Chapter 59: Do You Hope I Like You?

Several seconds later, Chi Huan withdrew her hand and turned her face toward the man beside her, "Are you allergic to these?"

Mo Shiqian understood almost everything about her.

But she indeed didn't know his dietary habits.

Even after she had been with him for three years, she still didn't know that this man actually lived at Xishan Mansion—

This had been her most desired upscale apartment complex when she was buying her apartment, but she had settled for Number Ten Prestige Residences due to her insufficient savings as her fame was then recent.

He grunted a response and said indifferently, "I just won't eat it, it's just seasoning."

She uttered an "Oh," and then asked, "Other than onions and cilantro, what else are you allergic to?"

Mo Shiqian looked down at her.

Her eyes were clear and honest, looking straight at him, waiting for his answer.

The man's Adam's apple bobbed as he spoke, "Chives, garlic, and lamb, they smell bad."

Chi Huan nodded her head to show she understood and couldn't help but comment, "You're quite picky."

Mo Shiqian gave her a sideways glance.

"Do you have any favorite foods?"

"I'm not picky."

"Hmm... in that case," she turned to the waiter and said earnestly, "For the restaurant's signature dishes that I ordered, don't include these ingredients. For the other dishes, tell the chef to leave them out if possible, and if the flavor only comes with them, then just use less."

"Certainly, miss."

The waiter took the menu and left. Chi Huan lowered her head to drink her coffee.

Liang Manyue watched her for a good while before finally speaking up, "Miss Chi, did you cancel your wedding with Mou Xigu because of Shiqian?"

The question was not only abrupt but also had a sharpness to it like a needle hidden in cotton.

It essentially was equivalent to asking her if she had cheated on Mou Xigu with Mo Shiqian during their relationship.

Without even blinking, Chi Huan answered crisply, "No."

"Then is it because the wedding with Mou Xigu didn't go smoothly, so you turned to be with Shiqian instead?"

Chi Huan set down her coffee cup, lifted her gaze, a playful light in her eyes as she met the other's eyes, "Miss Liang."

Liang Manyue looked back at her, bowing her head slightly, "Sorry, I was presumptuous. I just don't understand how you two got together all of a sudden."

Chi Huan spoke with a smile in her voice, "Seeing him with another woman, do you regret it?"

This question was actually sharper. She had no intention of making it difficult for Liang Manyue, her current boyfriend's ex-girlfriend. She neither wanted to pry nor pursue anything, as it would seem overbearing and bothersome.

Moreover, they were each other's childhood sweethearts.

But just like with Tang Yuezhe—she wanted Liang Manyue to see clearly the fact that Mo Shiqian was now with another woman, and regardless of the reasons they got together, they were together now.

She also wanted Miss Liang to see clearly, since she gave up this man for someone else, she should let go completely.

Liang Manyue pursed her lips, her hands curling up. After a while, she said, "I'm just... besides me, Shiqian hasn't been with any other woman. Miss Chi, you are the daughter of the mayor and have been in the entertainment industry for years. You two weren't from the same world originally. I'm just worried... he might get hurt."

So what if he hasn't been with any other women?

She herself had only been with Mou Xigu and they hadn't even kissed before they broke up.

When Mou Xigu dumped her, at least she had the decency to lie in bed sick for two or three days.

After he was abandoned by his fiancée of over a decade who was also his childhood sweetheart, he was completely unfazed.

The moment this thought surfaced, Chi Huan suddenly felt a chill down her spine—she realized that since being with him, she almost only remembered how he cared for and accommodated her, often feeling that he was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime good man.

So much so that she ignored even her own words—that he was a monster without feelings.

Besides...

She guessed that Liang Manyue also had no idea he lived in the luxurious and expensive apartment complex of Xishan Mansion, with its spacious layout and exquisite decoration; otherwise, she wouldn't have said he was just a bodyguard with a decent income.

How deep must one hide, for even a childhood sweetheart of over a decade who was also a fiancée, to be unaware?

Injured...

Could Mo Shiqian truly be hurt by a woman?

Suddenly, she felt she couldn't imagine it.

In the end, Chi Huan tugged at the corners of her mouth, her tone even lighter, "Love is a matter of mutual consent, a gamble one must accept the loss in. No one knows who will let down whom in this lifetime until the coffin is sealed. If you love, then love. What's the point of being afraid?"

...

In the evening, Xishan Mansion.

Chi Huan looked at the man beside her who was massaging her foot, his fingers long and knuckles defined, his face handsome and focused.

Doing such a thing did not appear demeaning, and there was even a kind of composed and self-contained sexiness.

When she came back and took off her high heels, she collapsed on the couch and whined that she had been out all day and her feet were terribly sore, so he began massaging her feet without a word.

She stared at his profile, "Is it because you took possession of me that you're willing to treat me so well?"

"No."

Chi Huan was a bit surprised, blinking, "Hmm... then is it because... you like me?"

Mo Shiqian lifted his face, "Do you hope that I like you?"

She pursed her lips, almost immediately denying it, "No... I'm just curious."

The man answered indifferently, "Because you are my woman now."

"Were you this good to Liang Manyue before?"

"No," he glanced at her, his reply orderly, "She was more reserved than you, never asking me to massage her feet. She'd even feel embarrassed to take off her socks."

Chi Huan, "..."

She said unhappily, "Are you saying I'm not reserved?"

"No," he was silent for a few seconds, then smiled faintly, "If you were as reserved as her, you would also feel that I am not treating you well enough."

Chi Huan was taken aback.

His face was handsome, now less coldly indifferent and appearing more mild.

She drawled, getting the point, "I see now, you're not proactive, you give only when asked, and Miss Liang is too reserved; she wouldn't make requests from you."

Just like at lunch today, it was always her clamoring for this and that, asking him to peel or prepare food for her...

In contrast to him, Tang Yuezhe was a completely proactive type of man, offering dishes to Liang Manyue from time to time, asking her if she wanted this or that.

It's not a matter of right or wrong, whether reservedness or initiative is better—it's merely about compatibility of personalities.

He hummed in agreement.

Chi Huan stared at his strikingly handsome face, her chin in her hand, "I spent a lot of your money today. Wouldn't you spend money on her simply because she didn't take the initiative?"

The man commented casually, "A lot of money?"

She pouted, "They all think I'm with you for your money. Or is it that... you really were stingy with your fiancée before?"

Mo Shiqian gave her a glance, "Does the money you spent today equate to the watch you bought?"

Chi Huan, "..."

The silver wristwatch was on the man's left hand, business-casual in style, fitting him well.

Well, after all, she was a woman of great taste.

She said somewhat smugly, "You do recognize quality."