Chapter 90: You're not going to confess to me, are you?

Su Ruoyun took the elevator upstairs, walked to the restaurant entrance, and the attendant waiting at the door softly asked if she had a reservation; she held her bag in her left hand, gave her name, and the attendant immediately smiled and said, "Miss Su, please this way."

Su Ruoyun followed behind her, walked to the door, the attendant opened the private room door, half-raised his arm in a "please" gesture, and after she stepped inside, the door swung shut.

Stepping into the private room, warm yellow light spilled onto the floor, illuminating the bright space; Huo Jingcheng was already waiting inside, and upon seeing her enter, he rose to greet her.

"Have you been waiting long?"

Out of politeness, Su Ruoyun offered a greeting.

Huo Jingcheng raised his hand and naturally took Su Ruoyun's bag, then walked to the nearby coat rack, hung the bag up, and only then turned to say, "It's fine, I haven't waited long."

To align with the International Tea Party's original aim of promoting traditional culture, Su Ruoyun attended the event today and deliberately changed into a new Chinese-style dress.

The dress's base was a pale moon-white silk, embroidered with delicate cloud patterns outlined in gold thread, giving it the unique Chinese ethereal and lively feel; traditional and modern aesthetics collided and blended, with a stand‑collar design, exquisite frog buttons that fit the neck snugly, displaying a dignified and elegant demeanor.

The skirt flared out in a fishtail shape, and as she walked, her swaying steps fully revealed the Eastern woman's grace and softness; the side slits were just right, her slender, straight calves inadvertently revealing a hint of allure.

She lifted her hand to gather her loose long hair, preparing to sit down.

Seeing this, Huo Jingcheng stood tall, strode leisurely to the chair, moved ahead of her, grasped the chair back with both hands, and gentlemanly pulled the chair out for her; then he turned his head toward Su Ruoyun, silently indicating she should sit.

His refined, gentlemanly demeanor instead made Su Ruoyun feel unaccustomed and ill at ease all over.

She unconsciously pressed her lips together, took a few steps in her slim heels, sat down at the table with her hands smoothing the skirt; as she settled slowly, the chair behind her shifted forward an inch, placing her perfectly in the right spot.

Su Ruoyun lifted her eyelids, glanced at Huo Jingcheng without thinking, but unexpectedly locked eyes with him; his gaze was full of nonchalance, he even raised his eyebrows at her, then shifted to a wanton, frivolous look.

Seeing that familiar expression, she unconsciously pressed her lips again and silently breathed a sigh of relief—good, it was still him; she had just thought Huo Jingcheng had been possessed by someone else.

After they were seated, they pressed the call button; the attendant entered with an electronic ordering device, took their order, and not long after, the chef pushed a food cart in with steady steps, followed closely by a musician holding a straight violin.

The chef moved skillfully, placing each carefully prepared dish on the table in turn; the food looked tempting and its aroma instantly filled the air, he introduced a few signature dishes, then slightly bowed with a professional smile and said, "Enjoy your meal."

After saying that, the chef pushed the cart out of the private room; the violinist standing to the side gracefully lifted the bow, and a lyrical melody flowed out at once.

Su Ruoyun didn't study the violin, but she had also heard this famous piece—the violin concerto "Butterfly Lovers," which is set against the backdrop of the love‑unto‑death of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai.

The piece lasts twenty minutes; Su Ruoyun kept her eyes down throughout, staring blankly at the knife and fork on the tablecloth, unable to fathom what Huo Jingcheng meant.

She lifted the warm water beside her, lightly raised her chin and took a small sip; the tepid water flowed past her lips, and using the glass as a shield, she glanced at him without making a sound—only to find their eyes locking.

All she saw was the man sitting sideways, his thin lips barely parting; as his lips moved, no sound escaped, only the silent shape of his mouth forming three words: "Are you peeking at me?"

With a hint of teasing.

"……" Su Ruoyun.

……

Midway through the meal.

Huo Jingcheng lowered his gaze, glanced at his phone screen, then raised his hand and swiftly snatched the phone into his palm: "I have something to attend to; I'll be out for a bit."

At that moment, Su Ruoyun was drinking lychee ice; it was the season of rising temperatures, and a bowl of lychee ice—sweet lychee flesh mixed with crushed ice—instantly gave her a refreshing chill.

She nodded, placed the spoon in the white porcelain bowl, watched Huo Jingcheng's receding back disappear behind the door, then withdrew her gaze and continued eating the ice.

She held the spoon, sending the crushed ice and lychee flesh into her mouth; the smooth, sweet taste spread across her taste buds.

After finishing the small bowl of dessert, Su Ruoyun reached out to touch her slightly full belly, felt satisfied, rose, and walked to the floor‑to‑ceiling window to overlook Shencheng's dazzling nightscape.

As the economic capital, Shencheng's nightscape differs starkly from Jingcheng's; the skyscrapers' lights blaze brilliantly, like an endless revelry of paper‑thin gold.

Outside the window, Shencheng's night was still young; just then Li Li called her, she withdrew her gaze from the scenery, tapped the screen, and answered the call: "Hello."

This was a video call, so Li Li also precisely locked onto the night scenery outside the window.

"You're in Shencheng?" Though phrased as a question, his tone was full of certainty.

She instinctively glanced back toward the window; from this angle, no landmark building was visible: "You can tell that from here?"

"Mm-hmm," Li Li said, raising his eyebrows smugly, "Last time I came to Shencheng with my cousin, we ate at this restaurant, and supposedly you can see Shencheng's most beautiful night view from here."

"Most beautiful?"

Su Ruoyun turned her head and looked again; the clock tower on the Bund and the skyscrapers of Lujiazui faced each other across the river, glowing in mutual reflection, while a cruise ship glided slowly on the Huangpu River, the water reflecting a kaleidoscope of lights, like a galaxy spilled onto the earth.

Li Li casually asked: "Are you eating alone, or with someone?"

"I'm having a meal with a customer from the tea house," she said, while holding her phone in her palm and rising to walk back to the table.

In a moment of carelessness, the red wine on the table ended up in the frame.

Li Li's sharp eyes caught it at once, and he blurted out: "Romanée‑Conti, or the 2005 vintage?"

She stared at the English and numbers "since2005" on the bottle, clicked her tongue twice, shook her head, and said, "You want this wine?"

Su Ruoyun. "No."

The red wine was prepared by Huo Jingcheng.

"Is the customer male or female, to be so generous?" Li Li asked curiously.

"Male." Su Ruoyun replied indifferently, idly toying with her chopsticks.

Li Li: "Where is the person now?"

"Just went out." Su Ruoyun answered casually.

Somehow, Li Li suddenly felt something was off; he tilted his head, repeatedly pondering Su Ruoyun's words—a Michelin three‑star restaurant, top‑tier wine, breathtaking night view, plus the other party's mid‑meal departure…

Her mind raced, and she blurted out bluntly: "Damn, you're not going to confess to me, are you?"

As soon as she said that, Su Ruoyun had just swallowed a sip of red wine and was violently choked.

"Cough cough cough——"

?? Zhuzi: What's going on here?