Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Looking at her daughter’s watery eyes, Lin Ke felt a little troubled.

From the sofa, Si Yun walked over, picked up the little girl, and tapped her forehead.

“They’re going on a date. Why are you trying to be a third wheel?”

Si Xiaotie sniffled, curiosity instantly taking over.

“What’s a third wheel? What’s a date?”

Si Yun didn’t explain.

Instead, she carried her back toward the living room.

“Alright, let’s go eat cake.”

Si Xiaotie poked her head over Si Yun’s shoulder.

“Then Mommy, you have to come back quickly!”

Lin Ke silently breathed a sigh of relief.

“Okay.”

After getting into the car, Lin Ke looked at the man whose lips were slightly curved upward.

“What are you laughing at?”

“Nothing.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll know when we get there.”

About twenty minutes later, they arrived at their destination—

one of Beicheng’s top luxury five-star hotels.

The rooftop sky restaurant was one of those famous “must-visit couples’ spots” all over the internet.

While riding the elevator, Lin Ke asked with amusement,

“Did Xu Lin pick this restaurant for you?”

“No.”

She raised an eyebrow.

No?

He picked it himself?

Then it must’ve come from Baidu recommendations.

No wonder he’d chosen such a place.

Really quite something for the mighty boss of Beicheng to lower himself into coming to an internet-famous dating spot.

Still, there was indeed something different tonight.

The entire sky restaurant was only serving their table.

Champagne, roses, live piano accompaniment—

everything that should and shouldn’t be there was there.

Lin Ke looked out the window.

The entire city stretched beneath them.

Neon lights melted into flowing rivers of color, while the warm yellow lights from distant residential buildings blinked rhythmically like the breathing heartbeat of the city.

Her gaze slowly shifted, landing on the reflection in the glass wall.

The man adjusted his napkin before elegantly pouring already-aerated red wine into her glass.

Every movement was graceful and textbook-perfect.

Lin Ke thought that if not for the embarrassingly romantic piano music beside them, this could almost count as a normal date.

But what exactly were they supposed to talk about?

At home, with Si Xiaotie around, meals were never short on conversation topics.

Yet in a setting like this, she suddenly felt at a loss.

Talk about work?

Life?

Dreams?

What did ordinary couples even talk about while dating?

While she hesitated, the man across from her spoke first.

“How’s interview preparation going?”

“Almost done.”

“Need my help?”

She had intended to say no.

But when the words reached her lips, she changed them.

“If I need help later, I’ll ask you.”

The interview format hadn’t been finalized yet.

It would likely be structured interviews focusing on comprehensive analysis, planning, organization, and emergency response capabilities.

As the head of a giant corporation like Entropy Domain, Si Yuming’s logic and judgment were unmatched.

He could definitely guide her in some areas.

Following her response, he asked,

“How does the interview work?”

“Based on the Foreign Ministry’s past formats, it’s usually structured interviews plus follow-up questioning. Unless something unexpected happens, it should be the same this year.”

“What kind of questions usually come up?”

Lin Ke began explaining previous years’ real interview questions along with her own analysis.

He responded in turn.

With the conversation naturally flowing back and forth, she no longer had time to worry about finding topics.

More than an hour later, the woman finally slowed down while speaking.

Lowering her eyes, she discovered that her steak had somehow been moved onto his plate and cut into bite-sized pieces, most of which she had unknowingly eaten already.

Si Yuming placed the final piece back onto her plate, smiling faintly.

“Full?”

Lin Ke shot him a look.

“I’m full. Eat your own.”

“Want to sit a while longer?”

Only after they stopped talking did she realize how much she’d eaten.

Her stomach felt slightly bloated now.

“No. I want to walk around outside and digest a little.”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

On the other side of the restaurant was the executive lounge.

The moment they stepped out, they unexpectedly ran into someone familiar—

Jiang Chengyin and a beautifully dressed female friend.

Since they had bumped into each other face-to-face, greeting them was unavoidable.

Lin Ke spoke first.

“Miss Jiang. What a coincidence.”

She and Jiang Chengyin weren’t particularly close.

After marriage, Jiang Chengyin had visited the old residence two or three times to see Si Yun, but they hadn’t really interacted much.

Back when she’d first learned Jiang Chengyin was Si Yun’s preferred candidate for a sister-in-law, Lin Ke had deliberately looked into her background.

Jiang Chengyin was an exceptionally capable and independent woman.

Later, while working at Entropy Domain, Lin Ke personally confirmed it.

Jiang Chengyin possessed many admirable qualities—

confidence, composure, leadership, and strong control over situations.

