Chapter 1666: Xie Duo Side Story (3)

Although autumn had begun, the heat hadn’t dissipated yet. The air was restless with cicadas chirping. When Xie Duo arrived at the agreed restaurant, dusk had already fallen heavily, and the person he was meeting hadn’t arrived yet because he was half an hour early.

The private room was by the window, giving a clear view of the restaurant’s main entrance. Xie Duo wasn’t fond of waiting for people, nor did he have that habit. Yet today, standing by the window, he found himself vaguely anticipating.

With five or six minutes until the agreed time, he saw a taxi stop across the restaurant. A familiar figure stepped out, still dressed in a soft, flowing dress. Glancing left and right for traffic, she quickly crossed the road.

The hem of her dress was raised by the evening breeze, even her long hair danced wildly with the wind.

Soon, footsteps sounded outside the private room, followed by a knock. The waiter was leading her in.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." After entering the restaurant, Yuan Jianyue heard that Xie Duo had already arrived and asked the waiter how long he’d been there.

The waiter said:

"About half an hour."

"..."

Xie Duo explained, "I came early."

"Mr. Xie, would you like to order now, or wait a little?" The waiter glanced between them.

"Now, please."

"Would you like to go outside to take a look?" This restaurant specializes in seafood, allowing diners to select fresh ingredients for cooking.

"Shall we go have a look?" Xie Duo inquired.

Yuan Jianyue nodded, but couldn’t help giving Xie Duo a few extra glances today.

Compared to the day at the aquarium, his outfit today...

Was quite special!

He was less business-like. Perhaps because of his good demeanor, he looked good in anything.

The two followed the waiter to select seafood.

"Although the best time for crab starts in early September, new crabs have arrived. You can try them. Our bass today is also good, we can make it into grilled fish..." The waiter enthusiastically introduced.

Yuan Jianyue had no idea what to eat and was just staring at the fish and shrimp in the tanks, finding them amusing.

"What do you want to eat?" Xie Duo suddenly asked, his voice very close, startling Yuan Jianyue into a sudden tense breath. Turning instinctively, she found Xie Duo standing right beside her, though their shoulders and bodies didn’t touch, they were very close.

She held her breath, instinctively moving to the side to put some distance between them, "I’m fine with anything."

Xie Duo discreetly observed her, his gaze unfathomable.

Just then, a kitchen helper came out, carrying tools to scoop a fish from the tank, likely chosen by other guests. The fish didn’t struggle while underwater.

But once above the surface, it suddenly flicked its tail, splashing water everywhere...

Yuan Jianyue frowned and instinctively stepped back.

Behind was the wall; two steps back, there was nowhere else to retreat.

The next moment

A hand held her shoulder, Xie Duo turned swiftly, already standing in front of her. Their eyes met; he protected her with his back, shielding her from the sudden spray of water.

Yuan Jianyue held her breath, too scared to move, her lips pressed tightly.

The weather still hadn’t cooled down, and she was wearing relatively thin clothing. The warmth of his palm, through the thin fabric, seeped slowly into her skin, igniting the blood in that inch, making her face blush instantly.

The distance between them, at this moment, was too close.

Their relationship was not intimate.

Meeting through matchmaking, it was a completely different feeling than ordinary male-female interactions.

"Are you okay?" Xie Duo slightly bent down, looking at her with rare seriousness.

Yuan Jianyue only felt her breathing disrupted; he was too close; she could feel his breath, warm and gentle.

She shook her head.

"Sorry, are you all right?" The waiter and kitchen helper hastily apologized. The water hadn’t splashed over, nor did it spray onto Xie Duo, but the guests were surely startled, and an apology was appropriate.

"It’s fine." Xie Duo spoke, and the hand that had been shielding her shoulder casually lifted away.

They chose a few dishes on the waiter’s recommendation and returned to the private room.

Throughout the journey back, Yuan Jianyue’s heart was still pounding erratically.

She thought since Xie Duo had helped shield her from the water, she wanted to check if his clothes were wet. The water from the fish tank wasn’t clean and might have a fishy smell; after all, he had helped her.

Initially, they walked side by side, but as they moved, Xie Duo realized the person beside him was slowing yet further, eventually circling behind him.

What was she trying to do?

Xie Duo’s clothes hadn’t gotten even a drop of water, so Yuan Jianyue naturally couldn’t see any wet spots. Her gaze drifted downward, perhaps...

It splashed onto his pants.

