Chenchen walked up to Shen Xi and gently tugged on her arm. He whispered, "Mommy, I don't know what disagreement you have with Uncle Qin.
But he was so anxious to save you that day, we should thank him. Keeping him for dinner, is that too much to ask?"
Hearing this, Shen Xi's heart skipped a beat, and she looked down at him in surprise.
Even the children knew about repaying kindness; it was indeed difficult to justify her cold shoulder towards him.
Refusing his pursuit was one thing; expressing gratitude was another.
They were separate matters and shouldn't be mixed up.
Seeing Shen Xi's expression gradually soften, Chenchen took her hand and walked towards the dining table.
"Mommy, come quickly, let's eat together."
The five of them soon sat at the dining table. Shen Xi noticed that the dishes tonight seemed much more plentiful than before.
Previously, there were only four home-style dishes every night, but today there were eight, with a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, and even red wine and beverages were served.
She couldn't help but glance at the three children. They were diligently serving food onto Qin Si Ye's plate. It seemed this dinner was their pre-arranged plan.
"Uncle Qin, this dish is delicious, please try it."
"Uncle Qin, this one is also good, it's my favorite dish."
"Uncle Qin, this one is mine, you should eat it too."
In no time, Qin Si Ye's plate was piled high like a small mountain.
Shen Xi's eyes darkened. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she quickly stopped them, saying, "Don't serve any more. Uncle Qin doesn't like food served by others."
Upon hearing this, Qin Si Ye frowned slightly. Her implication was that he was a germaphobe.
She hadn't explicitly mentioned those two words in front of the children, so she had at least saved him some face.
Chenchen's heart skipped a beat. Remembering reports about Qin Si Ye he had seen online, he immediately understood Shen Xi's implication.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Qin. How about we discard this plate and get you a new one?"
"No need. I can eat it." Qin Si Ye replied, then picked up the food from the plate and ate it with relish. "Not bad, the taste of each dish is very unique."
Shen Xi looked at him in disbelief. What was going on?
Had this man's germaphobia miraculously cured itself?
However, when she met Qin Si Ye's gentle, spring-like smile, she immediately lowered her head and started eating on her own.
"Uncle Qin, thank you for saving Mommy last Saturday. We don't drink, so we'll use these beverages as a toast." Chenchen suddenly stood up and said like a little adult.
Seeing this, Shuo Shuo and Yan Yan also stood up.
"Alright. I'll drink." Qin Si Ye picked up his wine glass with a smile. "However, you don't need to put too much importance on it. Your mommy and I are friends, and saving her was something I was willing to do."
After saying that, he winked at the three children knowingly.
Shen Xi was still lowering her head and eating, completely unaware of this exchange.
After a while, Yan Yan, who was sitting next to Shen Xi, asked in a soft, sweet voice, "Mommy, Uncle Qin saved you, didn't he? Aren't you going to toast him?"
Shen Xi looked up and saw that all the children's eyes were on her face. She suddenly didn't know what to say.
Logically, she should have thanked him properly. However, the events of the past few days had been too impactful on her, making it difficult for her to voice her gratitude.
"No need. Your mommy has already thanked me." Qin Si Ye, seeing her hesitant expression, quickly spoke up to help her out.
Chenchen suddenly asked, "Uncle Qin, are you referring to the meal you had after saving Mommy last Saturday?"
"Yes," Qin Si Ye answered without hesitation.
Hearing this, Shen Xi suddenly remembered that she hadn't invited him to that meal voluntarily; she had been forced to go.
Moreover, she later heard from Xie Yifei that Qin Si Ye had been very anxious after learning she was kidnapped and had mobilized all his resources in K City to find her location.
Thinking of this, she immediately stood up, picked up the red wine in front of her, and said respectfully, "Mr. Qin, thank you for saving me so desperately that day. I'll drink this glass to you first."
After speaking, she tilted her head back and drank it down in one gulp.
"Hey? Shen Xi, you don't have to do this." Qin Si Ye immediately stood up, reaching out as if to stop her, but the wine glass was already empty.