This He Lindi was undoubtedly… unfamiliar. Even though Chi Shuo was only seeing words, she could already picture He Lindi saying those three sentences—eyebrows raised, lips curved, voice lowered, eyes fixed intently on her, smiling yet with a tone that felt like summer turning instantly to winter.
Perhaps the subway air conditioning was a bit cold; Chi Shuo couldn’t help but shiver.
The scene she just imagined might very well be real, though Chi Shuo hadn’t actually seen this side of He Lindi before. Racking her brain, He Lindi remained a relatively unfamiliar presence to her. It was just that recently, somehow, the interactions between them had changed slightly, yet on the surface, nothing seemed different. That was the strangest part.
Chi Shuo suddenly remembered He Lindi suffering from heatstroke during the business trip to Beijing. Her appearance right after waking up had left a deep impression—the plaintive tone and expression, even her questions lacked force, leaving only softness and pitiableness.
Now seemed to be another unfamiliar situation. Chi Shuo searched her mind, suddenly feeling like all the books she’d read were useless because she couldn’t find the words to describe the He Lindi sending these three messages now.
If she had to label it, maybe… assertive?
Yes, that was it, assertive, as if Chi Shuo would face the Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty if she didn’t go.
Thinking of this, Chi Shuo shivered again. She didn’t reply immediately, not to keep He Lindi hanging, but to figure out how to respond.
He Lindi had sent the three messages at two different times. The first was right after Chi Shuo accepted her friend request, the latter two around 6:30 PM.
After a while, the subway doors opened and closed, closed and opened, waves of passengers stopping beside her and then leaving.
Chi Shuo swallowed, tapped the screen a few times, and replied to He Lindi’s message: 【Something up?】
After replying, she instantly felt she sounded incredibly aloof.
In fact, Chi Shuo knew she always acted this way around He Lindi.
She didn’t have strong armor, only relying on distance and acting to disguise herself. She refused to let He Lindi see her lack of confidence.
He Lindi replied instantly: 【Don’t I still owe you dinner?】
Chi Shuo nervously swallowed again, instinctively wanting to refuse: 【It’s too late today.】
【Tomorrow is Saturday.】
【And it’s only seven o’clock now.】
Chi Shuo was momentarily speechless, blocked by her words.
But before she could reply, He Lindi sent another message, an address: 【Nice Western Restaurant, 3rd Floor, Qunxing Building.】
Chi Shuo stared at the text, sighed, and then spent the rest of the journey mentally preparing herself.
She wanted to tell Xia Zhou and the others about having dinner alone with He Lindi, but after thinking about it, decided against it for now. Otherwise, the reply would most likely be “Don’t argue with He Lindi.”
Qunxing Building was in the best part of the city center, and the city center was in Yun Cheng’s most prosperous area. It being a Friday night, this area was extremely lively; even normally, it was crowded.
Many restaurants had long queues outside. Passersby debated whether to eat there.
Chi Shuo wouldn’t debate it, because she wouldn’t choose to eat at Qunxing Building during peak weekend dinner hours.
Not because she couldn’t afford it, but because the wait here was very long. Thinking about this, Chi Shuo suddenly realized she hadn’t asked He Lindi if she had booked a table.
Having reached the ground floor of Qunxing Building, with a crowd waiting for the elevators, Chi Shuo didn’t squeeze in immediately but stood aside and messaged He Lindi.
She asked the question she had just thought of and received a concise reply: 【Table A1.】
Chi Shuo hesitated no longer.
Chi Shuo had been to Nice Western Restaurant before, but it was one afternoon last year. Off-peak, it wasn’t as crowded, completely different from the current feeling of being surrounded by people.
After telling the waiter the table number, Chi Shuo was led towards A1.
The lighting was just right, and the food on the tables looked appetizing. As Chi Shuo walked past, her most genuine feeling was that she was getting hungrier, which considerably lessened her nervousness.
The “A” section tables were separated from the other lettered areas. These were also sofa seats, less crowded, and quieter than other areas. Basically, only SVIPs could sit here.
After just a few steps, the waiter led her to He Lindi’s table.
Chi Shuo had already seen He Lindi’s back as she walked over. She was holding a menu, a waiter standing respectfully beside her as she occasionally looked up to communicate with him.
