Chapter 45
Uncle Mu did not see Yao Yingmo accompanying Shi Xuze to visit the patient the next day.
Because Yao Yingmo was in seclusion, she was truly out of contact. Not only Shi Xuze, but even Li Yicheng could only judge that she was still alive and well based on the stable and fast updates on the website.
The bloody storms and gossips on the Internet could not affect her, and netizens shifted their attention as new events occurred, and the attention finally decreased.
It took Yao Yingmo five whole days to update the final chapter and the extra chapters in one go, and wrote three words in the final preface: "The whole text is finished."
The next people to be busy are Li Yicheng and the people from the publishing house. Yao Yingmo will have a short period of time to catch her breath. She will start revising the text only after the preliminary editorial opinions on the physical book come out.
She wanted to go to the movies, travel, and take Zhou Yu back to her hometown.
Before she even started planning, Shi Xuze rang the doorbell. It was as if he was always standing in front of the webpage, waiting for her to mark it as finished.
"You want to treat me to a meal?"
Yao Yingmo looked at Shi Xuze in confusion. He looked a little different today, probably because he had taken off his mask and was not wearing a hoodie. His hairstyle also seemed to have been done, and it was smoother and stickier than usual.
He stood in an almost stiff posture, with an indescribable sense of restraint, which made Yao Yingmo feel that he came for something very important.
But he just wanted to treat her to a meal.
Shi Xuze affirmed: "Yes, I want to treat you to a meal."
"If you want to say thank you, we had hot pot last time."
Shi Xuze hesitated, "I'm not saying thank you, I just... simply want to treat you to a meal."
Yao Yingmo: "Do you want to treat me to a meal, or invite me to a meal?"
"I want both."
Yao Yingmo saw a hint of caution in Shi Xuze's eyes.
She was very confused.
But anyway, her next schedule is to relax and have fun, so she can naturally accept an invitation to dinner.
"Okay," she said.
Shi Xuze was very happy and immediately took out his mobile phone to show Yao Yingmo the twenty restaurants he had carefully selected to invite her to dinner.
Yao Yingmo: "Come in, don't stand at the door."
With so many options to look at, it’s better to just sit comfortably on your sofa at home and read them slowly.
The restaurants chosen by Shi Xuze were a bit too high-end. Yao Yingmo felt embarrassed to take advantage of him and wanted to persuade him.
"These restaurants offer better privacy," Shi Xuze said sternly, but he put on a show for Yao Yingmo. "Sister Chang just pulled my ear and told me I absolutely can't show my face outside lately; it's too dangerous. These restaurants have private rooms, so they're safe."
Yao Yingmo was persuaded. "Okay then, we'll each pay for our own expenses."
Shi Xuze didn't say yes or no, "Have you decided which restaurant you want to eat at?"
"Then let's go to this private kitchen without a menu." Yao Yingmo chose one at random.
It was not until Yao Yingmo and Shi Xuze sat face to face in a private room of the private kitchen restaurant that he vaguely felt that something was wrong.
But since she was already here, she had no intention of leaving or asking questions. It wasn't worth missing out on a delicious meal.
Shi Xuze is not someone who would do anything bad.
"This private chef cooks fish very well. I just asked and they have fish soup today."
Shi Xuze recommended it seriously, and with his eager eyes that looked like he was about to drool, Yao Yingmo couldn't help swallowing, "Okay, then I'll drink two more bowls later."
After the dishes were served, the two started eating, and Yao Yingmo temporarily forgot about trying to figure out Shi Xuze's purpose.
I can only say that he is worthy of being a chef who has the confidence to open a private kitchen without a menu, his cooking skills are simply different.
There was an extra shelled shrimp in the bowl.
Shi Xuze: "This shrimp is delicious, try it."
Yao Yingmo glanced at him and picked up the food to eat.
It was indeed delicious, but Shi Xuze kept looking at her eagerly, as if he really wanted to know if her taste was the same as his.
Being stared at by such a scorching gaze, Yao Yingmo felt a little lost in his food, so he just followed his compliments and said, "Thank you, it's delicious. You can have some too."
"As long as it tastes good," Shi Xuze said, while picking up a piece of meat from the side and giving it to Yao Yingmo, "This one is also very fragrant."
Yao Yingmo thought that Shi Xuze might have been fed too much at home, so when he was outside, he wanted to turn over and fill her bowls and plates with food.
"You've already put the food in my bowl, what are you going to eat?" She couldn't help but call for a stop. If Shi Xuze continued to pile on the food, the food on the plate would look unpalatable.
Shi Xuze then gave up, but his eyes would drift to Yao Yingmo from time to time, and then look away the moment they met eyes.
Yao Yingmo: “?”
Shi Xuze was really weird today.
The meal ended in a strange atmosphere, and the restaurant then served desserts and fruits.
The desserts and fruits were presented delicately, with creative color combinations. The ingredients were cut into the shape of gemstones and soaked in the crystal agar-agar, making it look like a box of expensive jewelry.
Yao Yingmo brought it in front of his eyes, turned it around, examined it from top to bottom, then without hesitation, he picked up a small dessert spoon and plunged it into it, to the very bottom, scooping up a quarter in one gulp.
Shi Xuze, however, wanted to eat his phone first. He seemed to like this dessert very much. The expression on his face was more like a gem, sparkling more than the fruit in the dessert.
Yao Yingmo unconsciously put down the spoon and looked at him with one hand supporting her chin.
