Lin Qiutong gazed greedily at Shen Chi Yan, her eyes reluctant to leave until his back disappeared into the restaurant.
Qiao Yongsi's call came again, asking if she was ready.
She looked at the restaurant where Shen Chi Yan was, and replied, "I'm ready."
After turning off her phone, her gaze fell back on the restaurant.
A'Yan… A'Yan…
What should I do?
Should I just leave like this?
Even though she saw him, they hadn't exchanged a single word.
Everything Shen Chi Yan had done before had deeply hurt her, but the thought of never seeing him again filled her with profound reluctance.
Her past resentments seemed to have vanished.
At this moment, all that occupied her mind were the moments they had spent together.
When she was little, she always pestered Lin Fei Chi, because only by following Lin Fei Chi could she see Shen Chi Yan.
When they went to play basketball, she would fetch their clothes and water.
When they swam competitively, she would be the timekeeper and judge.
When they played games, she would be a healer following Shen Chi Yan, acting as his support only.
Everything had been so beautiful, how did it suddenly change?
When did it change?
It seemed after Lin Fei Chi died, when she went to find Shen Chi Yan, he was still good to her, giving her whatever she wanted, but she always felt a distance between them.
At first, she thought Shen Chi Yan felt guilty and remorseful about Lin Fei Chi's death, unsure how to face her.
She thought it was for him that Shen Chi Yan didn't date in middle or high school.
Later, she realized that Shen Chi Yan had always been indifferent to her, and that his kindness was solely because she was Lin Fei Chi's sister.
When Shen Chi Yan truly liked someone, he wouldn't be so cold and distant; he would be glued to that person at all times.
But to leave like this, she felt truly unwilling.
After much thought, Lin Qiutong decided to see Shen Chi Yan one last time.
She wanted to ask Shen Chi Yan if, now that they would never see each other again, he would miss her? Would his resentment towards her lessen?
However, when she reached the restaurant entrance, she was stopped.
"I'm sorry, this place has been booked by Mr. Shen today. Please come back tomorrow."
"I… I'm not here to eat, I'm here to find A'Yan."
Lin Qiutong was wearing casual clothes, a baseball cap, and sunglasses.
The waiter mistook her for an ardent admirer of Shen Chi Yan and politely asked, "Then… have you called Mr. Shen?"
If she were truly Mr. Shen's friend, he would surely send someone to fetch her.
"I…"
Lin Qiutong dared not call Shen Chi Yan, fearing he would refuse to see her. But to have one last look at him, she braced herself and dialed his number, only to discover Shen Chi Yan had blocked her.
Lin Qiutong gritted her teeth, surprised by Shen Chi Yan's ruthlessness.
But since she was already here, she couldn't leave without speaking to him.
Her phone suddenly rang; it was Qiao Yongsi.
She knew without thinking why Qiao Yongsi was calling. Lin Qiutong gritted her teeth and hung up.
She grabbed the waiter's hand, "Please, would you be so kind as to call A'Yan for me? Tell him it's Lin Qiutong, and I have something very important to tell him."
Lin Qiutong!
The news about Lin Qiutong had been all over the internet, and the waiter had heard plenty of gossip. She hadn't expected to see the famous star Lin Qiutong here.
"This…"
"I'm begging you. Just tell him I'm waiting outside, you don't have to do anything else."
Seeing Lin Qiutong on the verge of tears, the waiter hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Alright, please wait a moment."
"Okay, thank you so much…"
Inside the restaurant, Shen Chi Yan was introducing the cuisine of Jing Hua City to foreign clients. His fluent and authentic German put the clients in a good mood, and they chatted happily.
The door was gently pushed open, and Li Nan Xun entered, leaning in to whisper a few words into Shen Chi Yan's ear.
Upon hearing this, Shen Chi Yan's brows furrowed slightly, but he had no intention of seeing Lin Qiutong. He gestured to Li Nan Xun and continued conversing with his clients.
Lin Qiutong waited outside for a long time, but Shen Chi Yan didn't come out.
She cursed under her breath, thinking the waiter hadn't informed Shen Chi Yan.
Qiao Yongsi had already called several times.
Around ten o'clock, Lin Qiutong finally answered.
"Miss Lin, you've finally answered. Where are you? I'll come pick you up now. We'll head to the dock to wait for Mr. Qi Wen."
"I have something to deal with right now."
"Time is running out. What urgent matter do you need to attend to right now?"
Lin Qiutong was increasingly anxious. Because Shen Chi Yan hadn't come out to see her, she was quite upset. "It's just very urgent. How about this? You go and meet Shen Qi Wen first. I'll find you at the dock myself later."
"But…"
Before Qiao Yongsi could finish, Lin Qiutong hung up.
She waited anxiously for Shen Chi Yan, pacing back and forth at the restaurant entrance.
Time ticked by, reaching past eleven o'clock.
Lin Qiutong finally saw Shen Chi Yan emerge from the restaurant.
"A'Yan…"
Seeing Shen Chi Yan, Lin Qiutong's heart soared with joy, and she called out his name excitedly.
Noticing everyone looking at her, she felt too shy to approach. After Li Nan Xun escorted the foreign clients away, she hurried towards Shen Chi Yan.
"A'Yan…"
She longed to hug Shen Chi Yan, but stopped in her tracks under his icy gaze.
Compared to Lin Qiutong's excitement, Shen Chi Yan's cold indifference was palpable. "Is there something?"
"I…" Lin Qiutong nervously twisted her fingers and hesitantly asked, "I just wanted to see you. I want to ask you a question."
Shen Chi Yan: "...I don't think there's anything left to ask between us!"
"There is!"
Lin Qiutong leaned forward urgently towards Shen Chi Yan, only to see him step back, creating distance between them.
Shen Chi Yan's action wounded Lin Qiutong's heart. She clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and asked with a defiant tilt of her head, "Do you regret knowing me?"
Shen Chi Yan didn't understand why Lin Qiutong would ask such a question, but he replied, "I am not obligated to answer this meaningless question."
As Shen Chi Yan turned to leave, Lin Qiutong rushed forward and spread her arms to block him. "Then if you can never see me again, will you miss me? Even… for just a moment?"
Shen Chi Yan's brows knitted tightly. He felt that Lin Qiutong was very unusual today.
Just then, his phone suddenly rang. It was Gao Kunlun calling.
"Boss, this is bad, Shen Qi Wen has escaped from prison!!!"