Chapter 44: So She Was Mrs. Leng

The manager standing over there came over in a daze, smiling as he said, "So this is Mrs. Leng. It’s rare to see you around."

"Due to work, she seldom goes out," Leng Mohan replied with a light smile, walking alongside the manager.

“What kind of work does Mrs. Leng do?” the manager asked casually.

“She writes books,” Leng Mohan answered straightforwardly, engaging in light, casual chatter with the manager.

“So she’s a writer, an intellectual, a cultured person. Our President Liu is also a man of culture. He hopes that more people who dine here are like Mrs. Leng,” the manager flattered.

Lin Yan merely maintained a gentle smile without saying a word, watching Leng Mohan chat idly with the manager.

She was fully embodying the noble demeanor of a wealthy lady.

They soon arrived at the Qingzhu Pavilion. The manager asked again, “Mr. Leng, shall we order the usual dishes you often choose?”

Leng Mohan glanced at Lin Yan, who smiled faintly, as if to say, "I’ll follow your lead."

“Let my wife decide,” Leng Mohan said calmly.

The menu was handed to Lin Yan, but she had little appetite and leisurely flipped through it. She was surprised to find that all the dishes were ordinary home-style fare, yet the prices were outrageously high. Inwardly, she looked down on Leng Mohan once more—despite the many restaurants and eateries available, he deliberately chose this unremarkable yet exorbitantly priced establishment.

She casually picked a few familiar dishes. After the server noted them and left, as the private room door closed behind them, the smile on Lin Yan’s face sank immediately.

Leng Mohan looked at her, wanting to say there was no need to be so deliberate, but in the end, he said nothing. After all, it was he who had asked her to present herself as the lady of the Leng family.

The dishes arrived quickly, almost without waiting, yet during the meal, no words were exchanged between them.

Once the servers had all left, Leng Mohan poured Lin Yan a cup of tea. Since they planned to go shopping later, he didn’t order wine. Tea was his preference.

The steam curled gently from the cup, misting Lin Yan’s eyes, and Leng Mohan found it hard to discern her expression.

He lowered his head to sip the tea, then spoke softly, “Keep your schedule free on May 20th. One of the company’s partners is holding an event, and I want you to accompany me.”

Lin Yan pulled out her phone to check the calendar. “I probably can’t go with you. Our website is also hosting an event that day. Everyone participating in the romance writing contest has to attend.”

After saying this, she picked up her chopsticks and poked at the dishes, taking a piece of braised eggplant but hesitating to put it in her mouth. In truth, she wanted to say, “You can ask Miss Ziyan to go with you.”

But if she said that, she didn’t know how Leng Mohan would react or what he would think. What troubled her most was that she didn’t even understand her own feelings—why had she been overthinking and stirring up unnecessary emotions lately?

“Hm,” Leng Mohan nodded faintly, picking up a piece of eggplant and eating it himself. “Why aren’t you eating? Try it.”

“This place’s dishes are quite good. Every step is carefully prepared. Don’t be fooled by the home-style appearance; the taste is top-notch.”

Lin Yan held her chopsticks, her fingertips tracing the engravings on the metal. It seemed like a kind of pattern, though she didn’t recognize it.

In truth, she was quite bothered by Leng Mohan’s cold attitude toward her refusal. She didn’t know how to describe the feeling—just a stifling heaviness in her chest.