The man came soon after that woman left. He looked flushed.
'The wine must be taking effect,' Chen Jing thought.
He sat down and swirled the wine as he brought it to his lips. At that moment, Chen Jing shouted, "Stop!"
The man cocked his head and stared at the woman glaring at him, with hands on her hips. One finger was shaking as it pointed at him in accusation.
He was shocked. "Excuse me, Miss. I think you've got the wrong person," he said.
As Chen Jing actually got a view of the face of the man whose back view she was admiring all this while, she was shocked herself. It was none other than Li Xueyi, her favorite star.
Masking all the shock, she passed him a paper towel on which was written, "Cooperate with me."
Li Xueyi was confused but he said nothing further. Chen Jing mouthed, "I'm Chen Jing."
These interactions happened within a matter of a few seconds.
"Ah Jingjing, what are you doing here?"
Chen Jing hollered, "How dare you ask me that? I asked you to meet me and you said you were busy. And this is what you're busy with!"
Li Xueyi placed the glass on the table and Chen Jing wasted no time in picking it up and splashing it on him. Li Xueyi dodged on time but his sleeves couldn't be saved.
She pulled him up by his collar and brought him out of the restaurant. She quickly messaged a dumbfounded Lu Man to bring her purse back after finishing her dinner.
Inside the elevator, Chen Jing did a deep, ninety degree bow and said, "I'm sorry if I've offended you, Mr. Li."
"No no. But what was that all about, Miss? Are you in trouble?"
"Not me. You."
"Huh?"
"Someone was trying to drug you. Don't you know that you should never drink a drink you've left unsupervised?"
"I-" Li Xueyi was dumbfounded. In a low voice he replied, "I never drink alone. So this never happened to me before." He paused and locked his eyes into hers before saying, "Thank you, Miss Chen."
As his eyes locked into hers, she couldn't help but admire his beautiful eyes. They contained an immense power to pull one into a separate universe. The dark and mysterious orbs pulled her by an invisible rope to drown deeper into them.
Chen Jing rarely made eye contact with people. It was out of habit. Not that she didn't do that before but she always felt that she should only focus on Yang Chen and somehow she stopped making eye contact with people.
When met with such powerful eyes, Chen Jing stared for far too long. Li Xueyi pasted a satisfied smirk on his face as he teased, "Am I handsome?"
"They're beautiful," Chen Jing muttered almost instantly, her eyebrows scrunching in the process, annoyed at the interruption.
"Hahahaha, thanks." Li Xueyi roared with laughter.
"I… I'm sorry. I mean, yes. No. I mean, you're definitely very handsome. I didn't mean to stare. I just…"
"Lost control? Happens. You're quite beautiful yourself, Miss Chen," Li Xueyi said with a smirk.
Chen Jing looked everywhere except his eyes. A blush crept onto her cheeks as smiled in embarrassment.
Having had enough fun, Li Xueyi swiftly changed the topic and said, "Since you saved me, I owe you a meal. So…"
Before Li Xueyi could complete, Chen Jing cut him off, saying, "No need, Mr. Li. It's nothing. I think I should rush back home. Be safe on your way back. The paparazzi must be waiting for you to make a wrong move."
"Miss Chen, first of all, I still need your help. Since you started it, you must end it. Secondly, I definitely owe you one. Thirdly, I still haven't eaten and I don't like eating all alone. So, how about you accompany me? Oh and before you refuse me using this excuse, let me tell you that no paps will follow us."
"That would be too troublesome," Chen Jing said.
"No trouble at all," Li Xueyi said with a twinkle in his eyes.
Chen Jing smiled and then followed Li Xueyi as she pulled a mask out to cover her face.
Li Xueyi raised his eyebrow at her cautious behavior. But a streak of admiration crossed his mind. He was Li Xueyi. He had millions of fans who would give their everything just to have a meal with him and this girl in front of him looked so reluctant. Was it because of Yang Chen?
He looked at her side profile. She looked beautiful under the dim lights. A different kind of beautiful. Not the glamorous kind. Nor the naive kind. But when she smiled, it was from her heart, lighting up her entire being.
As Li Xueyi drove, Chen Jing said, "Mr. Li, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"Nope. Go ahead."
"Do you have lots of enemies?"
"Not really," came his short response.
Chen Jing stared at him, hoping he would explain the weird situation earlier but he did not.
Silence stretched. Chen Jing kept her eyes on the road.
"The Outer Ring Road?" she wondered aloud.
"Mm hmm," came the response.
The Outer Ring Road was famous for the best restaurants in the city. In fact, it housed the best restaurant in the country—Taste of Himalayas.
"Let's go," he said and handed the keys to the valet.
"But, I heard that one should reserve their seats in advance. How did you…" Chen Jing did not realize that they had reached the entrance.
Li Xueyi gave a name and they were escorted to a private room on the topmost floor.
"Wow. Do you come here often?"
"Sometimes," he replied.
"Mm. That explains the reservation." Chen Jing pulled his chair and signaled him to get seated.
Seeing her act out of the ordinary, Li Xueyi laughed.
"What happened? Why are you laughing?"
"Never before have I seen a woman pull the chair for a man," he honestly answered.
Chen Jing rolled her eyes and sat down opposite him. Picking up the menu, she skimmed it and handed it over to Li Xueyi and said, "You know this place better. So, you order."
"Sure." Li Xueyi was amused seeing her actions. Never in life had he met such an interesting person who did everything contrary to normal expectations.
Li Xueyi ordered a few delicacies and a few simple dishes since he did not know what she liked.
Meanwhile, Chen Jing admired the decor of the room. The lighting was neither too bright nor too dim. The warm glow lit Li Xueyi's face and added a layer of mystery to his profile.
The table in front of them was made of solid oak, but it was lined with gold. It looked antique. Even the horse and reindeer statues looked antique. The more Chen Jing looked, the more she was amazed.
"Mr. Li, by any chance, have you brought me to a museum?"
Li Xueyi raised his left brow and gave her a questioning glance.
"Everything in this room looks antique. Even the sandalwood incense stand looks ancient," Chen Jing explained.
"There's a reason this restaurant is the best in the country. What else do you expect? Anyways Miss Chen, may I ask you a question?"
"Sure, Mr. Li." Chen Jing stared at the dishes on the table.
"Do you have a boyfriend?"