“Just like this, smile! Wow, perfect!” The energetic voice of the waitress brought Ye Zhi back to reality. As she returned the camera, the hand on his shoulder was withdrawn, and Ye Zhi slowly straightened up, shifting his focus away from Huo Ran.
“So beautiful,” Huo Ran exclaimed as she looked at the photos on the camera, then smiled again. “I’m going to start eating now. I’m so hungry.”
“Go ahead.” Huo Youqiao folded her sleeves neatly and wiped her hands with a warm towel.
Ye Zhi’s body remained tense. He slowly wiped his fingers with the towel. Although they were sitting close, he didn’t dare to look at Huo Youqiao’s face.
In fact, since he met him, Ye Zhi rarely looked at his face. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say he rarely looked directly at anyone’s features. This kind of timidity would be more severe in front of Huo Youqiao.
“I’m sorry, I should have explained just now to avoid misunderstandings,” Ye Zhi tentatively spoke up.
Huo Youqiao took a while before responding, “Does this bother you?”
His tone wasn’t serious, but Ye Zhi instinctively raised his head and then shook it frantically. “No, it’s okay. It’s not a big deal for me. I was just worried that you might be bothered…”
“I’m not.” Huo Youqiao’s expression remained normal. “In fact, I’ve always been misunderstood as someone who has been pursuing an unattainable ideal for over a decade. I don’t really mind.”
An unattainable ideal pursued for over a decade?
Ye Zhi recalled Huo Youcheng’s mocking words the last time they met. He had also mentioned something like this when he mocked him. Ye Zhi had taken it seriously. After all, if even Huo Youcheng believed it, how could he not?
Ye Zhi couldn’t believe it. “So… it’s not true?”
Huo Youqiao said, “No.” Then he added, “We just came here to play by chance. If others want to misunderstand, let them. Explaining would only make things more complicated.” He glanced at his daughter, who was enjoying her meal, her attention on her toys and food. He continued, “Wouldn’t it be better to be misunderstood as a family of three instead of being suspected of having an extramarital affair or incest?”
“Extramarital affair” and “incest” made Ye Zhi stiffen all over again. His hand holding the fork and knife almost froze, his face showing a startled expression. Quickly, his face slowly turned crimson, and he stuttered, “We… we’re not like that…”
“Yeah, so no need to care about how others see it. Don’t waste time on it.”
It seemed like he was talking about this matter, but also about something else. Ye Zhi even sensed a hint of comfort in his words.
But he couldn’t accept this comfort.
Huo Youqiao was so honest, but Ye Zhi couldn’t be equally honest. Because more and more physical reactions were telling him that he was starting to develop feelings for this man.
Whether it started from being touched or for other reasons, he couldn’t be at ease. Just like he couldn’t calmly meet the other’s gaze because he was afraid of accidentally revealing the palpitations in his heart.
Suddenly, Ye Zhi felt very fortunate.
His inappropriate, unethical thoughts would never be reciprocated, nor would they ever affect anyone. Because he was so insignificant, Huo Youqiao was like a snow-capped mountain peak to him, forever out of reach.
As long as he concealed it well, better than when he liked Huo Youcheng, he would never be seen through.
Ye Wan called several times, increasingly anxious each time, because the deadline for An Yongman’s case was approaching. If he didn’t manage to use his connections, he would not only face huge fines but also imprisonment.
“Your brother cries at home every day because of his urgency. You only have one brother. Can’t you do your best to help him?” Ye Wan even resorted to emotional blackmail.
In the past, Ye Zhi might have felt embarrassed but still tried. However, this time, no matter what, he didn’t want to agree. So he just gave perfunctory responses, “But Mr. Huo really doesn’t have time recently. He’s busy every day, and I can’t even see him.”
“Doesn’t he ever rest?”
“I haven’t seen him rest recently.” Ye Zhi reiterated, “It’s useless to look for him. Mr. Huo is honest and wouldn’t do anything to bend the law…”
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