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Autumn Wind questioned Leo, "Why didn't you position yourself earlier?" He exaggeratedly spread his arms wide and said, "Don't you think that slowly queuing like this gives a real hot pot vibe?" This action drew the attention of several tables nearby, where people were originally enjoying their meals. Autumn Wind's upper lip unconsciously twitched, and she shifted her body inward, not wanting them to notice her.
The Boss Lady, who had been busy calculating bills, finally paused her fingers. She came out from behind the counter and scanned the hall. Autumn Wind knew it was time for her to greet her.
The Boss Lady was loud and enthusiastically patted Autumn Wind on the arm, saying, "Wow, Autumn Wind, bringing friends to eat!"
Feeling a bit awkward due to Leo's exaggerated behavior, Autumn Wind forced a smile and replied, "Yeah, I didn't talk to you earlier because you were busy!"
She placed her right hand on Autumn Wind's shoulder and rested her left hand behind her neck, raising an eyebrow. "Who are these two? Introduce them!"
"Oh, this is Leo, and that's his friend Jak... Leo, this is Sister Li Zhen!" Li Zhen had introduced her boyfriends to Autumn Wind countless times, so she understood what was implied. She smiled lightly and introduced them somewhat boredly.
Her eyes suddenly lit up with joy as if realizing they weren't dating. However, she didn't continue the topic, seeming a bit hesitant.
Yao Lizhen wasn't someone who liked to play power games; her expression was almost a complete reflection of her mood. Autumn Wind mimicked her by placing a hand on her neck, but it felt more like scratching an itch. Leaning towards her, she silently mouthed, "Is something going on, Sister Li Zhen?"
She hurriedly shook her head. The store's backbone, Lulu, approached Yao Lizhen and whispered something in her ear. She stood up with a hint of joy and said, "There's something over there; you all eat first... Lulu will help keep an eye on things!" Then she hurriedly left.
Seeing they had no further needs, Lulu also left to attend to other customers. Leo expressed excitement: "Looks like while I was away these past few years, you've made quite a few friends! Even the famous Boss Lady comes over to chat with you!"
Autumn Wind rolled her eyes at him. "Eating doesn't stop your mouth from running!"
The acquaintance between Autumn Wind and Sister Li Zhen was purely coincidental. First, Autumn Wind heroically saved Yao Mama, then discovered that Yao Dad was her middle school teacher. The somewhat confused Grandma Yao insisted that Autumn Wind was her child who had died young. Thus, Autumn Wind smoothly became a member of the Yao family. However, her familiarity with Yao Lizhen began when she accompanied Zhao Jingqi on a show; since their sons were about the same age as each other and often recorded together, Autumn Wind ended up being the babysitter for the three of them.
As the customers in the restaurant gradually dispersed, their table became increasingly cluttered with food. Jak thoughtfully scooped some Haagen-Dazs for Autumn Wind, while Leo buried himself in his beloved beef ribs, tripe, and intestines. In early winter Taipei, enjoying warm spicy hot pot made him look completely entranced.
One spoonful after another of Haagen-Dazs went down for Autumn Wind, causing her tongue to gradually go numb. When Leo teased her about looking like a vampire, she couldn't retort due to her tongue's disobedience.
Finally stopping his eating, Leo began introducing Jak to his connection with this restaurant. However, Jak's face turned red from the spiciness he couldn't handle as he listened intently while wiping his sweat with a napkin.
But when his face tilted slightly at a 15-degree angle, his hand froze mid-air; his eyes blinked rapidly a few times while his mouth involuntarily opened slightly.
Jak noticed his unusual reaction and followed his gaze; however, Jak's expression remained unchanged.
Autumn Wind couldn't help but start laughing as she turned to look in the direction that left Leo stunned. "You must be kidding...!" However, the last word got stuck in her throat, and her smile froze on Autumn Wind's face.
At that moment, if a Photographer Brother had been standing opposite Autumn Wind, he would have easily captured her dramatically expressive face: pretending to elegantly toss her hair back, her neck twisted at a 45-degree angle yet still, her eyes that were slightly raised suddenly drooped.
Qiu Mowen was actually standing at the counter, and beside him was a beautiful, slender girl with a fiery short haircut.
So, he returned from the mainland so quickly and brought along a woman who made Autumn Wind's heart race.
The tone in which Qiu Mowen spoke to Yao Lizhen suggested they were quite familiar. While they chatted animatedly, the girl stood behind Qiu Mowen, occasionally making some affectionate gestures. Leo maintained his previous posture and mechanically said, "I regret showing such surprise!"
He quickly lowered his head and continued to maintain his earlier greedy appearance. It was hard to imagine a young man with a refined appearance and an AB background eating like a pig.
