"Oh dear, Fourth Uncle, I'm texting with my Aunt!"
After saying that, Xin Yuan suddenly looked at Xin Si Nan excitedly and asked, "Fourth Uncle, do you know Lin Le Yao?"
"What's wrong?"
"I just saw her in the bathroom. She's a really nice person. She even offered to take a picture with me!"
Unexpectedly, Lin Leyao was also in this restaurant. Xin Sinan saw Xin Yuan still sending WeChat messages and asked, "So you're telling your aunt that you ran into Lin Leyao?"
"Hmm." Xin Yuan tilted her head in agreement.
Xin Si Nan suddenly became interested; he hadn't met this future younger sister-in-law yet.
While sending a WeChat message, Xin Yuan said, "Fourth Uncle, Aunt said she'll be over in a bit, why don't you order some more dishes?"
Xin Si Nan clicked his tongue, not complaining in front of the child. Xin Ying had said she had to work overtime just half an hour ago, and now this shift was over in just half an hour?
Xin Si Nan called the waiter in and added a few more dishes.
·
Meanwhile, Lin Leyao and Xiao Yan returned to the private room. Li Na looked terrible, probably because she was unhappy that the two of them had been gone for too long.
Xiao Yan looked at her boss's face with some embarrassment, while Lin Leyao remained as calm and composed as ever.
Mao Xinxin suddenly spoke up, "Why has Yao Yao been gone for so long? President Qiao was just asking you about it."
Lin Leyao readily replied, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Qiao. I caught a chill during the change of seasons and am feeling a bit unwell."
Mao Xinxin persisted, "We've been here for a while, and we haven't even had a drink together yet! Yaoyao, you absolutely have to drink this time!"
Lin Leyao put down her chopsticks and slowly looked up at Mao Xinxin, who was all smiles.
She spoke slowly, "Sister Mao doesn't look too well. Did she drink too much?"
The atmosphere at the table became tense for a moment.
Li Na, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "Le Yao, toast President Qiao."
All eyes at the table instantly turned to Lin Leyao. Through words and glances, the group pressured her to offer a toast.
Lin Leyao slowly pursed her lips.
"Knock knock knock".
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and the tense atmosphere inside the room instantly relaxed.
Before anyone in the private room could speak, the door was opened from the outside.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Li Na's face showed surprise. She quickly stood up and exclaimed in surprise, "President Xin?"
The others at the table recognized him and stood up to greet him.
Xin Sinan's gaze swept over everyone's faces in the room. Looking at where Lin Leyao was sitting, he thought to himself, "The little princess of the Ji family, who is hiding her identity, has suffered a lot of bullying while pursuing her dream in the entertainment industry."
Xin Si Nan revealed his most enchanting smile as usual, and said to everyone in a friendly manner, "Please sit down, everyone. I just heard that someone I know is eating here, so I came to say hello."
Someone I know?
The people at the table each had their own thoughts. Among them was President Xin of Chu Nan Entertainment, the fourth son of the Xin family of Huan Ning Group. Who at this table was someone he needed to personally greet? Qiao Shaohui?
"Le Yao".
The affectionate address "Xin Si Nan" resonated deeply in everyone's ears.
Chapter 11
Xin Sinan is not only the owner of Chu Nan Entertainment, but also the fourth son of Xin Guangjin, the chairman of Huanning Group. Almost everyone in the industry knows this about him.
Lin Leyao had never interacted with Xin Sinan before, so his presence this time likely indicates that he already knows about her upcoming marriage to Xin Ying.
"Hello, Mr. Xin." Ignoring the various gazes directed at her, Lin Leyao calmly nodded in greeting.
As soon as Lin Leyao finished speaking, shock, confusion, and regret intertwined on everyone's faces.
Xin Sinan calmly observed the expressions of everyone in the room, and replied with a smile, "What kind of relationship do we have? Why are you calling me President Xin?"
Lin Leyao smiled but didn't say anything.
Li Na, who was standing next to her, couldn't help but ask, "President Xin, what's your relationship with Le Yao...?"
Xin Sinan didn't hesitate and said directly, "Le Yao is my family."
Family? What kind of family? These three words carry a lot of meaning. If everyone present didn't know that Xin Si Nan was a notorious playboy in the industry, they would all have thought that this guy was with Lin Le Yao.
Everyone still looked puzzled, but Xin Si Nan had no intention of explaining further.
"I just came to say hello to Le Yao. You guys continue eating, I won't disturb you."
As Xin Sinan walked to the door, he suddenly seemed to remember something and added, "Le Yao, my little sister will be coming over for dinner later. If you've been drinking tonight, have her take you home."
"Okay," Lin Leyao replied.
After saying this, Xin Sinan walked out of the private room without looking back. The door closed, and the expressions of the people inside varied.
The tense and stagnant atmosphere that had preceded Xin Si Nan's appearance had completely dissipated. After a moment of silence, Kuang Chenghua broke the silence by saying, "Let's eat. The dishes are getting cold, so let's eat the dishes first. Don't drink the wine yet."
"good."
