Chapter Twenty-Five

Huainan Tower is a waterside pavilion.

The winding path leads to a pavilion, surrounded by flowing water where several small fish swim leisurely.

If Zhou Mo hadn't walked through it herself, she would never have imagined that such a pretentious place was actually inside the solemn building.

He Ru's reaction was quite indifferent, which suggests that she frequents this place.

Zhou Mo couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "This industry is really lucrative, but the risks are too great."

What are you thinking about?

"I'm wondering how much money you have."

Instead of having the receptionist lead him to his seat, He gentlemanly took the place, pulled out a chair for Zhou Mo, prepared tea for her, and only slowly sat down after Zhou Mo was settled.

“A lot of money.” He Ru stroked the rim of her glass, a faint smile on her face. “So you’re curious about how much money I have before you agreed to come out with me? If I had known, I should have printed out my bank account and stuck it on my forehead. Then you wouldn’t have been so cold to me when we first met.”

A true hero doesn't dwell on past grievances; clearly, He Ru doesn't want to be a hero.

When they first met, Zhou Mo was completely focused on Yu Xi and naturally didn't have a good impression of He Ru, the 'instigator'. After that encounter, she did change her opinion of He Ru, but she didn't have a particularly good impression of her, since it was only their fourth meeting including today.

Seeing that Zhou Mo remained silent, He Ru did not continue the conversation to embarrass her. Instead, she enthusiastically introduced the dishes of the meat feast, "This is a meatball soup made by mincing chicken and mixing it with mushrooms. It is fragrant but not greasy. You can try it."

Zhou Mo scooped up a meatball with a spoon and took a small bite. She was afraid that the bursting juice would burn her. The temperature was just right, the juice inside was warm but not hot, and even if she swallowed the whole thing, she didn't have to worry about her tongue hitting her palate.

It seems that high-end restaurants not only offer high-end cuisine but also high-end service.

After taking a sip of the soup, Zhou Mo's appetite was whetted.

He Ru didn't say anything more and gave Zhou Mo time to focus on her meal.

After Zhou Mo had almost finished eating, He Ru finally spoke, but the question was still difficult to answer.

"Which is tastier, the food here or the food Yu Xi makes?"

“It’s different.” Zhou Mo picked up a tissue and wiped her mouth. “Yu Xi’s food tastes like home. It’s delicious here, but if I ate it every day, my stomach would probably protest.”

Zhou Mo appeared relaxed, but in reality, she was constantly on guard against He Ru, lest she fall into a trap set by words.

In her view, He Ru was no different from Shawn Ke and Qi Kai; she always had ulterior motives for doing anything. It was precisely because of these ulterior motives that she and Yu Xi had never stopped causing trouble.

She hadn't had a chance to ask what the fight was about, and hadn't found a good opportunity yet.

"Did you hear that, Chef Zhang? Your apprentice has outdone your cooking."

He Ru suddenly spoke up, and a chubby man in a white chef's uniform walked out of the bamboo forest. The man had an honest appearance, and his white teeth were very conspicuous when he smiled. He waved his hand dismissively, "That kid has talent for everything. It's only a matter of time before he is surpassed. It would be great if he were willing to become a chef someday."

Zhou Mo was somewhat stunned.

Chef Zhang had already walked up to Zhou Mo. "Little girl, don't be afraid. He Ru doesn't mean any harm. I wanted to invite you to this meal today. I heard that Yu Xi is in the hospital. I don't know if he's sick or seriously injured, so I wanted to ask."

Why don't you go see him yourself?

He Ru chuckled, seemingly mocking yet helpless, "Ah Xi heard it from somewhere that if you surpass your master in skill, you should stay far away from him to avoid ruining his luck. So after Ah Xi finished his apprenticeship, he never saw Chef Zhang again."

This sounds absurd, but when it's put into the context of Yu Xi, it seems quite reasonable, as if it were something he would do or say.

However, Zhou Mo felt uneasy when she thought about how there were many other people in the city who, like Chef Zhang, had ties with Yu Xi.

"He's fine, he'll recover soon as he takes his injections and medicine on time." It's one thing to feel unwell, but as a family member, she naturally had to express her gratitude on behalf of those who cared about Yu Xi. "Thank you for thinking of him, but he's doing quite well now."

"That's good, that's good." Chef Zhang didn't catch the implication in Zhou Mo's words that drew a line; he was genuinely happy that Yu Xi was alright.

He Ru took everything in. He finished the last sip of tea in his teacup, then turned it upside down on the table. The crisp sound attracted the attention of Zhou Mo and Chef Zhang. Chef Zhang knew that He Ru was leaving, and he didn't want to talk to Zhou Mo anymore. He had achieved his goal for the day, and he didn't need to pester her any further.

"I have things to do in the kitchen, so I won't see you off."

Zhou Mo followed behind He Ru. There was no car at the door to bring them, so Zhou Mo said goodbye to He Ru without hesitation.

He Ru looked at her with a half-smile, "You eat and then run away? You didn't even give me a chance to talk."

This statement sounds ambiguous, making Zhou Mo seem like some kind of scumbag woman.

