Shen Lin's words made Ye Xinning stop in her tracks.

She turned to look at Chen Lin, "What do you mean?"

“I found all the information about Xia He, including everything you know and don’t know.”

Ye Xinning frowned at Shen Lin, "When did you find out I was investigating Xia He?"

Shen Lin stared into her eyes, his voice low and deep, "Ningning, have you forgotten that in Nancheng, there's nothing I can't know if I want to?"

Ye Xinning, "..."

She had some doubts about those words. He could know anything about whoever said it, but he knew nothing about whether she was lying, about what Huo Yanzhi had done to her, about her complete lack of control over her own life. He had even said the most vicious words to her.

If Ye Xinning wanted to say these things, she could say them easily, but she didn't want to argue with Shen Lin about such a meaningless topic at a time like this. The most important thing now was for her to find out what was really going on with Xia He.

Thinking this, Ye Xinning asked Shen Lin in a low voice, "So can you tell me what your terms for the exchange are?"

"Give me a chance." Shen Lin looked directly into her eyes.

Ye Xinning remained silent this time. She shook off Shen Lin's hand, turned around, and prepared to leave. It was just Xia He's information, wasn't it? Just because she couldn't find it now didn't mean she wouldn't be able to find it later. She could ask someone else for help, or wait and slowly investigate.

Seeing Ye Xinning turn to leave, Shen Lin knew that Ye Xinning would never agree to the question he had just raised.

Given the current situation, Ye Xinning will not give him any chance to change their circumstances.

After recognizing this fact, Shen Lin settled for second best, "I was just kidding. Let's find a place to sit down and talk. Information about Xia He can't be explained in just a few words."

Ye Xinning had started walking away, but upon hearing this, she stopped.

"real?"

Because of the question Shen Lin had just raised, Ye Xinning now had doubts about what Shen Lin had said.

Moreover, would someone like Shen Lin joke? She found it hard to believe no matter how she thought about it.

"Um."

Ye Xinning hesitated for a while, but finally went with Shen Lin. Regarding Xia He's matter, which involved her mother's health, she had to find out as soon as possible.

Shen Lin walked in front, and Ye Xinning followed behind, always keeping a distance from Shen Lin, neither too close nor too far. If others saw them, they might think that the two of them did not know each other at all.

Shen Lin walked ahead, but after a long while no one followed, he stopped and turned to look at Ye Xinning, who had her head down. "Ye Xinning, am I some kind of monster?"

Ye Xinning was stunned for a second before she realized what Shen Lin meant by those words.

"No." He's not a monster.

"Then why are you so far away from me? Am I going to eat you or something? Do you hate me that much?"

"Mr. Shen is a man of high status. To avoid unnecessary trouble, it would be more appropriate for us to maintain a proper social distance."

Shen Lin's gaze was deep and unfathomable. Ye Xinning's red lips opened and closed, but none of what she said was what he wanted to hear.

He stopped talking and walked forward, but this time, he walked much slower than before.

Shen Lin took Ye Xinning to the restaurant. Ye Xinning stood at the entrance of the restaurant, her brows furrowed.

Shen Lin noticed that she was standing still and turned around. "What's wrong?"

"Want to eat?" Ye Xinning asked in a low voice. If they were going to eat, would they be sitting and chatting for a very long time? She had originally thought that when Shen Lin said they would sit down and chat, it would be in a very ordinary coffee shop or some other place where they could finish quickly.

"I'm hungry," Shen Lin said matter-of-factly.

Ye Xinning wanted to retort, but Shen Lin had already said that he was hungry, so what could she do? She couldn't very well stop him from eating.

With no other option, Ye Xinning followed Shen Lin into the restaurant.

In the restaurant, Ye Xinning sat opposite Shen Lin. The man held a menu in his hand and recited the names of the dishes one by one. This time, he was very skilled, as if those dishes had appeared in his mouth countless times.

Three-shredded fish, hand-peeled Longjing shrimp, braised pork with dried vegetables, and yellow croaker soup with pickled mustard greens and bamboo shoots.

Every dish was her favorite, and it was also the dish that appeared most often on her and Shen Lin's dinner table five years ago.

She loves to eat fish and has absolutely no resistance to any kind of fish dish.

But Shen Lin is different.

Five years ago, when she was with Shen Lin, she knew that Shen Lin didn't like to eat fish. However, Shen Lin, who lost his memory five years ago, always regarded her as the most important person. Knowing that she liked to eat fish, he disregarded his own physical aversion to fish and researched many ways to cook fish online to make it for her. At that time, Shen Lin's heart and eyes were full of her.

Later, she married Shen Lin. Shen Lin still hated eating fish, but unlike Shen Lin who had lost his memory for five years, Shen Lin who regained his memory had no feelings. Ye Xinning never saw any fish dishes on the Shen family's dining table. It was a rule known to the Shen family that Shen Lin did not eat fish. Living together in the Shen family, Ye Xinning gradually stopped eating fish altogether.

Now that Shen Lin has regained his memories, he did the same thing he did five years ago, but Ye Xinning feels that her heart, which has grown cold, can never be warmed up again.

Ye Xinning didn't finish speaking from beginning to end. It wasn't until Shen Lin finished ordering and the waiter left with the bill that she looked at Shen Lin and asked, "Tell me, what have you found out about Xia He?"

"I'm very hungry right now, and I don't have the energy to think about those things," Shen Lin said slowly, leaning back in his chair.

Ye Xinning, "..."

There was nothing she could do but wait for the waiter to bring the food.

Looking at Shen Lin's leisurely demeanor, Ye Xinning secretly thought to herself, "Someone who doesn't eat fish has ordered so many fish dishes. I'll have to see what Shen Lin can actually eat later."

After the waiter finished serving the dishes, Ye Xinning rested her chin on her hand and looked at Shen Lin. The man opposite her slowly picked up his chopsticks. Ye Xinning watched as Shen Lin's chopsticks landed on the dish of pickled mustard greens, bamboo shoots, and yellow croaker soup, her gaze complicated.

Shen Lin ate with great relish, as if he were not the one who never touched fish.

Ye Xinning was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. She didn't know what she was thinking. At that moment, it seemed like she had a lot of words stuck in her throat but couldn't say a single one.

After a long silence, she spoke her first words, "Chen Lin, I remember you don't eat fish."

"Everyone changes."

"You don't need to force yourself like this." She knew very well how much Shen Lin hated fish, so doing this...

The reason is quite clear.