Half of an extra-large duck, the meat tender and flavorful, with a very strong tangerine peel taste.

There was also fried squid, the soft skin wrapped around fresh, crisp squid, served with a special sauce. It was quite good as a snack.

Su Yehao and Zhao Yimeng ate and chatted, the topic quickly shifting to school.

During their conversation, it was clear that this girl was quite confused, wavering between her parents' expectations and her own dreams, unable to truly make up her mind.

Having a nineteen-year-old body, full of energy and vitality, Su Yehao was much older psychologically than Zhao Yimeng.

The dreams of young people, the infinite longing for the future, the pursuit of beautiful love, all these Su Yehao had lost.

If possible, he would rather experience the confusion of adolescence again.

Instead of spacing out with a teacup like he had been recently. At the physical age of nineteen, he was already living the stable life of a middle-aged man. Although it was quite comfortable, it lacked the vigor of youth.

Zhao Yimeng answered a phone call, her expression instantly turning unpleasant. She said, "My classmate in London actually followed me here. You were already annoying enough back then, but this guy is even worse. His family is in the oil and energy business in Malaysia, and he thinks he can do whatever he wants because he has some money. So annoying!"

"I annoyed you back then. Am I much better now?" Su Yehao smiled.

He was very calm about the fact that someone was pursuing Zhao Yimeng. After all, this girl was beautiful, about the same as Jiang Yu, both of whom were the type that people liked.

Zhao Yimeng said frankly:

"Indeed, I feel that you are much more mature now. If you had been like this when you were studying at Rose Middle School, and not so flirtatious, maybe I would have given you some chances. But it's too late to say that now. You have become a seasoned flower picker. We can be friends, but don't have any unrealistic fantasies."

"...That's right, I'm also afraid that I'm too good. If you happen to fall in love with me, I can't possibly let you be a concubine. It would be a headache."

Su Yehao shamelessly flattered himself.

With so many girls around him, it was better to be friends. Besides, both of their families were in the real estate business. Staying in touch might lead to opportunities for cooperation and mutual benefit.

Hearing this, Zhao Yimeng wrinkled her nose, then asked, "This guy wants to meet me. What should I do?"

"Use me as a shield. I'm handsome and rich, a bona fide diamond bachelor. Taking me out as your fiancé or boyfriend wouldn't embarrass you, would it? I have experience in this area. Jiang Yu is often pestered, and I've helped her a lot. Now almost everyone knows that she is my fiancée, a fake fiancée."

Su Yehao finished his duck soup with rice, burped, and wiped his mouth. He asked curiously, "Is that guy handsome? What's his net worth?"

"Jiang Yu, fiancée...are you really helping? Forget it. That guy is average-looking. I don't know his net worth, but I heard it's over a hundred million pounds."

"Don't panic. Maybe he has a dozen siblings, and he won't inherit the family fortune at all. Malaysia doesn't have a one-child policy, so it's very possible. If you don't like him, you have to cut him off quickly. You must not drag things out, otherwise you will definitely be pestered. It's very annoying."

Hearing this, Zhao Yimeng laughed, her expression strange: "So you know this principle? I cut you off in high school, but you still harassed me all the time? This shows that it's useless when you encounter a shameless rogue."

His mouth twitched, and Su Yehao said:

"Who? Anyway, it wasn't me. I won't take the blame..."

With his life experience, he was more mature than Zhao Yimeng psychologically. When they chatted, he was like a confidant older brother, and they talked about many topics without realizing it.

Zhao Yimeng had never felt this way about Su Yehao before, and she felt that he had changed a lot.

They ate from a little after eleven o'clock until one o'clock in the afternoon.

The so-called wealthy Malaysian scion called her again. This time, Zhao Yimeng simply didn't answer, her face full of impatience. She even took out the phone battery, finally finding peace.

After leaving the restaurant.

Su Yehao asked her, "How did you get here? Should I give you a ride, or are you going back on your own?"

"Are you going back to Bishop's Hill? I'm going to see my friends. It's not easy to come back to Casino, 1997. There are many old friends I want to see."

"Not going home, I'm going to have coffee near the Ruins of St. Paul's."

"Then I'll go too, to support your business..."

The relentless pursuit in the early years was indeed not Su Yehao's fault.

The blame left by his predecessor was now placed on him.

Clearly wanting to keep a distance, Zhao Yimeng had become much closer. On the way to the small building, Su Yehao wondered how to explain it to Yin Liuli, and then felt that he might as well be frank.

There was nothing special between them anyway, so why feel guilty?

————————————

The lunchtime customers had just left, and because the store mainly served Western food, the peak time was in the evening.

When Su Yehao brought Zhao Yimeng over, Yin Liuli was bathing the cats, wearing an apron and rubber gloves. Her movements were quite skilled, and she even held the cats' paws to trim their nails.

As soon as Yin Liuli saw Zhao Yimeng, she recognized her. They had met in the upstairs bar last night.

She smiled and nodded in greeting.

Zhao Yimeng knew that this girl had a special relationship with Su Yehao, and said familiarly, "Such cute Ragdoll cats. Are they all so well-behaved? I heard that cats are afraid of water and don't like to take baths."

"This one is called Bubu. It didn't like to take baths before, but it got used to it."

Yin Liuli was afraid of interacting with people, partly because of her personality and partly because her Cantonese was too bad.

After living in Casino, 1997 for more than half a year, and deliberately studying and practicing, she could now handle some simple daily communication, but her accent sounded strange.

Seeing Zhao Yimeng talking, Su Yehao took the initiative to help, saying, "If you want to raise a cat, I can give you one. These cats haven't been neutered, and they are purebred cats. Some kittens have good personalities."

"Other people's cats are fun. Forget about raising one myself. I raised one when I was a kid, and then it tore up my dad's antique painting and peed on it. The loss was millions. It crawled into bed every day, which gave me a headache."

Zhao Yimeng waved her hand and started teasing the super fat cat Koko.

The golden chinchilla, round like a ball, looked very cute. She said to Su Yehao, "If it was this one, I would be willing to raise it."

"This cat doesn't belong to the store. It's Miss Yin's own pet. She likes it very much."

"...Oh, then forget it."

She ordered a cup of milk tea and sat by the window, basking in the sun.

Zhao Yimeng had a good relationship with Jiang Yu. During this time, she called Jiang Yu and asked her to come over.

This was truly a collision of Mars and Earth, and it never rains but it pours.

When Jiang Yu arrived and chatted with Zhao Yimeng, Yin Liuli observed them with a strange look and asked Su Yehao, "Why are all the girls around you so beautiful?"

"...There are also those who aren't beautiful, you just haven't seen them. Don't worry about these details. I'm upright and not afraid of shadows, they have nothing to do with me."

He didn't know what Yin Liuli was thinking, but she didn't ask further.

Compared to these troubles, what gave Su Yehao a bigger headache was how to stop Jiang Yu from talking nonsense in front of the little girl...