
Yong Le shrugged, muttering a few words, knowing this light bulb was here to stay.
With Zhao Han joining midway, Dong Enyu didn’t mind. She instructed Yong Le on the direction to Mu Lin’s company. Although she hadn’t been there, she roughly knew the location. On the way, she specially bought some tonic soup to reward the hardworking Mu Lin. The aroma of the herbal soup filled the car, and Dong Enyu carefully held the bowl, her mind full of Mu Lin’s cute image, not realizing her smile was like a woman in love.
However, the two sitting in front saw all of Dong Enyu’s expressions. Yong Le snorted, turning the corner sharply as if trying to spill the soup. Zhao Han’s cold eyes stared at Dong Enyu through the rearview mirror, as if trying to see through her.
Unfortunately, it seemed like there was a protective barrier around Dong Enyu. Want to harm her? Better ask Mu Lin first.
After more than half an hour, the three of them arrived at the junction of North District and East District, in a suburban area. What they saw was a large golf course, a vast lawn with no buildings yet. In the distance, they could see a uniquely designed building, which was Mu Lin’s company.
As they got closer to the destination, Dong Enyu’s mood became more nervous. She feared that suddenly visiting Mu Lin might upset her, but she couldn’t suppress the desire to meet, her heart in turmoil. On the other hand, the two sitting in front silently observed the scenery. It was indeed a trading company, with luxury cars in the parking lot and a large fountain at the entrance, seemingly a reputable company, but awkwardly located at the junction of North District and East District.
Yong Le parked the car under the shade of a tree not far from the entrance. Dong Enyu opened the car door and immediately called Mu Lin.
“Hello, it’s me. Are you busy?” It was 1:30 in the afternoon. She hoped she wasn’t disturbing Mu Lin’s rest or work.
Mu Lin yawned, speaking softly, “No, I just finished lunch, about to start work.”
“I bought you some tonic soup. I’m downstairs at your company. Want to come down and have some?” Dong Enyu smiled indulgently. Her voice wasn’t loud, mostly drowned out by the wind. “If it’s inconvenient, I’ll leave it in the lobby, and you can come down when you have time.” She hoped to hand it to Mu Lin personally but also considered that Mu Lin might not be able to leave easily.
“Huh?! Enyu, are you here? Why…” Mu Lin’s tone was full of surprise, easily imagining her expression.
Dong Enyu chuckled a few times, honestly expressing her thoughts, “I miss you.”
…I miss you, so I came.
She didn’t know how much of a ripple these three words would cause in Mu Lin’s heart, but Dong Enyu laughed at her own foolishness.
Clearly past the age of pure love, yet still feeling this kind of excitement.
“I’ll be right down.” Mu Lin’s hurried tone gave Dong Enyu great encouragement.
She knew it wasn’t just her one-sided affection.
Dong Enyu responded a few times, leaning against the car door, waiting for Mu Lin to come down. At this time, Yong Le and Zhao Han stood by the tree. They hadn’t missed a word of what Dong Enyu said, nor had they missed the joy and happiness on her face. Yong Le took out a cigarette, lit it, took a puff, and slowly exhaled, as if trying to expel her frustration with the smoke. As for Zhao Han, she crossed her arms, her eyes not on Dong Enyu but on the door, like a leopard waiting for a lamb to appear.
In just a few minutes, Mu Lin appeared behind the transparent automatic door. As soon as she stepped out of the building, she saw Dong Enyu.
In the sunlight, her bright smile was dazzling. Mu Lin, wearing a floral dress, walked towards Dong Enyu with a joyful step, but upon seeing the two people behind the car, she immediately stopped…
