It was past 12 o'clock when Edward arrived at the Mochan Restaurant, which confirmed the well-known fact that Mr. Mu was never punctual. Tom was so angry with his tardiness, that he wanted to punch him in the nose. That way, Edward would no longer have his good looks.
"You know, sometimes I feel sorry for you." Because the lunch was just for him and Edward, Tom chose a table at the corner of the restaurant instead of a VIP room. He shook his head as Edward walked in and many women stared at him hungrily. He didn't understand why he was so popular among women. If Edward was a queen, he didn't know how many kings would give up their kingdoms for Edward.
"No, I don't think so. You're just jealous of me." Edward lifted one of his eyebrows and to Tom's disgust, he sat down dramatically. Edward was so narcissistic, he shamelessly showed off his charm. How could he accuse Rain of being full of himself? He was just like Rain!
"Wow, could you keep a low profile? That old woman over there keeps staring at you. Do you know her?" With a wicked smile, Tom nodded towards an old woman who was dolling herself up a few tables away.
"Who?" Edward asked, looking in the direction Tom nodded towards. "I don't know her." Edward was picky with his friends, so he definitely wouldn't know such a vulgar woman.
"No way! Are you sure? Maybe she's one of your flings' mother. Otherwise, why has she been looking at you since you walked in?"
Wow! I didn't expect you to be such a careful observer. Why did you isolate yourself in the laboratory for such a long time? Did you develop some weird hobbies like observing old women?" Edward asked with a smirk, lifting one of his eyebrows.
"Screw you! I don't have any weird hobbies! Do you want a good kick? I'm just keeping eyes at her for you." Tom said as he rolled his eyes. How could he be interested in such an old and vulgar woman?
"No, I don't want women so badly that I'd be interested in her." Edward really wanted to give Tom a good kick. He should've punched him harder this morning. Speaking of which, how did the punch not leave a bruise? What medicine did he use? He should get some from him one day.
"Haven't you always been interested in women? Why change now? Don't tell me that you've fallen in love with your wife. I don't buy it." Tom lifted the tea to his lips and took a sip as he teased Edward. If Tom knew what Edward was thinking about, he wouldn't be having tea so leisurely.
"You talk as if that old woman was one of my girlfriends. Come on, be rational." Edward said, the corner of his mouth twitching. He felt sick at the sight of the heavily-powdered face.
Edward! What a coincidence to see you here! It must be fate." Mary exclaimed enthusiastically. She beamed, trying to put on a surprised face. Her sudden appearance interrupted their conversation.
"Yes, it's a coincidence to see Miss Ouyang here." Edward narrowed his eyes at her coldly. He didn't need to be nice to Mary since she wasn't Daisy's biological sister.
"I'm here with my mother. It's so nice to see you here! I was wondering if we could join you." Actually, it wasn't a coincidence at all. She deliberately came here to see Edward, because she knew that he was a regular client here.
"Well... Fine." Edward wanted to refuse her, but his upbringing didn't allow him to do so. Besides, he really wanted to see how vicious Daisy's stepmother was to drive a young girl out of her home.
"Thank you. My mother is over there." Mary was satisfied to see her plan working and left quickly. Soon after she walked away, Tom spat out the tea in his mouth, splashing a bit on Edward.
"Jerry, I really want to punch you right now!" Edward gave him a stern look and took some napkins to dry himself. He didn't know why, but being splashed on happened a lot to him recently.
"I told you that you know that old woman!" Tom said quickly to distract Edward from his carelessness. He knew how obsessively tidy Edward was. Tom feared that Edward would beat him up because of his mistake. He didn't know when Edward started to solve problems through violence.
"Yes, it's the same woman." Edward frowned, involuntarily looking at Marry and her mother as they approached. No wonder he felt nauseous under the old woman's stare, she was Mary's mother. He was subconsciously disgusted with the woman because of her identity.
"What did I say? You really do know her. It must be fate! But who are they?" It's the first time for Tom to meet Mary, so he didn't know that they were Daisy's stepmother and stepsister.
"They're just acquaintances." They weren't Edward's in-laws since Daisy wasn't a member of the Ouyang clan anymore.
"Edward, this is my mother." Mary was young and good-looking. But Edward didn't seem interested in her at all, and it bothered her constantly.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Ouyang. I should've invited you over earlier. I'm sorry about that." Edward apologized, but he didn't stand up to greet them. His cool tone contradicted his words. It didn't escape Yakira's notice, and her heavily-powdered face twitched in dissatisfaction. She quickly put on a gentle smile.
"It turns out to be the well-known Mr. Mu! I noticed you when you walked in, but I thought I was mistaken." Yakira said, making up an excuse to cover up her awkwardness. Edward was the son of the rich Mu clan. The family was so powerful, that everyone in the city knew them. How could she not recognize him? She couldn't find an excuse to join their conversation and could only watch them from afar until Mary arrived.
"Sorry. I didn't recognize Mrs. Ouyang earlier. How embarrassing. Please sit down." Edward spoke with icy politeness as his manners required him to do so.
"Wow, who's this charming young man you're with?" Yakira asked, gesturing towards Tom. She really didn't know Tom because he spent most of his time in the laboratory.
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Ouyang. Just call me Tom." Tom didn't know Yakira either. He followed Edward's lead and called her "Mrs. Ouyang." Mrs. Ouyang was a real eyesore. He wanted to run away at the sight of her face filled with heavy make-up.
"Oh! You must be Mr. Qin! I heard that you're quite a talented doctor." Yakira knew all about the upper class families of S City. She kept tabs on all of them, so that she could find a perfect husband for her beloved daughter.
I'm not sure if I'm the person you're thinking of. Although I'm indeed a doctor, I'm far from talented. Tom, never felt he had a talent. He was just interested in researching. He neither needed nor liiked getting compliments.
Oh, it's definitely you. I didn't expect you to be such a gentleman. I wonder which girl was lucky enough to be your girlfriend. Yakira focus on Tom, ignoring Edward on purpose. It was one of her tactics, the cat and the mouse game. She knew it would irritate Edward to ignore him too much. Yakira wasn't interested to know if Tom was single. She only did it to confuse them about her target.
That's very nice of you to say that. Thank you, Mrs. Ouyang. Tom was upset to be the focus of Mrs. Ouyang's attention. This was none of his business! He didn't know her at all. Why did she have to chat with him? Shouldn't be Edward her target? Tom had to talk to her out of courtesy. He turned to Edward, hinting at him to come to his aid. But Edward didn't seemed to understand and continued drink his tea peacefully.