Chapter 630: Chapter 628: Old Acquaintances
Upon hearing Chuchu’s surprised voice, Yan Hui’s face lit up with a comforting smile. He looked at Chuchu with a gentle expression and said:
"Just having a meal here, are you eating here too?"
Chuchu avoided his gaze and nodded, "Yeah, I’m here with a friend. Brother Yan, you go ahead and attend to your things. I just haven’t seen you in a while, so it’s a pleasant surprise to see you."
Hearing the word ’surprise’, the smile in Yan Hui’s eyes deepened. Instead of hurrying back to his own room, he asked:
"What friend? Is it Mai Qiqi?" He knew that Chuchu and Mai Qiqi were very close.
"No." Chuchu shook her head. She didn’t expect Yan Hui to be curious about the friend she brought along. Then she remembered Ming Wan saying she knew Yan Hui, so she smiled and said, "But it’s someone you know."
Yan Hui was curious and laughed, "Who is it? Maybe I’ll get to meet them too." He had no intention of returning to his own room and wanted to go with Chuchu to her room instead.
Seeing this, Chuchu couldn’t refuse. After all, he wanted to see Ming Wan, and she couldn’t turn him away. So she asked:
"Um, won’t it affect things on your side?"
"No worries, it’s really dull over there." Yan Hui said casually, "It’s lucky I ran into you, gives me a breather."
In fact, he was dining with Kong Zifeng and a few others, discussing a project collaboration. Running into Chuchu naturally made the project less important.
Chuchu assumed he must really be bored, so she led Yan Hui to the private room where she and Ming Wan were dining.
At the sound of voices at the door, Ming Wan turned around and saw a tall, elegant man with refined features walking in with Chuchu. She was slightly taken aback. When she realized it was Yan Hui, a hint of bashfulness crossed her eyebrows, but she still stood up politely and softly greeted him,
"Brother Yan."
Seeing the slender woman seated by the window was Ming Wan, Yan Hui couldn’t help but smile, "So it’s you, Wanwan, having a meal with Chuchu. I was just thinking about introducing you two, but it seems you already know each other."
The two spoke with a tone of intimacy that left Chuchu bewildered.
One calling "Brother Yan" and the other "Wanwan," it seemed like the intimate interaction between Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu. Those unaware might think there was something between them.
Chuchu couldn’t think too wildly, so she quickly chimed in with a smile, "So you two do know each other."
Ming Wan pursed her lips and smiled without speaking, seemingly seeing Yan Hui with a bit of embarrassment. Yan Hui, however, spoke openly, "We were neighbors for a year while studying abroad."
Chuchu was surprised, "Then Ming Wan must have gone abroad to study at a very young age."
Ming Wan then nodded, "Yes, I left during middle school. Back then, I knew nothing and caused Brother Yan a lot of trouble."
Seeing Ming Wan’s embarrassed and awkward appearance, it seemed the trouble must have really been unforgettable.
What Chuchu found even more remarkable was that after so many years abroad, Ming Wan wasn’t at all like the open Western women, but rather more like a traditional, gentle Eastern woman.
Just as Yan Hui sat down, the dishes they ordered were brought over. Ming Wan politely asked, "Brother Yan, have you eaten? Would you like to join us?"
"Sure." Yan Hui surprisingly didn’t hesitate and agreed, and he nonchalantly called the waiter to order two more dishes, which neither Chuchu nor Ming Wan expected, but they said nothing.
Yan Hui inquired, "Why are you two having a meal together?"
Uh... that question was difficult to answer; it involved Ming Wan’s privacy. Chuchu pretended to be busy eating, making it inconvenient to talk, and passed the question to Ming Wan to answer.
Ming Wan slowly chewed, swallowed the food in her mouth, wiped her mouth, and took a sip of water before saying gracefully, "I was just hungry, Sister Chu’er took me out for a meal."
It was obviously a perfunctory answer, and Yan Hui knowingly smiled and didn’t press the matter, saying, "The food here is quite decent, it should suit your taste."
Ming Wan smiled and nodded, "Yes, I really like it."
Yan Hui even remembered Ming Wan’s taste so clearly, Chuchu’s eyes darted between Yan Hui and Ming Wan, thinking their relationship was quite good.
Just then, a waiter knocked on the door and came in to deliver a bottle of wine, which Ming Wan asked for when Chuchu was in the restroom. She was in a bad mood and wanted to drink a little, but she didn’t expect Yan Hui to be here. For a moment, she was a bit embarrassed. On the surface, she remained calm, but under the table, she gently tapped Chuchu’s hand.
Chuchu initially didn’t understand what she meant. Just as she was thinking, she heard Yan Hui, with an authoritative tone, say, "You two even drink, girls shouldn’t drink outside. Who ordered this wine?"
So that’s how it was!
With Ming Wan giving such an indication, Chuchu could only admit to it herself, though she didn’t quite understand why Ming Wan was so afraid of Yan Hui.
"Brother Yan, I ordered the wine, heh heh. We girls occasionally want to have a drink too, drinking a little can be good for the complexion, heh heh."
Chuchu giggled, noticeably feeling the relief from Ming Wan beside her, thinking to herself that with Ming Wan’s relaxation, how could a sly person like Yan Hui not figure it out?
Sure enough, she saw Yan Hui glancing lightly at Ming Wan, who quickly averted her gaze, guiltily focusing on her food.
Well, got caught confessing. Chuchu chuckled sheepishly twice, quickly putting the wine aside, dismissing the waiter, not even letting him pour it.
Chuchu changed the topic and asked, "Brother Yan, when did you come back? I didn’t even know. Did you go back to the old house?"
Yan Hui replied, "Came back a few days ago. When I went to the old house, the old man said you had just left. I was originally sorry to have missed you, didn’t expect to run into you two here."
"Oh, that was unfortunate timing." Chuchu said, and then asked, "Who were you having dinner with just now?"
Yan Hui thought for a moment and then honestly said, "With Kong Zifeng, and a few business partners."
"Oh, weren’t you discussing business? Is it really okay for you to join us here?" Chuchu asked, feeling uneasy with Yan Hui there, as did Ming Wan.
Ming Wan also softly said, "Brother Yan, don’t just leave people without a word, it’s not polite."
Just then, Yan Hui’s phone rang, and Chuchu’s keen eyes saw the name ’Kong Zifeng’ on the screen. She said, "Look, look, Kong Zifeng is calling you. You should go, don’t let Kong Zifeng say we’re competing for attention with him."
Yan Hui shook his head with a smile, knowing these two were trying to send him away, so he didn’t insist further. Holding his phone, he stood up and advised, "Call me if you need anything." With that, he left the room.
