After Yu Zhi and Zhu Lingling sat down, everyone at the table expected the atmosphere to be tense, their hearts both anxious and excited, ready for the storm that was about to break.
People at other tables were probably straining their ears to eavesdrop.
However, to everyone's surprise, not only Qin Xian but also Ji Fei's reactions were completely unexpected.
It was as if the person who arrived wasn't Qin Xian's ex-girlfriend at all, but rather someone completely irrelevant.
Yet everyone felt this was the calm before the storm.
No one at the table took the initiative to speak, making the atmosphere somewhat oppressive.
Some were waiting eagerly for drama to unfold, almost hoping for more awkwardness, while others were genuinely uncomfortable, unsure whether to continue the previous discussion about the wedding or inquire about Yu Zhi's recent return from abroad. Every topic seemed like walking on eggshells.
Fortunately, it was time for the food to be served, and the busy movements of the wait staff interrupted everything.
After all the dishes were served, Luo Fei seized the opportunity to discuss the delicious food with Yu Yue and Bai Xiaoxi, trying to ease the tension and change the subject.
Luo Fei now somewhat sided with Ji Fei and didn't want her to feel uncomfortable. Yu Yue and Bai Xiaoxi, who had gotten along well with Ji Fei earlier, played along.
Soon, Cen Ting and Jing Yan joined the conversation. They brought up how Yu Yue once made an entire feast of Bai Xiaoxi's favorite dishes after making her angry, even hiring eight chefs for guidance.
Yu Yue said with a grin, "A man's best dowry is knowing when to apologize and how to cook. None of you can compare to how well I treat my wife."
Hearing this, Qin Xian looked up at Yu Yue, his eyes showing a hint of curiosity.
Really? Is that what it means to cherish one's wife?
Glancing around, he noticed Ji Fei lost in thought, mechanically sipping her soup, even ignoring her favorite crab legs as they passed by.
She was clearly absorbed in secretly observing the drama, so much that she'd forgotten everything else.
Qin Xian felt somewhat helpless and took a portion for her, a gesture that surprised everyone present.
Everyone knew that Qin Xian had a mild allergy to seafood and rarely touched it, so why now...?
The next moment, everyone was even more shocked to see Qin Xian put on gloves, take up the tools, and carefully extract the crab meat piece by piece, placing it in Ji Fei's bowl, even preparing the accompanying sauce.
These actions were performed slowly and elegantly, as if taking care of the person beside him was something entirely natural.
Yu Zhi, who had been secretly watching the situation, almost teared up at this sight.
How could Qin Xian take such good care of another woman, especially right in front of her?
Zhu Lingling, being a fan of the Qin Xian and Yu Zhi pairing, watched with wide eyes and immediately whispered in Yu Zhi's ear, "He must be doing this deliberately for you to see!"
Yu Zhi's eyes flickered. Deliberately?
Yes, it must be deliberate. After all, everyone knew that Ji Fei had schemed to marry Qin Xian - how could he genuinely care for a woman who had manipulated him?
The others, however, were puzzled.
Was he putting on a show? That wasn't like Qin Xian's personality.
Genuinely caring for his wife... that seemed even more incredible... though since their arrival, many unbelievable things had already happened.
Ji Fei had no idea that Qin Xian's casual gesture had stirred up such emotions around the table.
She was too busy gossiping in her mind. She hadn't even noticed Qin Xian preparing the crab meat for her, eating it automatically.
Her attention was still fixed on the juicy gossip she'd just discovered.
After seeing Yu Zhi, what Ji Fei was most curious about was why Yu Zhi had dumped Qin Xian in the first place. After all, Yu Zhi now always appeared to have unexpressed feelings, making people wonder if there was some hidden hardship.
Qin Xian wasn't curious at all, feeling that exploring the past was meaningless.
But because Ji Fei was so nosy, Qin Xian had to listen even if he wasn't interested.
[What? What? What? What? Did I read that wrong?]
Qin Xian's initial lack of curiosity was forcibly transformed into interest by Ji Fei's progressively higher-pitched "whats."
[I thought it would be some tragic story - I had already thought of three possible reasons: cancer, car accident, or amnesia. But you're telling me it's similar to Xuan Yi's reason - just climbing the social ladder, abandoning love for status. To think that even a high-quality man like Qin Xian could be someone's backup plan!]
Qin Xian: ????!
[So, she failed to marry into old money nobility abroad, tried for years but they still looked down on her. Seeing Qin Xian becoming more and more successful, she finally couldn't resist and discussed with her family before deciding to return home to pursue Qin Xian.]
Qin Xian's expression was subtle. So that's how it was. Such things weren't uncommon in their circles. Although he had been someone's backup plan, Qin Xian felt no emotional fluctuation - that was someone else's thinking, it had nothing to do with him really.
Not only did he feel no emotional fluctuation, he even thought this gossip was quite interesting.
It served Ji Fei right for always thinking they would get back together, even when he said there was nothing between him and Yu Zhi anymore. Ji Fei never believed it and would always imagine he was just saying the opposite of what he felt.
Now that she knew Yu Zhi's intentions were never pure, would Ji Fei finally give up those ridiculous thoughts?
[How could she do this! Damn! That's too much!]
The sudden angry tone made Qin Xian pause, then slowly smile.
He wasn't angry, but Ji Fei was this angry - was she concerned about him?
[How are we supposed to get divorced now with this situation!]
Qin Xian: ...
[I thought I was helping true lovers get together, but now I can't just watch Qin Xian jump into a fire pit. But if he doesn't jump, then my divorce seems far away.]
Qin Xian: ...
[I've been single for so long, and I'm waiting to get my share of the money to find a young hottie with an eight-pack! Yu Zhi, you fool, why couldn't you just purely love him! You should have fought for love! You're making this really difficult for me!]
Qin Xian: ...
While everyone was chatting casually and watching Qin Xian's novel behavior of taking care of his wife,
Suddenly, they saw Qin Xian's face darken as he put down the half-peeled crab claw and removed his gloves.
Then he started eating his own food, as if sulking.
This... was it really because of Yu Zhi? After all, Ji Fei had been quietly eating, and they had just asked about how Yu Zhi had been doing abroad all these years.
Yu Zhi answered vaguely, "Pretty well."
Seeing Qin Xian's reaction after her response, Yu Zhi felt secretly pleased - clearly, Qin Xian cared about her.
Then seeing Ji Fei look up at her with obvious disapproval, she could barely contain her satisfaction.
"How could it be good when you spent so long in a nursing home? We're all old friends here, Yu Zhi, don't hide it. Some people shouldn't keep criticizing you about the past!" Zhu Lingling immediately retorted.
"Lingling, don't..." Yu Zhi appeared anxious to stop Zhu Lingling.
But Zhu Lingling burst out like a firecracker, "All these years, Yu Zhi never let me tell anyone, but today I can't hold it in anymore - I have to say it. Back then, Yu Zhi left because she had a serious illness. She didn't know what the future held, and because she didn't want to be a burden to others, she secretly went abroad for treatment."
