MHWFYYTMDF Chapter17

With Song Li’s brief introductions, He Muyan greeted the teachers one by one. After exchanging pleasantries, everyone took their seats.

Song Li sat next to He Muyan, occasionally chatting with him.

The restaurant served its dishes very quickly, leaving practically no gap for anyone to rest their chopsticks. Since everyone had driven there, no alcohol was ordered. The few of them ate and chatted, keeping the atmosphere quite harmonious and comfortable.

To Song Li’s surprise, He Muyan actually got along very well with them in conversation. Given his cold and taciturn nature, Song Li had originally thought today’s gathering would be more or less awkward, and he had come fully prepared to smooth over any tension and carry the conversation. He hadn’t expected that He Muyan would be the one navigating the whole dynamic in the end, while he himself became the one being looked after, nearly fading into the background at the dinner table.

Song Li shook his head in wonder. As expected of a big boss who had spent years navigating the ups and downs of the business world, this socializing instinct must have been etched right into his DNA.

Before long, all the dishes were served. As the lazy susan spun around, a plate of braised pork, full of color, aroma, and flavor, stopped right in front of Song Li.

Song Li stole a glance at it, then averted his eyes.

Yet He Muyan, who was sitting beside him, suddenly picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of braised pork, and placed it into his bowl.

“Try this, it’s this restaurant’s signature dish.”

Song Li froze, feeling rather flattered. He picked up his small bowl and nodded gently, “Okay.”

It was fine and all, but…

Looking at the glistening, highly enticing piece of red meat in his bowl, Song Li let out a sigh, picked it up with his chopsticks, and took a small bite.

The flavor was indeed good. The moment it entered his mouth; there was a burst of savory meat aroma. The richness was just right; even people who usually couldn’t stand fatty meat like this could probably manage a couple more pieces.

Song Li swallowed it, then quickly picked up two servings of the green vegetables beside it.

Xu Shanshan, who was beside him glanced at him and secretly tugged at the corner of his shirt under the table.

Song Li smiled at her, signaling that he was fine.

Tian Fu was having a great time eating and started chatting with He Muyan about stocks. Recently, the stock market has been highly volatile, with green plunging charts everywhere. The moment this topic came up, he wished he could make all the green vegetables on the table vanish from their sight.

Song Li didn’t trade stocks, but having been exposed to it daily, he understood a bit. Listening to them talk now, he couldn’t help but smile along.

As he listened, however, the physical discomfort inside him gradually grew stronger. Gulping down water to suppress it didn’t work either. In the end, he whispered a word to He Muyan, got up, and headed to the restroom.

He Muyan’s gaze followed him from the moment he stood up until he left the private room without pulling back for quite a while.

In the end, it was Tian Fu’s loud voice that pulled his attention back.

Xu Shanshan stole a few glances at him before picking up her glass to silently sip her water.

Song Li’s trip to the restroom was taking quite a while, though long enough that He Muyan would raise his head to glance at the door from time to time, his mind clearly wandering a bit during the conversation.

Seeing him like this, Xu Shanshan struggled internally over and over again. Finally, unable to hold back any longer, she leaned in and said in a low voice, “Mr. He, it might not be entirely appropriate for me to say this, but I think it’s better that you know.”

He Muyan looked down at her, signaling for her to continue.

Caught off guard by his devastatingly handsome face at such close range, Xu Shanshan swallowed hard and said softly, “Teacher Song, he… actually can’t really eat things like braised pork. He’ll have an allergic reaction. I saw him eat it once before, and the reaction was incredibly severe; it scared me half to death.”

Having said this, Xu Shanshan looked up to check his expression.

He Muyan showed no expression, but the temperature in his eyes had clearly grown much colder than before.

Xu Shanshan’s heart tightened, and she immediately tried to patch things up, “You don’t need to take it to heart too much either, that was all a long time ago. Maybe Teacher Song can already eat braised pork now, haha.”

He Muyan’s expression softened slightly, and he nodded, giving her a faint smile.

Xu Shanshan was absolutely slain by this smile. Before she could even recover from this ethereal grin, He Muyan had already stood up and walked straight outside.

Looking at his retreating figure, Xu Shanshan subconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

He Muyan went straight to the restroom. The various amenities and environment of this restaurant were very well done; even the restroom had a sense of low-key luxury.

Soft pure music drifted overhead, making one feel very comfortable.

Just as he stepped inside, he heard a bout of suppressed retching. He Muyan paused his footsteps for a moment, then walked straight toward the cubicle where the sound was coming from.

He raised his hand and knocked lightly twice.

The sound inside stopped for a few seconds before someone answered, “Sorry, it’s occupied.”

It was Song Li.

He Muyan spoke in a deep voice, “It’s me.”

A faint sound resembling a sharp intake of breath immediately came from within, followed by rustling noises. It took quite a while before the door in front of him opened.

Song Li stood opposite him, his face very pale and the rims of both his eyes slightly red.

“You… why did you come here?”

His voice was slightly hoarse.

He Muyan looked at his face, frowning slightly, “If you can’t eat it, why force yourself? You’re a grown adult; don’t you even know how to refuse?”

How did he know? Song Li was somewhat surprised, but a second thought brought understanding; it had to be that big-mouthed girl Xu Shanshan again. Out of all the teachers, she was the only one who knew he couldn’t eat red meat.

Seeing his expression, He Muyan’s tone grew even more displeased, “Others can know, but as your husband, am I really that unworthy of your trust?”

It’s not like that, Song Li wanted to explain, but looking up into his eyes, a sudden wave of timidity struck his heart.

