Chapter 15: Not Shameful, Not Shameful
go home?
Lian Li paused for a moment.
If Jin Shi Yue had left the bracelet at home, then she did want to go home with him to get it, but why did it sound so strange coming from his mouth?
While the two were chatting, the freshly made beef noodles were plated.
Uncle Yang, experienced and seasoned, brought over two bowls of beef noodles. The chopped scallions and cilantro were not added to the beef noodles but were served separately in a small dish.
Jin Shi Yue flicked his finger to push the dish aside and said in a languid tone, “Give up. I don’t bring people home.”
After speaking, he lifted his eyelids to look at her, the corners of his lips curving slightly, and added, “Not even my Junior Sister.”
His righteous tone made him sound like a chaste martyr.
Lian Li found it inexplicable.
Who wants to go home with you.
She just wanted to get her bracelet.
Thinking that she wouldn’t be able to get her bracelet back today, Lian Li felt dejected and responded perfunctorily, “Oh.”
Jin Shi Yue didn’t rush to pick up his chopsticks, watching her with amusement as she poured chili sauce, chopped scallions, and cilantro into her bowl and stirred it.
Uncle Yang’s beef noodles were authentic Taipei style. The beef was braised in the Taipei way, soft and flavorful upon entering the mouth, retaining its elasticity and chewiness. The broth was rich yet not greasy, with a hint of sweetness.
Initially, Lian Li just wanted to console herself with good food for the dejection of losing her bracelet. Now, with the aroma wafting towards her, she suddenly felt ravenously hungry and lowered her head to eat with concentration.
Midway, Uncle Yang brought over two snacks. One was an oyster omelet, and the other was a square plate divided into three sections, each containing squid balls, spicy fries, and salt and pepper chicken.
Lian Li glanced at the snacks and then at Jin Shi Yue, who was eating his noodles at a leisurely pace.
Still out of place.
After finishing a bowl of steaming hot beef noodles, Lian Li felt warm all over. She took a tissue to carefully wipe her lips and looked up at the man opposite her.
Jin Shi Yue had already finished eating at some point. He leaned back against the chair, his distinct fingers resting on the table, tapping idly, looking quite relaxed.
“Finished eating?”
“Mm.”
Lian Li glanced at the noodles in his bowl; there was still quite a bit left.
Wasting food.
And here she was worrying that he, a grown man, wouldn’t eat enough.
Next time, she should get him a baby bowl.
With her bracelet found and a bowl of authentic Taipei beef noodles eaten, Lian Li’s inner turmoil completely dissipated, and she was in a good mood.
She smiled and asked kindly, “Where and when can I get my bracelet back?”
“Tomorrow night at seven, I’ll be home,” Jin Shi Yue said concisely.
Lian Li’s mind raced, and she almost blurted out, “Don’t you not bring people home?”
“You come to my place yourself, I’m not bringing you,” Jin Shi Yue said. “Are you so grown up that you still need someone to bring you? Should I prepare a stroller for you?”
This sounded like, “You’re already a mature Lian Li, you should learn to come over on your own.”
He never brought people home because countless people threw themselves at him… which fit his reputation perfectly.
Dissolute, reckless, and unrestrained.
Second Young Master Jin always enjoyed teasing people. Lian Li let his words go in one ear and out the other, not taking them to heart.
“Okay, then I’ll come to get it then.”
Lian Li picked up her mobile phone and got up to pay. While paying, Uncle Yang quietly asked her, “Was the noodles not to your taste?”
Lian Li raised her eyelashes, understanding that Uncle Yang was referring to Jin Shi Yue. Her clear black and white eyes darted around, and she replied in a calm voice, “No. He’s on a diet recently; boys are quite vain.”
Uncle Yang nodded in sudden understanding, “No wonder he’s so handsome, so that’s why.”
Uncle Yang was open-minded and knew that times had changed, and many boys were more concerned with their appearance than girls.
The desire to be beautiful is universal. It’s not shameful, not shameful at all.
After Lian Li finished paying, she intended to go back and call Jin Shi Yue, but found his seat empty.
Did he go out?
She said goodbye to Uncle Yang and walked out of the restaurant. Jin Shi Yue was standing in front of the backlit sign, on the phone.
His figure was tall and slender, a pleasing sight like a jade tree. His shirt billowed in the evening breeze, illuminated by the warm orange light, giving him an air of unrestrained elegance.
Lian Li thought for a moment and decided to stand by quietly and wait.
Li Ye on the other end of the phone was explaining things that didn’t seem important at all. It was just that the fruits on the farm in the United States manor in California had ripened and weren’t picked, falling to the ground and rotting, and the neighbors sued him for mistreating the fruit trees; it was just that Meng Dingkai got drunk at a bidding banquet and fought with people, claiming he was a peerless hero from a Jin Yong wuxia novel; it was just that a reporter bribed a waiter at Rui Kong Ju and was preparing to report on his impending marriage to the director of the city’s television station.
Jin Shi Yue glanced sideways at Lian Li and asked Li Ye, “Is that all?”
Li Ye said yes.
The temperature dropped at night, and a cool breeze blew. Lian Li was holding her mobile phone, replying to Xue Shufan’s message.
After a while, a shadow fell at her feet. She raised her head and met Jin Shi Yue’s gaze.
His extremely beautiful phoenix eyes, with their pitch-black irises, were so striking that they were almost aggressive. When she met his gaze unexpectedly, her heart involuntarily trembled.
It was completely different from the deep, steady, and stable feeling of Jin Yan Ting.
“Let’s go, Junior Sister,” Jin Shi Yue said slowly, walking ahead with a relaxed and casual gait.
Lian Li had no choice but to follow.
Her original intention was to politely say goodbye and leave.
But he seemed to have misunderstood her intention, thinking she was waiting specifically for him to leave together.
There was only one way out of the beef noodle shop, so Lian Li couldn’t be bothered to correct him.
The man in front of her stopped after a few steps.
Lian Li also stopped and looked at him in confusion.
“Lead the way,” Jin Shi Yue said lightly.
Lian Li didn’t care if he was directionally challenged and obediently followed Young Master Jin’s instructions, walking ahead.
Along the way, a long ringing sound echoed through the quiet hutong alley.
Lian Li took out her mobile phone to check and found it was a call from Xue Shufan.
As soon as the call connected, Xue Shufan asked breathlessly, “Lili, where are you?”
“I just finished eating outside and am about to go home. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s just that Pei Qingji said the Bad Jaws band is invited for a special performance at the Magnificent Blue Bay Club tonight and wanted to ask if you want to go together?”
Bad Jaws, a famous Chinese orchestra, burst onto the scene in New York’s Times Square three years ago, hailed as a genius band that appears only once in decades.
They were incredibly popular, and concert tickets were impossible to get.
Lian Li liked their rock music and could be considered a fan.
“Really?” Lian Li asked.
It was well known that the Bad Jaws band was quite unconventional, rarely attended events, and dared to openly diss capital, possessing great style.
They disdained places like clubs, which were filled with extravagant and decadent life, saying they would tarnish their pure and noble reputation, like a bamboo shoot.
“Really, would I lie to you? Come over and have fun, the performance is very lively,” Xue Shufan said.
Lian Li asked for the performance time. She quickly calculated that if she went now, she could catch the performance, so she nodded and agreed.
After hanging up the phone, she happened to arrive at the parking place.
Lian Li saw that all-black, multi-billion dollar luxury car flash.
Jin Shi Yue glanced at her, “Giving you a ride?”