Maybe their footsteps were too loud, or perhaps He Lindi had eyes in the back of her head, but before Chi Shuo reached the table, He Lindi turned her head and looked at her.
Chi Shuo immediately switched into acting mode, met her gaze, and slowly sat down on the sofa.
“Finished work?” He Lindi asked first after she sat down, but without waiting for an answer, she pushed the menu towards Chi Shuo. “Order.”
No restaurant in Qunxing Building was cheap. The prices on this menu still made Chi Shuo’s brow twitch.
She could certainly afford it, but she couldn’t come often. This was another reason she hadn’t been back in over a year.
Too expensive.
After ordering, Chi Shuo cleared her throat softly and got straight to the point: “Maybe we should just delete each other on WeChat.”
Chi Shuo had thought about it the whole way. She wasn’t comfortable having He Lindi in her WeChat friends list at all.
This was a problem, Chi Shuo knew.
During the time Chi Shuo ordered, He Lindi seemed sleepy. Her left elbow rested on the table, palm supporting her face, eyes closed.
Now, suddenly hearing Chi Shuo’s words, she almost instantly opened her eyes, maintaining the same posture, looking at Chi Shuo.
Facing such a gaze, even though Chi Shuo’s hand under the table was nervously gripping her pants, she maintained a smile on the surface. “I think we’re better suited to just being in the same group chat.”
He Lindi brushed her hair back. Chi Shuo saw the few strands of blue, even more noticeable under the lights.
“Chi Shuo.” He Lindi’s lips parted slightly, calling her name, not directly addressing Chi Shuo’s words.
Chi Shuo maintained her innocent expression. “Can’t I?”
“Do you have some misunderstanding about me?”
He Lindi’s reply and question had nothing to do with Chi Shuo’s words. She just looked into Chi Shuo’s eyes, asking word by word, overpowering Chi Shuo’s presence.
“No.” Chi Shuo averted her gaze, focusing on the centerpiece on the table.
It was a vase holding a flower Chi Shuo didn’t recognize. The fragrance reaching her nose seemed to emanate from it.
“No?” He Lindi repeated the word. Her right hand rested on the table, the tip of her smooth, glistening index finger tapping rhythmically, slowly, soundlessly, yet making Chi Shuo feel increasingly… flustered.
Chi Shuo looked up at her again. “Did you ask me here just to ask about this?”
“Yes and no.” He Lindi slightly softened her sharp gaze, picked up her glass, took a sip of water, and said calmly, “Let’s drop it. After today, I won’t owe you anything anymore.”
Chi Shuo paused, then replied, “Okay.”
The two fell silent again. During the meal, only the sound of cutlery clinking against plates echoed between them.
This meal wasn’t enjoyable at all, feeling more like completing a task.
It started awkwardly and ended stiffly.
Leaving the restaurant, taking the elevator down, heading to the parking lot—the two didn’t exchange a single word the entire time. If an outsider saw them, they might think they had incredible tacit understanding, but one look at their expressions would reveal the current situation.
Chi Shuo, being the one involved, knew best. She got into the passenger seat and fastened her seatbelt.
He Lindi beside her kept her lips pressed together, still silent. The car drove out of the parking lot. Chi Shuo stared straight ahead.
Only when the streets outside became increasingly familiar, nearing her apartment complex, did Chi Shuo finally speak: “Just stop in front of the supermarket ahead.”
He Lindi didn’t answer but followed Chi Shuo’s words, pulling the car over under a tree by the roadside.
Chi Shuo quietly exhaled, unbuckled her seatbelt, turned her head, and forced a smile. “Thanks.” She made an effort to look normal. “I don’t owe you a ride home now, right?”
After speaking, she still didn’t get a reply from He Lindi. Chi Shuo swallowed again, turned to open the car door herself.
But before she could, He Lindi reached out and grabbed her sleeve cuff. Chi Shuo slowly turned back, meeting He Lindi’s eyes, who had also turned her head. “Is there anything else?”
“You’re not allowed to delete me on WeChat.” He Lindi said this with a stern, serious face, then, without waiting for Chi Shuo’s reaction, released her hand. The next second, her tough attitude immediately shifted.
She looked at Chi Shuo, her eyes filled with a pitiful expression, her voice softening considerably.
Chi Shuo heard her say, “Please.”
