The ornate restaurant door was pushed open.
The warm yellow light, mixed with the aroma of food, wafted towards us.
The long dining table was laden with all sorts of delicious food.
"Sister, come quick!"
Without saying a word, Xiao Zhuo grabbed Yan Ning's hand and pressed her down onto the soft chair.
Xie Huaiye walked in with a smile and said softly, "My dad isn't home today, but my mom..."
Before he could finish speaking...
"Tap, tap, tap..."
A clear sound of high heels approached from afar.
Yan Ning subconsciously turned her head to look.
In the light and shadow at the doorway, a slender figure stood.
The well-tailored suit accentuated the woman's slender figure, and her hair was neatly styled in an updo.
The woman wore a perfectly measured smile, her gaze lingering lightly on Yan Ning.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Even the aroma of the food had faded.
"You are Su Yanning?" the woman asked.
Her voice was gentle, yet it was as if wrapped in a thin layer of ice, revealing a sense of detachment and scrutiny from someone in a superior position.
Yan Ning felt her back tighten slightly and immediately nodded: "Yes, Auntie, that's me."
Xiao Zhu skipped and hopped over, and affectionately took the woman's hand:
"Mom, you're here too! Come and eat!"
Ren Xuelan lowered her head and touched Xiao Zhuo's hair, her tone softening:
"Little Zhuo, sit down and eat."
Everyone sat down and began to eat.
Xie Huaiye put some food on Ren Xuelan's plate and asked, "Mom, you just flew back from abroad, why don't you rest for a bit?"
Ren Xuelan smiled, then her gaze drifted towards Yan Ning:
"I heard you invited some important friends over for dinner."
She spoke very politely, but Yan Ning's heart skipped a beat.
The atmosphere felt completely different from when I ate here last time.
Last time it was easy and carefree, this time...
There was an indescribable tension.
Xiao Zhuo didn't notice; he picked up a large, glistening piece of sweet and sour pork rib and placed it in Yan Ning's bowl, saying with a smile:
"Sister, try this! It's delicious!"
Yan Ning quickly picked it up and ate it, then smiled at Xiao Zhuo: "Mmm, it's delicious, thank you Xiao Zhuo."
Ren Xuelan barely touched her chopsticks.
She looked up at Yan Ning for a long time, making Yan Ning feel a little uncomfortable.
Finally, she spoke, as if chatting casually, yet also as if confirming something:
"I heard from Huaiye that you grew up in a Taoist temple? You only recently came back to school?"
Yan Ning swallowed the rice in her mouth, put down her chopsticks, thought for a moment, and replied:
"Yes, Auntie, but I've been studying and reading in the Taoist temple all along. Now that I'm in school, I'm keeping up with my studies and my grades are pretty good."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Ren Xuelan's lips curved into a smile, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.
She then asked a question so direct that it caught Yan Ning off guard:
"Your father... I heard he's been sick for a long time, how is he now?"
Yan Ning's heart tightened, and her fingers unconsciously tightened their grip on the chopsticks.
She steadied her voice and said, "Dad... he wasn't doing too well for a while, but he's feeling a bit better recently. Thank you for your concern, Auntie."
Ren Xuelan seemed to want to ask something else.
Xie Huaiye suddenly interjected, his tone tinged with helplessness:
"Mom, Yan Ning is just coming over for a meal. Can you please stop asking so many questions like you're checking someone's background?"
Ren Xuelan's smile froze for a moment, then she quickly explained:
"Oh dear, look at me, I'm so embarrassed."
She nodded slightly in Yan Ning's direction. "It's an occupational hazard. Sometimes I'm too direct in my words and actions. Sorry, Yan Ning."
"Come on, eat some vegetables, eat more, don't be shy."
Yan Ning nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, Auntie, you eat too."
She lowered her head, pretending to concentrate on picking up the food from her bowl.
My heart was pounding like a little rabbit.
Her palms were a little sweaty from eating that meal.
There's something off about Ren Xuelan's gaze and those questions...
That feeling wasn't just simple concern, it was more like...
Scale? Assess?
Yan Ning couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she just felt uneasy all over.
After dinner, Xiao Zhuo was full of energy and dragged Yan Ning around the Xie family's large garden.
It had just rained lightly in the garden; the stone path was wet, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and flowers.
Although Yan Ning was being pulled along by Xiao Zhuo, her mind had already wandered far away.
She seemed a little distracted.
At that moment, Xie Huaiye appeared on the steps of the garden.
He walked over in a few steps, and his large hand naturally landed on Xiao Zhuo's fluffy head, gently rubbing it.
"Little Zhuo, be good."
His voice was soft, with a gentle tone, as if coaxing a child, "Let's go inside and play for a while. Brother will say a few words to Sister Yanning."
Xiao Zhuo was very obedient. She looked up at Xie Huaiye, then at Yan Ning, and nodded.
"Oh, okay, then you two chat!"
He let go of Yan Ning's hand and skipped back to the mansion.
The garden suddenly fell silent.
Only the rustling of the leaves in the evening breeze remained.
Yan Ning stood still, watching Xie Huaiye approach her.
The moonlight fell on him, outlining his clear silhouette.
He was very tall, and when he approached, his shadow almost enveloped her.
She composed herself before asking:
"What's wrong? Is there something you want to say?"
Xie Huaiye stopped in front of her, at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
He looked down at her, the moonlight falling on his long eyelashes and casting small shadows.
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