On the third floor of a restaurant.
Xie Shu was chatting with Ruan Nianxi while searching for his three sons when he was suddenly called out.
He looked at the elegant lady standing before him, momentarily stunned, before recognizing her after several seconds.
"Auntie Jian." Xie Shu tentatively called out.
"Mm." Jian Qing nodded slightly.
For a moment, they both just looked at each other, neither starting the conversation, as they were not well-acquainted.
Even though Xie Shu knew Ruan Nianxi, he had only seen Jian Qing a few times over the years, and their interactions, including on WeChat, were few.
On WeChat, she only ever contacted him about matters concerning Ruan Nianxi. After high school, he had lost touch with Ruan Nianxi, and naturally, Jian Qing hadn't contacted him much either.
Moreover, their previous encounters were always at Xie Shu's home, where Ruan Nianxi's parents would bring gifts during the holidays to show their gratitude for the care shown to Ruan Nianxi.
This was actually their first meeting outside, so Xie Shu didn't think much of it, assuming it was just a chance encounter.
A few seconds later, he politely greeted her and was about to leave when she stopped him again.
"Xie Shu, I came here today specifically to see you."
"!?"
Jian Qing didn't rush to speak. She glanced around and finally suggested, "Let's sit over there in the corner and talk."
"!?"
Is this going to take long?
It was no longer about familiarity; what did she want with him?
Xie Shu was baffled. Ruan Nianxi's parents were both busy entrepreneurs, hardly ever touching the ground with their feet. They had little time to spend with Ruan Nianxi as a child, which is why she often came to play at his house.
Even if Jian Qing wasn't busy today, she shouldn't have gone out of her way to find him, right?
And since she was able to locate him precisely, she must have done her research in advance.
Although he didn't know what was going on, Xie Shu had a feeling it had something to do with Ruan Nianxi.
In his past life, he hadn't seen Auntie Jian during his university years or after graduation, but in this life, she suddenly sought him out… especially since he had been in contact with Ruan Nianxi quite a bit these days.
Ah, this… Did the thing he was worried about happen?
But he wasn't officially with Ruan Nianxi yet, so why was Auntie Jian coming out so early?
Besides, she had his WeChat, so why didn't she just contact him through that?
Why go through the trouble of investigating and coming here to find him?
With a myriad of thoughts in his mind, Xie Shu eventually followed Jian Qing's suggestion and sat with her in the corner seat, facing each other.
After sitting down, he didn't forget to send Ruan Nianxi a message, informing her he was tied up.
After sending the message, he put down his phone and looked up to see Jian Qing frowning deeply.
Considering she might be dissatisfied with something about him, Xie Shu grew nervous and dared not look at his phone again, knowing it would be impolite to do so during a serious conversation.
He sat up straight, bracing for the barrage of questions from Jian Qing.
But they sat in silence for a long time, with Jian Qing not uttering a word.
Xie Shu: "……"
"Um, Auntie Jian, you were looking for me because…?"
Xie Shu finally had to break the silence.
Jian Qing then withdrew her gaze from Xie Shu and glanced towards the restaurant's ordering window, "What would you like to eat? I can have it brought over for you."
"Thank you, but there's no need. My friends are waiting for me. I'll eat with them in a bit."
Seeing Xie Shu decline, Jian Qing didn't press further. Her gaze returned to him, and she finally delved into the topic at hand.
"Have you been in contact with Little Xi recently?"
As expected, it was about Ruan Nianxi.
"Yes."
Jian Qing fell silent for a moment before continuing, "I saw the Moments post you made yesterday. Is the girl in the photo Little Xi?"
"Yes."
***
Having walked from the academic building to the cafeteria and now sitting down with her lunch, Ruan Nianxi couldn't help but check her phone again.
Why hadn't Xie Shu replied yet?
What was he doing?
After a morning of diligent study, she was really hungry, but her appetite was gone, her mind preoccupied with thoughts of Xie Shu.
Just as she was about to give up waiting and throw away her meal, a message from Xie Shu came through.
Xie Shu: [Are you eating properly? Send me a picture of what you're having.]
Seeing his message, her anxious heart settled back into place, and her irritation vanished.
Ruan Nianxi obediently opened her camera and sent Xie Shu a photo of her lunch.
Xie Shu: [Good, that's more like your usual portion.]
A few seconds later, he sent her a photo.
Ruan Nianxi opened it to see an image of the cafeteria's serving area, with various dishes on display, all looking delicious.
Xie Shu: [I'm at Yi Jia's restaurant today. See if there's anything you'd like to eat, and I'll have it for you.]
Already accustomed to Xie Shu's way of speaking, Ruan Nianxi smiled lightly, playing along with his words.
She saved the photo he had sent earlier, circled a dish in red, and sent it back to him.
Xie Shu: [Alright, it's almost my turn. Wait for it!]
Xie Shu chose the dish Ruan Nianxi had just circled and carried his plate towards a table in the dining area.
Because of the delay with Jian Qing, he had already messaged his sons to start without him. He joined them at the table without much conversation.
After sitting down, Xie Shu pondered over his chat history with Ruan Nianxi for a while before hesitantly sending her another message: [You haven't been sick lately, have you?]
Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan