Gladys doesn't mean to embarrass Lily, and Lily is not mad at her. She explains softly, "No, he is just a
friend."
"I see." Gladys rubs her hair awkwardly. "Sorry for my mistake. It’s just that I never get the chance to
meet your husband."
"It's okay." Lily smiles, "Pack up and get ready to go home."
"Yes!"
Lily feels tired after closing the shop. Dinner is ready at home, so Ryan offers to drive the mother and
son back to the Imperial Villa. Before getting off, Lily invites him to dinner.
Ryan looks out above her shoulder at the gate, replying a moment later,
"Thanks, but I have something else to do."
"Just grab a bite before you go. You haven't eaten yet," Lily insists, feeling she owes him a favor for his
help.
Ryan is persuaded and parks the car in the yard, following her inside.
Fanny has heard some stories about Ryan from Lily. Knowing that he has helped Lily a lot, she warmly
greets him with the delicacies.
"Miss Lily, I wasn't informed about a visitor, so I just made four dishes and one soup. I wonder if this is
enough?" Fanny is a little worried.
Lily hands the chopsticks to Ryan and answers, "It's fine, Fanny. He is a close friend. He won't mind."
"Good. Good."
Stir-fried lotus root slices, sweet and sour ribs, steamed fish, matsutake chicken soup, and Adair's
favorite cashew nut and shrimp... The hot dishes, warm lights, and enchanting fragrance altogether
give everyone a nice appetite.
Lily rolls up her sleeves and takes the white porcelain bowl in front of Ryan, filling it with the steaming
chicken soup. "This is Fanny's specialty. Try it."
Ryan does not enjoy this kind of greasy soup. He takes a glance at it and sees the yellow oil bubbles
floating on the surface. However, for Lily's sake, he braces himself to take a sip. And it turns out
different from what he imagined. Rich but not greasy, the tasty soup invites him to give it another go.
"It's good," he exclaims.
Fanny is happy to hear that. "Then drink more. As much as you like, actually. There's still half a pot
left!"
This simple meal is satisfying for Ryan. Not only because he has longed for home-cooked food, but
because Lily and Adair eat with him, which makes him feel like they were in London again.
In those five years, although they were not together every day, they only have each other. A meal
together from time to time provides great comfort.
But back to now... staring at the food in his bowl, Ryan feels everything is different.
Ryan insists to leave after a small chat with Adair following the meal. Lily doesn't persuade him to stay.
She walks him to his car in the yard and says, "Drive carefully. This is not London. Speeding is not
tolerated."
"Hear, hear," he answers casually. Actually, he is not someone to be bothered by the traffic police.
Raising his eyebrows while glancing at the villa, he says, "Go inside. Rest early."
Without further ado, he steps into the car and starts it. Then the Black Aston Martin drives quickly out of
the courtyard and disappears into the night. Lily only enters the house until then.
...
Ryan drives around the streets aimlessly, reliving the scene of them having dinner again and again,
and this question hovers in his head, "Lily, is this your husband?"
He has told himself to let go, but now his resolution starts to stagger.
He hates this version of himself, and a force of inexplicable hostility runs wild in him.
Speeding up, the car wanders for about half an hour. He is dry-mouthed and miffed, parking the car by
the roadside with a swing of its tail. Then, he gets off the car and walks towards a nearby convenience
store.
He buys a bottle of cold water and gulps it down outside the store. The chilly sensation it brings doesn't
help with the irritation, but gives rise to it.
Ryan squints at a bar across the street.
Hesitating for less than five seconds, he throws the bottle into the trash can and strides over.
The bar manager, Winfred, spots him from afar. Ryan's outfit looks extravagant, especially his watch,
which probably is worth more than his house. What a big potential client!
Winfred affably greets him, "Hello, sir. Do you have an appointment?"
"No." Ryan does not even look at him, saying arrogantly, "Give me the best seat."
"No problem. Follow me."
The deafening music and the noisy laughter come from the dance floor. Winfred brings him to the best
VIP seat of the grandstand on the second floor, which costs 50,000 yuan. That much money is nothing
to him, and he also orders the best wine and pays for it.
Ryan's arrival attracts the attention of every woman on the second floor. He does not strike people as
the type who would frequent bars, but his aura is inviting.
Collected but aloof, he looks like a man who doesn't enjoy company.
This man ignores all the eyes on him, and drinks, one glass after another, like an unfeeling monster.
However, a figure on the first floor has caught his attention briefly.
He sees that the woman is wearing a black lace skirt with furry black bunny ears on her head. Her
slender and beautiful legs are tightly wrapped in black stockings, and her boobs are partly exposed.
She is holding a dark basket with a small square box in it. Ryan can't see exactly what the box is this
far, but he notices that the men around her are teasing her and smiling maliciously, leaving her no
choice but to dodge.
This woman looks familiar.
The incident at the airport strikes him, and he realizes that is why she looks familiar.
It's her, the woman who bumped against his shoulder.
Why is she here?
As Ryan is chewing on that, a man downstairs has groped his way into her shorts. The woman swiftly
grabs his wrist, but the man breaks free in an instant.
Ryan looks down and picks up a bottle lid from the table, tossing it onto her head.
With a muffled thud, Eunice is hit. The long distance adds to the pain the blow inflicts. Eunice's eyes
turn red from the pain, and she looks around in confusion.
The bar is packed, and the first floor provides a poorer view than the second floor. Moreover, men are
checking her out, which blocks her sight. Eunice droops her head and clutches the basket in her arms.
She figures that it was possibly another tease.
"Baby, does it hurt? Let me blow away your pain."
"Yeah, let him, and he'll take your basket."
A man's vicious voice rings out behind her. Just as Eunice is about to burst into tears, her arm is
suddenly grabbed by someone. Alarmed, she wants to dodge, but then she discovers that it is the
manager.
"Mr. Winfred?"
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