By evening, the rain had completely stopped.
Meng Ruozhao ironed a cheongsam and hung it up. Looking at the time, it was already half past six.
She decided to give herself a break today and have a nice meal in the evening.
There was a French restaurant in the center of Haicheng that was said to be quite good. She closed her shop and took a taxi straight there.
The restaurant was decorated in a very high - end style. The glass revolving door cut the neon lights into flowing light and shadow.
After Meng Ruozhao was led into the restaurant by the waiter, she saw at a glance that under the crystal chandelier, Yan Qiubai and Du Xixi were just sitting opposite each other.
The three pairs of eyes suddenly collided in the air.
Yan Qiubai was stunned for a moment, then raised his eyebrows. His eyes swept over Meng Ruozhao's shoulder like a searchlight and quickly scanned behind her.
This movement was so fast that it was almost like an illusion, but his tense jawline betrayed his nervousness.
"Ruozhao?"
Du Xixi's exclamation carried just the right amount of surprise, but her fingers under the lace cuffs curled into fists.
"What a coincidence! We just finished a meeting and came here together. You mustn't misunderstand."
She explained with a rising tone at the end. Saying don't misunderstand actually sounded more like she was afraid Meng Ruozhao wouldn't misunderstand.
Yan Qiubai stood up. The silver cufflinks glinted coldly in the light.
He didn't see anyone following behind her, but his doubts were not dispelled. So he simply asked directly.
"Who did you come with?"
He knew that she didn't like socializing and hadn't made any friends in Haicheng yet.
"Alone."
Meng Ruozhao explained, a bit hesitantly.
The waiter was still standing beside them waiting, but she couldn't decide for a moment whether to sit down with them or have her meal alone as originally planned.
If she sat down with them, Du Xixi would surely cause trouble again. She didn't want to ruin her dining mood.
But if she didn't sit with them, it would seem strange, after all, she was Yan Qiubai's fiancée in name.
Her hesitation was seen by Yan Qiubai.
Like a stone thrown into a deep pool, it suddenly stirred up an undercurrent in his eyes.
Suddenly, he waved his hand and asked the waiter to add a set of tableware to this table. Then he rather forcefully asked Meng Ruozhao to sit down.
"If my fiancée comes to the same restaurant as me but eats alone and sits alone, word might spread that there's a crisis in our relationship."
He seemed to be joking, but his voice was deep in his throat, more like an interrogation.
Meng Ruozhao keenly sensed that he was unhappy and didn't quite understand.
Was this man like a powder keg? Why was he always angry with her?
Finally, she sat down beside him and smelled the tuberose fragrance on him.
This was Du Xixi's favorite perfume.
She couldn't help frowning but covered it up by lowering her head to straighten her cheongsam.
The waiter quietly spread a napkin for her and set out the tableware, making a faint but clear sound of clinking porcelain.
Yan Qiubai had been looking at her.
She was wearing a simple silk cheongsam, with her long hair loosely pulled up, revealing her graceful neck.
She didn't respond to his words. She just took the menu from the waiter and looked at it intently with slightly lowered eyelids.
That calmness, or even aloofness, was in sharp contrast to Du Xixi's deliberate enthusiasm.
He didn't see anyone behind her, which confirmed her answer of "alone".
But this didn't reassure him. Instead, it was like a stone thrown into his heart lake, stirring up deeper ripples.
An undercurrent mixed with disappointment, a sense of not being needed and inexplicable anger.
Suddenly, his gaze fixed on her empty wrist. Then, he suddenly grabbed her slender and fair wrist, his voice laced with ice.
"Where's the bracelet Grandma gave you?"
Meng Ruozhao wasn't on guard and was pulled slightly towards him.
The tuberose fragrance became stronger, mixing with the mint scent on him. She couldn't help frowning.
Before she could say anything, she heard Du Xixi trying to smooth things over, "Maybe she left it on the dressing table. Ruozhao always likes to put these jewelry around casually."
It was more like adding fuel to the fire than smoothing things over.
After all, everyone present knew that the bracelet given by Yan Qiubai's grandma was a family heirloom of the Yan family, not just an ordinary piece of jewelry.
"Did I ask you?"
Yan Qiubai swept a glance at Du Xixi and then stared fixedly at Meng Ruozhao's evasive eyes.
She really didn't like wearing that bracelet. It was too precious and inconvenient when she was working.
So she would only wear it when meeting him, and lock it in the safe at other times.
It should have been easy to explain, but after Du Xixi's words, it really seemed like she didn't care about the thing.
The explanation was like a lump of cotton stuck in her throat, and silence seemed like an admission.
At this moment, the background music in the restaurant suddenly changed to a passionate tango. The drumbeats were like Yan Qiubai's suppressed anger.
"Not wearing the family heirloom and not making a date with your fiancé. Miss Meng, are you trying to announce to the world that we're strangers?"
He flung her hand away.
"Or," his angry voice suddenly dropped, "you simply don't care about being the future young mistress of the Yan family?"
What made her jealous? She simply didn't care.
She wished she could clear herself of any connection with him.
Suddenly, Du Xixi leaned over and held Yan Qiubai's trembling fingers. "Qiubai, calm down. Ruozhao must be..."
"Shut up."
Yan Qiubai withdrew his hand without even looking at Du Xixi.
He just loosened his tie and leaned forward towards Meng Ruozhao. His warm breath seemed to carry a hint of bitterness.
"Now, immediately, give me an explanation that can convince me."
Meng Ruozhao calmly moved back a bit. Looking up, she met Yan Qiubai's angry eyes, but her face still had that cold expression.
Yan Qiubai rarely showed his emotions. At least, when facing others, he was always unpredictable.
Getting angry twice in a row involving Du Xixi and showing his anger without any disguise was enough to show his anger and the special relationship between him and Du Xixi.
Would someone else take her place as his fiancée soon?
Suddenly, she let out a soft sigh and placed her fingertips on his tense hand.
"I didn't wear the bracelet because I was working all day today and was afraid of damaging it."
"As for not making a dinner date with you, it's because you made an appointment with me for tomorrow. Naturally, I thought you were busy today."
After a pause, she looked directly into the man's eyes. Her voice was like a feather brushing against the calluses on his palm.
"I came here just because I wanted to have a meal after work. I just didn't expect that you and Sister Xixi would also come here for dinner."
She stopped there, but it was enough to express her displeasure.
Even if their relationship was going to end, she couldn't let it end without knowing why.
Yes, compared to Yan Qiubai having a meal alone with Du Xixi, her not wearing the bracelet and coming to eat alone wasn't that unforgivable.
She just didn't want to mention it, but it didn't mean she was blind or oblivious.
Yan Qiubai loosened his grip in a daze and noticed the slight tremor of her eyelashes when she lowered her eyes.
This was the first time she had shown him her grievance.
This realization made the nameless fire in his chest suddenly change direction, like a hot spring appearing under the ice layer after a sudden stop of a snowstorm.
He let go of her hand and casually straightened his cuffs. In fact, his fingertips swept over the place where she had touched, as if savoring her warmth.
"Remember to wear it next time."
"The things I give you aren't meant to be put on a pedestal."