"Please sit anywhere; there are plenty of empty seats today due to the snow."
Aunt Dong heard someone come in and walked out of the kitchen with a smile, taking off her apron as she headed towards the door.
When her gaze fell on the girl, she froze, her mouth agape in surprise as if she could swallow an egg. Then, she turned back to look at Rong Mo with a hint of panic. Seeing the somewhat forlorn look in Rong Mo's eyes, Aunt Dong was certain that she hadn't mistaken him for someone else.
Chu Xia clearly saw Rong Mo as well. She pursed her lips and hesitated, as if her steps were being held back by invisible threads, as if each step required immense courage.
"What's wrong, Chuxia?" Lin Su lowered her head, gently touched Chuxia's face, and said softly, "Why is your face suddenly a little red? Did you catch a chill outside?"
"It's nothing." Chu Xia lowered her eyes, unsure how to explain, and awkwardly curled her fingers.
Even if Lin Su was slow to realize, she now understood that something was wrong with Chu Xia.
He frowned and looked up at the people in the shop.
There were only Rong Mo's table of customers in the restaurant.
That face was so familiar, or rather, it was etched into his heart.
The first time he went to Chu Xia's house, he saw a crystal photo frame that Chu Xia had turned upside down in the drawer of the bedside table in the bedroom. It showed Rong Mo's angular face.
"Are you here for dinner?" Aunt Dong asked Chu Xia, rubbing her hands awkwardly. She wasn't sure whether Chu Xia wanted to stay for the meal.
"Yes, thank you both." Chu Xia pursed her lips and before she could speak, she heard Lin Su say this.
Chu Xia unconsciously frowned, but didn't say anything more.
Before Chu Xia could even react, Lin Su had already strode towards Rong Mo's table.
Lu Wei heard the footsteps getting closer and closer, and when she turned around, she saw that Lin Su had already walked to a position about a meter away from her.
She had been sitting with her back to the door, and had been a little distracted, so she hadn't noticed anything unusual at the door and assumed it was just an ordinary young couple.
"Lu Wei, what a coincidence, you're here too." Lin Su greeted her with a smile.
Lu Wei frowned slightly in surprise, glanced at Rong Mo opposite her, and saw that he looked natural and seemed unaffected. She relaxed a little and smiled at Lin Su, saying, "Yes, I was having dinner with friends, I didn't expect to run into you. Are you alone?"
The next second, Lu Wei saw Chu Xia walking over with a serious expression. She stood up and said in surprise, "Chu Xia? What brings you here?"
"Isn't it normal for us to come together?" Chu Xia smiled and patted Lu Wei's shoulder jokingly, but Lu Wei felt something was off.
Sure enough, Chu Xia glanced at Rong Mo and continued, "I just didn't expect that you'd be able to get friends to go out for dinner so soon after arriving in the capital."
Lu Wei pursed her lips and awkwardly curled her fingers.
“I invited Miss Lu to dinner. What a small world, it’s fate that we met.” Rong Mo smiled, stood up generously, nodded to Chu Xia, and said, “Chu Xia, long time no see.” He deliberately concealed the fact that the two had met before, and then extended his hand to Lin Su, “Hello, I’m Rong Mo. Chu Xia’s former classmate.” Chu Xia’s heart jumped to her throat when he said “Chu Xia’s former classmate,” but she breathed a sigh of relief after hearing his words.
A smile spread across his face, like the warm sun in winter. Lu Wei was momentarily lost in thought, but a pang of heartache welled up in her heart.
"Hello, I'm Chu Xia's fiancé, Lin Su." Lin Su reached out and shook hands with Rong Mo, but squeezed his hand tightly before letting go.
Rong Mo winced in pain, but on the surface he still smiled and exchanged pleasantries.
"It's better to meet by chance than by appointment. How about we share a table if Mr. Rong doesn't mind?" Lin Su smiled, took Chu Xia's hand and rubbed it, saying with concern, "Are you cold? Your hands are still freezing."
"It's alright, it's not cold anymore." Chu Xia awkwardly withdrew her hands, feeling a little annoyed by Lin Su's suggestion.
Rong Mo chuckled to himself; clearly, this was aimed at him.
But since he had already brought it up, refusing would seem like there was something wrong, so he nodded. "Sure, if you don't mind, please sit with me. Aunt Dong, could you please bring a couple more sets of chopsticks and bowls? Thank you."
Aunt Dong stood at the kitchen door, looking at Rong Mo with an anxious expression. Hearing what he said, she frowned with some heartache, but still went in and took two sets of bowls and chopsticks, placing them on the table.
"Would you like to order some more dishes?"
Stir-fried sweet potato leaves.
Stir-fried sweet potato leaves.
Two voices rang out at the same time.
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
In early summer, her fingers were entwined, and a trace of sorrow appeared between her brows.
Lin Su frowned.
"Okay, okay, this is my customers' favorite vegetarian dish. You two really have good appetites," Aunt Dong quickly smoothed things over with a smile. "I'll make it right now, it'll be ready soon. You two start eating."
"What a coincidence! I was just telling Rong Mo that I wanted to eat sweet potato leaves, and he said this place makes them very well." Lu Wei smiled and continued, "Chu Xia, you should try this braised chicken; it's so delicious." As she spoke, she placed a piece of her chopsticks on her plate.
"Okay, thank you." Chu Xia took a bite. It was delicious, but she had some indescribable feelings in her heart, so she had no appetite and regretted bringing Lin Su here to eat.
Perhaps it was the snowy night that reminded her of the beauty of her student days, which is why she couldn't help but stop shopping and unconsciously walked towards this place.
Along the way, Lin Su was still a little curious and asked her how she knew about this remote little restaurant hidden in a small alley. Chu Xia explained that she used to come here often when she was in school. She thought the food was delicious and the owner was very hospitable, so she still missed it.
At this moment, it seems that it is not that simple.
Lin Su observed Rong Mo discreetly and found that he was calm and composed, chatting naturally with Lu Wei in a very harmonious atmosphere, as if their arrival had not made any difference.
In contrast, Chu Xia, who was standing next to him, became unusually silent from the moment she entered the room and saw Rong Mo, and her whole body exuded unease.
Lin Su sighed silently. He had originally wanted to see Chu Xia's reaction after seeing Rong Mo, but seeing her like this, he couldn't bear it in the end.
He reached under the table and gently took Chu Xia's hand, stroking it softly, and whispered, "Are you feeling cold? Is that why you're not feeling well? If you're not feeling well, let's go home early, okay?"
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