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"haven't seen you for a long time."
Chen Chen raised the corners of his mouth and looked at Xu Mengyao gently.
The air conditioning in the restaurant seemed to be turned up a bit high. Xu Mengyao felt dazed and even a little breathless.
Xiaomei tugged at Xu Mengyao's hand and asked excitedly, "How was it? A surprise, right?"
Xu Mengyao came back to her senses and said angrily:
"No wonder you've been so secretive these past few days. It turns out you knew it a long time ago."
"I was afraid that the plan might change, so I asked her to keep it a secret from you for now." Chen Chen explained apologetically.
He watched as the girl he had been thinking about day and night became even more dazzling. Under the light, the lavender dress made her already fair skin look even more translucent.
Her cheeks and neck were a faint pink, like newly blossoming peach blossoms. On her slender wrist, she wore the pearl bracelet he had carefully selected, which shimmered softly under the light.
Chen Chen's heartbeat quickened, and he couldn't help but speak:
"I miss you guys so much."
Xu Mengyao was slightly stunned, and ripples appeared in her heart. Then she responded, "We miss you too."
However, at this moment, a sudden voice broke the originally warm atmosphere.
"What are you doing? Who is this? Won't you introduce him to us?" Fang Henian's voice came with a hint of displeasure and curiosity.
Lin Xiaohe took the initiative to step forward and extended his hand, "Hello, I'm Evan, nice to meet you."
Chen Chen also smiled and shook hands in response: "Hello, I'm Chen Chen, their friend."
Fang Henian immediately responded, "I'm Harish, May's 'good' friend."
There was a hint of provocation and complacency in his eyes, and he deliberately emphasized the word "good".
Xiaomei retorted unhappily: "When did you become my good friend? If you are my good friend, then Chen Chen is our best friend!" She did not hide her dissatisfaction with Fang Henian.
"you……!"
Fang Henian was so angry at this that his face turned blue. He glared at Xiaomei but had no words to say.
Seeing this, Lin Xiaohe suggested, "Since we are all friends, why don't we find a place to sit down and chat slowly?"
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.
They sat around a round table and talked, and the atmosphere gradually relaxed.
As Jeremy, the organizer, blessed the evening's guests, the music in the hall gradually grew louder, signaling the official start of the dance. Colorful lights swirled in the air, illuminating the smiling faces filled with anticipation.
Chen Chen smiled and extended his hand to Xu Mengyao, his eyes gleaming with anticipation: "I wonder if I can have the honor of inviting you to dance with me today?"
Xu Mengyao chuckled, recalling the scene on Chenchen's 18th birthday. She put her hand on Chenchen's hand, winked playfully, and responded:
“I can dance now.”
The two smiled at each other, walked hand in hand onto the dance floor, and danced gracefully to the rhythm of the music. Their dance moves were elegant and in perfect harmony, as if they were a natural dance partner.
Lin Xiaohe, who was standing by, watched the two of them walk hand in hand into the dance floor. He calmly drank a glass of wine and tried to calm himself.
However, Fang Henian was still making noise next to Xiaomei.
"Let's go! Let's go dance too." Fang Henian's tone was filled with a bit of eagerness and anticipation.
Xiaomei refused without giving any face: "If you want to dance, go find someone else. I won't dance with you anyway."
Lin Xiaohe pressed Fang Henian's shoulders and stood up, smiling and inviting Xiaomei: "Xiaomei, come dance with me."
"Ah? Okay." Xiaomei was stunned for a moment before she reacted. She hesitated for a moment, and finally put her hand on it.
Lin Xiaohe and Xiaomei were spinning on the other side of the dance floor, but his eyes kept glancing towards Chenchen and Xu Mengyao.
He pretended to be casual and asked, "Seeing that you are so familiar with Mr. Chen, you must have known each other for many years, right?" There was a hint of curiosity and inquiry in his tone.
Xiaomei nodded and replied, "Yes, they knew each other first. They were classmates in junior high school."
Lin Xiaohe deliberately said with a hint of sarcasm, "Then the students in your school are all quite good-looking. You three must have had a lot of suitors back then, right?"
Xiaomei thought for a moment and replied, "Chen Chen transferred to another school a long time ago, so we don't know much about his situation. There are many people who like Wenjuan, but she said that men will only hinder her progress, and she doesn't want to waste time on romantic relationships."
When Lin Xiaohe heard this, his usually calm face couldn't help but chuckle.
"She's just as interesting as always."
According to Xiaomei, those two had never experienced a deeply moving love before. As for now? One was in America, the other in the British Empire. He still firmly believed in the ancient saying, "Those who are near water get the moon first."
Returning to the rest area from the dance floor, everyone's breathing was a little rapid, but they still had happy smiles on their faces.
Lin Xiaohe looked at Xu Mengyao who was happily chatting with Chen Chen and reminded her softly:
"It's almost time. Let's take you back to rest. Your flight is tomorrow morning."
Xu Mengyao then realized that it was getting late and looked at Chen Chen apologetically.
"When are you going back? We're leaving for California tomorrow."
Chen Chen smiled and comforted her: "It's okay, you guys go and have fun. I'll stay here for a week."
Xiaomei then suggested, "Why don't you go with us tomorrow?"
Before Chen Chen could answer, Fang Henian excitedly said:
"It's too rushed now, so I just arranged a trip for four people."
Chen Chen did not say that he could arrange to go to California now. He felt the other party's rejection and did not want to make things difficult for Xu Mengyao and Xiaomei.
So, he said in a relaxed tone: "You guys go and have fun, I just need to meet some friends."
Before leaving, Chen Chen handed Xiaomei and Xu Mengyao an exquisite box respectively.
"Christmas gift, I hope you like it."
The two received the gifts with surprise and touching expressions on their faces.
Fang Henian drove them back to the apartment. After watching them leave, he asked Lin Xiaohe irritably:
"What exactly is Chen Chen's relationship with them? The gift box doesn't look very big, I wonder what's in it. Do you think I should go get some more Christmas gifts for May tomorrow?"
Lin Xiaohe closed his eyes, tapped his thigh with his fingers, and said calmly:
"I told you, we're just friends. Why are you panicking? Don't lose your composure."
Fang Henian sneered when he heard this.
"You're pretty steady. You're used to being a monk, right? Don't tell me you're so devoted to Yao, taking care of her daily life and allowing her to join your team to learn operations, that you're not interested in her!"
Lin Xiaohe opened his eyes and looked out the window with a deep gaze.
He and Fang Henian have different personalities. Since childhood, his family has taught him that the eldest son should be steady and he will not easily let others see through things he is not sure of.
He has patience and strategy for what he wants.
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