Jak stared intently at the unfamiliar man in the distance, glancing at Autumn Wind, noticing her stiff expression, then looking at Leo, who appeared flustered and somewhat confused. However, he quickly seemed to realize the man's significance and hurriedly lowered his head to continue licking his Haagen-Dazs.
Leo's actions caught Yao Lizhen's attention instead. She slightly lifted her chin toward Autumn Wind, then said something to Qiu Mowen. As Qiu Mowen nodded, he turned to look in their direction.
Autumn Wind awkwardly turned her head back. The tingling sensation in her tongue began to spread coldly, soon turning into a sharp pain in her heart.
Leo's movements became mechanical as beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. This might be what is called "the more you try to hide it, the more obvious it becomes," as Qiu Mowen slowly approached.
"Hi, it's really you! When did you come back?" Less than a meter away from their table, Qiu Mowen recognized Leo. "If you don't mind, let's sit together! This is..." Qiu Mowen, like Yao Lizhen, quickly noticed Jak. His gaze flickered with a hint of brightness. Then he slightly turned his head to scan toward Autumn Wind. When he recognized that it was Autumn Wind, he cast a panicked glance at the short-haired girl behind him before his expression quickly darkened.
In that instant, Autumn Wind's mind raced as she began to consider how she would respond next. But after thinking it over, there were only two options: pretend not to recognize Qiu Mowen or act like she knew him just like Leo did.
Before Autumn Wind could react, Leo stood up. "Of course! I just got back and you caught me right away!" His speech was mixed with an AB accent. Under the table, Autumn Wind kicked Leo, thinking about why they had to eat together when there were so many empty seats around.
Then Leo naturally transitioned to introducing Jak: "This is my friend Jak from America... Jak, this is my Ervin Uncle!” Jak stood up friendly and shook hands with Qiu Mowen. After introducing Jak, Leo awkwardly turned his face toward Autumn Wind. "This is Endy, my friend!"
At some point, Yao Lizhen floated over to their table. "Since we're all friends here, why don't you sit together? It’ll be livelier!"
Autumn Wind shot a fierce look at her, but Yao Lizhen completely ignored it and quickly summoned the waiter for dining utensils. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she swiftly left. With no choice left, Autumn Wind shrank back.
The short-haired girl sat next to Autumn Wind. Perhaps sensing the awkwardness between Autumn Wind, Leo, and Qiu Mowen, she greeted Jak first before introducing herself in fluent Beijing dialect: "Hi, I'm Liuliu! A colleague of Ervin!"
While Liuliu was introducing herself, Qiu Mowen was attentively helping Liuliu with the meal preparations. Autumn Wind sat beside them, feeling increasingly uneasy. First, she had encountered Qiu Ruolan, and now she was facing Qiu Mowen with a female companion. The repeated calls of “Ervin Uncle” from Leo seemed to remind her of the anxious relationship between her and Qiu Mowen.
It felt like a dark cloud being pressed down by a giant rock, the immense weight forcing it to descend rapidly, threatening to extinguish the flickering flame of desire that Autumn Wind had for Qiu Mowen.
Autumn Wind almost forgot the excuse she had used to rush to the restroom. After crying, she leaned on the sink when Yao Lizhen appeared, gently handing her a tissue. Taking the tissue, Autumn Wind looked up in the mirror and saw her slightly reddened nose and Yao Lizhen, who stood behind her with a big sister demeanor. Yao Lizhen had her hands on her hips and sighed repeatedly, “I knew you two weren’t suited for each other! Look at you, look at you, crying!”
A secret she had hidden from herself was being exposed, making her feel as if she were standing in Ximen Town without any clothes on. Autumn Wind hurriedly looked at Yao Lizhen, but stubbornly replied, “What are you talking about!”
“What am I talking about? That guy just now was serving you Haagen-Dazs, and now he’s serving that girl from the mainland an even bigger and rounder one! Men! You shouldn’t have any fantasies about such a man!” She crossed her arms with an authoritative air. “Don’t think about having any stories with him! I’ll introduce you to someone better!”
Realizing that Yao Lizhen was just joking, the tension that had nearly choked her eased back into place. Autumn Wind sighed lightly, “Sister Li Zhen, you really misunderstood. I just accidentally got some chili in my throat! It’s all your fault; if you hadn’t randomly put us at the same table, I wouldn’t have choked!”
“Oh come on, now you’re blaming me? What time is it? Setting up another table would be quite a hassle; we waitresses have it tough too… But really, are you okay?”
“I’m fine! There’s nothing wrong; it’s just chili in my throat!” Autumn Wind folded the tissue into a triangle and dabbed at the tears in her eyes.
After confirming that Autumn Wind was okay, Yao Lizhen let out a small sigh of relief, uncrossed her arms, placed one hand on the sink, and patted Autumn Wind on the shoulder: “In that case, I have something I need your help with!”
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