First physical contact
That makes sense. We're not eating without paying; we all pay the same way. Even though Li Jin is the one paying, I'm still a guest, so there's no difference between me and everyone else.
As Liu Xiangmei followed her daughter toward the revolving door, she was still wondering how to get through when she noticed her daughter walking ahead, head held high, expertly pushing the revolving door around.
Her daughter was indeed better than her! Liu Xiangmei's fear completely disappeared, leaving only pride.
With a greeting of "Welcome," Li Jin appeared in the hall.
From afar, Li Jin's gaze automatically fell on Wang Yao. Although she had changed all her clothes, she still had a pair of long, white legs. The difference was that her short-sleeved top had been changed to a fitted style and tucked into her shorts, so now it wasn't just her legs that were eye-catching.
As the footsteps drew closer, Li Jin averted her gaze from Wang Yao and looked at Liu Xiangmei. "Aunt Liu!"
"Oh, thank you for coming down to pick us up. Is everyone here? Are we late?"
Li Jin nodded, "Of course, everyone's here, no one's late."
Then he glanced at Wang Yao again, "Why is Yao Yao dressed so scantily?"
Wang Yao glanced down at herself, then at Li Jin. Compared to Li Jin's shirt and long black trousers, her own outfit was indeed rather simple.
But what's wrong with this person? His eyebrows are so furrowed they could trap a fly. Is he really that dissatisfied with her? Why is he picking on her the moment they meet?
Seeing Wang Yao pouting and not saying anything, Li Jin realized that he had angered her again.
Why are you angry again? Is it because you think I've been too nosy? It seems so.
He then added unnecessarily, "I was worried you'd be cold!"
Huh? Dude, do you want to hear what you're saying? It's summer now!
Liu Xiangmei felt a little embarrassed and gave Wang Yao a look, but Wang Yao didn't respond at all and turned her head to the side.
To ease the tension, Liu Xiangmei joked, "Ignore her, let her be cold if she wants. Let's hurry upstairs and not keep the guests waiting."
Li Jin nodded and took the lead.
Behind them, Liu Xiangmei was giving Wang Yao a meaningful look, telling her not to be temperamental.
Wang Yao pouted. It was clearly the person in front who started the trouble first, so why couldn't she get angry?
When they arrived at the private room, they saw the Li family grandfather and grandson chatting happily with a man.
Upon seeing Li Jin and his two companions enter, the man, with his sharp eyes, immediately spotted Wang Yao walking at the back. His eyes lit up, and he gave Li Jin a look that said, "Buddy, you're a true friend."
Li Jin's face suddenly darkened, turning even blacker!
Li Jin introduced the two parties:
"This is Zhang Wei. He works at the police station and lives nearby."
"This is Aunt Liu Xiangmei, and this is Wang Yao. She's still a high school student, very young..."
When she said the words "young," she looked at Zhang Wei, but Zhang Wei didn't notice at all, and was just busy smiling and pouring tea for Liu Xiangmei and Wang Yao.
This was originally supposed to be done by Li Jin, but Zhang Wei stole the spotlight. Li Jin pursed her lips and watched Zhang Wei and Wang Yao grinning at each other.
Although the information provided was brief, Liu Xiangmei still noticed something amiss.
"Your name is Zhang Wei, and you live nearby. Do you know Zhang Ling?"
When Zhang Wei recalled what Li Jin had just said—that the mother and daughter lived near the back gate of the county's No. 1 Middle School—he understood why Liu Xiangmei had asked that question. He replied respectfully, "Auntie, Zhang Ling is my mother!"
Liu Xiangmei slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "What a coincidence! We live right next door to you, and your mother has even told me about you!"
Zhang Wei chuckled, "My mom was just bragging to you, don't mind her."
Liu Xiangmei waved her hand, "No, I think your mother is telling the truth, not exaggerating at all. He really is a handsome man..."
As they were talking, a waiter came in to serve the dishes.
Braised pork belly, braised pork with preserved mustard greens, braised chicken with potatoes, braised fish... at first glance, they are all meat dishes.
Zhang Wei was moved again and secretly gave Li Jin a look that said, "Dude, you're a true friend."
He thought Li Jin was spending so much money so that he could help take care of her family and friends.
Li Jin ignored him completely. If she were only treating Zhang Wei to a meal, a simple bowl of cold noodles from a roadside stall would have been enough; he didn't deserve such a good meal. She secretly glanced at Wang Yao; she was so thin, she should be eating more meat.
