Chapter 58:

Originally, Lin Qiao and the others had planned to pretend they hadn’t seen anyone and just head inside. She and Shen Qingzhou had already walked ahead when Lin’s father, a man of sharp perception, naturally refrained from greeting Qin Muyao himself, choosing instead to follow the young couple inside. The one who disrupted their plan was Xie Jiayi, who insisted on coming here for dinner.

Xie Jiayi enthusiastically greeted Qin Muyao, “Oh my, isn’t this the owner of the place? We meet again.” She stepped forward and grabbed Shen Qingzhou’s arm, as if she knew nothing, and introduced, “Qingzhou, this is the owner of this restaurant. Last time when Qiao and I came to dine, the owner was so kind to us.”

Qin Muyao’s expression was less than pleasant. He frowned slightly, watching them hesitate for a moment before slowly stepping forward.

“Are you here for a meal?” he asked in a formal tone.

Actually, this professional and detached manner was exactly what Lin Qiao wanted. The two of them were maintaining a strictly professional relationship, avoiding any unnecessary intimacy, which prevented any awkwardness between them. However, Jiayi, who was filled with the bitterness of a mother about to lose her son, wouldn’t let them off the hook so easily.

For Jiayi, this was both a prank and a test. Lin Weiming wanted to understand what kind of family his daughter had married into, and Jiayi similarly wanted to confirm whether her future daughter-in-law had already cleared up any lingering emotional entanglements with other men.

Jiayi replied lightly, “Yes, we’re here today to meet the in-laws for a meal.” She smiled slightly, “Oh, I almost forgot—you know my daughter-in-law. Come here, Qiao, greet the owner.”

Lin Qiao glanced at Shen Qingzhou, who nodded at her. She stepped to Jiayi’s side and politely greeted Qin Muyao, “Senior Qin, it’s been a long time. How’s your business?”

Qin Muyao glanced at Shen Qingzhou and replied to Lin Qiao, “Indeed, it’s been a while. Business is the same as before. Thank you for your concern.”

Lin Qiao smiled and politely replied, “You’re too kind, it’s only natural.”

At this point, the two seemed to have nothing more to say. Once classmates who could talk endlessly, they now stood like strangers with nothing to say to each other.

Jiayi calmly observed their expressions. After gaining what she wanted, she no longer hesitated and softly said, “Alright, let’s not disturb the owner’s business. It’s getting late, and I’m already hungry. Let’s go inside and eat.”

Lin Qiao, feeling relieved, quickly returned to Shen Qingzhou’s side and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Lin Weiming patted his daughter’s shoulder, signaling her to relax a bit.

Lin Qiao gave her father a reassuring look and unconsciously took Shen Qingzhou’s hand.

Shen Qingzhou seemed to sigh slightly, tightened his grip on her hand, and led her into the restaurant.

Qin Muyao stood there watching their backs disappear, and said to the flustered manager who approached him, “Seat them at the usual place. Everything as before.”

The manager nodded, “Alright, Mr. Qin. But what about Miss Lin?”

Qin Muyao sat back down in his chair, but had already lost the mood to read. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, “I’ll cook dinner myself today.”

The manager, who had already turned to leave, stopped in his tracks, looking at him in disbelief.

Perhaps not only to him, but to everyone, this action of his seemed inexplicable. After all, she clearly already had a stable partner and was about to get married. Why would he still go out of his way to be so attentive? Yet such inexplicability was perfectly normal in his eyes.

Cooking this meal might make him feel uncomfortable, but it didn’t necessarily mean the diners would feel any better.

A long time ago, Lin Qiao had told Shen Qingzhou that Qin Muyao’s roast duck was the best in Beijing. A man who seemed flawless in every other way still possessed extraordinary culinary skills, making him every woman’s dream. If she hadn’t met Shen Qingzhou, perhaps Lin Qiao really would have ended up with Qin Muyao. After all, she had no reason to refuse such a perfect man, right? Circumstance had made it impossible for her to refuse.

When Lin Qiao swallowed her first bite of lunch that day, she knew Qin Muyao had personally cooked it. Over the years, he had cooked for her too many times to count. His skills were so superior that it was impossible for her not to recognize them.

That he was still willing to cook for her came as a surprise. Before, she could have explained it as the two of them being close friends, and it was understandable for a friend to indulge another’s appetite. But now that they couldn’t even be friends anymore, his willingness to do this still made Lin Qiao feel a little guilty.

An old saying goes: a gentleman stays away from the kitchen.

Shen Qingzhou noticed Lin Qiao’s unusual expression. After a moment of silence, he spoke casually, his voice as soft and distant as a cloud in the sky: “Is the taste not right?”

Was the taste wrong? It could be considered wrong, but also right. Lin Qiao didn’t know how to answer, so she remained silent and continued eating.

As elders, Lin Weiming and Xie Jiayi were responsible for keeping the dinner conversation flowing. They kept chatting about various topics, which helped make the silence between Lin Qiao and Shen Qingzhou seem less awkward.

