Chapter 30 "Mom, you're back from your date!"...
Lin Ke looked at her daughter's big, watery eyes and felt a little embarrassed.
Si Yun walked over from the sofa, picked up the little girl, and tapped her forehead, "They're going on a date, why are you being a third wheel?"
Si Xiaotie sniffed, his curiosity piqued. "What's a light bulb? What's a date?"
Si Yun didn't explain, but picked her up and walked back, saying, "Okay, let's go eat some cakes."
Si Xiaotie poked his head out from her back and said, "Then Mom, you have to come back quickly."
Lin Ke silently breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay."
Once in the car, Lin Ke looked at the man with a smirk on his face and asked, "What are you laughing at?"
"nothing."
Where to?
"You'll see when you get there."
We arrived at our destination—a top-tier five-star hotel in the northern part of the city—in about twenty minutes.
The rooftop sky restaurant is a must-visit spot for couples on some websites.
While riding the elevator, Lin Ke asked with amusement, "Did Xu Lin choose this restaurant for you?"
"no."
She raised an eyebrow. "No? You chose it yourself?"
So that's Baidu's? No wonder they chose such a place. It's quite something that this big shot from Beicheng condescended to come and check it out.
However, there were some differences. Today, the Sky Restaurant was only serving their table of guests, with champagne, roses, and piano accompaniment—everything they should and shouldn't have.
Lin Ke looked out and saw the entire city stretching out beneath her feet. The neon lights melted into a slowly flowing river of light, and the warm yellow lights of the houses in the distance flickered neatly, seemingly carrying the breath and rhythm of human life.
Her gaze narrowed, landing on the reflection of the glass curtain wall. The man adjusted his napkin, then took the pre-decanted red wine and poured it into a glass, his movements elegant and precise.
Lin Ke thought that if it weren't for the awkward piano accompaniment, it could be considered a normal date.
But what should we talk about? At home, Si Xiaotie is a chatterbox, and there's never a shortage of topics at the dinner table, but this situation is a bit worrying.
Let's talk about work, life, and ideals.
What do ordinary couples talk about when they're dating?
As she hesitated, the man opposite her spoke up: "How's your interview preparation going?"
"That's about it."
Do you need my help?
I was going to say no, but I changed my mind before I could finish, saying, "I'll contact you if I need anything later."
The interview format is undecided, but it will likely be a structured interview, focusing on assessing the candidate's comprehensive analysis, planning and organization, and emergency response capabilities. As the head of such a large group as Entropy Domain, Si Yuming's logical thinking and judgment are unmatched, which could provide some guidance for her during the interview.
Si Yuming followed up by asking, "How does the interview work?"
"In the past, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has used a structured interview format with follow-up questions, and this year should be no exception."
What types of questions are usually asked?
Lin Ke told him the past few years' exam questions and her own analysis, and he responded. In this back-and-forth, she no longer had to worry about finding topics to talk about.
More than an hour later, the woman finally slowed down her speech.
Looking down, he saw that the steak in front of him had been moved to his side and had been cut into small pieces and almost eaten.
Si Yuming placed the last piece on her plate, a smile playing on his lips, "Are you full?"
Lin Ke glanced at him and said, "I'm full, you can eat by yourself."
"Want to sit a little longer?"
My stomach feels a bit bloated now that I've stopped talking, as if I've eaten a lot of meat without realizing it. "I'm not sitting here anymore. I want to go for a walk outside to digest my food."
"Okay, let's go."
On the other side of the restaurant was the executive lounge. As soon as I stepped out, I ran into someone I didn't expect—Jiang Chengyin and a beautifully dressed friend.
If you bump into someone head-on, you can't skip giving them a greeting.
Lin Ke spoke first: "Miss Jiang, what a coincidence."
She wasn't very familiar with Jiang Chengyin. After getting married, she visited Si Yun at the old house two or three times, but the two didn't exchange many words.
After learning that she was Si Yunzhong's sister-in-law, Lin Ke made a special effort to learn more about her. Jiang Chengyin was a very outstanding and independent woman.
Later, when she worked at Entropy Domain, she witnessed this firsthand. She has many admirable qualities that are worth learning from: she is confident and composed, has a good grasp of the overall situation, and possesses strong leadership skills.
Jiang Chengyin's eyes didn't dodge, and she was equally generous: "What a coincidence, are you here for dinner?" Then she looked at the restaurant behind the two of them, and seemed to understand, and smiled ambiguously: "So it was booked by President Si, which means we can only eat in the lounge tonight."
Lin Ke smiled in response.
The elevator came up, and the four of them went in together.
Jiang Chengyin asked, "How is Sister Siyun doing lately?"
Lin Ke wasn't sure if the question was directed at her, but the person next to her didn't react. She nudged his shoulder, and the man finally moved, his voice indifferent: "It's alright."
"I've been too busy lately, I'll go see her after the Spring Festival."
"good."
There was no further conversation until we reached the first floor.
The couple who wanted to take a walk said goodbye and left first, leaving Jiang Chengyin and her friend to continue.
As the elevator doors closed, her friend looked at the somewhat dazed woman and asked softly, "Is this Si Yuming's wife?"
"Um."
"She's quite pretty." Knowing about her friend's past, her friend sighed. "They seem to have a good relationship; they even booked out an entire restaurant. This doesn't seem like the kind of business marriage people talk about..."
They're all in the same circle, what doesn't the Si family know? No one dares to stop the ailing old man from having his wish, but they weren't optimistic about this marriage back then, all guessing it would end in divorce within a few years.
But who would have thought that she would get pregnant in less than six months? Now her daughter is already several years old.
The small space was silent. Her friend asked cautiously again, "Cheng Yin, you...?"
