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Chapter 550: Chapter 550 Meeting 1
Guo Jinnian already had some issues with Zhou Minyue, and upon hearing her say that, his eyes widened instantly. Was this woman doing this on purpose?
Could she really forget about something like this so quickly? Was she senile?
Even if she forgot earlier, when she came out, she walked so close to Si Chen and didn’t remind her, had she forgotten again?
Si Chen also frowned, then asked Tong Yao with concern, "How long have you been waiting?"
At this time, Tong Yao wasn’t in the mood to bother with Zhou Minyue and pouted playfully, "I’ve been waiting here for more than three hours."
In front of Si Chen, she just wanted to be a carefree child. She’d come all the way to see him and had waited at the door for so long, it was okay to be a bit dramatic, right?
She would never intentionally pretend to be strong as if nothing was a big deal.
As expected, when Si Chen heard she’d been waiting for that long, he instantly became worried, "Let’s go, I’ll take you to eat first."
Zhou Minyue quickly walked over to the two of them, apologizing, "I’m sorry, Tong Yao. I didn’t mean to forget about it. You two must be hungry. I know a Western cuisine restaurant that makes really good steak. How about I treat you two to a steak dinner?"
Without waiting for Tong Yao to speak, Si Chen rejected it, "She doesn’t like Western cuisine."
After saying that, he took Tong Yao’s hand and left. Guo Jinnian hurriedly picked up his things and followed, not forgetting to roll his eyes at Zhou Minyue.
To her surprise, Zhou Minyue actually followed them unabashedly, saying, "There’s a Chinese-style stir-fried food restaurant not far from here that’s pretty good. Since Tong Yao doesn’t like Western cuisine, we can go there and have Chinese food. There’s only one Chinese restaurant around here, and I insist on paying for this meal as an apology. Si Chen, you can’t refuse my goodwill."
Si Chen frowned, instinctively wanting to refuse, but Tong Yao intentionally squeezed his hand and said with a smile, "Alright, then let Dr. Zhou treat us."
Now that Zhou Minyue had revealed her intentions, there was no need for Tong Yao to avoid her. If she avoided her this time, she could certainly enjoy her meal, but when she returned home, she would be uncomfortable knowing that there was someone here pining for Si Chen.
It was better to confront the situation directly and nip this threat in the bud.
Si Chen kept silent, indulging in Tong Yao’s carriage.
Guo Jinnian’s gaze lingered on Tong Yao and Zhou Minyue, but she was not worried that Tong Yao would be at a disadvantage. Having witnessed Tong Yao’s smart and resolute character, she knew Tong Yao must have some plan in mind, so she didn’t say anything.
The four of them quickly arrived at the Chinese restaurant. The chef was Chinese, but the waitstaff and owner were foreigners. A waitress handed them two menus, one in English and one in Chinese. Zhou Minyue took the menus and handed the Chinese one to Guo Jinnian and the English one to Tong Yao.
"Tong Yao, see what you like and don’t hold back."
Before Tong Yao could speak, she laughed thoughtfully, "If you can’t understand, you can have Si Chen help you. His English is very good. Sometimes I even ask him to help me translate something."
Not only did her words imply that Tong Yao was less cultured, but they also intended to demonstrate that she had plenty of contact with Si Chen and that he had often helped her.
Tong Yao gave a shallow smile, looked at the menu, and said, "I thought only those with excellent English could get the opportunity to further their medical studies. After all, medical matters can’t be taken lightly, a single word could be life-threatening. Dr. Zhou, you’ve really opened my eyes."
Zhou Minyue hadn’t expected Tong Yao to respond so quickly, and was immediately at a loss for words. Before she could say anything else, Si Chen interjected, "Dr. Zhou, there’s no need to be modest. I haven’t helped you more than three times, I can’t carry your praise."
While it seemed polite, it was actually his way of distancing himself from Zhou Minyue.
Zhou Minyue’s smile faded slightly and she almost couldn’t maintain her composure. Not wanting to continue the chatter, she urged everyone to order.
Guo Jinnian relished hearing Tong Yao and her husband play off each other to put Zhou Minyue in her place, and found it extremely satisfying. Since she and Tong Yao were really hungry, they didn’t hold back and ordered six dishes together. Zhou Minyue seemed to have plenty of money and didn’t mind that most of the food they ordered was meat.
The same cuisine was much more expensive abroad than in China, but everyone could afford it. No matter who was paying for the meal, Tong Yao and Guo Jinnian had no intention of shortchanging themselves.
They had only had a small bite in the morning before getting on the bus and hadn’t had anything to eat until now.
The waitress quickly brought the food. Tong Yao and Guo Jinnian didn’t hold back and started eating. Si Chen served Tong Yao while eating. Seeing Si Chen’s caring appearance, Guo Jinnian thought to herself, no wonder Tong Yao always seemed to be free of worries. Her parents were good, her husband was good, and her career was going smoothly. She really was a winner in life!
From now on, Tong Yao would be her role model.
Zhou Minyue hadn’t expected the usually unsociable Si Chen to be so considerate when facing Tong Yao. She couldn’t help but fantasize how wonderful it would be if Si Chen treated her like that. Her heart was sour, and she didn’t eat much.
Having waited too long for the meal, Tong Yao didn’t have much appetite when the food was brought. Instead, Guo Jinnian ate quite a lot.
After the meal, Zhou Minyue tried to go and pay the bill, but was stopped by Si Chen. His reason was that this was Tong Yao’s first meal here and he had to pay for it.
Zhou Minyue muttered some sour words and lost her interest in hanging out with them. She made an excuse to leave for school first. Before she left, she didn’t forget to remind them, "Dr. Si Chen, there’s still class at 2 pm, don’t forget."
In her tone, there seemed to be a touch of resentment, making one wonder if Si Chen was a heartless man who had done something to wrong her.
Tong Yao watched Zhou Minyue’s retreating figure and imitated her tone, saying, "Dr. Si Chen, don’t forget about the 2 pm class."
Si Chen looked at her fondly, one hand holding her things, the other holding her hand, "I’ll take you back to rest first."
Right now, all he wanted to do was take Tong Yao back and spend some alone time with her.
Guo Jinnian, like a third wheel, followed behind the two of them, almost getting a toothache from all the sweetness.
She used to be very averse to marriage, but it seemed that getting married might be a pretty blissful thing after all. She resolved to drink more of this "realistic chicken soup" when she had time.
Having heard that Tong Yao would be coming over, Si Chen had rented a house two days ago. It wasn’t very big, but he had kept it very neat and clean. He originally thought Tong Yao would come in a few days, but she arrived earlier than expected.
It was a good thing he had rented the house in advance.
Upon arriving at their residence, Si Chen briefly introduced Guo Jinnian to the layout of the house. Then he took Tong Yao into the house to rest. Once they closed the door, they were completely cut off from Guo Jinnian who was outside.
Fearing to hear the sounds she shouldn’t hear, making everyone awkward, Guo Jinnian wisely went to use the bathroom and returned to her room to sleep.
