Chapter 394 - He Composed Himself. Aiya, Screw It – Is This Woman Trying To Arouse Me Again?

“Looks like you were really hurt by her,” Ruan Yang said lazily. “Do you like her a lot?”

Li Shaobin was stunned. It couldn’t be considered a lot. He just thought that her hobbies were to his liking, but come to think of it now, she might’ve faked it. “I… don’t think so.”

“I don’t think so either.” Ruan Yang flipped the menu in her hands and said, “If you were cheated and fell out of love, you wouldn’t be like this right now. I think you’re just a little angry but you don’t really love her.”

“… Maybe.” Li Shaobin didn’t really understand the so-called feeling of heartbreak. The only time he really felt pained was during high school. He had a crush on this girl for a very long time but in the end, when he confessed to her, she said she liked Xin Ziao. He cried at home secretly that day. “You sound as though you’re a professional. Don’t forget that you only have your 18- year-old memory. Ruan Yang, tell me honestly, did you start dating in high school?”

“Yeah, once.” Ruan Yang sighed with melancholy. “We were from the same class. He was the class president while I was the study representative. We could be considered the teacher’s helpers. We studied together and strove for excellence together. In year three, I insisted on applying for Northern City’s film and performance school because I wanted to be an actor, but he didn’t like this profession. He applied for Shenzhen’s financial institution and we broke up after that. Perhaps I knew we weren’t meant to belong in the same world.”

Li Shaobin nodded a little uncomfortably. Why did everyone start dating in high school while his crush didn’t come to fruition? How annoying. “You could bear to let it go?”

“I don’t…” Ruan Yang thought for a while and said, “However, when I woke up at the hospital, I thought that since it had already been eight years, he might’ve long gotten married and had a family. Besides, he must’ve been glad to have broken up with me, after all…”

She shrugged. “You know why too.”

“Do you mean the nude…” Li Shaobin quickly stopped himself. “Actually, you don’t have to take it to heart. It’s no big deal. Besides, I feel that since you were willing to do it, that meant you were determined in your career. You chose this path. Why must you look down on yourself?”

“You’re right. I ended up being the one looking down on myself.” Ruan Yang laughed bitterly. She really didn’t understand what had happened to her in the last eight years that she became so resolute. Perhaps it was because she longed for success and was too determined to achieve her dreams. She knew this from the start.

The service staff came over then. Ruan Yang said, “Get me a set of Bordeaux foie gras, a tenderloin beef with porcini pasta and sesame salad. How about some white wine?”

“You really have great taste.” The service staff smiled. “Foie gras tastes the best with white wine.”

“You really know your food,” Li Shaobin mumbled. He also ordered a set of wagyu beef stewed with Bordeaux and Boston lobster.

“It feels like the first time I’ve come to such a high-class western restaurant to eat.” Ruan Yang suddenly smiled at the service staff and said, “Can you light the candle?”

“Of course.” The service staff took out a lighter and lit the candle. Before he left, he dimmed the lights around the two of them. Li Shaobin could feel the woman sitting in front of him exuding an indistinct beauty, as though she was standing in a heavy fog. He wanted to take a good look but he couldn’t clearly, giving him the curious urge to lift up that foggy veil to take a close look.

He said awkwardly, “Isn’t this too weird? Shouldn’t it be brighter since we’re eating?”

“No.” Ruan Yang propped her chin on her hand, looking at him and saying, “Don’t you think that it’s way more mesmerizing to look at people under such a setting compared to normal?”

Li Shaobin’s hand, which just touched the teapot, trembled. He composed himself. Aiya, screw it, is this woman trying to arouse me again?

When he was pouring some water for her, he took the chance to look at her. This time, she wasn’t looking at him. Instead, she was concentrating on the candle in front of her. The dancing flame was reflected in her clear eyes. Right now, her expression was like a curious 18 to 19-year-old girl.

“If you like it, I can get someone to bring a couple more candles.” Li Shaobin hesitated for a while before he said that.

“It’s okay. This is pretty good.” Ruan Yang’s gaze became strangely gentle. “This really feels like a candlelit dinner.”

Li Shaobin paused subconsciously. He felt inexplicably hot. Come to think of it, this was his first time eating in a Western restaurant in such a setting with a woman.

It really set the mood.

The dishes were subsequently served. Ruan Yang cut a small piece of foie gras and put it into her mouth. The texture was exceptionally tender and with a sip of the white wine, she could feel a mild sweetness at the tip of her tongue.

“Here, cheers.” Ruan Yang raised her glass. “Wishing you… a girlfriend as soon as possible.”

