Chapter 141 — Old Buffon's Origins
Years of Heartflutter · Page 189 of 214
He stepped into Aunt Hong's "Commoner's Eatery." Around these parts, it was the only halfway decent snack shop, and back when Yang Mo had come to Fang Tian's house and arrived with an empty stomach, this was where he had grabbed a quick bite.
Aunt Hong knew Yang Ce was Lin Yanhe's boyfriend, so she was always especially warm whenever he came in.
"Little Yang, you're here! Come in, come in and sit." Aunt Hong greeted him warmly. "Take a private room."
"It's just me—what do I need a private room for?" Yang Mo found it odd. "Out here's fine."
"Well, ah—" Aunt Hong sighed, as though she wanted to say something but thought better of it.
That only left Yang Ce more baffled. He went inside, and just as he was about to drop into a chair at the first table he came to, he looked up and spotted another table not far off where a group of men sat drinking—and there, plain as day, was Li Dadong among them.
A moment's thought and Yang Ce understood what Aunt Hong had meant. She must have been afraid he and Li Dadong would run into each other and things would turn awkward, which was why she had tried to steer him into a private room the moment he walked in.
But the encounter had already happened, and Yang Shuoxuan could hardly pretend not to know him—especially since Yang Ce and he had gotten on rather well last time they talked.
For the full story on Li Dadong, see Chapter 547, "Contesting 'Big Winter Melon.'" Yang Hengye nodded at Li Dadong by way of greeting.
"Yang—Yang Ce—" Li Dadong started, then answered awkwardly, never expecting to run into Yang Ce here.
"Dadong, who's that?" asked another young man drinking with Li Dadong.
"A friend," Li Dadong said vaguely.
"Come join us for a drink!" another fellow, of a more hearty build, called out to Yang Ce.
"No, thanks—I'm meeting someone, just grabbing a bite and then I'm off." No sooner had Yang Yan finished speaking than he regretted it. Before coming, he had phoned Lin Yanhe; Yang Yan was a little hungry and had come here for a meal. Lin Yanhe had nothing much to do either way, so she told Yan she would come to the restaurant to find him.
Now, seeing Li Dadong here too, Yang Ce wondered whether he ought to call Lin Yanhe and tell her not to come—after all, it would be a bit awkward.
But on second thought, this was something Li Dadong would have to face sooner or later; there was no way on earth Yang Ce would give up Lin Yanhe, so there was no point tiptoeing around it. He dismissed the idea, picked up the menu, and ordered a plate of fried rice and a small dish of braised beef.
Lin Yanhe's home was very close by. Yang Ce had barely set down the menu when she drifted in. Perhaps Li Dadong had seen her too and, fearing awkwardness, had lowered his head—so Lin Yanhe did not notice he was there.
"Yang Ce, why didn't you come to my place to eat?" Lin Yanhe was a little put out that Yang Ce would come to a restaurant to eat when her home was right there.
"Aunt Shen isn't home, is she? There'd be no one to cook for me. And even if she were, it's not mealtime—how could I put her out like that?" Yang Yan said.
"But I can cook! Fried rice and things like that don't take long at all," Lin Yanhe said.
Yang Puqi was taken aback, then it dawned on him—so Lin Yanhe could cook, too. These days, girls who could handle a kitchen were few and far between; Yang Ce hadn't expected to have more than one such girl around him.
"Hey, Dadong—isn't that your Lin Yanhe?" The hearty young man drinking with Li Dadong suddenly caught on.
Li Dadong could only smile bitterly. The men drinking with him were all good friends from high school, and they knew his business well; many of them knew Lin Yanhe and knew how Li Dadong felt about her.
They had all assumed the two were a match made in heaven—yet here was Lin Yanhe, laughing and chatting away with another man.