Chapter 168: Are You Lovesick?

Zhou Yinhe stopped her, saying, "I know there's a restaurant in Sijiucheng that's open 24 hours and tastes great."

Wen Ling glanced at his back, "You're not hurt? Still going out to eat— is that convenient for you?"

"Nothing serious, just avoid big movements and don't lean on the chair back."

"Alright, let's go out to eat."

Wen Ling drove, Zhou Yinhe sat in the passenger seat, slightly bending his waist forward to avoid touching the wound on his back, his posture a bit odd.

Arriving at the place Zhou Yinhe mentioned, Wen Ling glanced around—there weren't many people, but the parking spots were almost full; the restaurant's decor leaned European, yet Zhou Yinhe said its specialty was Northeastern cuisine.

Wen Ling hadn't tried it before, but she was somewhat curious.

She had wanted to support Zhou Yinhe, but he sternly refused: "I can manage; if you help me, I'll look strange."

Zhou Yinhe didn't care about others' gazes or gossip, but he did care about people talking about his waist.

Wen Ling found his odd idea truly exasperating, yet she still listened to him; the two walked in slowly, and as soon as they entered, they bumped face‑to‑face with Jiang Jibai and Ke Chengyu, who were seated at a table in the hall.

Zhao Ningyan, sitting opposite them, only turned his head to glance after seeing their gazes.

"Why are you guys coming here to eat so late?"

Wen Ling and Zhou Yinhe walked over and sat with them at the same table; Wen Ling explained, "We missed dinner, so we came because we were a bit hungry."

Jiang Jibai gave Zhou Yinhe a sideways glance, then deliberately smiled: "Xiao Wu got beaten, didn't he? Not hurting anymore?"

"……" Zhou Yinhe lifted his eyes to look at him, "Are you showing concern?"

Jiang Jibai asked innocently, "Aren't I concerned about you?"

"You talked about my injury in the group chat—I haven't settled the score with you yet." Zhou Yinhe turned his face away, too lazy to bother with him.

Zhao Ningyan rested his hand on the chair back and chuckled: "Is my future father‑in‑law really that ruthless? He actually beat you hard, while my future mother‑in‑law dotes on you—didn't she stop him?"

Zhou Yinhe didn't want to deal with them, and asked the softly laughing Wen Ling, "Let's go to a private room to eat, not together with them."

Wen Ling was about to say eating together would be fine, but Ke Chengyu propped his forehead, drawling lazily, "If you want to go, go yourself—Wen Ling is far more generous than you."

"……" Zhou Yinhe forced a laugh, and Wen Ling raised her hand to soothingly rub the back of his hand.

A waiter approached, Wen Ling took the menu and ordered some dishes that looked tasty; Jiang Jibai added on the side, "These dishes don't go well with red wine—white wine or beer are fine."

He poured some alcohol, but Wen Ling said, "We have to drive."

"There's a driver, don't worry." Ke Chengyu lifted his chin, gesturing for Wen Ling to look at Zhao Ningyan, "With him here, who'd dare drink and drive?"

Zhao Ningyan gave him a sideways glance, "These people—none of them truly respect his status; when it's time to cause trouble, they never hold back. Even his future brother‑in‑law over there has done things, and it's always him who cleans up."

The alcohol arrived first; Jiang Jibai poured some for Wen Ling, deliberately skipping Zhou Yinhe. When Zhou Yinhe frowned, Wen Ling said, "Don't drink yet."

"Oh." Zhou Yinhe nodded obediently, picked up his chopsticks, and ate.

They hadn't been there long, yet they'd been drinking steadily, having only nibbled at a corner of the dishes.

After clinking glasses with them and taking a few sips, Wen Ling asked, "You actually eat these?"

It's not that the dishes are bad; it's that the young masters and nobles Wen Ling encountered in M Country always pick restaurants with decor devoid of any warmth when they eat.

Zhou Yinhe handed Wen Ling a piece of chicken, indicating she should try it.

The taste was a bit strange, but extraordinarily delicious; Wen Ling's eyes lit up as she praised, "No wonder you like it."

"Our Hua Guo cuisine is rich and varied—every kind is excellent, far better than what you eat in M Country." Ke Chengyu smiled, eyes narrowed, "This restaurant's boss is from the Northeast; after making a fortune in Sijiucheng, he wanted to open a Northeastern eatery so he could always taste his hometown's flavors, so he bought this place. The decor is what the previous tenant left behind; he's never changed it, saying it's still quite interesting."

Wen Ling wholeheartedly agreed with Ke Chengyu's words, raised her glass, and clinked it with his.

Zhou Yinhe was rather petty, but at this moment he didn't stop them, because he wanted Wen Ling to blend in a bit more with his friends.

Dishes kept arriving one after another; the restaurant owner also came over, greeted a few people, then left, after which Zhou Yinhe asked, "Where did Qi Zhan go?"

"He went abroad to play with Zhao Xingtang."

Zhou Yinhe let out a snort of laughter; Wen Ling felt a stir inside and glanced at him sideways.

The other three, having grown up with Zhou Yinhe, all noticed his strange reaction.

"What's wrong? Did you have a falling out with Qi Zhan?" Zhao Ningyan asked concernedly.

Zhou Yinhe shook his head, then realized his earlier reaction might make Wen Ling suspicious, and he softly explained, "No, I just think he's lovesick."

"Does Qi Zhan have your lovesick brain? How long has it been since you last went out with us? Every time we call, you don't come." Ke Chengyu looked speechless, then added to Wen Ling, "It's not aimed at you, Ah Ling—don't take it personally."

Wen Ling laughed while biting her chopsticks, shook her head at the words, and Zhou Yinhe gave a cold snort, eating his meal by himself.

After they dispersed, Wen Ling's little face was already flushed; Jiang Jibai called for a driver to send them home.

Wen Ling sat in the back seat, wanting to lean against Zhou Yinhe, but worried that his inability to lean on the chair back while also attending to her would tire him out, so she rested against the car door, half‑closing her eyes to ease the slight dizziness.

Zhou Yinhe reached out to pull her, but Wen Ling waved him off.

"You'd better just sit properly; I'm fine like this."

Zhou Yinhe had no choice but to give up; he kept his eyes on her the whole way, and whenever she frowned he would anxiously move closer.

Arriving home, Wen Ling had sobered up considerably, yawned, and said, "I had just gotten my schedule back on track, and now it's thrown off again."

Zhou Yinhe cupped her cheeks, shook them gently, and smiled, "It's fine—if you're tired, sleep; if not, don't. No need to overthink."

Wen Ling hummed in agreement, returned to Zhou Yinhe's room, and waited until he finished his shower before entering the bathroom.

When she came out, she played with her phone while walking toward the bed, not noticing Zhou Yinhe's somewhat expectant gaze.

Wen Ling only thought about Zhou Yinhe's injury; she never imagined he, while still wounded, would have the mind to entertain random notions. She walked over to him, took the ointment, indicated he should lie down, applied the medicine, then grabbed her phone and went to the other side to climb onto the bed, leaning against the headboard to play with her phone.

"Baobao, I'm actually not in pain anymore."

Wen Ling gave an "oh," but her gaze didn't shift to him.

Zhou Yinhe, unwilling to let it go, continued hinting: "Baobao, does your stomach still hurt?"

"Why would it hurt?" Wen Ling replied offhand, "No, it doesn't— I've been walking for a while; the next time will come soon enough."

Zhou Yinhe's eyes grew brighter; he reached out to seek Wen Ling.