Zhou Mo was adept at dealing with such shameless words: "How am I supposed to know if you don't state your demands?"

"It's my fault." He Ru gestured to Zhou Mo, and the two became walking companions for a stroll through the city.

Along the way, the two chatted about this and that, but Zhou Mo seemed a little absent-minded. She really wanted to take a taxi back to the hospital to see Yu Xi because she didn't have any photos of Yu Xi eating on her phone.

He Ru noticed her absent-mindedness and this time didn't beat around the bush, "Are you very worried about Yu Xi?"

"Yes." There's no point in denying it.

"You like Yu Xi?"

Zhou Mo put away her phone and looked at He Ru, "Do you think that love is the only path for men and women who are not related by blood to develop a relationship?"

He Ru: "I am an ordinary person."

The implication is that this is the only way he would think, and that's what ordinary people would think.

And the world is never short of ordinary people.

"Yu Xi is my family."

"How long have you known each other? You can become family and replace your blood relatives who have been with you for so long. Isn't that family bond a bit too weak?"

Zhou Mo kicked at the pebbles at her feet, her emotions calm. "Replace? How can feelings be replaced? You are not me, nor are you Yu Xi, so you have given the wrong definition to our family relationship. I am not angry because I know you don't understand. If one day you find someone you want to be family with, you will understand the relationship between me and Yu Xi."

"Is a lover family?" He Ru asked again.

Zhou Mo thought for a moment and replied, "I don't think so. Love is love, and family is family. How can you mix them up? If a lover becomes family, wouldn't that leave a void in the lover's position? Wouldn't he then find a new lover?"

He didn't respond this time.

The two walked on the pedestrian walkway on the bridge, with the river flowing quietly below. A breeze from the river ruffled Zhou Mo's hair, but she wasn't bothered. She casually tied her hair into a low ponytail. The moment she lowered her head, her eyes met He Ru's. Her tied-up hair was no longer unrestrained, but the long strands still flew in the wind, heading straight for He Ru.

Your hair hit my face.

"Sorry, I'll stand in a different direction." This time, Zhou Mo was slightly behind He Ru. To make sure her hair wouldn't bother anyone, Zhou Mo simply put her hair up in a low bun.

He Ru paused when she saw Zhou Mo's hairstyle, then quickly looked away.

He Ru and Zhou Mo ate their meal quite quickly, but walking back to the hospital still took some time.

This led the three people at the hospital to believe that the two had a pleasant conversation and chatted for a long time.

Among them, Yu Xi had the darkest complexion.

Just as Zhou Mo was about to push the door open at the ward entrance, He Ru suddenly asked, "Do you think Yu Xi is an ordinary person?"

The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, but loud enough for everyone in the ward to hear clearly.

Zhou Mo pushed open the door and went in, answering He Ru's question as she did so, "He is and he is not."

He Ru was somewhat surprised by this answer. He followed Zhou Mo inside and was immediately met with the attention of three pairs of eyes.

With one hand in his pocket, he once again reverted to his smiling, ruthless image in the public eye, asking, "Has everyone eaten yet?"

"If you like the taste, I can sponsor the rest of your nutritious meals at a friendly price of 20% off."

Qi Xiao gave a forced smile: "Forget it, I think it's just so-so."

Qi Kai: "It's just average."

Yu Xi: "Why is your face so pale? Did you catch a cold?"

Qi Xiao glared at Yu Xi. Why wasn't this man following the formation?

Yu Xi didn't care what others thought; he only had eyes for Zhou Mo at the moment, and Qi Xiao's words brought him a crisis.

He used to think that Zhou Mo had taken the initiative to come to him, and that this relationship was started by Zhou Mo, so Zhou Mo would not leave him.

But now he has a different idea. Because Zhou Mo started this relationship first, and because Zhou Mo has always been the one taking the initiative, as long as Zhou Mo stops taking the initiative and gives up, then he will be like his front teeth, never to return to their original position.

His fear and unease, which had been suppressed in silence, finally erupted upon seeing Zhou Mo.

Yu Xi finally admitted that what he wanted was not a home, but a large, unshakeable tree to lean on.

Zhou Mo is like this big tree, providing shelter from the wind, protection from the rain, and shade.

Zhou Mo was somewhat surprised by Yu Xi's straightforward concern, but she quickly accepted it. It was only right; that's how family members should be.

She reached out her hand, and Yu Xi took it, warming her cold hand.

"It's just windy outside, it's not cold at all in June."

"You should find a traditional Chinese medicine doctor to help you improve your health."

"Okay, you can go find it after you're discharged from the hospital."

"good."

The three pairs of eyes in the ward once again focused on Zhou Mo and Yu Xi. Qi Xiao looked at the scene and hesitated to speak, while Qi Kai wanted to say something but was drawn to He Ru's side by the attention.

He Ru is known as a smiling tiger, so it's rare to see him with such a gloomy expression.

Thinking this, Qi Kai silently took out his phone, pretended to casually hold it up, and pointed the rear camera at He Ru.

'Crack'

Qi Kai froze, his mind reeling. "Damn it, I forgot to turn off the shutter!"

He tried his best to appear nonchalant, silently tightening his fingers to hide the phone in his sleeve.