Chapter 14: Want to Come Home With Me
“The bracelet.”
Lian Li opened her mobile phone album and found a picture to show Jin Shi Yue, “A bracelet with two red jade pendants hanging from it.”
She looked at him, her eyes full of hope: “Do you know where it is?”
“If I didn’t know, why would I have called you into the car,” Jin Shi Yue said, “Just to sightsee?”
Lian Li blinked her dense eyelashes.
It wasn’t impossible; he might be showing off his top-tier supercar to her.
“That bracelet was left to me by my family; it’s incredibly meaningful. Can you return it to me?” Lian Li’s words were gentle, her bright eyes holding a suitable plea.
Jin Shi Yue remained in his usual indifferent and languid posture, leaning against the leather seat back and casually observing her.
“Have you eaten dinner yet?”
“Not yet.” Lian Li shook her head. She had originally planned to go eat, but she ran into him halfway.
“Perfect, I haven’t eaten either,” Jin Shi Yue said.
Lian Li was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood his meaning.
—First, treat him to a meal, and then discuss other matters later.
Someone found her belongings and personally returned them. It was only natural to treat him to a meal as a thank you, so Lian Li didn’t refuse.
For someone like Jin Shi Yue, a prominent figure from a powerful family, a young master who stood above all living beings, the food he usually ate should be from high-end restaurants that were difficult to book.
The bracelet was priceless to Lian Li. She could accept spending a lot of money to treat him to a meal.
The problem was, given her status, she couldn’t book a luxurious restaurant for him at all.
“What do you want to eat? I’ll treat you to a meal. However, if it’s one of those high-end restaurants that are hard to book, you might need to…”
“What were you planning to eat?” Jin Shi Yue asked.
“I was planning to eat noodles,” Lian Li said truthfully.
“That one.”
Lian Li couldn’t quite believe it: “Are you sure? If you’re not used to it…” It might upset your stomach.
Before she could finish speaking, Jin Shi Yue’s thin eyelids drooped as he glanced at her: “What, are you eating human flesh noodles or something?”
Lian Li’s pupils widened slightly, then she said slowly: “No.”
“Then why would I not be used to it?” Jin Shi Yue looked at her, his expression unchanged.
Lian Li gazed at his sharply defined jawline, thinking that this was perfectly normal.
The second young master was unrestrained and indulged in luxury, spending his days in various high-end establishments in the Capital City. Although the noodles she ate were clean, they were vastly different from those precious ingredients.
Lian Li didn’t dwell on the topic. While fastening her seatbelt, she told Jin Shi Yue an address.
The Koenigsegg drove on the orderly road filled with traffic.
The city was bustling and brilliant, neon lights flashing past the window, forming a hazy, colorful image.
The car finally stopped in a hutong alley with an ancient charm.
Lian Li got out of the car first.
She took a step forward, then turned back. Just then, she saw the driver’s door open, a long leg clad in black trousers stepping onto the ground, followed by another equally slender and powerful leg landing steadily.
In the hutong at night, the lights were dim and yellow. The man’s high-quality black shirt was slightly tucked into the tight waistline of his trousers, accentuating his broad shoulders and narrow waist. Combined with his tall, lean, and perfectly upright physique, he was truly dashing.
Perhaps it was because of the slightly roguish aura that Jin Shi Yue exuded, a mix of good and evil, that Lian Li felt his presence in the old hutong wasn’t out of place.
After turning twice, Lian Li and Jin Shi Yue stepped onto the bluestone path and arrived at a Taipei Beef Noodle Shop.
The shop had about ten tables and chairs, with a simple and clean environment. There weren’t many customers at the moment, only a few tables scattered around.
The owner was a middle-aged man in his forties, slightly plump, wearing a black shop uniform. The upper left corner of the uniform was embroidered with the words ‘Taipei Uncle Yang’ in gold thread. Uncle Yang was a friend Lian Li’s father made when he first arrived in the Capital City; they had lived in the same rental building.
Uncle Yang was attending to customers, smiling at everyone, looking kind and benevolent.
Lian Li looked around, chose a good spot, pulled out a chair, and gestured for Jin Shi Yue to sit first.
Jin Shi Yue watched her swift movements, his right eyebrow lifting slightly.
The tables and chairs weren’t large, and the man’s tall, slender body looked quite cramped sitting there.
Under the square table, his long legs occupied most of the space.
As Lian Li moved her feet, she inevitably bumped into Jin Shi Yue.
Perhaps it was due to the cooling weather, but when she touched his calf, warmth clearly transmitted through the fabric, giving her a slight burn.
Lian Li immediately moved her foot away.
Jin Shi Yue lifted his eyelids to look at her slightly flushed cheeks, “Junior Sister, are you addicted to kicking people?”
“……”
Lian Li’s apology was stuck in her throat, and she swallowed it back.
She couldn’t get past that hurdle.
Uncle Yang ambled over. Seeing her, his voice couldn’t hide his joy: “Lili, you’re here.”
“Uncle Yang,” Lian Li smiled back.
Uncle Yang’s gaze swept over the young man sitting opposite her, and he couldn’t help but be taken aback.
This man had an exceptionally striking appearance, with a powerful and cold aura that made it clear he was no ordinary person.
Uncle Yang’s gaze carefully circled Jin Shi Yue before returning to Lian Li, a pleased smile appearing on his kind face.
“Brought your boyfriend to support my business?”
Lian Li glanced at the man opposite her. His eyes were full of indifference, as if it had nothing to do with him.
She denied it: “He’s not my boyfriend.”
Just as she was pondering how to introduce Jin Shi Yue to Uncle Yang, the unattainable man spoke first: “Order food.”
Lian Li understood.
Young Master Jin was hungry.
Lian Li flipped open the menu and recommended a few signature dishes to Jin Shi Yue. The latter said lazily, “Whatever.”
So, Lian Li casually ordered two bowls of signature beef noodles.
One large, and one small.
Uncle Yang stood by, witnessing the entire exchange, his smile deepening. The way he looked at the two of them clearly conveyed one message:
Young people dating, easily shy, Uncle understands.
Lian Li was hungry and didn’t want to repeat her explanation, so she let Uncle Yang think what he wanted.
After ordering, the two fell into silence.
They sat in silence, yet neither felt awkward.
Lian Li lowered her head and took out her mobile phone to message Xue Shufan, informing her that the bracelet had been found, and also to tell Assistant He not to bother looking for it anymore.
Xue Shufan, who had just left the laboratory to go to the canteen for lunch, quickly replied: 「Autumn is the season of harvest, it definitely won’t be lost!」
Lian Li curved her lips: 「Although autumn has many good things, misfortune always seems to run into ghosts.」
After sending the message, she put her phone away. It was impolite to look at one’s phone while dining with someone.
Lian Li looked up and unexpectedly met Jin Shi Yue’s gaze.
In fact, his expression was no different; he still had that languid, unrestrained, and cold demeanor, with a hint of impatience in his brows, making him seem unapproachable.
But her eyelids still twitched abruptly.
Lian Li, her heart set on the bracelet, ignored the twitching of her eyelids and proactively asked, “Can I have my item back now?”
“I didn’t bring it,” the man said casually, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Lian Li: “?”
She tried to communicate: “Where is it? Otherwise, can I come with you to get it later?”
Jin Shi Yue’s well-defined fingers toyed with the celadon Ru porcelain tea cup. Upon hearing this, his eyebrows arched slightly, carrying his usual sharp languor: “You want to come home with me?”