As she lowered her eyes, Xie Duo suddenly turned, almost making her bump straight into him, luckily stopping her steps just in time, but the distance between them became unbelievably close.

"You... why are you doing this?" Yuan Jianyue blurted out.

Xie Duo was momentarily speechless, "That question seems more appropriate coming from me."

Yuan Jianyue seemed to realize this too, her face flushed, "Earlier... thank you."

"This is what a gentleman should do."

Xie Duo just thought she was a bit cute—was she really this flustered? He didn’t think he was that intimidating.

**

Once inside the private room, Xie Duo helped her pull out the chair, served tea and water, being quite attentive and gentleman-like. He was a meticulous person, naturally thorough and considerate in his actions.

Yuan Jianyue probably hadn’t experienced such treatment from a man before. Although it felt unfamiliar, the feeling of being cared for was undoubtedly wonderful.

"Do you have weekends off?" Xie Duo asked in a low voice.

"Hmm, you must be really busy, right?"

"It’s okay, I also have weekends off."

If Xie Duo’s assistant heard this, they’d probably want to sacrifice themselves for their job!

Who’s the one always working overtime on weekends in the company? Other employees still rest as usual, but as his assistant, you have to be on call at any moment, sacrificing your youth for overtime. And he has the nerve to say he has weekends off?

"Aren’t you working out of town?"

"It’s just that the company is expanding business, working in Beijing is the same, but I went out of town to avoid arranged marriages."

This was the truth, and Xie Duo did not conceal it.

Yuan Jianyue chuckled, "You’ve probably been on a lot of blind dates."

"Yes, and you?"

"This is my first time." Yuan Jianyue couldn’t refuse her parents.

And her parents, upon hearing that the matchmaker proposed the son of the Xie Family, Xie Duo, who had great renown, no scandals, outstanding capability, wealthy family background, and a relatively simple family structure—naturally for them, he was the ideal son-in-law candidate.

So, when the matchmaker brought it up, Yuan Jianyue’s parents immediately agreed. Even if they knew the hope was slim, it was worth a try. Making a friend wouldn’t be bad either.

"Weren’t you avoiding arranged marriages by going out of town? But since returning to Beijing, aside from me, you must have seen many blind date prospects." Yuan Jianyue’s fingertips rubbed the teacup, the tea too hot, making it impossible to drink immediately.

This matter of Xie Duo’s blind dates was known throughout Beijing, nothing secretive, the matchmaker had mentioned before that Xie Duo went on many arranged dates.

This return to Beijing was no different.

Moreover, it was Xie Duo who brought up the topic of arranged marriages actively; since he was so open about discussing it, Yuan Jianyue felt he was pretty straightforward, so she went along with his train of thought.

Unexpectedly, Xie Duo’s next words nearly took her breath away.

"No, since returning to Beijing, I’ve only seen you."

Yuan Jianyue chuckled, "Because work keeps you busy?"

"No."

"Then why..." Yuan Jianyue held the teacup, sipping the hot tea.

Xie Duo looked at her earnestly:

"Because..."

"I’ve already met the right person."

Yuan Jianyue’s fingers trembled; instinctively, she looked up at him. The hot tea went down her throat, moving into her heart and lungs, the heat scorching, and in that very moment, she felt something heavy crash onto her heart.

Her blood boiled and surged, rushing up to her forehead, her face turning scarlet.

The meaning behind his words...

If she understood correctly, he was saying:

The right person... was her?

Xie Duo watched her with a smile, corners of his mouth curved, direct and forthright, looking at her as if peering straight into her heart.

Xie Duo was no longer young, not a teenager nor a young man in his twenties, with all the time in the world to repeatedly test each other’s feelings. Moreover, the girl before him seemed somewhat resistant to him, they had met through arranged marriage, so Xie Duo thought to be more direct.

"Actually, I’m quite happy to hear you say it’s your first arranged date." Xie Duo leisurely sipped the tea.

"Because..."

"Your first time led you to meet me."

Just as Yuan Jianyue was unsure what to say, the waiter pushed the door open and began serving dishes, the table filled with cooked shrimp and crab. Yuan Jianyue felt...

Her face was probably redder than the cooked shrimp.

She already thought Xie Duo was a great person, but she didn’t think she had the charm to make him look at her differently.

And now, the person she thought was great also thought she was great...

Her heart pounded rapidly, striking fiercely against her chest at an unbearable rate, and throughout the meal, the blush on her face never faded.