CH 96.2

Since there was no longer any need for Ji Fanyin to pretend to be anyone in front of Song Shiyu, she had based the order on her own dietary preferences, not Song Shiyu’s preferences and much less Ji Xinxin’s.

Song Shiyu and Ji Fanyin had contradicting taste buds. He preferred subtle flavors with a hint of sweetness while she liked intense flavors.

Needless to say, when the dishes were served, Song Shiyu was stunned. Before he could react further, Ji Fanyin proceeded to tackle the food.

Following suit, Song Shiyu picked up his chopsticks. He stared at the dishes but did not reach for them. Instead, he asked, “Are these your favorite dishes?”

“They are.”

“Is that so… I wasn’t aware of that.” Song Shiyu forced a smile.

Ji Fanyin looked at him.

It was normal for Song Shiyu to not know her dietary preferences. Especially since this was her dietary preferences and not ‘Ji Fanyin’s’.

But she would not be surprised even if that, too, was not something he knew.

Song Shiyu picked up some blanched cabbages and took a bite out of it distractedly. That was the only dish on the table acceptable to him. Before he took another bite, his actions suddenly froze. He looked at Ji Fanyin and said, “Regarding the issue with Li Xiaoxing… I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware of it until that day. If I knew about it earlier, I would have thought of ways to help you.”

“Oh, it’s alright.” Ji Fanyin killed the conversation mercilessly.

After a few minutes, Song Shiyu asked again, “Did Li Xiaoxing harass you after that day?”

Ji Fanyin took in Song Shiyu’s appearance. Haggardness was written all over his face. He seemed to have aged seven to eight years since they last met and could barely fit the look of a young talent.

Amassing wealth was a tiring process, he probably did not have time to listen to gossip.

Being in the same shoes, Ji Fanyin could empathize with him.

“Li Xiaoxing doesn’t have the time to do so.” She added, “Kind of like you.”

However, the similarity she was referring to was how both men had actively sought troubles for themselves.

Li Xiaoxing was an exceptional case. From experiencing phantom pain to being half-paralysed, the credit was all his.

Ji Fanyin had not even expected things to go this far.

She was initially only planning to put them through some mental anguish and rake in some cash while doing so but little did she expect, Ji Xinxin and Li Xiaoxing had taken things further and turned it into a physical torture.

“...” Song Shiyu sipped some water to conceal his emotions.

They continued to dine in silence which was something Ji Fanyin did not mind. Nonetheless, Songyu had more questions in his mind. When Ji Fanyin was done with the meal and laid her chopsticks down, he could finally bear it no longer and asked, “Do you have someone you currently like?”

It was obvious that question had taken a lot out of him. His tightly interlaced fingers and lips pressed so hard against each other until it formed an irregular line was a clear indication of the nervousness and agony he was going through.

“What has that got to do with you?” Ji Fanyin asked nonchalantly. “No matter what, I don’t like you.”

Song Shiyu froze in his seat. “... I’m aware of that.”

Other than a brief moment of his glazing over, Ji Fanyin’s reply did not seem to have left a mark on Song Shiyu. It seemed he had already anticipated those words.

Ji Fanyin looked at him and laughed, “Are you intending to ask me what are the qualities of yours that attracted me in the past?”

Song Shiyu ran his tongue over his cracked lower lip.

“The me who is not liked by you…” He iterated slowly, “Does not seem to have a reason to exist.”