My Youth Began With Him

“I’m sorry, Huo Mian, I don’t… feel comfortable talking to you about this.” Song Yishi’s voice was still as gentle as ever.

Huo Mian hated how fake she always was.

“It doesn’t matter, he’ll tell me right after you tell him anyway, it won’t make a difference,” Huo Mian said confidently.

“Ha…I wouldn’t know if you didn’t tell me, but do you guys not give each other any privacy…? Is that how married couples in China treat each other? No wonder divorce rates are so high.”

“Ha, what do you mean by that?” Huo Mian was a little angry.

“Ah… I was just saying, don’t think too much about it. Huo Mian, I didn’t mean to make you mad. I just thought that couples should respect each other, as well as each other’s privacy. After all… you are two people and shouldn’t dominate each other’s personal space. You shouldn’t rely too much on each other, am I right?”

“I know what you’re talking about… but here’s the thing, you’re an outsider, so I really don’t think you should be lecturing me on how Qin Chu and I should live our lives. Oh, and… you can be as close to Qin Chu’s parents as you want, that’s your business. But please stop referring to yourself as a ‘member of the Qin Family’… sometimes, it’s better to know your place.”

Before Song Yishi had the chance to retort, Qin Chu came in.

“Here, it’s for you,” Huo Mian said as she handed him his phone…

“Who is it?” he asked.

“Miss Song,” Huo Mian emphasized.

Qin Chu took the phone and asked indifferently, “What is it?”

“Qin Chu… my mom just came back from Lake Yanzi, and she caught a lot of fresh fish. You like fish, right? Mrs. Qin said that it’s your favorite, so my mom asked our maid to make a bunch of dishes. There’s steamed fish, braised fish, boiled fish, and stewed fish… my dad wants to invite you over for dinner…”

Before Song Yishi finished her rant, Qin Chu immediately refused, “Please thank Uncle Song for me, but I won’t be able to go for dinner. I told my wife that I’m going to spend the next couple of days with her.”

“Oh, I see… another day then. You can actually bring Mian along with you,” Song Yishi added at the end.

“No, it’s okay, she doesn’t like fish, and neither do I. Thank you for the kind gesture.”

Then, Qin Chu immediately hung up…

“You like fish?” Huo Mian never knew about this.

She never noticed that Mr. Qin liked fish when they ate out with Gao Ran and Zhu Lingling.

“That was a long time ago. Once, I went fishing with my dad and came back with some fish, which my mom then cooked using the microwave. It tasted really fresh, so I ate more than usual… From then on, my mom thought that I liked fish, so she kept making it.”

“Uh… I see.” Huo Mian nodded.

“Have you been waiting for a while?” Qin Chu reached out to lovingly rub her cheek.

“Nope, I’ve only been here a couple minutes.”

“What do you want for lunch?” Qin Chu asked.

“I have no idea, but I know that Lingling’s off today and she’s having lunch with Gao Ran. Should we go wreak some havoc?” Huo Mian smiled evilly.

“Honey… is that really a good idea?” Qin Chu couldn’t help but laugh.

“Of course it is, let’s go, Lingling told me that she’s having roasted duck on Chang’an Street. Let’s create a chance encounter.”

Then, before Qin Chu could respond, an excited Huo Mian pulled his hand and began dragging him out of GK.

She ran like a child… leaving all the employees in bewilderment…

– At some roasted duck restaurant on Chang’an Street –

When Qin Chu and Huo Mian went upstairs, they immediately saw Gao Ran and Zhu Lingling, who were sitting by the window.

They looked like a sweet couple, laughing and talking…

Huo Mian quietly walked up to Zhu Lingling and suddenly patted her on the shoulder.

“AHH!” Zhu Lingling was so scared that she shrieked out.

Gao Ran was just about to take out his gun when he looked up to see Huo Mian and Qin Chu…

He immediately calmed down. “Um… why are you guys here?”

“Guys… what a coincidence,” Huo Mian beamed at them.

Gao Ran and Zhu Lingling immediately looked like they were caught with their pants down or something…