050—Whatever

"I've booked a table at Kaori Japanese Cuisine, Yu Wei, do you still like it? At the last troupe gathering at the buffet, I noticed you seemed quite interested in Japanese food, right?" Ye Lifeng chatted as he drove, glancing at Xia Yu Wei seated beside him in the passenger seat.

"...Ah?" Xia Yu Wei, lost in her thoughts, only caught the word "right," realizing Ye Lifeng was asking her something and that she had drifted off. She felt a little embarrassed. "What did you say?"

Ye Lifeng glanced sideways at her, then turned his eyes back to the road, shaking his head lightly with a helpless smile. "Since you have no objections, I'll make the decision and take you for Japanese cuisine."

"Oh. Anything's fine," Yu Wei replied absentmindedly, pouting slightly. She had just forgotten what she was thinking about. Recently, her mind tended to wander—perhaps her brain was lazy and didn't want to deal with much. Especially after this afternoon... With just a single thought, her brows furrowed, and her hand unconsciously went to the scarf around her neck.

He laughed. "How can it be 'anything'? Next time I ask what you want to eat, don't tell me 'anything.' Otherwise, I'm always making decisions for you, and you'll turn into a little lazybones," Ye Lifeng teased. But in his heart, he felt sure Yu Wei had changed recently. He could sense her absentmindedness and was frustrated by how distant he'd been with her lately, so much so that he hardly understood what was happening in her life. Her demeanor made his heart ache.

"Senior, honestly..." Yu Wei couldn't help but laugh at his words, which felt both indulgent and reproachful, making her a bit self-conscious.

When she smiled, Ye Lifeng smiled too. He parked the car, got out, opened her door, and invited her to step out.

"Thank you, Senior," Yu Wei said politely as she got out.

The two walked side by side into Kaori Japanese Cuisine. It was a classic Japanese restaurant, even the private rooms had sliding screen doors, and guests were expected to kneel on tatami mats to savor their meal.

Salmon sashimi, foie gras, eel, sushi, grilled prawns.

Each specialty dish was brought out, and Ye Lifeng asked Yu Wei to try them first, watching her expressions closely. Though she nodded at every dish, he could tell she preferred the salmon sashimi and grilled prawns, showing little interest in the foie gras. He made a mental note of her tastes so he could pamper her, love her, and make her happy beyond reproach.

"Senior, the dishes here really are authentic," Yu Wei said, setting down her long chopsticks with satisfaction.

"Oh? So you must have been to Japan before."

"Yes, during a summer vacation. My dad took me once. There are so many places in Hokkaido worth visiting—skiing, hot springs—the feeling was truly wonderful. I bet you've been there many times, haven't you?"

"I have. Seems you have fond memories of the place. Yu Wei, may I correct you about something?" Ye Lifeng answered briefly, then shifted the topic.

"What is it?" Yu Wei looked at him attentively.