The dishes were served one after another. Though made from ordinary ingredients, the chef here had prepared them with exquisite flavor. Su Yue's mood improved slightly as she ate.
She barely needed to serve herself; Chen Ziming would promptly refill her plate.
"I'm full." Her appetite wasn't large, and after eating for a while, she put down her chopsticks. After all, she was conscious of her appearance and aimed to maintain her figure, so she usually ate sparingly.
"You've eaten too little." He frowned.
"Officer Chen," his attentiveness at this moment was a stark contrast to his previous demeanor, piquing her curiosity. "Why are you being so nice to me now?"
"Only now?"
Su Yue actually pondered this for a moment and then gave a slight nod.
Chen Ziming was speechless. After a pause, he replied, "What do you think?"
He turned the question back to her.
"Hmm..." She bit her lip, thought for a moment, and said, "Because you deliberately made things difficult for me, causing me to fall ill, and you feel guilty."
He peeled a shrimp for her and placed it on her plate. "You yourself said I was upholding the law impartially, so why would I feel guilty?"
"..." He was actually so good at arguing?
"Eat your shrimp."
She ate the shrimp sullenly but didn't stop thinking. Once the shrimp was swallowed, she suddenly had a thought and said,
"Because I slept comfortably?"
The moment she said it, she regretted it.
She must have been out of her mind to say something like that. She covered her face and lowered her head, unable to look at him, and quickly murmured,
"Don't answer that, let's change the topic."
She had preempted him perfectly.
Chen Ziming chuckled lightly and wiped his hands with a wet wipe. He did as she asked and remained silent.
The dinner soon concluded. He took her hand as they left.
Su Yue didn't dare to say anything more, fearing she might inadvertently say something astonishing again. She walked quietly beside him.
However, as they passed by the restroom, they encountered a middle-aged man.
"Director Su." Chen Ziming greeted him first upon seeing the man.
The person addressed as Director Su was momentarily surprised before smiling and replying, "Ziming, you're dining here too? What a coincidence. Director Lin is also here. Would you like to join us?" He paid no attention to Su Yue's presence.
Chen Ziming thought for a moment, then asked the front desk to find Jiang Guan, instructing her to keep Su Yue company while he went to greet them.
He failed to notice Su Yue's pale face or the hint of anger that flashed across Director Su's features when he glanced at Su Yue.
Su Minghua led Chen Ziming away, not looking at Su Yue again.
Su Yue sat in Jiang Guan's office, lost in thought. Jiang Guan chatted with her, and she responded absently. Seeing her distracted, Jiang Guan smiled and said, "It seems you have a very good relationship with him. You've only been apart for a short while, and you miss him this much already."
On the way home that evening, Su Yue remained silent. Her usually bright eyes were now somewhat vacant. She had curled her legs up on the seat since getting in the car, hugging her knees and resting her head on her arm, gazing out the window.
"Yue Yue." Chen Ziming sensed something was amiss on the drive but didn't pry. Now, as he stopped in the underground parking lot, he called her name several times, but she didn't react. He then got out of the car and opened the passenger door. Seeing her still spaced out, her eyes were red, as if she had been wronged.
Upon seeing Chen Ziming approach, Su Yue finally came back to her senses. She composed herself and followed him out of the car.
"What's wrong?" he asked after they entered the apartment.
Su Yue shook her head and suddenly threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her head in his chest. Chen Ziming felt his shirt grow damp.
"What did Jiang Guan say to you?" Anyone seeing Su Yue in this state would find it hard not to feel heartache. Chen Ziming put one arm around her and gently stroked her hair with the other, as if comforting an injured kitten.
She shook her head in his arms, her voice tinged with a sob, "Don't ask me anything. I don't want to say anything."
Chen Ziming didn't press further. Once her emotions had calmed down a bit, he coaxed her to wash up and change.
"How do you want to sleep tonight?" He finished tidying up and sat by the bed. After she emerged from the bathroom, he asked.
"Hm?" Su Yue's mood was still subdued, and she didn't quite understand his meaning.
"I can sleep in the guest bedroom." He replied.
Su Yue's heart sank instantly.