Volume One Chapter Four: Fondness for Her

Shen Zhaowu cast a deep look at Jiang Yao. Seeing her shy and bashful expression, she smiled faintly and said, "I'm having dinner with my fiancé. What is it, Miss Jiang? Do you want to join us?"

Something in those words seemed to cut Jiang Yao to the quick—her face turned pale. "I..."

Shen Zhaowu waited for her to continue.

As the tension hung in the air, Shen Hanchuan made the decision directly. "It's just a meal, isn't it? Yao rarely wants to go out, Zhaozhao, take her along. It's just an extra pair of chopsticks; I'm sure Jin Yao isn't a petty man."

Jin Yao was indeed not a petty man.

He was especially generous—at least toward his fiancée.

If not for Jiang Yao.

Jiang Yao always inspired a special kind of pity; after meeting her, her fiancé's gaze gradually drifted toward her. In the end, he even rebelled against the engagement set by his mother, giving up the right to inherit the family fortune.

If Shen Hanchuan were to learn that the brother-in-law he had set his heart on ended up falling for Jiang Yao, how would he react?

With a meaningful curve of her lips, Shen Zhaowu replied, "Alright, let's go together. Come to think of it, isn't this Jin Yao's first time meeting Miss Jiang?"

Hearing that Shen Zhaowu was willing to bring her along, Jiang Yao's eyes sparkled.

She followed closely behind Shen Zhaowu, biting her lip bashfully. She didn't deny it. "Yes! Brother Jin Yao is my senior at university. There are always so many rumors about him on campus..."

Shen Zhaowu had no interest in listening, so she responded perfunctorily.

She picked a pink Cullinan from the garage, started it with a roar, and sped off.

"We're here," Shen Zhaowu announced.

Through the darkened car window, the sign "Ten Miles of Jiangnan" was reflected. She narrowed her eyes; the style of the brushwork seemed oddly familiar.

Ten Miles of Jiangnan belonged to the Zhou family.

A haven for the wealthy, they limited reservations and only hosted three tables a day.

The main hall was bright and opulent. Streams of water flowed beneath small bridges, and a few sparse water lilies rested in the clear creek. Beneath the lilies, plump-bellied goldfish drifted lazily.

Shen Zhaowu was momentarily lost in thought.

A deep, magnetic voice sounded from behind, "Have you been waiting long?"

She looked up.

A man approached her.

His perfectly tailored suit hugged his strong legs, his physique the double-door ideal so revered in certain circles—broad shoulders, a narrow waist. His jet-black hair was neatly swept back.

His features were striking and refined, handsome to the point of appearing almost unreal, like a model at the height of his craft.

No wonder Jiang Yao had eyes for him.

His outward qualities were indeed impressive.

Shen Zhaowu was about to speak, but the gentle and quiet Jiang Yao beat her to it. "Not long at all. We just arrived."

Shen Zhaowu nodded. "Yes, we just got here. Let's go in."

As Shen Zhaowu entered the private room, Jin Yao hurried after her, not noticing Jiang Yao lingering behind, hoping to walk beside him.

The private room could seat ten.

With just three people at the large round table, the space felt almost excessive.

Jin Yao was a decisive man. He took the menu from the waiter and, glancing at Shen Zhaowu across the table, paused, "…Why are you sitting so far away?"

The table was enormous.

At this distance, it seemed they'd need to call each other on the phone just to be heard.

Shen Zhaowu smiled. "It exercises the lungs to speak like this."

"?"

Jin Yao looked puzzled. His fiancée seemed a little odd today...

He ordered a few of Shen Zhaowu's favorite dishes, then seemed to remember there was someone else at the table. He politely handed the menu to Jiang Yao. "Miss Jiang, don't be shy. Order anything you like."

Jiang Yao looked as if she'd been granted a special favor.

Her fair cheeks flushed crimson, and her heart pounded as if it might leap from her chest.

Brother Jin Yao… What did this mean?

Did he like her, too?

Otherwise, why would he skip over Sister Zhaozhao and ask what she wanted to eat…

The blush on Jiang Yao's cheeks was vividly striking, making her delicate, pitiful features all the more endearing and lovely. If Shen Zhaowu were a man, her heart might have fluttered a bit, too.

Shen Zhaowu couldn't help but glance at Jin Yao.

She saw his gaze fixed on her face, his brow furrowed in thought.

A chill ran down her spine. Jin Yao had always been terrifyingly intelligent. After taking over the family business, he had quickly established himself at the top of Haicheng's social pyramid with ruthless efficiency.

He might not yet match the circles in the capital, but in Haicheng, he was as powerful as they came.

It was odd that he wasn't drawn to Jiang Yao.

In her previous life, the two of them had sparked like flint and tinder—by their second meeting, they'd already completed the business of making a child in bed.

The only reason things hadn't happened at their first meeting was because she, Shen Zhaowu, had been present.

Jiang Yao took the menu, startled by the prices—one braised fish cost five figures. Was she eating gold or fish…?

"These dishes are, are enough," Jiang Yao stammered, forcing a calm front so as not to appear timid in front of Shen Zhaowu. "Brother Jin Yao likes fish—let's add a Golden Silk Fish Fillet."

The waiter smiled politely and gently reminded her, "Miss Jiang, that dish is only available to guests in the Heaven Room. We're in the Earth Room."

Jiang Yao thought the waiter was mocking her. Her face burned. "Ah, th-then never mind…"

She couldn't help blaming Shen Zhaowu for not warning her—was it on purpose, to embarrass her in front of Brother Jin Yao? How mortifying...

Jiang Yao wished she could vanish into thin air.

"It's alright, you can go," Jin Yao said, noticing the girl's embarrassment. He frowned almost imperceptibly and waved the waiter away. He explained mildly, "The chefs at Ten Miles of Jiangnan come from the Zhou family in the capital—their ancestors were imperial chefs. Except for the Zhou family's young master, no one else gets to taste such delicacies."

"Mm, mm!" Jiang Yao replied eagerly. "Brother Jin Yao knows so much!"

The thought that he was comforting her made her heart beat even faster, like a startled fawn.

Mentioning the Zhou family, Jiang Yao stole a guilty glance at Shen Zhaowu.

"There's nothing to envy," Jin Yao said, his lips curving with the faintest trace of disdain, his exquisite features tinged with scorn. "He's just a cripple in a wheelchair—cruel, dark-minded. The society ladies in the capital avoid him like the plague. Getting involved with the Zhou family only brings trouble."

Jiang Yao forced a smile, but her face had already lost much of its color. "Is this young master really so frightening… Is he hideous as well…?"

The dishes arrived.

Jin Yao picked up a piece of lotus root, intending to place it in Shen Zhaowu's bowl. But glancing at the distance between them, he paused.

He ate it himself in silence.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yao, sitting right beside him, found that even the slightest movement brought her hand close to his.

Jin Yao commented, "The Zhou family's young master is rarely seen in public, but I've heard he's extremely ugly and uncouth."

Hearing this, Jiang Yao felt a surge of relief. Thank goodness the butler had mistaken her for Sister Zhaozhao that day…

If that young master had forced her to marry him, her life would have been over!