On the way home, Serena Li closed her eyes and didn’t say anything as soon as she got into Alex Qi ‘s car. Alex Qi assumed she was tired and didn’t bother her.
While Victor Mo and Serena Li were dancing, Alex Qi happened to run into some customers who were eating and chatting in the dining area, so he didn’t notice what was happening on the dance floor.
Serena Li felt like she was fleeing tonight. After dancing with Victor Mo , she quickly left the banquet hall and took the elevator straight to the hotel’s first-floor garden without thinking. She sat on a bench there to calm her racing heart.
This feeling of her heart pounding in her throat due to physical contact hadn’t happened in so long, making it feel unfamiliar and a little scary.
After sitting for a while, she sent a WeChat message to Alex Qi , telling him that she was waiting for him in the garden on the first floor.
Alex Qi ‘s social engagement ended soon after , and perhaps worried that she would wait too long, he got out and drove her home.
It was almost midnight, the streets were empty, the city’s neon lights were still shining everywhere, the night was beautiful, but Serena Li was not in the mood to appreciate it.
Back home, after changing out of my evening gown and washing up, I stood in front of the kitchen counter drinking water, and unconsciously thought of Victor Mo again .
Serena Li’s friends are independent young women. These young women generally like successful, mature men, like Victor Mo , who not only has stunning looks but also a calm and mature demeanor, making it easy for him to charm a group of women.
But Serena Li doesn’t like men like that.
with Gary Gu . She analyzed that the main reason was that she hadn’t gotten over her previous relationship, and the other was that she hadn’t met someone who made her heart flutter.
Over the years, although her social and professional circles have been small, many good men have expressed their interest in pursuing her. However, she believes that accepting a new relationship while still having feelings for someone else would be unfair to the other person and irresponsible to herself.
In the past, she always managed to skillfully reject men who were interested in her, avoiding any hint of ambiguity. But this time , with Victor Mo …
She clearly remembered how fast her heart was pounding when they danced together.
But when such a seductive man flirts with a woman, she may not necessarily feel much genuine affection. Perhaps it’s just a passing fancy, or maybe she’s looking for a change of pace; in any case, it’s unlikely to be a truly heartfelt encounter.
Serena Li thought that as long as she remained calm enough, even if she met him again, she wouldn’t be in such a helpless situation as she was today.
After gathering my thoughts, I went back to my room to rest.
……
On Monday afternoon, after attending two consecutive function classes and writing a lot on the blackboard, and ingesting a lot of chalk dust, Serena Li felt a dry and itchy throat after class . She planned to go home after school and stew some rock sugar pears to drink.
As she finished packing her things and walked to the school gate, the security guard called out to her, “Teacher Li, please wait a moment.” He then went inside and brought out a neatly made bag, handing it to her. “Teacher Li, this is something your friend left for you.”
“Huh?” Serena Li was taken aback. The bag had the logo of a five-star restaurant printed on it. She took it and saw that it contained several items.
“Master Li, may I ask who stayed behind?” Serena Li had a vague premonition.
“It was delivered about half an hour ago. The person who delivered it drove a Bentley and said he was your friend, surnamed Mo,” the security guard said with a smile. Beneath that serious and polite smile was a kind-hearted yet gossipy man.
His surname is Mo, and his given name is Bentley, so he is Victor Mo.
Serena Li frowned as she looked at the bag in her hand. He was already gone; how could she return it? She could only carry it home.
When she got home, she took the contents of the bag out and put them on the coffee table.
A bowl of rock sugar bird’s nest, tightly packaged in an insulated box; a thermos of a certain Japanese brand; and two paper bags of herbal tea. Serena Li glanced at the instructions on the bags, which read, “It has the effects of quenching thirst, moisturizing the lungs, and clearing the voice.”
Having seen countless examples of how wealthy and powerful men pursue women—gifts of jewelry and designer clothes, some even throwing money at them— Serena Li would reject Victor Mo outright if he brought her those gifts .
The things he brought today weren’t expensive, but they were very practical for her.
Lost in thought while gazing at the bowl of rock sugar bird’s nest, my phone notified me of a new WeChat message.
Serena Li took it out and saw a message from Victor Mo : “Bird’s nest should be eaten while it’s hot.” These few words, though short, stirred up ripples in Serena Li’s heart like a stone falling into water.
Serena Li thought for a moment, organized her thoughts, and replied, “Mr. Mo, thank you, but…” Before she could finish typing, Victor Mo , seeing “typing is in progress” on the chat window, immediately dialed Serena Li ‘s number.
Serena Li looked at her phone screen, took a deep breath, and pressed the green answer button.
“Hello,” she said softly.
As she turned the pages of a document, she heard a soft chuckle from the other end of the phone.
“Have you eaten?” A deep, resonant male voice came from inside.
“Not yet, Mr. Mo. Actually, you don’t need to send anything to the school.”
“Does Miss Li mean it should be delivered to your home next time?”
“No, you’ve misunderstood. You don’t need to send me these.”
“It’s just a small token of my appreciation. If Miss Li doesn’t like it, please dispose of it.”
That’s not what I meant. I meant that I think…
“It’s not that you don’t like it, it’s fine.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Serena Li heard a male voice on the other end of the phone say, “Mr. Mo, the guests from the United States have arrived.”
Victor Mo responded, then said to her, “I have to go now, I’ll contact you another day. Okay?”
