On the day she returned, Daniel Li drove Serena Li to the airport.
On the way, I asked her, “Serena, do you have a boyfriend now?”
Serena Li was a little surprised. Her father was someone she could talk to about anything, but he never asked about her love life. But considering that she was 26 this year, and Joyce Wu and Lynn Yan were a year older than her and had been pressured by their families to get married for three years, it was normal for her father to ask about it.
“I don’t have my mom’s luck; I haven’t found someone as outstanding as my dad!” Serena Li said to Daniel Li with a smile.
“Dad is getting old and isn’t in the country right now. Although Dad believes in your abilities, he also hopes that someone can take care of you.” Daniel Li said earnestly to her.
“Dad isn’t old! If that person isn’t in a hurry to come looking for me, then I’m not in a hurry to go looking for him!” she said coquettishly, understanding the considerations of parents, but these things really can’t be rushed.
Daniel Li affectionately patted her head and said, “Yes, my daughter is smart and beautiful, we’ll take our time to choose a suitable one!”
dropping Serena Li off at the airport, Daniel Li went to help her check in her luggage.
Serena Li checked in, Daniel Li had to go back to work, and the father and daughter said their reluctant goodbyes at the airport.
After passing through security, Serena Li checked the time. There was still half an hour before boarding. There were many shops in the waiting area, so she went into a shop selling local specialty jewelry to browse.
The culture and customs of M country are completely different from those in China. The jewelry sold at the airport is exquisite, and it is suitable for keeping for yourself or giving as a gift.
As they approached the boarding gate, Serena Li, carrying the jewelry she had bought, prepared to walk towards the gate.
Someone was rushing to catch a flight when a running man bumped into her, said “sorry,” and walked away.
With terrifying strength, Serena Li stumbled forward without any warning.
Instead of falling to the ground in a disheveled state, she bumped into the arms of a strong man.
A man’s unique scent wafted into my nose, faint, pleasant, and strangely familiar.
Still immersed in that strangely familiar scent, before she could react, the man who had supported her gripped her shoulders tightly, as if to make sure she was steady, before releasing her. After clear, steady footsteps, his deep voice came, “Are you alright?”
A magnetic voice
That sound…
Serena Li looked up and saw a handsome face and deep, dark eyes.
She was a little surprised to see Victor Mo here .
Victor Mo squinted at her. Today she was wearing a pinkish-purple organza dress, her skin as white as cream. Looking down, all he could see was her delicate chin, perfect for lifting and kissing. Thinking this, his gaze slowly moved downwards, landing on her full breasts. There, the ends of her ponytail, slightly yellowed, were casually draped, probably permed. At that moment, it brazenly brushed against that soft, elastic area, even playfully twirling.
He suddenly felt a dry mouth.
I looked away and saw the boarding pass in her hand, so I asked, “Are you going back to G City?”
Serena Li felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze, raised her hand to brush her bangs aside, and then said, “Yeah, I’m going home for a while.”
When are you going back to Pengcheng?
“Go back before school starts.” He stood very close, and her heart inexplicably raced.
Feeling that the two were not familiar with each other, Serena Li struggled between saying goodbye and leaving and trying to find something to talk about.
Just then, an announcement came over the airport’s public address system that boarding for her flight was beginning. After saying goodbye to Victor Mo , she headed to the gate.
Victor Mo stared in the direction she had left, his eyes narrowed, revealing a deep and dark depth.
……
Serena Li didn’t rest. She met up with friends there several times and revised her teaching paper, which she was preparing to publish on the National Journal Network. With only 10 days left before the start of the new semester, she went back to Pengcheng.
The day after returning to Pengcheng, I met up with Joyce Wu and another friend, Lynn Yan , for dinner and gave them the gifts I had brought back from my trip.
The restaurant was booked by Joyce Wu ; it was a music restaurant on the rooftop of a hotel in the CBD.
Joyce Wu said she had eaten there with her blind date before, and the food was delicious and visually appealing. Unfortunately, she wanted to maintain her ladylike image at the time and didn’t dare to indulge, but she still couldn’t stop thinking about the dishes. Today, she’s meeting up with her best friends and is determined to have a big meal.
Lynn Yan is a veterinarian. Her pet shop was busy today, so she sent a WeChat message to the three of them in their group chat, saying that she would be a little late and that today’s meal would be on her behalf.
Joyce Wu happened to be attending a yoga instructor training course at a club near the restaurant in the afternoon, so she arranged to meet Serena Li at 6 pm in the hotel lobby.
Joyce Wu arrived first, but she had just finished her training session and hadn’t had time to change her clothes yet, so she asked Serena Li to wait for her in the lobby while she went to the restroom to change out of her workout clothes.
Serena Li entered the hotel lobby, Victor Mo was walking out with several business-looking men, and the two met face-to-face in the lobby.
Serena Li saw Victor Mo walking towards her, she nodded and greeted him.
But when Victor Mo saw her, he stopped in his tracks. He first briefly told his clients to go ahead, and then came over to greet her.
“Miss Li, what a coincidence!”
Serena Li smiled somewhat awkwardly, “What a coincidence…”, and then fell silent.
Victor Mo glanced at her; she was wearing a light blue dress today, looking fresh and elegant. He said, “I had a social engagement here, so I came to check on things. What are you doing here—”
Victor Mo steered the conversation toward her, glancing at the two elegant gift bags she was holding.
“I had dinner with some friends here today,” I replied simply.
Victor Mo looked at her and asked, “Is it the music restaurant on the 45th floor?”
Serena Li nodded.
Just then , Joyce Wu came walking around the corner. She raised her right hand to greet her, and then said to Victor Mo , “My friend is here, so I won’t keep you any longer. You go ahead with your work, I’ll be going now.” Then she picked up her things and walked past Victor Mo and left.
