Chapter 792: I Believe You

Liu Chuxue saw he could handle it himself, so she did not speak, lowered her head to eat the fish he had placed for her, and even gave an evaluation: "This fish is indeed well cooked."

A passing chef happened to hear: "One look and this young lady is clearly an expert."

Liu Chuxue looked up and saw the person wearing a chef's uniform, so she smiled and gave a thumbs-up: "It truly suits my taste."

Seeing her gesture, the chef was even happier: "Come back another day to try my braised lion's head meatballs; I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

Liu Chuxue was very supportive: "Alright, then I'll definitely order one to try when I come back."

Her words had barely fallen when the woman who came to greet Fu Yan Cheng said: "Sycophant."

Although the voice was very low, both Liu Chuxue and Fu Yan Cheng, and even the chef passing by her, heard it.

The chef's face immediately darkened, but he did not confront her directly; instead, he went straight into the back kitchen.

Seeing that Fu Yan Cheng would not say another word to her, the woman could only turn and leave to order food.

But when she reached the window to order, there were only vegetable dishes, no meat: "What time is it? Already out of stock?"

"Out is out." The waiter's tone was very stiff.

The woman was furious; perhaps she could not swallow this grievance: "Just you wait."

Having said that, she did not order, flicked her braid, turned, and left.

As soon as she left, the chef from before poked his head out of the back kitchen: "Still want meat? Dream on."

Having said that, he spoke quietly to the waiter: "When I get off work, I'll ladle some meat broth for you to take home; mix it with rice for the kids."

The waiter heard this and was overjoyed: "Thank you, Master Tong."

Liu Chuxue naturally heard their conversation; she looked over and happened to meet the chef's gaze, so Liu Chuxue directly gave him another thumbs-up.

The chef smiled at her and withdrew his head.

Liu Chuxue then withdrew her gaze, picked up the fish Fu Yan Cheng had placed in her bowl again: "Won't you explain?"

Fu Yan Cheng actually laughed: "I was wondering how long you'd hold back before asking."

Saying this, he picked up another chopstick-full of shredded pork with sweet bean sauce into his bowl, then stirred the noodles in his own bowl: "That person's name is Ding Runlan; she lived in the same courtyard as my grandfather. When we were children, she always followed behind us boys.

As she grew up, she liked following behind me even more. Later, someone spread a rumor that the two of us were dating. Because of this, I specifically investigated, only to find she had spread it herself. After that, whenever I saw her, I avoided her.

Later, our whole family moved out of the courtyard with my father. Not long after, she married a son of the courtyard, and we hardly saw each other again.

However, a while back her husband died in the line of duty. I heard she returned to her maiden home. This is the first time we've met since her return."

What he did not say was that he had never looked for a partner; everyone thought he could not accept Ding Runlan's sudden marriage and had never moved on.

Although he had explained many times, they were as if bewitched; no one believed him. Later, he simply stopped explaining.

He did not expect that person to return a few years later, and many people brought up the old story again.

The reason his mother pushed him to settle on a marriage so quickly was partly related to Ding Runlan's return to the courtyard; his mother feared her son would get involved with Ding Runlan, now a widow, again.

Liu Chuxue looked up at Fu Yan Cheng: "Did you truly have no romantic feelings for her before?"

Fu Yan Cheng saw Liu Chuxue asked seriously; fearing she would misunderstand, he sat up straight and said with a serious face: "I never liked her. Those rumors were all fabricated and staged by her. If I speak a single false word, may I never..."

Before the rest of his words could come out, Liu Chuxue stopped him with her gaze: "I believe you."