Chapter 15: "I Must Be Quite Important, Right?"

"I've been to this hotpot place before; it's really quite good," Ye Mo said with a smile, pushing the menu towards Lin Jie after placing their order.

Lin Jie surveyed his surroundings and, with a cursory glance at the menu, remarked, "I think you've ordered quite a lot, but I'm fine with it."

"There's nothing you can't eat, right?"

"No, nothing at all."

"And you can handle spicy food?"

"Of course, I can handle spice."

"Great, then I'll stick with this order."

Lin Jie nodded. As they sat facing each other, their eyes met in the air, and the atmosphere suddenly grew a bit awkward.

Noticing Lin Jie slightly bow his head, Ye Mo naturally reached for the utensils and prepared the dipping sauce for him.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Ye Mo said with a grin. "You don't seem like a local from Tianbei City, though."

"I didn't go out much during high school," Lin Jie replied.

"Have you not eaten hotpot much?" Ye Mo asked, somewhat surprised.

Lin Jie stirred the dipping sauce with his chopsticks and explained, "When I was into fitness, I had to strictly control my diet."

"You could have had hotpot as a cheat meal each week."

Lin Jie felt a bit helpless. "Well, I used to go alone, so it felt a bit awkward to have hotpot by myself."

Ye Mo couldn't help but chuckle. She winked at Lin Jie and asked, "So, is there someone accompanying you now?"

Lin Jie, a bit defensively, replied, "Of course, my friends would definitely join me."

"Male or female?"

"Male."

"Oh, I see." Ye Mo, satisfied with the answer, leaned back in her seat and began preparing her own dipping sauce.

Lin Jie refrained from asking Ye Mo any questions, finding it impolite to delve into personal matters so soon, and he had no particular desire to do so. It was apparent that a beauty like her wouldn't lack admirers.

Ultimately, Lin Jie wasn't particularly interested either.

Ye Mo was beautiful, with delicate brows and almond eyes that carried a hint of languor and coldness. Her face was heart-shaped, her long hair cascading freely, and every gesture of hers was elegant and poised.

As the hotpot ingredients arrived, Lin Jie initially intended to help Ye Mo cook the dishes, but she seemed even more adept at it than he was.

"Here, this is the tripe," Lin Jie said, trying to place the cooked tripe into Ye Mo's bowl. However, Ye Mo preempted him, placing duck intestines into his bowl and raising an eyebrow. "The duck intestines are ready."

Under Ye Mo's half-smiling gaze, Lin Jie awkwardly placed the tripe into her bowl and nonchalantly remarked, "The tripe is ready too."

"Thanks~" Ye Mo said with a beaming smile before naturally picking up her chopsticks to eat.

Lin Jie followed suit, lowering his head to eat as well. They occasionally served each other, sometimes cooking their own food and other times handing it over to the other.

Ye Mo seemed unconcerned about Lin Jie calling her "sister," so he continued to do so.

Ye Mo also rarely used his name, referring to him as "little brother."

Generally, Lin Jie would find it a bit odd to be called "sister" or "little brother" by others, but coming from her, it felt perfectly natural.

Just like Ye Mo herself—everything she did was effortlessly natural.

She rarely used her phone, only taking it out when necessary or to take photos.

Lin Jie, on the other hand, frequently checked his phone, which was constantly buzzing with notifications.

He quickly switched it to silent mode.

Ye Mo didn't seem to mind much. After finishing their hotpot, they strolled through the mall, and she thoughtfully suggested, "You can reply to your messages now."

Lin Jie laughed and waved his hand. "It's nothing important, just some random messages from friends."

"Hey, I must be quite important, right?" Ye Mo asked.

Lin Jie scratched his head and nodded.

"Do you have any places you'd like to visit?" Ye Mo inquired.

Lin Jie tilted his head slightly to look at her. Her eyes were beautiful, glimmering as if she were plotting something. Still, he shook his head and said, "Sister, just plan it out. I'll accompany you wherever you choose."

"Really?" Ye Mo's eyes brightened with curiosity.

"Really."

"Can you drink alcohol?"

"Of course I can," Lin Jie replied.

In fact, Lin Jie enjoyed drinking. He used to frequently have drinks with Zhao Yan and Mo Jia Le at roadside barbecue stalls.

"Then let's go to a bar," Ye Mo said with enthusiasm.

Lin Jie scrutinized Ye Mo carefully. His impression of bars had always been less than favorable.

Especially after the events of that evening, Lin Jie had developed an even stronger aversion to bars.

It was obvious that Su Jia Mu had been to a bar that night.

And she had been there with someone else.

Lin Jie felt increasingly like a fool.

"Alright," he agreed.

Ye Mo's eyes sparkled even more upon hearing his consent. She looked at him with a grin and asked, "Do you know how to dance at a club?"

"No, but I can learn," Lin Jie replied, suppressing his lack of interest.

He was curious to see what was so enjoyable about a bar.

Ye Mo gave an approving OK sign and happily took out her phone to call for a ride. "Let's get going then. I'll treat you to drinks… You're actually going to a bar, and you even removed me from your contacts. Hehe, I thought you disliked bars."

Lin Jie deflected the topic vaguely and followed Ye Mo as they headed to the bar together.

He couldn't discern much interest from Ye Mo towards him, but there seemed to be a hint of excitement in her when she mentioned taking him to the bar.

Was she thinking he couldn't handle it?

Ye Mo took Lin Jie to a bar known as the largest and most luxurious nightclub in Tianbei City. Apart from its lively main hall, it had private rooms and booths, and it was rumored to attract many wealthy young elites—something Mo Jia Le had mentioned, which Lin Jie presumed was true.

After they got out of the car, a salesgirl waited for them downstairs. Ye Mo engaged in conversation with her, while Lin Jie couldn't help but look at her with a puzzled expression.

Mo Jia Le was a regular at bars, as his family owned one, so Lin Jie often heard him talk about bar etiquette and unwritten rules. However, Ye Mo's somewhat "naive" questions made Lin Jie feel that she might not know as much as he did.

Is this your first time here?

After listening to the salesgirl's explanation, Ye Mo's face showed a look of understanding. She then waved to Lin Jie and confidently led him inside.

Lin Jie couldn't help but smile.