***
Thank goodness for You Bei, the lively spirit who, in some way, warmed her heart and kept her from becoming too stiff in conversation, allowing her act like a normal person by cracking jokes and teasing.
The two had established a friendship since kindergarten and shared deep affection. Even though Mai Xiaomai later became a forensic doctor and was shunned by many friends and classmates, You Bei remained unwaveringly loyal, feeling the same as ever.
Of course, this was also related to You Bei's penchant for the macabre, as she often pestered Mai Xiaomai to talk about the conditions of murder victims and autopsies.
Unfortunately, You Bei had to go abroad for work-related studies a year ago.
Since then, Mai Xiaomai had not set foot in a petty-bourgeois restaurant like Red Rose.
Now, as she entered the restaurant again, what she thought of the most was You Bei, who would clamor about dieting while stuffing her face with meat, a real foodie.
For her, this was a warm memory, and as she dwelled on it, she smiled unconsciously.
This smile caught the attention of two men not far away.
The two men—
One dressed in casual white clothing, with light brown hair that naturally curled a bit, fair skin, mixed-ethnicity features, lips naturally upturned in a non-smiling smile, with slightly lifted upturned peach blossom eyes that twinkled with a soft yet slightly mischievous light, giving an overall impression of comfort and approachability.
The other man, however, emanated an entirely different aura, dressed in a pure black shirt with delicately and ingeniously crafted pale gold trim at the collar and cuffs, looking cool and aristocratic but also unapproachable.
The one in the white casual outfit was named Feng Qinglang, and the man in black was Qiao Chutian.
"Chutian, look at this woman. She seems cold at first, but that heartfelt smile turning up the corners of her lips is really charming! She's not any less attractive than your Lin Na!"
Feng Qinglang, looking at Mai Xiaomai, nudged Qiao Chutian next to him, whispering.
Qiao Chutian gave a cursory glance at Mai Xiaomai, "Not even close!"
"Yeah, yeah, in your eyes, only your Lin Na is the prettiest and the cutest, and you're blind to the beauty of other women! To me, Lin Na doesn't have the charisma this woman has!"
Feng Qinglang curled his lip disdainfully, "I really can't understand what kind of love potion she gave you to make you so unchangingly infatuated with her. Don't your family members all oppose your relationship with her? They won't let you marry her, what will you do?"
Qiao Chutian didn't answer his question and instead looked down at the red rose in his hand.
He had arranged to meet Lin Na here today, but hadn't expected to run into Feng Qinglang, so the two of them sat together and chatted for the time being.
"You're not planning to propose with this rose, are you? Just one rose, isn't that a bit stingy? A rich tycoon like you should at least prepare 999 roses and spread them all over the floor!"
Feng Qinglang, seeing that he did not respond, changed the topic.
"Nana doesn't like such flashy, melodramatic scenes. It's not for a proposal; it's just a dating habit."
When Qiao Chutian spoke of Lin Na, his cool thin lips carried a hint of rare warmth...
This hint of warmth, like a spring breeze melting the last traces of snow, brought a touch of warmth to his usually cold demeanor.
"Tsk, tsk, I would've never imagined our great CEO Qiao to be such a sentimental romantic, bringing a red rose to every date—it's quite the surprise for me."
Feng Qinglang's tone was half mocking, half admiring.
"No! It's not always a red rose. Having her guess which flower I'll bring each time is also a source of fun,"
Qiao Chutian picked up the flower on the table and smelled it, "This time it just happens to be a red rose!"
***