Chapter 48
Huo Youqiao said, ‘I’m not cold.'”
He always exuded a strong presence, and every word he spoke carried determination and confidence. He never acted as cautiously or timidly as Ye Zhi.
He was the kind of person Ye Zhi admired the most.
When they were almost at the restaurant, Huo Ran woke up. She was naturally delighted to see her father and coquettishly asked to be carried. She only agreed to sit alone after they finished queuing and entered the restaurant. As soon as she sat down, she began, “Daddy, Zhi Zhi took me to play a lot of fun things today. Zhi Zhi even won a prize, so I could play with the little rabbit and pony. I even touched a baby alpaca!”
Having returned the coat to the man, Ye Zhi put on his own coat. Blushing at the praise, he dared not look at Huo Youqiao, who said with a smiling tone, “So you two were so lucky today?”
“It’s all Zhi Zhi’s good luck! Dad, did you know? That prize is super hard to win. Many kids who didn’t win didn’t want to leave. They watched us from the railing, and some even cried.”
The waiter brought the menu over, and Huo Youqiao pushed it in front of Ye Zhi while chatting with his daughter. “What do you want to eat?”
Ye Zhi hurriedly said, “You two can order. I can eat anything.”
Huo Youqiao took the menu and was about to order another set when the waiter, with a smile, recommended, “Actually, our restaurant offers a very cost-effective family set. It includes the same children’s set, as well as two sets of companion meals with steak and pasta, plus vegetable salad and two drinks. You’ll also receive a cute cartoon keychain this week.”
Huo Youqiao quickly made a decision, “Then let’s have that. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it, please wait a moment.”
The Huo father and daughter didn’t show any unusual reactions, but Ye Zhi’s heart skipped a beat when he heard the words “family set” and “companion set.” He had thought Huo Youqiao would explain that they weren’t in a relationship, let alone a family of three, but he didn’t explain.
Perhaps he thought it unnecessary to explain to strangers?
But this misunderstanding made Ye Zhi a little nervous.
Soon, three steaming hot meals were brought to the table. The children’s set was very cute, and Huo Ran kept wanting to take pictures. It wasn’t enough to take photos by herself; she wanted to take photos with her father too. Finally, she said, “Zhi Zhi, let’s take a photo together.”
The smile on Ye Zhi’s face froze, and he softly declined, “I’ll pass…”
“Let’s take it together. Let the lady help.” Huo Ran wasn’t shy at all. She quickly got up and pulled the waiter’s sleeve, saying a few words to her before the waitress came over enthusiastically. She took the camera with a smile. “My photography skills aren’t that good, so don’t mind, but your family is very good-looking. The photo will definitely be beautiful.”
The little girl loved to hear compliments about her appearance, so Huo Ran’s smile became even brighter. “Sister, I’m ready to pose.”
“Okay, can you two parents get closer? Sir, you can put your arm around your partner’s shoulder.” The service attitude of this restaurant was very enthusiastic, and this waitress’s attitude was extremely good. She said this to Huo Youqiao, and after speaking, she even smiled, completely unaware that what she said was inappropriate.
Ye Zhi didn’t like taking photos. All timid people were somewhat afraid of the camera. He could still smile happily under Huo Ran’s lens because she was just a child. But now, being asked to take a photo with Huo Youqiao, just hearing Huo Ran’s suggestion made Ye Zhi tense up completely.
This wasn’t appropriate. It was all wrong.
But no matter how much he wanted to refuse in his heart, he couldn’t say those words. He thought it would be just a casual photo, but he didn’t expect the waitress to make such a request. His already congealed heart felt even more numb, his face was pale and red.
“It’s not…”
He opened his mouth, his voice weak, not enough to be heard by the waitress in the noisy restaurant. Ye Zhi was about to explain their relationship louder, but suddenly, his left shoulder sank. It took him a while to realize that Huo Youqiao’s palm was resting on his shoulder.
Ye Zhi wasn’t sturdy, but rather slender, while Huo Youqiao’s palm was broad enough to envelop his shoulder. Although it wasn’t fully resting on his shoulder, Ye Zhi still felt the warmth from the other’s palm.
In that moment, Ye Zhi felt a little dazed, his ears quickly losing their hearing, followed by his sight, smell, until only his sense of touch remained, focused on his left shoulder.
His mind went blank.
