My Aloof Husband Can't Stop His Devoted Affection

Chapter 198:

Before the meal, the atmosphere was quite tense, but after everyone spoke their minds, it became noticeably more harmonious. Everyone was chatting and laughing, and the smiles on Ms. Qin and Miss Yu Hui’s faces deepened. The overwhelming joy seemed to spread to every corner of the private room.Cen Jin also breathed a sigh of relief; she had thought she was going to face Ms. Qin’s towering rage!

However, when it came to her father, she still felt a bit of sadness. She remembered that the words her father said to her most often and which left the deepest impression on her were, "Cen Jin! Grow slowly, your father hasn’t had time to spend with you yet! In the blink of an eye, you’ll be getting married, what will I do then?"

She once imagined that when she wore her wedding dress, she would walk gracefully towards the person she loved, arm in arm with her father.

But all these fantasies shattered the year she turned twelve, when her father’s unexpected death left their family suddenly teetering on the brink.

Perhaps the memories carried wounds that were too painful, as the stars in Cen Jin’s eyes noticeably dimmed, becoming dull and lifeless, and her mood was low. Her frequency of picking up food decreased, and eventually, she simply stopped using her chopsticks.

Jiang Baizhou, who was sitting beside her, quickly noticed her change. While the three elders were engrossed in conversation, he quietly moved closer to Cen Jin and asked softly, "What’s wrong? Don’t like the food? Want to order something else?"

Hearing this, Cen Jin looked up at him, seeing the faint worry in his eyes. Cen Jin pulled out a smile, "No, I made the reservation at this restaurant, and I ordered the dishes too. How could it not suit my taste?"

"Then why aren’t you eating? Didn’t you say you were hungry on the way here?" Jiang Baizhou gazed at her, and from up close, it was apparent that his eyes were full of her, as if nothing else could capture his attention.

Seeing his concerned expression, the sadness in Cen Jin’s heart gradually faded. She took a deep breath, picked up her chopsticks again, and smiled, "You’re right, it wasn’t easy to get a reservation at Yixiang Pavilion. It would be a pity not to eat my fill! I just tried the spicy crab, it’s quite tasty. Can you help me with some?"

Jiang Baizhou raised an eyebrow but said nothing more. He reached out with his long arm to place a crab in her bowl and countered, "Don’t just eat the dishes, have some rice, or you’ll be hungry at night."

"Okay, got it."

"Look at these two lovebirds, they just can’t stop whispering sweet nothings to each other, even over a dish." Miss Yu Hui, noticing their little interactions amidst laughter and chatter, couldn’t help but tease with a smile.

Cen Jin’s face turned a light shade of red, and she let out a shy laugh without responding.

Jiang Baizhou remained unfazed, letting them tease as much as they wanted, unperturbed as if he hadn’t heard a thing, focusing solely on serving food to Cen Jin.

After the meal, Jiang Baizhou paid the bill, and the group left Yixiang Pavilion. Miss Yu Hui suggested, "Xuesu, ride back with us! Let’s give these two lovebirds some time alone."

"Alright." Ms. Qin nodded in agreement and turned back to them, "We’ll head off first. Are you two going back or staying out for a stroll?"

"There’s nothing much to see outside, let’s go back! You all go ahead, we’ll follow shortly." After thinking it over for a moment, Cen Jin glanced at Jiang Baizhou and said, pursing her lips.