He still felt terribly nauseous, and being questioned like this on top of everything honestly made him feel aggrieved; almost wronged.

His right hand unconsciously tugged at the seam of his trousers as he hung his head, speaking in a small voice, “I’m sorry.”

Seeing him like this, the blame and that trace of anger in He Muyan’s heart slowly dissipated again. He reached out, hooked his fingers beneath his chin, and gently tipped it up, revealing exactly as expected a pitiful little face full of grievance.

Song Li didn’t want him to see it, twisting his head in an attempt to hide away.

He Muyan wouldn’t let him hide, tightening his grip on his chin so that he had no choice but to look at him.

His thumb brushed over his lower lip, which had been bitten pale by his teeth, as he asked softly, “Are you still feeling sick?”

Song Li let out a soft “humph”, “I’ve thrown up most of it, so it’s not as nauseating anymore.”

He Muyan sighed, his other hand lightly tapping his tear-stained eyelashes, “Don’t do this next time. I am your husband. If anything happens, you must tell me first.”

Song Li lifted his gaze and saw a pair of dark eyes that were gentle, serene, and even carried a trace of tenderness, startling him so much he almost bit his tongue.

Oh my god, was the person in front of him really still He Muyan?

This look was simply too lethal.

Song Li’s heart suddenly began to beat faster, thumping loudly. Standing this close to each other, he was terrified He Muyan would hear it.

He Muyan naturally didn’t hear it. His thumb brushed against the corner of his eye, “Are you feeling any better? Don’t eat anymore in a bit, let’s just go straight back.”

Song Li asked, “What time is it now?”

“A quarter past nine.”

That meant it was about time anyway. Song Li nodded, “Then when we go back in a bit, I’ll tell them. Everyone has families, so it’s time for whoever needs to go home to head back.”

He Muyan paused for a moment and asked, “Is that Teacher Xu also someone with a family?”

“You mean Xu Shanshan?” Song Li shook his head subconsciously, “She only graduated not long ago, she’s still just a young girl.”

“You and she have a very good relationship.”

“It’s alright. That girl is straightforward and lighthearted; she can strike up a conversation with anyone.”

“But it seems to me that she is particularly close to you.”

“Is she? We…”

Only then did Song Li realize it. He slowly lifted his head and looked at He Muyan’s expressionless face.

He had a very bold idea; could He Muyan possibly be… jealous?

He really wanted to ask, but he didn’t dare. If it wasn’t the case, wouldn’t it make him look like he was completely flattering himself?

After hesitating over and over, Song Li decided to test the waters in a roundabout way, “Mm. Among the other teachers, those who have wives have wives, those who have husbands have husbands, and their children are already running around everywhere. Sometimes we just don’t have much in common to talk about. Xu Shanshan is the only one I can still chat with about certain things, so we’ve become pretty close.”

He Muyan looked at him, letting out an “en”.

En.

Just that?

Song Li blinked, giving a bitter smile as usual.

See, he knew it. President. He was truly just asking casually. What jealousy? Was he even worthy?

Shaking his head in self-mockery, he followed He Muyan toward the outside.

After walking two steps, He Muyan suddenly stopped again, turning back to ask him, “Are you really okay now?”

“I’m fine, really fine.” Song Li shook his head repeatedly, “I only ate that one bite, I’ve pretty much recovered by now.”

He Muyan nodded, looked at the hand hanging down by Song Li’s right leg, and gently held it.

“Let’s go.”

His action of holding it was simply too natural, so natural that Song Li didn’t even react before he was led to the door.

Looking up at the broad back ahead, his heart unproductively started doing a wild dance again.

What was wrong with this He Muyan!

Hold… hold, hold, hold, what hand was he holding…

It was quite embarrassing for them two grown men whose ages added up to well over fifty.

Song Li looked at their two hands held together. He Muyan’s palm was very large, nearly wrapping Song Li’s entire hand completely inside his own palm.

He couldn’t help but cover his face with his other hand. Heaven, what on earth did his expression look like right now? His face must be bursting red. Would he scare the teachers when he walked into the room in a moment?

He wasn’t given much time to adjust his emotions; after just a few steps, they were back at the private room. The people inside turned their heads all at once, and the very first thing they saw was their two hands held together.

Xu Shanshan was the first to lose her composure, frantically shooting Song Li meaningful looks.

Song Li pretended not to see, secretly hiding a little behind He Muyan.

After the gathering broke up, everyone headed to their respective homes. Sitting in the front passenger seat, Song Li’s phone was still continuously bombarded with messages from Xu Shanshan.

Sparkling Pretty Girl: Teacher Song! Unfair! Hiding such an incredibly handsome husband!

Sparkling Pretty Girl: Your husband is seriously so handsome! His eyes are too beautiful, and his eyelashes are so long as well!

Sparkling Pretty Girl: Teacher Song, you’re already good-looking enough! And now you even have such a breathtakingly beautiful husband; if you two had children, they’d definitely be born as devastating beauties capable of bringing down a nation!

Sparkling Pretty Girl: I’m so jealous, when will I meet a man this handsome? No, I’d be satisfied with just a tenth of his good looks qaq

Sparkling Pretty Girl: It’s one thing to be handsome, but he’s so devoted too. When he looks into your eyes, they actually glow!

Sparkling Pretty Girl: And he even held your hand, held your hand! I’m dying, he loves you so much, I am humbled!

Looking at these frantic lines one after another, Song Li felt somewhat helpless. What in the world was all this nonsense.

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