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Yan Xuan still took the initiative to find an excuse to leave, giving them a chance to be alone together.
Quan Xiu said that yesterday’s dinner was delicious, and today he took Nan Ke to a restaurant he liked.
He told Nan Ke the name and address of the restaurant, and Nan Ke drove following the navigation.
"Okay, you lead the way, and I'll treat you."
"No, I came to you. I'm treating you."
Nan Ke wanted to refuse, but she was afraid of hurting Quan Xiu's self-esteem, so she finally agreed.
The store was easy to find and quite famous. When Nan Ke arrived, he looked at it for a few seconds, worried that there would be no seats for them.
After the two entered the store, Nan Ke realized that Quan Xiu had already booked a seat in advance.
After sitting down, Nan Ke looked around. The environment of this restaurant was nice. The seat that Quan Xiu had booked in advance was not in a conspicuous location and was next to the window, so she could see the night view. She liked it very much.
She asked, "Wouldn't it be a waste if you didn't wait for me?"
“It’s not a waste if you wait.”
Nan Ke picked up the menu and asked Quan Xiu what he should order based on his experience.
Quan Xiu gave his suggestions, and Nan Ke found that those were dishes that he would like to eat.
She asked, "Have you read...read my interview?"
"Isn't that the homework we should have done in advance?"
Nan Ke laughed: "You could just ask me directly, why bother?"
Quan Xiu shook his head seriously: "It's not a big deal, I enjoy it."
Nan Ke remained silent and ordered a few dishes according to Quan Xiu's suggestions.
She looked at the stars outside the window and took a deep breath.
"How do you know this place?"
"While I can still see, I come often."
Quan Xiu knocked on the table: "This position is almost exclusively mine."
Nan Ke slowed down his breathing, worried that this question might bring up Quan Xiu's sad memories.
"At this time, looking out from your seat, you can not only see the lights of the city, but also the mist on the distant mountains. If the weather is good, you can even see the stars."
Nan Ke looked at him with a smile, thinking that it would be great if Quan Xiu could see him again.
Then he can see new sights instead of replaying everything he has seen over and over in his mind.
This couldn't be a good thing for him, right? He shouldn't have such a casual expression, thinking about the beautiful scenery he'd never see again.
He should actually be very lost.
…
Soon, the waiter brought the dishes.
The presentation looks good, but it's completely different when you put it in your mouth.
Nan Ke carefully looked up at the person opposite him.
I wonder if Quan Xiu did it on purpose.
However, she would rather believe that the restaurant had a new chef and Quan Xiu failed to update the known information in time.
But……
Seeing Quan Xiu's expression, I knew that he had expected this result.
"Isn't it tasty?"
Quan Xiu smiled sheepishly: "But these are already some of the most delicious dishes in this restaurant."
"You know?"
Nan Ke lowered her voice and even went so far as to comfort Quan Xiu.
"It's not that bad actually. Maybe my expectations were too high."
Quan Xiu put down his cutlery and explained to Nan Ke, "I really wanted to bring you here to see the scenery. I actually helped design this restaurant after I returned to China."
Nan Ke opened his eyes wide: "Really?"
"Um."
Quan Xiu nodded gently. "The owner was a classmate of mine when I was studying abroad. We opened this shop together. He dreamed of becoming a chef, but now it seems he doesn't have much talent."
Nan Ke curved her lips and said, "It's not that bad actually."
"You don't have to say anything against your will."
Quan Xiu put down his cutlery and sighed, "I thought his cooking skills would improve after I haven't been here for so long, but it seems like there hasn't been any improvement at all. It's really amazing."
Nan Ke looked out the window, imagining how Quan Xiu had designed this place with such high spirits, and then thought about him now...
Still a little sad.
This was really strange. Quan Xiu himself didn't look very sad. Nan Ke really couldn't understand why he could empathize with his situation so much.
"You could suggest that he find a new chef..."
Seeing Quan Xiu's expression, Nan Ke understood.
“The suggestion was made but rejected, right?” she said. “That’s understandable, actually.”
Nan Ke looked around and sighed.
"No wonder I noticed it when I came in just now. Most of the other guests were taking pictures."
Quan Xiu smiled and said, "I can imagine it."
He said, “Actually, the scenery is also part of the practical value, right?”
"Um."
Nan Ke agreed with him.
In this era, it is not so outrageous to pay for beautiful scenery.
It's mostly a case of "one willing to fight and the other willing to be beaten" situation.
As long as both the store and the consumer have no objection, that's fine.
"Quan Xiu? It's really you, kid..."
Nan Ke and Quan Xiu turned in the same direction at the same time.
A man wearing a chef's uniform and an apron came towards us. He had curly hair and looked like a mixed-race person from his features.
He was very excited to see Quan Xiu, and the moment Quan Xiu stood up, Curly-haired boy hugged him tightly.
"You finally came over!"
If Nan Ke saw correctly, he seemed to have wiped his eyes.
"I didn't believe it when someone told me, but it turns out it was really you!"