Victor Mo picked up his phone, made a call, and stroked his chin, chuckling to himself with a meaningful smile.
Joyce Wu saw Serena Li chatting with a tall man in the lobby. Although the distance was a bit far and she couldn’t see the man’s full face, with her sharp eyes as a yoga instructor, she could tell from his physique and profile that he was a handsome, well-proportioned, and perfect man. Standing next to the delicate-featured and slender Serena Li , they were very eye-catching and looked like a perfect match.
She knew Serena Li had no shortage of suitors, and just as she was about to go forward to see more clearly, Serena Li walked towards her, and the man left.
Unfortunately, her gossipy heart had nowhere to go! Because she knew that if she asked Serena Li directly , she definitely wouldn’t reveal too much.
Even so, as Serena Li approached, Joyce Wu grabbed her hand and asked, “That guy looks nice, who is he?”
Serena Li, of course, noticed the gossip gleam in her eyes and teased her, “You’ve got your eye on someone? You want to get to know them?”
Joyce Wu smiled helplessly, knowing that Serena Li was always cunning and clever, and that she had steered the conversation away from the topic with just one sentence.
But she persisted, smiling as she pressed on, “The way he looked at you was so intense, was he pursuing you?”
“I see your mascara has come off, it’s blocking your vision, your eyesight isn’t very good,” Serena Li teased her with a laugh.
Joyce Wu also noticed something unusual about her eyelashes. She hadn’t had time to touch up her makeup while changing clothes because she was worried Serena Li would be waiting too long. She quickly took out her pocket mirror to check.
Serena Li pulled her into the elevator and took her to the music restaurant.
After the elevator took them to the 45th floor, the waiter led them to their reserved booth.
Joyce Wu sat down, she received a call from her cousin Sophia Su , while Serena Li picked up the menu to look at it.
Fifteen minutes later, Lynn Yan arrived.
Serena Li saw Lynn Yan , she beckoned her over.
“You did a great job with the sun protection. You’re still so fair after your summer trip!” Lynn Yan said , resting her chin on her hand as she sat down and looked at Serena Li .
“I used XX brand sunscreen this time, which is especially suitable for outdoor activities,” Serena Li said with a smile.
Girls’ conversations always revolve around beauty and makeup, and the two then went on to discuss sun protection measures.
After a while, Joyce Wu ended the call. After hanging up, she said indignantly, “The mistress is pregnant with Jack Jiang ‘s child, but the scumbag still refuses to divorce my cousin.”
“He doesn’t want a divorce because he doesn’t want a share of the assets! If your cousin didn’t want anything, I bet he’d agree to the divorce immediately.” Lynn Yan knew about this too, and upon hearing the new plot, she said with disdain.
“Exactly! He cheated on his wife, and now he expects my cousin to get nothing out of his assets? There’s no way he’ll let that go so easily! My cousin is determined to fight him to the death.” Saying this, she reached for the menu beside her. “Let’s not talk about scumbags today, let’s order first. I’ll give you some recommendations!”
After the three of them ordered, Serena Li picked up the gift bags next to her and handed one to each of them: “These are souvenirs I bought for you.”
The two accepted the gift and thanked Serena Li . Joyce Wu then took it out to look at it. Seeing that it was a scarf, she immediately put it around her neck, took out her phone, posed, took a picture, and uploaded it to her WeChat Moments—all in one smooth motion!
Lynn Yan sighed and said to Serena Li , “You’re so vain!”
Serena Li smiled, and the three of them chatted for a while about the market performance of the funds they had recently bought, before the waiter started serving the dishes.
The portions of the dishes are small but exquisite, and the aroma is irresistible, making them look incredibly appetizing.
In particular, the “Nine-Processed Jasmine Tea Fragrant Ribs” was highly recommended by Joyce Wu when ordering , and it certainly lived up to expectations, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
The three of them ate and chatted, ending their dinner in a pleasant atmosphere.
When it was time to pay the bill, Lynn Yan took out her card to pay. A middle-aged man who identified himself as the restaurant manager came over, looked at the three of them, and asked with a smile, “Excuse me, which one of you is Ms. Serena Li ?”
All three of them were stunned for a moment. Serena Li was the first to react and said to the restaurant manager, “That’s me.”
Serena Li a gold gift card, saying , “This is a gift card from Mr. Mo to Ms. Li. You can use it next time you come to make a purchase.”
Serena Li frowned and did not take the card.
Lynn Yan had no idea what had happened. Joyce Wu, remembering the man she had seen on the first floor, had her eyes light up and asked Serena Li , “Was it that stunner on the first floor just now?”
Serena Li ignored her and said to the manager, “Could you please return this to Mr. Mo? We can settle the bill ourselves.”
After hearing this, the manager looked troubled. “Ms. Li, you’re putting me in a difficult position. Mr. Mo is a good friend of our boss. If I don’t do a good job on the task he assigned me, it will be considered that I failed in my duties when my boss tells me about it.”
Before Serena Li could say anything, Joyce Wu stood up, took the manager’s gift card, and said with a smile, “Manager, the restaurant is busy, you can go ahead and get busy. I’ll give this card to my friend later!” After saying that, Joyce Wu patted his chest to assure him.
The restaurant manager glanced at Serena Li , then at Joyce Wu , said “thank you,” and walked away. Serena Li tried to call after him but couldn’t, and turned back to glare at Joyce Wu .
“Joyce, what’s going on?” Lynn Yan glanced at Serena Li and asked with interest.
Joyce Wu flicked the card in her hand with her index finger and said with a smile, “Just Serena’s typical suitor tactics!”