Chapter 63 Our Chef Is Very Unhappy

Chapter 63 My Chef Would Be Very Unhappy

As evening temperatures dropped, Lu Jingtang shivered, buffeted by the wind the moment she stepped out of the car. Just as she was about to speak, she was enveloped in a spacious, warm coat with a familiar scent.

She looked up, her gaze meeting the sharp, clean lines of Fu Nanyu's jaw. Under the night sky, his features appeared particularly striking and intense.

Fu Nanyu looked down at her, his breath brushing against her hair, and asked softly, "What are you looking at?"

Lu Jingtang answered honestly, "Big Bro, you're so handsome."

Fu Nanyu paused, his ears instantly flushing a noticeable red as if set ablaze, his heart feeling both tender and bittersweet.

He had received plenty of compliments about his appearance from business associates before, but none had been as straightforward as hers.

Yet her eyes remained utterly clear and pure, as if she were simply admiring a beautiful work of art, without a hint of ulterior motive.

Seeing him hem and haw without responding, Lu Jingtang thought he hadn't heard her clearly. She leaned closer and raised her voice, "I think you're really handsome, Big Bro."

Unable to resist, Fu Nanyu reached out and pinched her cheek, then withdrew his hand without meeting her gaze. "Got it."

Lu Jingtang found him behaving oddly but couldn't pinpoint why.

Behind them, Li Chen, who had witnessed the entire exchange, let out a jealous scoff. How did such a sweet girl end up catching Fu Nanyu's eye?

The group entered the reserved restaurant. As soon as they stepped into the main hall, they spotted two attractive figures with their backs turned—a man and a woman. The woman was turned slightly, speaking to the person beside her, revealing half of her soft, radiant face. Ji Yunyin?

Then, the person next to her must be the male supporting character, Xie Qinghe? The female lead dining with the male supporting character, running into the male lead—Lu Jingtang inwardly gasped, "What a love triangle showdown."

Ji Yunyin noticed them first. Seeing her pause, Xie Qinghe casually followed her gaze and glanced back.

When Lu Jingtang got a clear view of Xie Qinghe's entire face, she inexplicably found it familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before.

These were people she couldn't afford to offend now, so Ji Yunyin took the initiative to greet each of them one by one.

Fu Nanyu didn’t have the arrogant, dismissive demeanor typical of domineering CEOs in idol dramas. He still maintained proper courtesy—after all, one doesn’t strike a smiling face. He simply gave a slight nod.

His expression showed little emotion. Lu Jingtang glanced at him, sensing something amiss. Shouldn’t the male lead in a novel feel anger and jealousy upon seeing the female lead with the second male lead, then take it out on everyone indiscriminately?

He was being far too calm.

Perhaps Fu Nanyu’s upbringing was just that refined, allowing him to conceal his jealousy without showing it.

Noticing Xie Qinghe’s occasional glances toward Lu Jingtang, Fu Nanyu narrowed his eyes and turned to stare at her. Thinking she had been caught watching them, Lu Jingtang was startled, her eyes widening and her mouth slightly agape.

She looked at him, he looked at her, he looked at her.

Li Chen smiled, breaking the silence first. "Well, if there’s nothing else, we’ll head in now. Xie Shao and Miss Ji, please carry on with your meal."

Ji Yunyin stepped aside. As Fu Nanyu and the others moved forward, Xie Qinghe suddenly called out, "Miss Lu."

Everyone stopped and turned to look at Lu Jingtang, who pointed at herself. "Me?"

Xie Qinghe’s blue pupil appeared especially deep and mysterious under the golden chandelier light. He looked at Lu Jingtang, a faint smile on his lips but his expression still cool and detached. "Miss Lu, I haven’t had the chance to thank you for your help the other day. When you have time, I’d like to invite you to dinner to thank you properly."

Lu Jingtang felt as if she were being watched by a poisonous snake. Memories of Xie Qinghe’s brutal treatment of the original host flashed through her mind, making her instinctively want to step back. Before she could move, her back pressed against a warm chest. Fu Nanyu bent down, his face nearly touching hers, and asked, "You know him?"

The small-framed girl was enveloped in his shadow—a gesture of protection, but also of possession, making it clear she was off-limits.

Unaware of how close they were, Lu Jingtang earnestly explained to Fu Nanyu with innocence, "I don’t know. I don't remember him."

Xie Qinghe observed their natural intimacy, his pupils contracted slightly. He sneered inwardly. To make Fu Nanyu this tense—she was indeed calculating and manipulative.

He mentioned the name of the club, and only then did Lu Jingtang recall what had happened. That day at the club, she had indeed helped a staff member with a difficult customer. At the time, she hadn’t paid attention to the staff member’s appearance.

She never expected that staff member to be the male supporting character. If she had noticed his unmistakable blue eyes then, she would never have gotten involved in such trouble.

Ji Yunyin was also surprised. She hadn’t known about this incident, and when she had mentioned Lu Jingtang to Xie Qinghe before, he hadn’t said a word about it. Why had Xie Qinghe intentionally hidden it from her?

Lu Jingtang declined tactfully, "No need. It was just a small favor. I would have helped anyone in that situation."

Hearing this, Xie Qinghe let out a light laugh but showed no intention of giving up. He took out his phone. "How about we exchange contact information first? Perhaps Miss Lu will change her mind another day."

Lu Jingtang was getting annoyed. She hadn’t done anything to harm the female lead lately, so why was the male supporting character harassing her? Even a worm will turn, and she was no exception.

Frustrated, she came up with what she thought was a clever excuse to refuse: "No need. If I eat out, my chef would be very unhappy."

"…"

It was clear she really didn’t want to exchange contacts. The excuse was so weak it was awkward.

Dead silence fell over the scene, until Fu Nanyu’s laugh broke the tension. He placed a hand on Lu Jingtang’s shoulder, pulling her closer, and looked at Xie Qinghe with a cold smile in his eyes. "Exchanging contacts won’t be necessary. My chef really would be unhappy. Xie Shao surely wouldn’t want to press the matter, would you?"

Xie Qinghe offered a tight smile and replied coolly, "Of course not."