Quan Xiu looked a little embarrassed. He patted Curly's arm and asked him to let him go.
"This is my friend, Joe Mai."
He introduced Nan Ke to Qiao Mai.
"This is Miss Nan Ke."
Qiao Mai wiped his eyes again, realizing that he had lost his composure.
"I'm sorry, Miss Nan, I haven't seen him for a long time."
Nan Ke smiled and shook his head.
Qiao Mai sat directly next to Quan Xiu, and Quan Xiu seemed to have thought of this scene a long time ago, and he was helpless but not speechless.
"Why didn't you answer my call?"
"Do you know how many times I called you?"
"Yan Xuan didn't answer my calls either."
"You guys are really...going too far."
"Why did you think of coming here today?"
"Why didn't you tell me in advance?"
…
Qiao Mai had too many questions, and Quan Xiu chose not to answer any of them.
Always smiling in the face of his various questions.
Nan Ke couldn't help but interrupt: "Didn't he reserve a seat in advance?"
Qiao Mai was suddenly stunned, then looked at the several shop assistants who were watching the excitement with a speechless expression.
"They tricked me..."
He bumped into Quan Xiu's shoulder and said, "Hey, did you deliberately let them hide this from me?"
“Not really…”
Quan Xiu looked much happier than before.
"I'm just not sure if I'll come over. I don't know if it will disappoint you."
His gaze shifted towards Nan Ke's position.
Nan Ke took the initiative to take the responsibility: "Well, to be honest, it's my fault. He wasn't sure if I had the time."
Seeing that Nan Ke was about to cry, Qiao Mai took the initiative to hold her hand.
"Thank you for your time, beautiful lady!"
Nan Ke smiled awkwardly and shook off Qiao Mai's hand.
Quan Xiu's description was not very specific, but after seeing Qiao Mai, Nan Ke knew why this man insisted on cooking for himself even though he was not very good at it.
They chatted for a while, and Qiao Mai talked about his time abroad with Quan Xiu, and naturally brought up this store.
Nan Ke asked him curiously, "What if you can't go to work due to something, and a customer has made a reservation?"
"Just close the store."
When Qiao Mai talked about it, for some reason, he seemed quite proud.
"They're all counting on me being sick or having something happen so I don't have to work."
Nan Ke smiled and took a sip of lemonade.
Qiao Mai was very curious about her: "How did you two know each other?"
"I……"
"Knowing too much will lead to death sooner."
Quan Xiu interrupted Nan Ke who was about to explain and spoke to Qiao Mai in a bad mood.
Qiao Mai tsk-tsk-tsk twice: "So mysterious? I can't even ask?"
"Mr. Qiao, aren't you busy?"
"Okay, okay, I won't ask anymore."
Qiao Mai stood up and smiled at Nan Ke: "It seems that someone is very unhappy with me here. I'd better leave. Miss Nan, I will pay for everything tonight. Just order whatever you want."
Nan Ke smiled awkwardly and said thank you.
Very sincere.
But... it's a bit embarrassing.
After Qiao Mai left, the table finally quieted down.
Nan Ke knew why Quan Xiu interrupted her.
It was no secret that she had a bad relationship with her family, but she met Quan Xiu precisely because of her parents from her previous family. It seemed that Quan Xiu knew that she didn't want to mention them.
However, what surprised Nan Ke himself was that when he was about to talk about them just now, he actually didn't feel that much resistance in his heart.
It's like telling a story from the past with a calm mood.
When talking to Qiao Mai about the time when he and Quan Xiu were studying abroad, it seemed no different. They were all things in the past that would never come back.
"He's just like that, he doesn't hold back. In the past, when I was so angry that I wanted to argue with him, he would even say he didn't understand Chinese."
"Arguing in English?" Nan Ke imagined it for a moment: "That's a technical job."
Quan Xiu smiled and shook his head: "He often makes me very angry. Even if we argue in English, he will say that his English is not good and he still can't understand."
Nan Ke asked Quan Xiu: "Is he a mixed-race?"
"Um."
Quan Xiu nodded. "My father is Chinese and my mother is Italian. But my mother remarried and started a new family, so they only see each other once in a long time."
Nan Ke sighed: "Judging from his personality, he doesn't seem like a child from a divorced family."
Quan Xiu lowered his eyes and spoke softly, "From your appearance, you don't seem like such an independent girl."
Nan Ke smiled and asked him, "So what kind of person am I?"
Quan Xiu said, "Like a little girl who grew up peacefully in the love of her parents and never had to worry about anything in her life...a little girl who has no worries."
Nan Ke took another sip of lemonade, and the smile in his eyes faded.
“Life’s unexpected twists and turns are always unpredictable.”
Quan Xiu was quiet for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
"you're right."
I understand this person.
Nan Ke thought that they did have some very similarities.
For example, they have a peaceful and prosperous first half of their life, and then their fate takes a sudden turn for the worse, as if playing a huge joke on them that they cannot cope with.
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