Chapter Twenty-Four: An Encounter in the Restaurant

The four of them, tired from their playful scuffle, lay side by side on the beds. Mo Qinghan closed her eyes; perhaps she feared her gaze would betray her if she kept them open. Her voice carried a hint of sadness as she spoke: "If one day you discover that I’m truly hiding something from you, please promise to forgive me. There must be a reason I can’t tell you, a hardship I can’t share."

He Yurou turned her face toward Mo Qinghan, whose eyes remained closed, and asked gently, "Qinghan, is something troubling you?"

Mo Qinghan, still with eyes shut and her expression calm, replied, "No! Don’t let your imagination run wild. Close your eyes, too. How long has it been since we lay like this together?"

He Yurou closed her eyes and answered, "It’s been so long. Ever since your brother was hospitalized, I haven’t seen you this happy until today."

After these words, the two of them shared a smile, perfectly in sync. On the other bed, the other two girls smiled as well. At that moment, a few rays of sunlight brushed across the faces of these young girls in the bloom of youth, making them look irresistibly lovely.

As soon as the bell rang for the last class of the afternoon, He Yurou caught sight of a familiar figure at the classroom door. Delight instantly lit up her face. Without even gathering her books from the desk, she ran straight to Zhao Qingwu. Mo Qinghan, meanwhile, packed both her own and He Yurou’s books into her backpack. As she left the classroom, many girls had gathered around Zhao Qingwu and He Yurou. Mo Qinghan pointed at her backpack to signal that she had taken He Yurou’s books, and He Yurou nodded in acknowledgment. With that, Mo Qinghan didn’t linger.

Zhao Qingwu watched Mo Qinghan, who didn’t spare him a glance, her indifferent expression fading into the distance down the corridor. He Yurou, noticing where Zhao Qingwu’s eyes lingered—where there was nothing but flowers and greenery—asked him what he was looking at. Zhao Qingwu replied coolly, "Nothing."

Mo Qinghan spent her spare time working part-time at an upscale restaurant. Although He Zheyu had given her a card, she had never used a single cent from it—she probably didn’t even know how much money it held. Because she spoke both English and French, the hotel manager assigned her to greet guests in the lobby, especially to handle foreign visitors.

As Mo Qinghan stood at the reception, bowing slightly to a man and a woman who had just entered, she greeted them in English, "Welcome." As she straightened and saw the man’s face clearly, her expression froze for a moment. The girl beside her nudged her with an elbow, snapping her back to attention. She quickly asked, "Is it just the two of you?"

He Zheyu noticed her momentary daze and immediately understood her misunderstanding. Before he could speak, the woman beside him—dressed in a pale yellow dress with a long white coat, her features not particularly striking but exuding elegance, standing about 165 centimeters tall—answered in halting Chinese, "Yes! Is there a table by the window?"

With a polite smile, Mo Qinghan replied, "Yes, there is," and signaled for her colleague to lead them to their table, while she took their coats.

As He Zheyu handed Mo Qinghan his coat, a mischievous smile played on his lips. Mo Qinghan took the coat without meeting his gaze and walked away toward the cloakroom.

The other girl led He Zheyu and the French woman to a window seat and handed them the menus. After He Zheyu finished ordering, he passed the menu to the waitress, his eyes drifting back from time to time to the reception desk, where Mo Qinghan stood.