Han Muzi smiled at the thought. Yan was indeed persistent, but she was good for someone like her brother and his cold demeanor. Perhaps he needed that sort of persistence to help gradually melt his frozen heart.
Following that, Han Muzi sat down. The array of delicious-looking food displayed in front of her made it hard for her to resist.
Yet, not everyone had arrived at the table and it would be impolite to help herself to it first. Thus, she just sat there with her cheek in one hand, looking at her phone.
When she entered her WeChat interface, she happened to see Ye Moxuan’s name. Her face started to heat up as she remembered what he said into her ear. She bit her bottom lip and thought, He is going to marry me.
She broke into a slight smile as she swiped over his name on the screen with her snowy white finger.
“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. That smile of someone being head over heels in love is giving me goosebumps,” Yan teased suddenly. Han Muzi looked to the side and noticed Yan had sat down next to her.
She was slightly taken aback. There had been no one next to her earlier; when did Yan manage to creep up and sit beside her?
Yan saw her puzzled stare and explained, “Don’t look at me like that. You were the one too deep in thought with Ye Moxuan to have heard me. I even said hi to you earlier when I came.”
Han Muzi was dumbfounded for a moment. Did she say hi to me? How did I not hear it?
While she was doubting herself, Yan inched closer to her with a smirk on her face. “What are you thinking of, Muzi? I can’t get over this look on your face. Are you… thinking of something naughty?”
Han Muzi was speechless. She looked at Yan’s little devilish face. Even though Yan was single, she always had an impish look on her face whenever they talked about her relationship with Ye Moxuan; she acted like she knew about everything.
At that thought, she decided to say something in return, “You won’t get it even if I told you. It’s not like you have someone to share those experiences with.”
The smile on Yan’s face fell. After a long while, she reached out and grabbed Han Muzi’s neck in anger. “Fine, go ahead and make fun of me being single, you darn woman! Hmph! If it weren’t for that extremely hard-to-get man, I would’ve left single-hood a long time ago, alright? Now I’m gonna be single forever, and you’re even making fun of me for it!” She got angrier as her face turned into a grimace. “I’m going to strangle you to death right now!”
Han Muzi looked indifferent as though she had not taken anything Yan had said seriously.
Suddenly, Yan quickly pulled her hands back. Her speed was as quick as lighting and the grimace on her face had long disappeared. In its place, instead, was a look of fear. She glanced up briefly, then immediately lowered her eyes again in fear of looking at the person who had just arrived.
One look at her and the change in her expression, and Han Muzi could guess who it was. Who else could cause such an abrupt change in Yan’s behavior other than that brother of hers?
She fixed her collar and hair leisurely, then sat up straight in the chair.
“Mommy, Aunt Yan.” The voice of a child called them from behind. Han Muzi turned to look and realized Han Qing was holding Little Bean’s hand as the both of them made their way toward them.
Yikes. Little Bean had gone to his uncle? No wonder she had not seen a trace of him anywhere.
She thought for a moment, then said in a gentle voice, “Didn’t I tell you not to bother your uncle when he was in a meeting? Little Bean, were you not listening to me again?”
After Little Bean heard that, he blinked his eyes and refuted, “Mommy, I wouldn’t bother Uncle Qing. I asked Aunt Qin first and she told me Uncle had finished his meeting already; only then did I go look for him.” He finished speaking and looked up with his little face at Han Qing. “Uncle Qing, I’m telling the truth, right?”
Han Qing looked at his face, then bent down and picked him up with one hand. “Yes, Little Bean did not bother me at all,” he said and sat down.
Little Bean and Han Qing sat together, while Han Muzi and Yan sat across from them.
Yan looked up sneakily to take a peek at Han Qing. He was indeed sitting right across from her and she had even made eye contact with his deep and steady eyes at that moment. Startled, she quickly lowered her head again and stared at her hands as they fidgeted nervously.
“You haven’t been home in a long time. Is the food still to your liking?” Han Qing asked Han Muzi as he used his chopsticks to pick up some food for Little Bean.
Han Muzi, who had started eating, nodded. “Of course. Besides, it’s not like I haven’t been home in that long. It doesn’t feel like it’s been a long time.”
His eyes turned gloomy. “After getting your new place, you don’t know how to visit without me having to call you?”
She felt a chill down her spine and could only go along with it. “It’s because I’m busy.”
“Busy? Even on Sundays?”
“Yes! You should know too. The company just started so we’ve been very busy this whole time. Plus, you introduced a lot of new clients to me at the last banquet, so that only made me busier. Don’t just blame me for it now.” She put her hands together and looked at him with pleading eyes.
His hand that held the pair of chopsticks hesitated briefly when he saw her strange expression. This girl… Is she acting coy with me right now? What provoked her? Then, as if it had just occurred to him, he realized she looked much better than before.
“Mommy, eat this.” The voice of the child suddenly disrupted his train of thought.
Little Bean picked up a big chicken drumstick and dropped it in Han Muzi’s bowl. “Mommy, you’re too skinny. You have to eat more meat.”
Yan watched this scene from the side, then returned to looking at her toes. What do I do? I feel like such an outsider here.
If only she did not have feelings for Han Qing, then she probably would not have felt that way. But ever since she caught feelings for him, she always felt out of place when she ate with the three of them. Moreover, she did not have a place among them. She was just a friend to Han Muzi and she had to grow a thicker skin every time she followed Han Muzi around like that. The more she thought about it, the more upset she became.
Just as she was debating whether to get up and leave, another one of the drumsticks was placed in her bowl. Shocked, she looked up timidly to see the pair of chopsticks return to its owner.
Her breathing stifled for a bit and her chest felt tight as though something was pressing down on her. Was that… Han Qing, who gave me the drumstick? Oh my goodness, am I dreaming? Han Qing… gave me the drumstick?
Han Muzi also looked at that scene in slight astonishment. All eyes were on Han Qing, but he had done it on a whim and only felt it was not quite right after it was done. Without a change in demeanor, he picked up another piece of drumstick and put it in Little Bean’s bowl.
“Ladies and children first.”