"Uh-huh."
Chen Qi echoed a few times, glanced at the composed Lin Leyao several times, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Leyao, do you know President Xin?"
"Yes, family." Lin Leyao replied using Xin Sinan's previous response without further explanation.
Chen Qi was a little frustrated after being rebuffed, but at this moment he didn't dare to force Lin Leyao like before, so he could only give up.
The people at the table had different thoughts.
Half an hour later, there was another knock on the door of the private room. The people inside perked up and put down their chopsticks.
The door was quickly opened, and a woman in a black trench coat with a cool and aloof expression stood in the doorway. She didn't look at anyone inside; her gaze was fixed precisely on Lin Leyao.
"Le Yao, it's time to go home." The woman's cool voice rang out.
"Okay." Lin Leyao stood up.
Suddenly, she picked up a glass of baijiu that Chen Qi had poured for her when she was forced to drink earlier.
Lin Leyao raised her wine glass and looked at everyone at the table: "A toast to everyone, I'll be leaving now."
Lin Leyao tilted her head back and gulped down the glass of baijiu in one go.
"Why……"
Xiao Yan, who was standing next to her, was startled. The others at the table were no longer in the mood to urge her to drink; they were all frozen, not knowing what to say.
Xin Ying's eyes flickered as she watched Lin Leyao's resolute back. Her gaze swept over the other people at the table, and her thin lips slowly tightened.
After finishing her drink, Lin Leyao licked the wine stains from the corner of her lips, turned to Xin Ying, and said, "Let's go."
·
It's already past eight o'clock in the evening at the restaurant entrance. The autumn night is chilly, seeping through the trench coats and into people's bodies.
Xin Ying drove her car from the underground parking lot to the entrance and found that Lin Leyao, who was supposed to be waiting there, was gone.
She got out of the car and looked around. She saw Lin Leyao, wrapped in a coat, squatting by the green belt not far from the restaurant.
"What's wrong?"
"Look." Xin Ying walked over and, following the direction Lin Leyao pointed, saw a small tabby cat in the bushes of the green belt.
Lin Leyao remained crouched, her hands supporting her chin, quietly watching the kitten. Xin Ying didn't disturb her, staying quietly with her.
Gradually, Lin Leyao's previously dazed and confused expression suddenly changed. She pouted and revealed a wronged look on her face.
Lin Leyao tugged at the hem of Xin Ying's trench coat. Xin Ying squatted down and noticed her surprised expression: "What's wrong?"
Lin Leyao sniffed and said with a pitiful expression, "The kitten is so pitiful."
"Then let's take her home and raise her, okay?" Seeing that Lin Leyao didn't react, Xin Ying reached out to help her adjust her mask.
Lin Leyao's face was completely covered by a mask, with only her peach blossom eyes showing. Perhaps it was because of the glass of baijiu she had just drunk, but her eyes were misty and watery.
Lin Leyao muttered softly, "No dad, no mom, just this one."
"Then what should we do?"
After drinking too much, Lin Leyao became very talkative, and Xin Ying did not give her perfunctory answers, but listened attentively to every word she said.
Xin Ying's car had been parked there for too long, so the restaurant's security guard came over. Xin Ying looked at him from a distance, put her hand to her lips to make a shushing gesture, and then handed over her car keys. The security guard took the keys and drove the car away, parking it again in the underground parking lot.
Lin Leyao didn't notice these movements. She was still squatting on the ground with her knees drawn up to her chest, talking incessantly.
"Sigh, winter is coming, and the homeless kittens are so pitiful."
"Sigh, they're so young and wandering outside, they're going to freeze to death."
"well……"
Lin Leyao sighed after every sentence she spoke, making Xin Ying's heart tingle. She couldn't help but hook one arm around Lin Leyao's neck and pinch Lin Leyao's cheek with the other hand: "Why do you keep sighing? It's getting on my nerves."
A glass of baijiu has a strong aftereffect; Lin Leyao's limbs felt weak, and with Xin Ying's touch, she leaned against Xin Ying's chest.
She struggled for a moment, but when she realized she had no strength left, she simply leaned against Xin Ying's chest and said lazily, "Let's take it home."
"good."
Xin Ying helped Lin Leyao to her feet, then carried the kitten out of the bushes.
The kitten was unusually well-behaved, nestled in Xin Ying's palm, meowing softly.
Seeing this scene, Xin Ying instantly recalled the moment when Lin Leyao was resting her chin on her hand and talking incessantly, just like this meowing kitten.
This time, Xin Ying didn't dare leave Lin Leyao waiting alone at the door, so she led the cat and the person towards the parking lot.
Halfway there, Lin Leyao suddenly said, "I'm not drunk."
“I know you’re not drunk.” Xin Ying emphasized the word “drunk,” clearly expressing doubt about Lin Leyao’s current state.
Lin Leyao snorted, clearly understanding the implication behind Xin Ying's words.
Sitting in the car, Xin Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she started the car, she suddenly heard Lin Leyao, who was sitting in the passenger seat, sobbing. Xin Ying immediately stepped on the brake.