You Sound Sleepy

In a restaurant located in the downtown area of Jinggui, after entering through the quiet portico, one would be greeted by an elegant courtyard. It was picturesque. The champagne tie guy had booked a private room. A male waiter dressed in a tuxedo led the guests to the inner courtyard. 

Lin Mian, side-by-side with Que Qingyan, matched her pace with him; occasionally sneaking peeks at him, her little head was filled to the brim with regret.

He was just trying to help me out back then. He probably expected me to say no. If I had just obediently said no, then none of this would have happened. Uhh… It wasn’t like she didn’t continuously prod the overly zealous champagne tie guy with requests to leave on the road, but…

The other party, a defense lawyer for many years, had possessed battle-tested elegance in rejecting any and all her requests to leave. On the way to the restaurant, she had mentioned she needed to leave multiple times, but somehow the topic had been brushed over and… she ended up staying.

Not obtaining the result she wanted, Lin Mian had actually shamelessly intruded on Que Qingyan’s private gathering. She guiltily thought, This… this is impolite….

The champagne tie guy had already entered the private room. At the door of the room, Lin Mian, after considering it for a moment, decided to pull on the corner of Que Qingyan’s shirt, getting his attention.

He paused his footsteps and turned his body, looking at her. 

“Professor Que…” Lin Mian, with an apologetic expression, said in a pitiful small voice, “Sorry… I – I troubled -” She pursed her lips. “I will apologize to your friends. I’ll just say an important matter popped up. I won’t mess up your dinner.”

Lin Mian was well aware that she was troubling him. Her mind let go of her “charming” thoughts, her face now full of caution. She clenched the corner of his clothes and then immediately let go.

Que Qingyan’s gaze looked down, sweeping over the tips of Lin Mian’s hair that were still wet. “It’s nothing more than dining out. There won’t be trouble.”

He had misinterpreted it and thought she was the one troubled. As one of his law “students” and a “major in law, ” she should be perfectly fine in a meal with a group of lawyers. It should be fine, right?     

Of course, that was based on the fact he actually treated her as his law student. But she –

Lin Mian, still apologetic, heard Que Qingyan ask her another question.

“Did you go out this afternoon with an umbrella?”

 “…” Lin Mian miserably raised her head. She didn’t dare deceive him and confessed. “Yeah.”

Que Qingyan calmly asked, “And the umbrella?”

She faltered. “Le – lent it to someone…”

Her ears were slightly pink from speaking. He now knows I deliberately didn’t bring an umbrella…

As for why she deliberately didn’t bring an umbrella and just so happened to look for him in the rain… even the oblivious would know her intentions, not to mention Que Qingyan.

Lin Mian observed Que Qingyan’s expression, her heart stretched tautly. He’s totally going to say, “I can’t have a student that so daringly pursues their professor like you. Then he would add, “From now on, you are not allowed in the classes I teach.”

Little Xu Tong when she returns home would pass sobbing at the door of my apartment for failing this class.

Her expression was too anxious. Que Qingyan retracted his gaze and calmly said, “Let’s put this matter aside for now. We’ll discuss this after eating.”

Before, he had thought that as long as you were implicit with your probing, there would be no harm done. After all, he was extremely vague when he asked her about the umbrella.

But, she had – that logic didn’t apply to her.

Que Qingyan entered the room, tilting his head to say a few words to the waiter. Not long after, the waiter approached Lin Mian with a slight smile. The waiter asked, bowing, “Does miss need a change of clothes? Please follow me then.”

Once she had returned from getting changed, there were already six or seven people sitting in the room. Her gaze scanned and, sure enough, except for Que Qingyan, she knew nobody there.

The moment the waiter opened the door to let her in, several gazes locked onto the door.

“Here!” The champagne tie guy passionately gestured, motioning for her to sit in the empty seat next to him. 

”Now, everyone’s here. The person who’s paying the bill isn’t me today, so you can order whatever you please miss, no need to be polite.”

 Most of the people here had been gossiping before. They silently paid respects to the girl who “risked her life to pick a frigid flower.” Someone, already fully aware of what’s happening, decided to banter. “Qi Jin, how shameless can you get? Tell me, how did you trick a pure, cute little girl like her to come here?”

 “How can you say that?” The champagne tie guy’s name was Qi Jin. He glanced at Que Qingyan, confirming that Que’s expression seemed unperturbed to the matter, and replied, “This is Que Qingyan’s student who happened to be there when I came to invite him. I asked her if she wanted to tag along.”

From an outsider’s perspective, Lin Mian’s appearance was extremely deceptive.

Her face tender and eyes apricot, Lin Mian, pampered by her mother, seemed extremely charming and youthful compared to others her age. People subconsciously looked at her as a young school girl. 

The only empty seat was beside Que Qingyan. After she had finished greeting everyone, Lin Mian obediently sat down. 

During the process of ordering and receiving dishes, Lin Mian sat upright and kept her mouth shut, resisting the temptations of taking a peek at the Que Qingyan at her doorstep, her presence minimal.

All the people present came from the same law firm and were familiar with each other. While they waited for the dishes, they chatted about the day. Lin Mian listened while drinking coconut milk. Unfamiliar terms bombarded her ears. The topics ranged from divorces to robberies. The conversation turned to a recent economic litigation scandal.

A waiter carried wine. A toast was made. A chatter ran through the dinner table. They talked with great interest.

I don’t understand anything.

Lin Mian gulped a mouthful of coconut milk, thinking to herself. Sure enough, choosing to be silent was the smart decision. It’ll only take one sentence to… reveal my actual law background.

During the conversation, Qi Jin secretly paid attention to Lin Mian. His original intention was to pull her over, so the people could watch a drama unfold. However… why was she so restrained?! There was not a semblance of the daring girl that he saw before.

He was curious. It didn’t seem like she came to eat with her professor. Instead, it seemed like she came to repent for her sins.

Lin Mian silently listened to the ongoing conversations. This night was originally a private dinner with friends. Me coming here already added unnecessary trouble to Que Qingyan. 

I can be embarrassed in front of him, but I don’t want to… don’t want to embarrass him.

“You are the student I brought along. There’s no need to be so uptight.”

As Lin Mian was thinking, a menu was handed over to her from the side. 

Que Qingyan turned his face towards her. With a glance, he could tell what was going on. “Is there anything you want to eat? Once you’ve decided, call for the waiter or if you have trouble deciding, I can help you order. After contemplating for a moment, he added, “Any allergies?”

Lin Mian’s thought process screeched to a stop. She blinked, looking at him.

He’s considering my feelings.