Finally, after enduring the meal, they were ready to leave when Lin Qiao saw Qin Muyao again on her way out.

Qin Muyao was still sitting there, his laptop on his lap, typing away on the keyboard.

This time, Jiayi didn’t greet him first, walking out the door ahead with Lin Weiming.

Lin Qiao and Shen Qingzhou walked side by side, keeping their heads down as if they hadn’t seen him. Shen Qingzhou didn’t expose her act, and they tried to blend into the crowd and leave. Just when they thought they could get away, they heard Qin Muyao call out to them.

“Mr. Shen, Qiao, please wait a moment.”

The familiar yet distant voice came from behind. Lin Qiao glanced at Shen Qingzhou with slight embarrassment. Shen Qingzhou turned around directly to face the approaching Qin Muyao and said calmly, “Mr. Qin.”

Qin Muyao had a smile on his face. His blue plaid shirt accentuated his fair complexion, and his eyes behind the black-rimmed glasses crinkled with laughter, as if he was genuinely delighted: “Earlier, with the elders present, it wasn’t appropriate to ask. I just wanted to know—Mr. Shen and Qiao, are you getting married?”

Shen Qingzhou answered straightforwardly, “Yes, we will get married this year.”

Lin Qiao stood silently beside him, not speaking or even looking directly at Qin Muyao, like an insignificant background figure.

Qin Muyao said, “Oh, so soon.”

His seemingly casual remark didn’t provoke much reaction from Shen Qingzhou, who simply replied, “If you’re determined to do something, it’s never too fast.”

*If you’re determined to do something, it’s never too fast.* Hadn’t he once felt that way too? And hadn’t he still not changed his mind? His mistake was not acting quickly enough. If he had won her over before she met Shen Qingzhou, then Lin Qiao, as his girlfriend, would never have betrayed him for Shen. That was just her nature.

Qin Muyao exhaled softly and calmly said, “Mr. Shen is absolutely right. As Qiao’s senior, I hope you won’t forget to send me the wedding invitation when the time comes.”

Shen Qingzhou looked at Qin Muyao thoughtfully for a while before finally giving his reply without haste. His style of dressing was clearly different from Qin Muyao’s—Shen Qingzhou always wore formal attire, making him seem a few years older than Qin. And it was precisely those few extra years that made Qin Muyao seem somehow less comparable in his presence.

Indeed, they were two completely different people, living entirely different lives. Being with each of them felt like living in two completely different worlds. They were just too different.

“I will,” Shen Qingzhou finally gave his promise, then politely nodded and said, “Then I’ll take my leave now.”

Satisfied with the response, Qin Muyao didn’t try to stop them anymore. He finally allowed himself to turn his gaze toward Lin Qiao. She looked at him too, her eyes slightly hesitant. Qin Muyao pretended not to see the complexity in her eyes and calmly said, “Goodbye.”

Shen Qingzhou led Lin Qiao away, neither of them looking back. Qin Muyao stood at the doorway watching their figures disappear around the corner, the smile on his face gradually fading, never to return again.

He couldn’t understand why he had made such an unreasonable request, almost like begging to be hurt. He wanted to be there, no matter how painful. Qin Muyao couldn’t imagine what he would do on the day of their wedding, but he didn’t want to miss the chance to see her get married.

In the end, Jiayi had a pleasant meeting with Lin Weiming. After Shen Qingzhou and Lin Qiao decided to get married, both sets of parents had agreed and started making preparations for the wedding.

With the elders handling the arrangements, Shen Qingzhou and Lin Qiao could finally take a step back and relax. Lin Qiao continued working at her company, occasionally visiting the hospital to check on Xiao Ning and helping out Du Xinling, who had been busy with work lately, while Shen Qingzhou was dealing with Fang Zheng’s affairs.

On that day, when Jiayi went to see Shen Qingzhou, she happened to meet Lin Weiming, so she never got the chance to plead Fang Zheng’s case. They ended up discussing the matter over the phone later.

At the time, Shen Qingzhou had not given a clear response—neither agreeing nor disagreeing. Jiayi assumed he had refused and didn’t dwell on it. A few days later, however, she was surprised to hear that Fang Zheng had already been released.

Jiayi immediately called Shen Qingzhou, who answered the phone quickly, speaking in a calm and measured tone: “What is it?”

Jiayi asked, “Fang Zheng is out. Do you know that?”

“Of course I do,” Shen Qingzhou didn’t deny it.

Jiayi asked, “Did you really let him go easily?”

At this, Shen Qingzhou gave a slight scoff. “Do I seem like that kind of person?”

“Then how did he get out?” Jiayi was puzzled.

Shen Qingzhou replied indifferently, “It’s just not the right time yet. The charge of kidnapping was too heavy for him, and the evidence in that case is difficult to collect. His release is only temporary.”

“Then do you have other plans for him?”

“Of course,” Shen Qingzhou didn’t hide it. “The real show has just begun.”