Just as Li Jin was silently complaining, Zhang Wei stood up again and asked everyone if they wanted to drink. Only Old Man Li showed his desire, but Li Cheng interrupted him, saying, "My grandfather can't drink."
Zhang Wei then picked up the orange juice from the side, poured a glass for each person, and spun the lazy Susan on the table, inviting everyone to eat.
Watching Zhang Wei flit around the room like a butterfly, chatting animatedly with Liu Xiangmei and Wang Yao, especially with Wang Yao giggling from his antics, Li Jin felt no appetite despite the table full of food.
And so the meal began in a joyful atmosphere among some of the participants.
Halfway through the meal, Wang Yao left the private room to go to the restroom.
Li Jin thought for a moment, then got up and left, saying, "I'm going out to ask when the food will be served."
Li Jin didn't see it; behind him, Zhang Wei was watching him with a half-smile.
In the corridor, Li Jin encountered Wang Yao.
Wang Yao was shaking the water off her hands when she saw Li Jin standing in front of her. She greeted him politely, "Hello, Uncle Li!"
He tried to slip away after saying that, but Li Jin stopped him, saying, "You're wrong!"
Wang Yao was completely baffled. She had simply greeted him; was that wrong?
Li Jin spoke again: "I call your mother Aunt Liu, you shouldn't call me Uncle Li."
Wang Yao laughed in exasperation, "I call your dad Grandpa Li, Li Cheng calls me sister, and my mom calls your dad Uncle Li. Guess who got it wrong?"
Li Jin pursed her lips, then said, "I'm not much older than you."
Wang Yao thought Li Jin felt that being called "uncle" made him look old, and she felt there was nothing to argue about. He wasn't her biological uncle, so if he didn't like it, he shouldn't call her that!
"Okay, so what should I call you? Brother Li?"
Li Jin: "Anything is fine with me, whatever makes you happy."
Wang Yao just wanted to laugh, but she still pretended to be a smiling girl and was about to leave when Li Jin stopped her again.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have bothered with you."
Wang Yao: ? ? ?
What does this mean?
Li Jin wasn't good at apologizing, especially not with girls. In the military, everyone spoke with their fists and strength.
He felt a little embarrassed, but still said, "It's your freedom to wear whatever you want. I have no right to tell you what to do. I'm sorry, please don't be angry."
He's just a neighbor from his hometown, why should he care about what he wears? Li Jin suddenly felt a little frustrated.
Wang Yao didn't expect Li Jin to apologize so sincerely. Usually, adults would just pretend nothing happened and laugh it off the next time they met, right?
Faced with the situation, Wang Yao was actually a little at a loss. She scratched the back of her head, and the high bun on the back of her head looked a little droopy after she scratched it.
"It's nothing. Many adults are like you and don't like people showing their arms and legs. My mom is sometimes like that too. I get angry quickly, but I also get over it quickly. You see, I've forgotten about it all before the meal is even over, hahaha, don't worry about it too much, hahaha..."
As she spoke, Wang Yao started scratching her head again.
Li Jin saw that her bun had completely drooped down, and some stray hairs had fallen out.
Wang Yao's hair has a slight curl, and the loose strands make her look fluffy.
Li Jin couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her hair. He accidentally ruffled it too hard, causing Wang Yao to lose her balance. After a few swaying moments, she was about to fall over when Li Jin quickly caught her.
Once she had completely calmed down, Wang Yao found her face pressed against Li Jin's chest. Her first sensation was the smell of laundry detergent, and her second was how hot it was. This person's body was like iron, or rather, red-hot iron.
Pushing Li Jin away, she instantly felt the air flow freely. She wanted to thank Li Jin for helping her, but then she remembered that Li Jin was the one who almost made her fall.
Wang Yao felt that Li Jin might be incompatible with her and that she shouldn't have too much contact with him anymore. "Uncle Li, oh no, Brother Li, if there's nothing else, I'll go in first!"
Li Jin was still immersed in the memories he had just had. It was the first time he had ever known that a person could be so soft, like a ball of cotton falling into his arms, and even smelling sweet.
Hearing Wang Yao's words, he nodded, "Okay."
As they passed each other, Li Jin subconsciously rubbed his fingers together, feeling the surrounding fragrance fading. Li Jin turned back to look at Wang Yao, who was about to walk away, and saw Zhang Wei not far away.
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