Si Chengyou safely drove Shen Yue to their destination. This was an old, renowned restaurant that specialized in Chinese cuisine. The environment was quite elegant, with only five tables of guests served daily. When Si Chengyou made the reservation it was already fully booked, but he happened to know the guests at one of the tables and they gave up their seats for him, otherwise he really wouldn't have known where to take Shen Yue today.
All the dining areas were private rooms, ensuring good privacy. After using the hot towels provided by the server to wash their hands, Si Chengyou passed the tablet with the menu selections to Shen Yue, "I've ordered some dishes you usually like to eat, take a look to see if there's anything else you might be interested in, feel free to order whatever you want."
Shen Yue looked them over, it was indeed all dishes she enjoyed, except for one she had never tried before. Shen Yue turned the tablet towards Si Chengyou and pointed at that dish, "Is this something you like to eat?"
Si Chengyou looked at it and stared back at Shen Yue as he replied, "I thought that dish might interest you so I ordered it, if you don't want to eat it we can cancel it."
Shen Yue shook her head, "I like it."
Si Chengyou nodded, his gaze beginning to flicker again.
After looking through what Si Chengyou ordered, Shen Yue didn't add anything further. She passed the tablet back to Si Chengyou and asked, "You ordered so much, are you going to take the leftovers to-go?"
Si Chengyou naturally nodded, "Finishing everything on the plate, taking leftovers back for my older brother to eat."
Shen Yue seldom saw this childish side of Si Chengyou's and asked doubtfully, "Will your brother be willing to eat it?"
"My brother eats everything."
A certain Eldest Young Master Si sneezed.
For some unknown reason, Shen Yue felt a competitive desire flare up. "My brother eats everything too."
Upon hearing this, Si Chengyou fell silent for a while before asking, "Then, shall we take leftovers back for our brothers to eat later?"
Shen Yichen also sneezed at that moment, having an uneasy premonition.
When Shen Yue heard Si Chengyou refer to "our" brothers, she realized something and stared into Si Chengyou's eyes accusingly, "Si Chengyou, you have no shame. That is my brother."
Si Chengyou pressed his lips for a moment before responding, "In that case, would you be willing for your brother to also become my brother?"
It was tactful, polite, and suitably measured.
But this was not the answer Shen Yue wanted to hear.
Her hand lightly tapped the table as she gently coaxed Si Chengou, "You shouldn't ask like that."
Si Chengyou understood Shen Yue's implication and decided to get straight to the point rather than beat around the bush. He asked directly, "Can I court you?"
It wasn't "I like you" or "I love you", can we be together, but rather "Can I court you?"
All Si Chengyou wanted was an opportunity, a chance for Shen Yue to judge whether she wanted to choose him or not.
He didn't want to force Shen Yue into hastily making a decision. He believed their every choice should be carefully and meaningfully made.
Shen Yue didn't rush to answer. Instead, she questioned him, "You're asking me now - what if I refuse? Won't you be worried that this meal will become awkward for us to keep eating?"
Si Chengyou had always been thoughtful and considerate but only upon Shen Yue's reminder did he recall this issue.
He had stumbled right into Shen Yue's trap just now in his eagerness.
He explained, "There's no need to answer hastily, feel free to consider for several more days."
But Shen Yue insisted, "I want to answer now."
Si Chengyou instantly sucked in a breath but before he even had time to grow nervous, he heard Shen Yue continue, "Yes."
"Si Chengyou, you may not know this but you're also a very important person to me."
Si Chengyou was unable to describe what he felt in that moment.
If forced to put it in words, he felt like his heart had turned into a dandelion that Shen Yue had just gently nudged, abruptly scattering into the air. Only then did he realize his heart had long been filled with Shen Yue's visage.
Si Chengyou didn't even know how he ate the rest of that meal. All he knew was that he was extremely joyful and elated. He wished he could spontaneously perform a 360 degree Thomas Spin and fly into outer space to orbit the earth 30 times before flying back. But he couldn't do that because he was Si Chengyou and needed to maintain appearances.
The two ate quite a lot at dinner but as Shen Yue said, the portions were too big and inevitably there were still many leftovers. Looking at the takeout boxes before them, Si Chengyou asked Shen Yue, "Which brother should these go to?"
Shen Yue thought for a bit before suggesting, "Let's play rock paper scissors, the loser has to give it to their brother."
Si Chengyou lost. So that night a certain Eldest Young Master Si suffered an unwarranted calamity.
Si Chengyou was very forthright in explaining to Eldest Brother Si why he had brought home these leftovers. Eldest Brother Si was greatly shocked, he didn't expect for this little brother of his to have such swift romantic progress.
As the Eldest Brother Si, he had to give his full support towards his younger brother's affections.
For the sake of his younger brother's romance - he would finish all these leftovers!
Of course the Si family was a close-knit one. For the sake of Si Chengyou's romance, it wasn't only the Eldest Brother who bravely took on the task, he also brought along their aged father.
From then on, every time Si Chengyou arranged to dine out with Shen Yue, two Si men would suffer distress.
After Si Chengyou began pursuing Shen Yue, he still took Uncle Zhang's job. A month after getting to know Shen Yue, he brazenly danced his way into the Shen family residence - the first time Si Chengyou was kicked out of the Shen house by Shen Yichen.
Two months later, Si Chengyou daringly attempted formal entry into the Shen household again, only to be tossed out the door by Second Brother Shen who happened to be home.
Three months later, an increasingly gutsy Si Chengyou was thrown out by Shen Wu!
Seeing Si Chengyou looking so pitiful, after he was kicked out Shen Yue gave him a bag of pudding to comfort him, "Don't feel bad, it will take my brothers some time to come around but it will get better later. Can you take this pudding back for Auntie and the rest?"
Si Chengyou accepted the pudding and deliberately lowered his eyes to act pitiful before Shen Yue, "It's only right for them to be like this. I still haven't done well enough."
Shen Yue saw through Si Chengyou's little act but still ate it up anyway. She didn't poke holes in it but instead opened up her arms towards Si Chengyou, "Don't feel wronged, want a hug?"
Si Chengyou's eyes instantly lit up.
"Yes."
At this moment, the sun, wind and moon were all gathered in his embrace.
