Xiang Ri rose from his seat and walked toward his disciple's table, his hands clenched tightly, as if fearing he might lose control and act impulsively.
Shi Qing's brows remained furrowed; apart from eating, she spent most of her time in a daze, only occasionally exchanging a few words when provoked by the handsome man across from her.
Before her lay a feast, yet despite her hunger, she felt no appetite. Suddenly sensing something, Shi Qing looked up to see a familiar figure before her.
"I'm sorry! I—I need to use the restroom." Instinctively anxious and frightened, Shi Qing stood and left her seat before the handsome man could react, even knocking over a bottle of expensive red wine in her haste to distance herself from that figure.
"Xiao Qing!" Xiang Ri had been focused on her, and upon witnessing her panic, he immediately called out, guessing she was trying to evade him again.
Shi Qing froze, her body trembling.
"How long do you intend to avoid me?" Xiang Ri approached her, gently wrapping an arm around her slender shoulders and turning her to face him.
"Teacher!" Shi Qing frantically averted her gaze.
"I was wrong that day; can you forgive me?" Xiang Ri spoke softly, offering comfort.
Without resisting or causing a scene, Shi Qing silently savored this rare warmth. The torment of the past few days had left the once resilient girl feeling utterly fragile. After a moment, she lifted her head, her eyes brimming with tears of grievance: "Teacher, you were really too much that day!"
Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Xiang Ri felt an urge to slap himself for causing her distress. Noting the pallor of her face, he swiftly changed the subject: "You've lost weight in just a few days. Has that old man been mistreating you, not feeding you properly?"
"That's not true! I just can't eat!" Shi Qing protested timidly.
"Then if I treat you to a meal now, will you still be unable to eat?"
"N-no, I won't! But..." Although she didn't finish her sentence, Xiang Ri could see her concern reflected in her glance toward the handsome man's table.
"Don't worry, I've got this under control. Just wait here for me; I'll go say hello to him." Gently releasing her, he turned to approach the handsome man.
"Do you know why I'm here?" Xiang Ri boldly sat down in the chair Shi Qing had just vacated.
"I do. You want to steal my woman," the handsome man replied, his voice startling.
Of course, this revelation did not shock Xiang Ri, who had seen far worse; rather, he was taken aback by the beautiful timbre of the man's voice. It was unlikely any other man could speak so melodiously. A lingering intuition in his mind deepened as he caught sight of the handsome man's smooth, fair neck.
"Are you female?"
The handsome man snorted derisively: "I detest arrogant men, especially those like you who lack respect for women!"
"This debt must be repaid quickly," Xiang Ri remarked, rubbing his nose, surprised at how quickly the man had retaliated for his previous insinuation.
"I warn you, Qing Qing is mine. If you dare to entertain any inappropriate thoughts, beware that I'll cut off that thing of yours!" The handsome man threatened fiercely.
"You're welcome to try! But I intend to take Xiao Qing away now. If you find yourself bored, perhaps you should find a muscular man to dine with you," Xiang Ri said with a wicked grin, ignoring the handsome man's twisted expression from anger as he swiftly left.
"Damn that arrogant man!" If they weren't in such a public setting, the handsome man would have already thrown a bottle at him.
"Xiao Qing, let's go eat." Xiang Ri placed his arm around Shi Qing's shoulders and walked toward the astonished female officer who had been watching the exchange with wide eyes, seemingly puzzled at how quickly Xiang Ri had resolved the situation.
"Teacher, did she agree?" Shi Qing asked, bewildered; she knew him all too well and found it hard to believe he could be so accommodating.
"Of course! Do you think I'm anyone less? When I step in, nothing is impossible!" In truth, Xiang Ri had not given the disguised girl an opportunity to refuse.
"But teacher, she—"
"Don't worry, she's quite easy to talk to and even told you to eat more, so you don't starve yourself to skin and bones," Xiang Ri began to spin a tale, suddenly shifting his tone, "By the way, Xiao Qing, are you close with her?"
"Yes, teacher, she's my elementary school classmate, and when we were young, her family lived next door to mine." Although still in disbelief that he could say something so reasonable, she pushed aside her doubts as he changed the subject.
"So, you were neighbors? Truly childhood sweethearts," he teased.
"Teacher, don't misunderstand; she's actually a woman." Shi Qing felt a pang of anxiety and desperately explained.
"I know; no need to dwell on it. Let's eat."
They approached the dining table, where Xiang Ri offered his seat to Shi Qing, pulling out a chair beside her.
"Hi!" Tie Wan had regained her composure and greeted them with a smile.
"Hello!" Upon seeing the beautiful woman before her, Shi Qing felt an unsettling familiarity, as though she had seen her somewhere before.
Before she could ponder further, Xiang Ri made the introductions: "This is the police officer who apprehended me the other day; you should have met her. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, she's treating me to dinner as an apology."
"Oh!" Shi Qing responded quietly, her previous gloom lifting considerably.
"You're quite heartless; with such a beautiful girlfriend, how could you make her angry?" Tie Wan began to lecture, unaware of the true nature of the situation.
"Girlfriend?" Xiang Ri shot a glance at his disciple, silently warning the police officer: I just explained things to her, don't complicate matters.
However, Tie Wan clearly lacked the insight to interpret his warning, misinterpreting it entirely: "What's wrong? Clearly it was your fault, yet you won't let anyone comment? All you men are the same; you don't appreciate what comes easily until it's lost."
"Let's eat, let's eat." Xiang Ri thought if this crazy woman continued, they might stir up a gender equality issue that could spark a third world war. Just then, the server arrived with the food, interrupting her tirade.
"Sir, here's your heart-shaped steak." Although an extra person had joined, the server maintained a professional demeanor, though hesitating momentarily as she placed the steak down. With three people at the table and only two steaks, it could lead to customer dissatisfaction or even complaints.
Xiang Ri noticed her discomfort and pointed to Shi Qing's place at the table: "Just put it over there for the lady. I don't need mine; please bring me another."
"Certainly, sir!" The server smiled gratefully, then hesitated again, "I'm sorry, sir, but due to the special nature of this meal, we can only serve it in double portions, considering there are two women present." She skillfully avoided the sensitive term.
"That's fine, just follow the rules. I might not even finish one on my own."
"Alright, please hold on!" The server was pleasantly surprised by the young man's demeanor. If it had been someone else, they might have erupted in anger or even become violent.
Tie Wan was displeased at Xiang Ri's interruption of her passionate discourse, channeling her frustration into her meal as she shoved a fifth of the heart-shaped steak into her mouth.
Xiang Ri pretended not to notice her menacing glare, leisurely watching as his disciple gradually calmed down and took small bites of her food, occasionally asking, "How is it, Xiao Qing? Does it taste good?"
Shi Qing must have been genuinely starving, and having just released her emotional burden, her appetite surged, transitioning from refined to ravenous. Even though Tie Wan had cut her steak into larger pieces, Shi Qing polished off her plate while the officer still hadn't finished half of hers.
Noticing his disciple's eager enjoyment, Xiang Ri offered her one of the two steaks that had just arrived: "Here, take mine; just remember to eat slowly!"
"Teacher, is that really okay?" Shi Qing looked at him, her little tongue licking her lips, her expression reminiscent of a child who had done something wrong, adorably disarming Xiang Ri.