Binhai City boasts a luxurious shopping street, brimming with places to splurge, Imperial Bath Centers, Lavish Aristocrat Clubs, top-tier restaurants, and everything imaginable.
People come and go; on both sides of the wide street, various shops stand, and bizarre signs are everywhere.
On the main street, pedestrians stream endlessly, luxury cars and fine horses flow without cease, and the calls of numerous street vendors and working girls rise and fall, hoping to attract a patron or two to buy something.
It’s truly a bustling and prosperous scene.
Inside a luxurious private dining room in a couples’ restaurant.
“Thank you, Uncle Meng.”
Jiang Shimo looked at the lavish meal on the table and smiled at the middle-aged man wearing a white chef’s hat in front of her.
Meng Le smiled and waved his hand, saying, “Don’t be polite. It’s the best gift to have you come visit your distant uncle when you have time. Hurry and eat while it’s hot!”
Jiang Shimo nodded and wasted no time beginning to enjoy the feast.
Meng Le was her paternal uncle’s cousin’s second uncle’s third brotherāa distant relative.
As a family enterprise, the Jiang family naturally had a very strong grip on their familial lineage.
Basically, as long as you were within the large family, you would never lack a meal.
If you weren’t a direct heir, they would even allow you to choose your profession freely and provide appropriate support for your development.
“Shimo, we have a table of guests who’ve booked out the place tonight. You eat first, I’m going to get busy.”
“Mm-hm, Uncle Meng, you go ahead and be busy.”
Jiang Shimo said, stuffing delicacies into her mouth.
Since Xu Yinsheng subtly rejected her request to stay last time, she had stayed in hotels for several consecutive days, which meant she hadn’t eaten anything good these past few days.
“Eat slowly. If it’s not enough, you can ask the waiter for more.”
With that, Meng Le turned and walked out of the private room.
Jiang Shimo also slowed down her eating, chewing as meticulously as possible.
While eating, she didn’t forget to observe the bustling crowd below.
Meng Le’s couples’ restaurant was three stories high: the first floor had the entrance hall and the kitchen in the back, the second floor had multiple private rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, and the third floor was for high-end double dining rooms for couples.
She was currently on the second floor.
With a casual glance downwards, she could see the continuous flow of people and vehicles.
Suddenly, her star-like eyes narrowed, as if she had seen someone or something incredible.
The cake from her mouth rolled onto the carpeted floor.
“Cousin-in-law?”
From a stretched Lincoln limousine, the car door was pulled open by the front driver, and out stepped a slender young woman.
She was wearing a white chiffon blouse, with thin-heeled sandals on her feet.
Her long, dark hair was neatly pinned and cascaded down to her waist, and a small pearl necklace hung around her neck.
Xu Ying? Why would she be here?
Jiang Shimo’s heart jolted.
Could Cousin have invited her out for dinner?
No, Uncle Meng’s restaurant was already booked out; only one table of guests was being served today.
And Cousin was such a homebody, how could he possibly invite a girl out for dinner?
Wait a minute… an incredibly unthinkable thought popped into Jiang Shimo’s mind.
Pushing open the heavy restaurant door, a luxurious and spacious area unfolded before her eyes.
Ornate crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, reflecting dreamlike and vibrant colors from every angle.
Xu Yinsheng privately mused to herself, Still the same old place.
This was the restaurant where she had brought countless beautiful young women to dine in the past.
Today, however, she was here as the female party, accepting an invitation to dine with another man.
***
It’s ironic, isn’t it?
A twist of fate, you could say.
A polite waiter stepped forward.
“Excuse me, are you Ms. Xu Ying?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Please follow me.”
Following the waiter into the restaurant and up to the third floor, a classical Chinese aesthetic greeted her eyes.
The environment was pleasant and exquisite, the decor romantic and elegant, giving one the illusion of being in a painting, a true fairyland.
Xu Yinsheng looked around.
She had only ever been to the second-floor private rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows; this was her first time on the third floor.
She had initially wanted to refuse Zhao Yicheng’s dinner invitation, but… her milk tablets were almost gone.
Ever since her future self warned her about being “taken” within two months, she hadn’t been able to sleep well, constantly worrying about it.
It was like she had developed mild anxiety, and only when she took the milk tablets did her mind find some relief.
Consequently, her supply of milk tablets was depleting rapidly.
The two bottles she had were down to just a few pills in a matter of days.
It was safe to say that milk tablets had become a necessity for Xu Yinsheng.
On one hand, there was the risk of being “taken”; on the other, refusing Zhao Yicheng meant a miserable future with no milk tablet supply.
Right now, I’m “Xu Ying,” not Xu Yinsheng. My future self said Zhao Yicheng only “takes” Xu Yinsheng. Today, Zhao Yicheng invited “Xu Ying,” not Xu Yinsheng, so I won’t be “taken.”
Xu Yinsheng repeated this silently several times, finally calming herself slightly.
***
The walls were adorned with colorful patterns of light blue squares, framed by gilded, elaborate frames with exquisitely carved flowers and fruits at the corners, where plump little cupids flew freely.
Xu Yinsheng could already feel a subtle, romantic atmosphere settling in.
The ceiling was painted with magnificent caissons, encircling a cluster of bright lights in the centerābright lights shaped like an arrow piercing two hearts, nestled between golden crystal and pink hearts.
The waiter led her to the table and then slowly retreated.
A white-clad attendant was already standing by the table, having waited for some time.
Once Xu Yinsheng was seated, the entire third floor suddenly dimmed, plunging into darkness.
Soothing music began to play.
The white-clad attendant struck a match and lit the candles on the table.
In the warm glow, Zhao Yicheng sat in a suit, his beard cleanly shaven and meticulously groomed.
The candlelight was fiery, the tableware white, and the tables and chairs a brown-gray, giving one the fleeting illusion of a romantic candlelit dinner for two.
The romantic and beautiful decor, coupled with exquisite cuisine blending Chinese and Western flavors, made it the perfect choice for couples’ dates.
A strange feeling arose in Xu Yinsheng’s heart.
Ever since she learned that Zhao Yicheng was merely using his supposed affection for “Xu Ying” as an excuse to get close to her, she had abandoned any backup plans involving him.
But now, this overwhelmingly coupled atmosphere…
A large hand subtly clasped her fair, tender one.
Xu Yinsheng looked up, and it was none other than her good brother, Zhao Yicheng, who lusted after her.
Zhao Yicheng was dressed in a black suit and black trousers, his posture tall and noble, looking every bit the successful man.
A polite smile graced his face, and his gaze was tender as he looked at her.
His voice was as pleasant as the warm spring sun, “A-Ying, what would you like to eat?”
Goosebumps instantly erupted on Xu Yinsheng’s skin.
She desperately wanted to pull her hand away and slap him.
What was wrong with her best friend?
Before, he had tied her to the bed and played until she was on the verge of death, and now he was gazing at her with deep affection, calling her “A-Ying”?
Could it be that his mental illness had relapsed?
Xu Yinsheng remembered her future self mentioning in passing that Zhao Yicheng suffered from a severe mental illness, which she had spent over a decade to partially treat, stabilizing his mental state.
“Guest, please order.”
The white-clad attendant appropriately handed over a menu.
Zhao Yicheng looked at “Xu Ying,” motioning for her to order.
Xu Yinsheng forcefully pulled her small hand away.
The strange feeling in her heart intensified. She took the menu, simply ordered a glass of orange juice, and then handed it back to Zhao Yicheng.
“Everything except that one,” Zhao Yicheng told the white-clad attendant.