Li Shaobin clinked glasses with her gently without saying anything. He had always liked to eat his meat and drink his wine in huge mouthfuls. However, now that he was sitting in such a restaurant, he didn’t find there was anything wrong with taking small bites and chewing his food slowly. Instead, he found it an interesting experience.

…

After dinner, it was almost 8:30 pm. Ruan Yang pulled out her card to foot the bill.The cashier was stunned for a few seconds, perhaps because Li Shaobin looked lavishly dressed, so she thought he was a typical rich man bringing his date out for dinner; she never expected that the woman would be the one paying.

Li Shaobin felt inexplicably awkward too. After all, he rarely let the woman foot the bill when he ate out.

Just then, Ruan Yang said with a smile, “What are you looking at? He’s my husband. His card is with me.”

“Ma’am you’re so lucky.” The cashier took her card.

…

When they walked out of the restaurant, Li Shaobin glared at her. “Why did you say that just now? When did I become your husband?”

“I just told a casual lie.” Ruan Yang shrugged and said with a smile, “I was afraid that someone would misunderstand and think that I brought out a gigolo. That would be very embarrassing.”

She stood under the lit sign board by the door. The smile on her face was very animated. Li Shaobin wasn’t that stupid. She might’ve not just been trying to save her face but his face as well.

It was no wonder that when people talked about Ruan Yang in the entertainment industry, she was described as smooth and slick. He didn’t think that certain things about her would remain the same despite her amnesia.

The two of them took Ruan Yang’s sports car. When they got in, Ruan Yang said, “I’ll take you to the mall to get your car.”

“Let’s go straight to your house.” Li Shaobin pouted. “You have so many things. I’ll help you carry them.”

“It’s okay; there isn’t a lot. I can carry them myself.” Ruan Yang shook her head. “Otherwise, it wouldn’t be convenient for you to pick up your car at the mall later. It’s not comfortable taking a cab in such weather too.”

“I’ll just get Hu Zhi to pick me up.” Li Shaobin started to feel annoyed. “I told you to just go straight home, so just do it. Stop nagging.”

Since he said that, Ruan Yang let him have his way.

When they stopped at the car park, Li Shaobin helped her move the books up. The wall of the elevator reflected the two silhouettes. Ruan Yang glanced at Li Shaobin, who was standing beside her. He was a head taller than her. She was just holding a bag while he was carrying a huge box of books stacked on top of one another. He looked pretty strong.

In this slight moment, she suddenly felt a strange feeling.

When she opened the door, Li Shaobin put the books in the lobby. Ruan Yang hesitated for a while before asking, “Do you want to come in for some tea?”

Li Shaobin’s heart skipped a beat. Is she taking the initiative to keep me around or is she trying to hint at something?

Just as his thoughts were running wild, his phone rang. It was a call from Hu Zhi saying that he was already downstairs.

“Since Hu Zhi is already here, let’s do this another day then,” Ruan Yang said when she overheard his phone conversation. “Thanks for today.”

“It’s nothing. You treated me to a meal anyway.” Li Shaobin scratched his nose. He wanted to say something but suddenly, he felt a little shy.

When he left, Ruan Yang watched him enter the elevator and watched the door close.

—————————

At the entrance of the Rong estate, Hu Zhi was waiting in an Audi. After around 10 minutes, he saw a charismatic man in a woolen overcoat open the door to the backseat and put something inside.

“Hey, hey, hey, who are you?” Hu Zhi quickly scolded, “You got into the wrong car.”

“Are you blind? You cou;dn’t even recognize me and you even dared to speak to me with this tone?” Li Shaobin shot back at him.

Hu Zhi shuddered violently and quickly switched on the light in the car. He looked over and his eyeballs almost fell out. “Boss, it’s you? how did you… become like this?”

“Like what?” Li Shaobin put his clothes in the backseat, closed the door and came over to sit in the passenger’s seat.

Hu Zhi’s brows twitched as he looked at his suit and overcoat, spacing out for a while before he stuttered, “Boss…, I don’t even dare to call you ‘Boss’ now. I simply… feel like calling you CEO. You’re… too gentlemanly. You look just like those male models in the New York Times. Really. You’re so handsome I could barely recognize you.”

Li Shaobin laughed out in delight after hearing that as he said, “I also think I look pretty handsome today.” He paused for a while before adding, “Ruan Yang chose this set of clothes for me.”

“No wonder. Miss Ruan really has good taste,” Hu Zhi said.

“It’s mainly because your boss is fundamentally good-looking.” Li Shaobin raised his brows and paused again before saying, “We even had a candlelit dinner tonight.”

“Really?” Hu Zhi took in a deep breath. “Is Miss Ruan fond of you?”

Li Shaobin was suddenly stunned by that question. He frowned with frustration. “I don’t know.”