“You go ahead and do your thing!” The final “Mm” sounded too ambiguous, so Serena Li hung up the phone without a second thought.
Victor Mo glanced at the phone after hanging up, a slight smile playing on his lips. He picked up his coffee, turned his back to the door, and leisurely took a sip in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window, his eyes deep and thoughtful. A moment later, he picked up the documents on the table and strode out of the office.
Serena Li picked up the bowl of rock sugar bird’s nest and placed it on the dining table. It would be a pity to throw it away, but she was in no mood to eat it right now. Then she put the thermos and herbal tea bags into the locker.
It must be admitted that Victor Mo is a very good talker. When you talk to him, he can easily take the lead and block out any words of refusal you might want to say.
Serena Li opened a WeChat group with Lynn Yan and Joyce Wu called “Qiang Qiang San Ren Xing” (Three People Talking).
Li wanted to tell her sisters about what had happened these past few days, but when she thought of Joyce Wu’s mouth, how she could analyze things and make up solid evidence even for baseless claims, she stopped and decided not to tell her. Instead, she went to talk to the rational Lynn Yan alone .
I found Lynn Yan ‘s phone number and dialed it; she answered quickly.
“Hey, Serena.”
“Lingling, are you free tonight? Come over for dinner!”
“Okay, I need to do a check-up on an Alaskan Malamute later. I can be at your house in an hour.” The pet center where Lynn Yan works is not far from her home.
“No problem, what would you like to eat?”
“Make me some cola chicken wings, and you can decide the rest.”
“ok”
After hanging up the phone, Serena Li went down to the CR Vanguard supermarket in her neighborhood to buy groceries.
Serena Li’s culinary skills are largely due to her parents not being around. During the summer after her college entrance exams, she learned Cantonese cuisine from a neighbor who was skilled in it, and over time, she developed impressive culinary skills. Cantonese cuisine emphasizes quality and flavor, with a relatively light taste, which is especially suitable for her father’s sensitive stomach. Therefore, she learned it without hesitation, and excelled at soups, steaming, and stir-fries. Later, when her father was sent to work overseas, she moved from G City to Pengcheng to work. In her spare time, she would cook a few home-style dishes to entertain friends.
Just after 7 o’clock, Lynn Yan arrived. Serena Li opened the door for her, told her to wait a moment, and then went into the kitchen to cook the last dish.
Lynn Yan entered, she smelled the aroma of cola chicken wings and said she was starving.
A moment later, Serena Li brought out three dishes and a soup. Lynn Yan helped set the table and noticed the bowl of bird’s nest with rock sugar. “Oh, Serena, you made bird’s nest?”
Serena Li said while ladling soup, ” It was a gift from Victor Mo. “
“Huh? He’s been here?” Lynn Yan exclaimed.
“No, he had someone deliver it to the school gatekeeper. I later found out that it couldn’t be returned, so I took it home.” Serena Li handed Lynn Yan a bowl of goji berry soup.
“And then?” Lynn Yan asked.
“Let’s eat first, we’ll talk later.”
“Alright, I’m starving!” Lynn Yan knew there was more to come, but unlike Joyce Wu , she wasn’t in a hurry. Plus, she was really hungry, so she immediately sat down, looking all ready to get started.
Serena Li looked at her and said, “Look how hungry you are. Luckily I made extra. Don’t tell me you didn’t have lunch?”
Lynn Yan nodded and exclaimed, “Serena understands me so well! There are so many guests today.”
After dinner, Lynn Yan stood by the glass counter washing dishes, while Serena Li leaned against the kitchen door and told her about her recent encounters with Victor Mo.
“So, he must have found out you’re still single from your senior,” Lynn Yan said, winking at her.
“I really shouldn’t have agreed to go to that banquet with Alex Qi .” Why didn’t she think that Victor Mo would also be attending? She practically dug a hole for herself.
“I knew this guy surnamed Mo was cunning. You see, if he had thrown expensive jewelry and clothes at you, you would have refused him outright. But the things he gives you are ordinary, practical and thoughtful, so you feel bad refusing his kindness.”
“I just spoke to him on the phone, and he didn’t give me a chance to say no.”
“A person who does such a big business must be very shrewd. Serena, it seems that just because you want to ignore it doesn’t mean he will stop contacting you.”
“If he comes looking for me, I can simply avoid seeing him.”
“Someone like him can get any model or celebrity by just a snap of his fingers, and if he doesn’t want to play around anymore, he can easily get rid of them. Have you ever wondered why he’s interested in you?”
“It’s just her looks!” Serena Li knew she wasn’t bad-looking, but other than that, she really couldn’t think of anything attractive about her.
Lynn Yan thought for a moment, then walked out of the kitchen and said, “When you’re not smiling, you have the aloof goddess vibe, but when you smile, you’re incredibly approachable. Deep down, you’re both aloof and passionate. Many men love to conquer a beauty like you. The more indifferent you are to him now, the more he’ll look forward to how passionate you’ll be to him after he conquers you.”
Serena Li : “…”
“Drink this. You’ve been eating chalk dust all day, and your throat is dry. It’s good to have some nourishing and moisturizing medicinal food.” With that, he pushed the bowl of bird’s nest in front of Serena Li .
In the end, Serena Li and Lynn Yan shared the food.
Before going to sleep, Serena Li thought about what Lynn Yan said before she left, “Serena, have you ever thought that you don’t dislike him either?”
Don’t you dislike it? Probably, but I wouldn’t say I like it either.