Chapter 1019: A Sudden Inspiration
"Is it really such a coincidence?" Li Xiaoyun was a bit skeptical.
"Of course it’s true. You’ll know once we have more meals together," Zhao Dingli casually arranged for future meals together.
As someone who’s been single since birth, Li Xiaoyun could easily pick up on implied meanings in workplace conversations.
Some nuances in words, like Zhou Yunyun, who’s a bit oblivious, wouldn’t pick up on and wouldn’t be affected.
But Li Xiaoyun could grasp all the hidden meanings.
However, outside of work, she completely missed the cues in male-female interactions.
She was totally unaware that Zhao Dingli was trying to pursue her.
Zhao Dingli asked what Li Xiaoyun usually did, finding out most of the time she was with Ye Fei and Xiao Mo.
Whether it was traveling or weekend outings, Ye Fei and Xiao Mo were always around.
But after Ye Fei married Zhao Gushen, her time was mostly taken up by him.
If Ye Fei wanted to meet up with Li Xiaoyun, she had to wait until Zhao Gushen was busy with work or traveling.
Otherwise, Zhao Gushen, being clingy, would stick to Ye Fei whenever he was free.
Zhao Gushen wouldn’t stop Ye Fei from meeting Li Xiaoyun, but with him tagging along, Li Xiaoyun felt uneasy and couldn’t relax.
But Zhao Gushen was busy with work.
He often worked overtime.
And his business trips lasted long.
Unless it was domestic, he’d return in two or three days.
But once he traveled abroad, it was at least a week.
Taking these opportunities, Ye Fei met with Li Xiaoyun often.
Actually, Li Xiaoyun was a homebody.
If Ye Fei and Xiao Mo didn’t reach out, she would stay home, not wanting to go anywhere.
Mrs. Li often said she’s thankful for Ye Fei and Xiao Mo, who take her out occasionally.
Otherwise, she worried Li Xiaoyun would become unhealthy staying in too much.
Especially during holidays, if Ye Fei and Xiao Mo didn’t invite her or she didn’t visit her parents,
Li Xiaoyun’s WeChat step count would stay in single digits if left home alone.
Mrs. Li would see that and give a hearty like.
Letting Li Xiaoyun know she noticed she hadn’t gone out!
As Mrs. Li put it, even if you just went to the bathroom with your phone, your step count shouldn’t stay in single digits.
"I usually enjoy activities that require minimal movement, like staying home watching dramas, movies, or building Lego sets on my own," Li Xiaoyun said.
"I remember, Xiao Mo also loves building Lego," Zhao Dingli recalled.
Li Xiaoyun smiled and said, "That’s because of my influence."
"Ye Fei took care of Xiao Mo alone growing up, and on weekends, I’d go to Ye Fei’s place, or she’d bring Xiao Mo to my house. Most weekdays, Ye Fei and Xiao Mo would come over, and she’d make dinner for me," Li Xiaoyun explained.
"Before Ye Fei stabilized her food blogger career, I took care of her. Once her job was stable, she started looking after me. Even if I left work on time, it’d take some time to get home, so Ye Fei would bring Xiao Mo over, make dinner, and the three of us would eat together."
Zhao Dingli couldn’t help but laugh, "Don’t tell Gu Shen about this, or he’d be jealous."
With Zhao Gushen’s pettiness, he might remember it for life.
Li Xiaoyun laughed at the thought and said, "I definitely won’t tell him."
"Back then, when I built Lego with Xiao Mo, that’s how he developed a love for it and now likes assembling them," Li Xiaoyun laughed, "Despite his young age, he loves challenging sets."
"Initially, he tried series like Friends, City - suitable for his age, but soon found them easy and started choosing sets with more pieces."
The sets with many pieces are quite classic and pricey, but luckily Ye Fei’s income could support it.
"Although he’s young, he can build the Street View and Disney Castle series," Li Xiaoyun couldn’t stop talking about Xiao Mo.
Zhao Dingli listened patiently, even though Li Xiaoyun was talking about Xiao Mo.
He couldn’t help but imagine Li Xiaoyun with her child, building Lego together.
It was a heartwarming scene, making one feel happy just thinking about it.
Li Xiaoyun noticed Zhao Dingli really could handle spicy food and wasn’t just accommodating her taste.
Her own lips were red and shiny from the spicy oil.
"You had this before, how do you find the broth?" Zhao Dingli asked.
"One reason I love this place is the authentic base," Li Xiaoyun answered.
"Going to Sichuan and Chongqing with Ye Fei and Xiao Mo, we found the hotpot broth there particularly rich," Li Xiaoyun said, "The more you eat, the spicier and more fragrant it gets. But in City B, the hotpot lacks something."
"Even branches from Sichuan-Chongqing chains seem to adjust flavors for local tastes, differing from the experience there. Only Yan Beicheng’s hotpot restaurant felt authentic but was far. When this place opened, it was close to home, making it convenient and one of the two authentic brands in City B for me."
The staff were well-trained, enthusiastic but not intrusive, leaving guests personal space.
Zhao Dingli sought Li Xiaoyun’s feedback on her dining experience.
They chatted about personal stuff and dining-related matters.
Li Xiaoyun thought, Zhao Dingli was actually inspecting the restaurant.
She didn’t think much else of it.
Asking about her routine seemed natural since chatting couldn’t just be about work.
After dining, they walked home together.
Since Zhao Dingli had some beer, Li Xiaoyun said, "You shouldn’t drive right away after drinking. Come up for tea or something."
Zhao Dingli hadn’t had much; together they’d only shared a bottle of beer.
But driving after drinking is a no-no.
This was part of Zhao Dingli’s plan.
He was worried that she might not invite him in when he came back for his car.
So, he cleverly had a drink.
He usually didn’t drink much and drank even less this time.
He didn’t want to give a bad impression of being fond of drinking.
Now he happily accepted Li Xiaoyun’s invitation and went home with her.