Ning Yao had always known that a man like Clarence would always attract attention no matter where he went.
However, seeing him so popular with the girls now made her feel as if she had lost for a moment.
She lowered her head to reduce her presence.
But to her surprise, Clarence grabbed her hand and turned to the girls. "I'm sorry, we're going to eat now. You can ask Professor Jin if you'd like to know more. "
And with that, he pulled Ning Yao away, leaving the girls a little stunned.
"Who was that woman? Could she be his girlfriend?"
"She must be. Sigh, what a pity..."
...
Ning Yao could vaguely hear the girls talking as she was dragged away by Clarence, and when she heard the words that were coming out of their mouths, her face immediately turned red.
Why was she misunderstood again? 'Forget it, I'll just pretend I didn't hear it.'
After leaving the auditorium, the two of them chose a newly opened barbeque restaurant near the school.
Since it was a new shop, there weren't many people.
After roasting the meat, Ning Yao sprinkled some barbeque powder on it before plating it for Clarence.
However, Clarence did not seem to have much of an appetite. After taking just a few bites, he stopped eating.
Ning Yao, on the other hand, was enjoying the food, occasionally sticking her tongue out due to the spiciness.
"Mr. He, what do you like to eat? I can tell that you don't like vegetables or meat." Ning Yao was curious.
'You, obviously,' thought Clarence to himself.
Many years ago, he had wanted to eat her when he first saw her.
But now, he was thinking of another way of 'eating' her.
Ning Yao started to feel that the way the man was looking at her was starting to feel a little strange and intense. She decided to call out to him to make sure he was alright. "Mr. He?"
"I don't like to eat outside." Clarence came back to his senses and thought of an excuse. "Why don't you cook for me?"
"How did you know that I can cook?" Ning Yao put down her chopsticks and smiled. "But I'm not very good at cooking. I'm far worse than the chefs in the restaurants. Don't expect too much."
"It's fine. Cook something for me next time." Clarence's heart was filled with sweetness at the thought of his future wife cooking for him.
After the meal, the two of them left the barbeque restaurant. Ning Yao was about to return to school when she suddenly felt that something was wrong with Clarence.
"Mr. He, Mr. He, what's wrong?"
Ning Yao noticed that Clarence was moving as if he was a drunkard. She quickly held his body up.
"I'm fine..." Even Clarence's voice sounded weak. "I'm just a little dizzy. Can you send me to the hotel?"
Clarence suddenly became weak because his injury from many years ago had not fully recovered yet. The injury would flare up from time to time which meant that his recovery would take a long time.
He had been feeling unwell before he left the house today, but when he thought about how today would be the first date he would have with Ning Yao, he decided to suck it up and met her as promised.
But he was now at his limit.
By now, Clarence was already half-leaning on Ning Yao's body, looking very pale. Ning Yao was frightened and quickly found the nearest hotel to check-in.
She helped the tall Clarence into the hotel room and carefully placed him on the bed. She then wiped the sweat off her forehead. She was exhausted.
Clarence lay on the bed with his eyes closed and brows furrowed. He seemed to be in a bad mood.
Ning Yao went to get a glass of warm water, then sat on the bed and asked softly, "Mr. He, do you want some water?"
When He Huai heard Ning Yao's soft voice in his daze, he subconsciously replied, "Yaoyao…"
Yaoyao?
Ning Yao was shocked.
Why would Mr. He call her that?
They weren't that close yet...
'Maybe it's because Mr. He is so sick and weak that he can't think straight and called me that...' Ning Yao's wildly beating heart slowly calmed down.
When Clarence didn't want to drink any water, she put down the glass, turned up the air conditioner a little, and covered him with a blanket.
After doing all this, she got up and prepared to leave.
The moment she turned around, the man on the bed seemed to have realized it immediately as reached out to hold her.
"Don't go..." The man murmured in a low voice. The man who was usually calm and cold now started to look a little helpless and pitiful.
Ning Yao's heart softened.
"What's wrong? Where do you feel uncomfortable?" She had no choice but to sit on the bed and ask gently.
The man didn't say a word and only held her hand tightly.