It is said that beauty is a feast to the eyes. Yao Yingmo felt that putting Shi Xuze and this dessert together would indeed have a multiplier effect.
Perhaps Shi Xuze is very suitable to be the spokesperson for desserts.
Yao Yingmo's thoughts were wandering, so she didn't notice that Shi Xuze's neck and ears turned red because of her gaze.
After dessert, there are after-meal drinks. The business model is that customers will not be allowed to leave until they have sat for three hours.
Yao Yingmo felt it was time to have a talk with Shi Xuze.
"So, you invited me to dinner, is there anything you want to say?"
Shi Xuze breathed a sigh of relief.
During the entire meal, he was thinking about how to start the conversation. Every time he opened his mouth, he would start introducing the menu to Yao Yingmo even though he had already prepared a speech in his mind.
Yao Yingmo thought he was expressing his desire to try it when he got home, and replied that the chef probably wouldn't want to share his secret recipe, but she could look up the recipe online and try to recreate the same taste as best she could.
At that time, he really wanted to slap his mouth for suddenly losing its function, so he had to desperately explain that he had no intention of asking Yao Yingmo to cook. He was just describing the deliciousness of the dish by analyzing the taste and ingredients of each ingredient.
Yao Yingmo laughed twice, not knowing whether he believed it or not.
Now that Yao Yingmo is asking direct questions, he should be more obedient.
"Yes." Shi Xuze replied, "Didn't everyone on the internet say that the two of us were that..."
"Um?"
Yao Yingmo watched him stir the layered milk drink with a straw, and he didn't stop until the mixture became a turbid color.
Once people become anxious, they will try to find ways to keep themselves busy.
But Yao Yingmo didn't understand why this matter made him anxious.
Shi Xuze took a deep breath, as if what he was about to say would require immense courage. "Back then, you posted on Weibo saying I was just a neighbor and partner."
Yao Yingmo became even more confused. What exactly was Shi Xuze struggling with?
"Yes, isn't that the truth?"
She spoke frankly, and Shi Xuze, who was in the midst of a small emotion, finally realized that he seemed to have really misunderstood.
For Yao Yingmo, her clarification was not about drawing a line in the sand, but simply stating the truth of the matter.
It was his own impure thoughts that led him to dwell on this trivial matter, thinking that Yao Yingmo and he had the same idea but just made different choices.
It turned out that Yao Yingmo didn't agree with him at all.
"Yeah, that's right." Shi Xuze laughed dryly.
Seeing his reaction, Yao Yingmo added another explanation, "It's not good for you if you're misunderstood."
"So that's why..."
Shi Xuze was coaxed into submission in this way.
It turned out that Yao Yingmo was doing this for his own good. It was for him.
"That's right." Seeing Shi Xuze suddenly brighten up, Yao Yingmo paused, inspiration flashing through his mind. He asked in disbelief, "You didn't invite me to dinner just to ask this question, did you?"
"No." Shi Xuze denied it quickly.
"Actually, I..."
Shi Xuze grabbed the cup and drank half of it in one breath.
Yao Yingmo didn't have time to stop him, so as expected, he choked.
She handed him a piece of paper and waited for him to recover.
Shi Xuze felt like crying, but he couldn't even cry. Here he was again, embarrassed in front of Yao Yingmo, and at this crucial moment.
The topic had already been brought up, and he was about to talk about it, but when he drank water to calm his restlessness, he accidentally spilled too much due to nervousness and his hands shook.
The atmosphere was almost ruined by him, and the courage he had finally mustered was completely deflated. Does he still have a chance to start over?
Yao Yingmo said: Yes.
She didn't know what Shi Xuze wanted to say, but she was very patient with him.
She could tell that Shi Xuze had something very important to say, and she could also see that he was nervous, so she waited quietly for him to adjust.
When he calmed down and hung his head in shame, not daring to look at her, she spoke, "Do you want to rewind and start over?"
"Can I?"
Yao Yingmo: "You can."
Her eyes were full of encouragement, giving Shi Xuze the illusion that his future was bright.
"Actually, I shouldn't say this when I'm so embarrassed, but I seem to get embarrassed easily in front of you." Shi Xuze took a deep breath, put on the most serious expression, and looked at Yao Yingmo seriously, "I like you."
Yao Yingmo's eyes widened. "This... is a bit sudden."
"I originally wanted to tell you after we finished making the baby's breath." Shi Xuze said, "I think that will be the moment when my image in your heart will reach its peak."
Yao Yingmo suppressed his surprise, showed due respect, and listened to him express his feelings.
"And I was about to give up because of that Weibo post." Shi Xuze paused, carefully observing Yao Yingmo's expression. When he saw nothing wrong, he dared to continue, "I thought you wanted to distance yourself from me."
"But the teacher told me that communication is very important and I can't just guess blindly."
Yao Yingmo finally understood the purpose of this dinner invitation and the confession that came without warning.
"After I explained it just now, you decided to tell it?"
"Yeah." Shi Xuze nodded.
Yao Yingmo was not mentally prepared and didn't know how to face Shi Xuze's straightforward love for her.
Her silence made Shi Xuze uneasy, but he remembered what Uncle Mu and Uncle Mu had said.
The time of an accident is unpredictable, and he doesn't want to regret in the future that he didn't even say it out loud.
If Yao Yingmo doesn't like him now, he also wants to give it a try, "Then... can I pursue you?"
Yao Yingmo: "Aren't you a fan of my books?"
Shi Xuze: “?”
"Think about it yourself," Yao Yingmo said. "I need to think about it too."
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