CHAPTER 204: CHAPTER 121: THE ARRANGED DATE (PART 2)

Taking advantage of being the younger one, Xia You managed to escape the tear-inducing process of cutting onions.

It turns out Lin Yi is quite good with children. Not long after getting into his car, Xiao Maiqi was completely charmed by him, excitedly calling out, "Little Uncle."

"Why Little Uncle?" Lin Yi found it strange too, feeling quite a rapport with the child, but noticed her elder sister seemed somewhat afraid of her, sitting motionless in the back seat.

As soon as Xia You got into the car, the scene inside the front passenger seat became vividly clearer. She couldn’t understand how Lin Yi could remain so composed, as if nothing had happened between them.

"Because Mommy said, I should call those older than sister ’Uncle,’ and those younger, ’Brother.’ You’re older than her, but it seems not by much, so I should call you Little Uncle," Xiao Maiqi explained seriously, thinking herself quite logical.

"Your sister only looks young, actually..." Lin Yi wanted to say, actually according to the age difference between him and Xiao Maiqi, he should be called ’Uncle.’ Mid-sentence, Lin Yi saw through the rearview mirror that Xia You’s face and neck had turned red.

He coughed once and then said, "We’ve arrived at the place for dinner."

The car stopped outside a high-end restaurant in Bazhou. It was peak hour, and the parking lot was nearly full, yet Lin Yi calmly drove to the basement, revealing that he was a VIP client of this restaurant.

The Xia sisters seldom frequented such places. It seemed Lin Yi had planned to dine here tonight regardless of whether Xiao Maiqi was there, intending to bring Xia You here.

Is this supposed to be an apology meal? The incident in the car that day wasn’t really Lin Yi’s fault, and in the end, nothing happened, so Xia You didn’t plan to hold him accountable. Their relationship was still purely professional.

"Major, it might be better for Maiqi and me not to go in," she said, holding onto Maiqi.

"We’re already here, and Xiao Maiqi is hungry too," Lin Yi coaxed, leading Xiao Maiqi forward without further discussion.

Lin Yi’s arrangements were cautious; he directly booked a private room.

Just upon entering the room, Xia You immediately saw someone.

"Instructor Ren?" Xia You hadn’t expected the dinner to involve four people, not just three.

"I’ll go order first, Xiao Maiqi goes with little uncle and chooses what she wants to eat," Lin Yi said as he closed the door behind them, leaving Xia You no choice but to sit down.

Facing each other in the private booth, with only two of them in the room, Xia You ended up sitting across from Ren Minghang. As soon as she sat down, Ren Minghang nervously stood up.

"Miss Xia, I’m very sorry, I didn’t mean to deceive you," Ren Minghang was also surprised; he had received Lin Yi’s dinner invitation in the afternoon. Since he wasn’t very acquainted with Lin Yi, he had initially declined.

It seemed Lin Yi had guessed her thoughts, saying bluntly, "I also invited Xia You."

Thus, like fate had its hand, he ended up being here.

"Instructor Ren, don’t be so formal, just call me Xiao You," Xia You said, seeing his face turn red and his voice tremble, she could only smile, trying to ease the atmosphere.

"Then from now on, I’ll call you Xiao You, and you don’t call me ’Instructor,’ just Minghang," Ren Minghang took a deep breath before daring to look directly at Xia You.

The two chuckled at each other, unsure of what to say next.

The adults and child who went to order the dishes hadn’t come back yet.

"How’s everything going with your family?" Ren Minghang asked, noticing Xia You looked thinner than a few days ago, his concern evident.

"Ah, not great... well, it’s not going well, my brother’s issues are somewhat complicated," Xia You didn’t want to conceal too much. Mo Xixi had mentioned that Ren Minghang had also been at the police station that day, presumably knowing everything about the Xia family’s problems.

"Do you need my help?" Ren Minghang asked, seeing her distressed expression and growing even more attentive.

"No, it’s not necessary; I want to handle it myself," Xia You quickly gestured with her hand, which was then caught by Ren Minghang.

"Xiao You, I want to help you," Ren Minghang mustered his courage, recalling the last time at the police station when Lin Yi took Xia You away. The more he thought about it, the more something seemed off, fearing Xia You might have been disadvantaged by Lin Yi.

But seeing the situation today, along with Lin Yi’s eagerness to help her connect the dots, it should be fine. This time, he must seize the opportunity.

"Ren... Minghang," Xia You’s hand firmly in his, feeling both awkward and anxious. Over the past four years, she had barely any excessive interaction with men; recent events seemed to be taking a toll.

"Sister, I ordered a lot of delicious food," Xiao Maiqi bounced in, pushing the door open.

Xia You quickly withdrew her hand, with Lin Yi following behind with a smile. Entering the room, he timely noticed the hands on the table pulling apart. It seemed, things were going smoother than he anticipated; a little more effort and it would be done.

The dinner went quite well. Throughout, Lin Yi continuously sparked conversations, facilitating a smooth dialogue between Ren Minghang and Xia You.

Dinner lasted past ten, and after Xiao Maiqi had her fill, she dozed off on Lin Yi’s shoulder. Children have it good; eat, drink, no worries at all, even being scolded can be countered with laughter while counting money.

Even if Ren Minghang wanted to send them off, there was no chance, leaving him to awkwardly bid farewell first.

After entering the parking lot, Lin Yi placed Xiao Maiqi in the back seat, just about to ask Xia You to also get in the car when he saw her standing outside the car, looking at him displeased.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we welcome you to vote at Qidian (qidian.com), monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)