The elevator descended to the basement level, and Jiang Chengyin stepped out, scoffing, "Don't overthink it, I'm fine, it's all in the past."
"Cheng Yin..."
"What? You don't believe me? If you don't believe me, I'll get married tomorrow and show you."
"Don't do anything reckless!" he said, quickening his pace to catch up with the woman who walked like the wind. "Hey, wait for me!"
......
The restaurant is located near a small commercial area, which is quite lively at this time of day.
Lin Ke found a quiet alley that didn't seem to have many people, and only after walking through it did she realize that the Foreign Languages University was not far ahead.
Si Yuming took her hand and asked softly, "Shall we go take a look?"
A warmth spread through her palm. Lin Ke lowered her eyes, paused for a few seconds, and then nodded, "Mm."
People grow up, but schools are forever young, and the boys and girls on campus are forever full of youthful energy.
During the Spring Festival, the campus was a bit deserted, but occasionally some students who stayed on campus would pass by. Lin Ke walked along the familiar campus paths and couldn't help but feel a little sentimental.
This is also her youth when she had nothing yet possessed everything; her ideals and her expectations for the future all sprouted and grew here.
She looked up at the man whose features were becoming increasingly defined under the dim streetlights, "Si Yuming."
"Um?"
"Would you like to tell me about your university?"
What do you want to hear?
"It will be all right."
He slowly began to speak: "Stanford is located in the San Francisco Bay Area, which is a very different place from here. The more glamorous and decadent it appears on the outside, the more crime and darkness lie beneath, some..."
"Hmm~" the woman's voice trailed off, almost coquettishly, "I don't want to hear about these things, I want to hear about your life."
"Life? There's no life. Every day is basically spent attending classes, studying, and working on projects. When I first went there, I was just a young man who didn't know anything. There are so many outstanding people, how could I have time to think about life?"
"My sister said you learned to cook over there?"
"Yeah, the food over there is really awful."
When I first found out about this, I couldn't help but overthink it. Jiang Chengyin was in the same school as him and they were both friends living alone away from home. Had they eaten together many times? Was the first dish he cooked something that Jiang Chengyin helped him try?
She was quite bothered by it back then, but now it's all faded away. Just now, when she saw him, she didn't seem to feel the same way as before. Lin Ke smiled and didn't ask any more questions. "That really is a case of turning a child into a cook."
Si Yuming looked down. The temperature was low, and the tips of the woman's exposed ears were tinged with a faint pink. Her clear eyes seemed to be filled with dazzling light, and her smile was joyful.
She wore a white dress and wool coat today, her hair simply tied up. Her gentle and refined face made her look young and beautiful; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she looked like a college student.
He held her hand tightly.
"Is there anything else?" Lin Ke asked again.
“The climate there is mild and it rarely snows, so I especially miss the snow in Beicheng when winter comes. When it rains, the whole city gets very dirty, and I don’t really want to go out back then.” Si Yuming said whatever came to mind. “There are also a lot of thieves. In just a few years, I had five or six cell phones stolen.”
"How scary!"
"So we can't let Xiao Tie go abroad to study in the future."
"What if she wants to go?"
"No."
"Tsk, be careful she doesn't argue with you and then disown you as her father."
"That's not allowed either."
Lin Ke suddenly thought of something and stopped siding with her daughter. "Well, let's not let her go out. What if she gets kidnapped by some blond guy?"
"If she dares to be kidnapped by that blond guy, I'll break her legs."
Lin Ke laughed, "You'd better keep your word, or you'll soften your heart and give in to her every whim."
The couple walked slowly into the living area while talking. The more students there were, the more attention they received, especially from the girls.
Perhaps because the atmosphere was relaxed, Lin Ke couldn't help but tease, "Didn't you have a lot of girls who liked you when you were studying away from home?"
After waiting for seven or eight seconds without hearing a reply, she looked up and lowered her voice: "Why aren't you saying anything?"
Si Yuming stopped and met her gaze, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Jealous?"
"...Who's jealous?" Lin Ke was speechless and continued walking forward.
After walking for a while, they arrived at a convenience store outside the dormitory area. Si Yuming asked, "Would you like some water?"
"drink."
He went inside to buy it, while Lin Ke waited outside.
Two or three minutes later, she came out again. A young male college student was standing next to the woman. They were not far apart, and Si Yuming heard their conversation.
—Excuse me, are you a senior student?
—No, I graduated.
—Oh, senior, are you waiting for someone?
—Yes, my husband is buying water inside.
—Ah... I'm sorry.
The boy left sheepishly.
The woman turned around, averted her gaze upon seeing the person, and blushed visibly, her neck turning a thin coral hue.
Si Yuming smiled, walked closer, unscrewed the bottle cap, and handed over the water.
Lin Ke took the water, tilted her head back and drank two mouthfuls, then handed the water back to him and hurried forward.
But after taking only two steps, he suddenly stopped.
Si Yuming followed, and following the gaze, he saw a young couple kissing passionately next to a ginkgo tree downstairs in the dormitory building.
A pinkish hue seemed to waft through the air, and the temperature rose, becoming quite scorching.
Lin Ke turned around, bewildered.
Unexpectedly, the man standing behind her bent down and kissed her lips naturally and gently.
My heart was pounding.
Before I could close my eyes, I saw the streetlights behind him burst into a shower of shooting stars.
......
I got home around 10 o'clock.
After going upstairs, the woman knew where she was going and said without turning her head, "I'm going to sleep with my daughter."
The little one, already asleep in the children's room, was woken up by her mother, who had just finished bathing and was carrying her from her room. She opened her eyes groggily and said in a soft, sweet voice, "Mommy, you're back from your date..."
"......"
"dad……"
"Never mind him."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Here it is, a hundred little red envelopes~ A bit few today, I'll try to add an extra chapter this weekend [milk tea emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com