At this moment, Jiang Chengyin met her gaze openly and generously.

“Quite the coincidence. Here for dinner?” Her eyes drifted toward the restaurant behind them, seeming to understand instantly. She smiled ambiguously. “So President Si booked out the entire restaurant. No wonder we had to eat downstairs in the lounge tonight.”

Lin Ke smiled politely in return.

The elevator arrived.

The four entered together.

Jiang Chengyin asked,

“How’s Sister Yun doing lately?”

Lin Ke wasn’t sure whether the question was directed at her.

Meanwhile, the man beside her remained silent.

She lightly bumped his shoulder.

Only then did he respond faintly,

“She’s alright.”

“I’ve been too busy lately. I’ll go visit her after the New Year.”

“Okay.”

After that, silence filled the elevator all the way down to the lobby.

The couple planning to walk around exited first.

Jiang Chengyin and her friend continued downward.

After the elevator doors closed, the friend looked at the somewhat distracted woman and quietly asked,

“So that’s Si Yuming’s wife?”

“Mm.”

“She’s pretty.” Knowing her friend’s history, the woman sighed softly. “Honestly, they seem to have a pretty good relationship. He even booked out a restaurant for her. Doesn’t look anything like the business marriage rumors people spread…”

Everyone in their social circle knew about the Si family situation.

Back then, nobody had high hopes for the marriage.

A dying old man’s final wish wasn’t something anyone could stop, but most assumed the marriage would end in divorce within a few years.

Who could’ve expected her to become pregnant in less than half a year?

Now their daughter was already several years old.

Inside the cramped elevator, silence lingered.

The friend cautiously asked again,

“Chengyin, you…”

The elevator reached the underground parking level.

Jiang Chengyin stepped out and let out a scoffing laugh.

“Stop overthinking. I’m fine. It’s all in the past.”

“Chengyin…”

“What? You don’t believe me? If not, I’ll go get married tomorrow just to prove it to you.”

“Please don’t do anything impulsive.” The friend hurried after her. “Hey, wait for me!”

……

Near the restaurant was a lively commercial district.

Even at this hour, it remained bustling.

Lin Ke chose a quiet-looking alley, but after walking through it, she realized that Foreign Languages University stood not far ahead.

Si Yuming took her hand and asked softly,

“Want to go take a look?”

Warmth spread across her palm.

Lin Ke lowered her eyes, stunned for several seconds before nodding.

“Mm.”

People grew older.

But schools remained forever young.

The boys and girls within them stayed forever youthful as well.

Since it was Spring Festival break, the campus was quieter than usual.

Still, occasional students remained on campus.

As Lin Ke walked along the deeply familiar pathways, emotions inevitably surfaced inside her.

This had once been her youth—

a time when she possessed nothing, yet also possessed everything.

This was where her dreams and hopes for the future first took root and began to grow.

She looked up at the man beneath the dim streetlights, his sharp features even more defined than before.

“Si Yuming.”

“Mm?”

“Tell me about your university days.”

“What do you want to hear?”

“Anything.”

He slowly began speaking.

“Stanford’s in the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s very different from here. The more glamorous and extravagant it looks on the surface, the more crime and darkness exist underneath…”

“Mmm~”

The woman dragged out the sound softly, almost coquettishly.

“I don’t want to hear that. I want to hear about your life.”

“My life?” He paused briefly. “There wasn’t much of one. Most days were just classes, studying, project work. When I first arrived there, I was just a young man who understood nothing. There were too many outstanding people around me. Who had time for life?”

“Your sister said you learned to cook there.”

“Mm. The food there was unbearable.”

Back then, whenever she thought about it, she couldn’t stop herself from imagining things.

Jiang Chengyin had attended the same university.

They’d both been alone overseas.

Had they eaten many meals together?

Had Jiang Chengyin tasted the very first dish he ever cooked?

She used to care deeply about things like that.

Now, those feelings had gradually faded.

Even after seeing Jiang Chengyin again tonight, she no longer felt those old emotions.

Lin Ke pressed her lips together into a smile and stopped asking further questions.

“So the overseas student became a chef.”

Si Yuming lowered his gaze toward her.

The weather was cold.

The tips of the woman’s exposed ears had turned faint pink, while bright light seemed to fill her clear eyes.

She looked genuinely happy tonight.

She wore a white dress beneath a wool coat, her hair loosely tied back.

Her gentle beauty made her look young enough to still be a university student.

He tightened his grip on her hand.

“Anything else?” Lin Ke asked again.

“The climate there’s mild. It rarely snows, so every winter I especially missed the snow in Beicheng. Whenever it rained, the whole city looked filthy. I didn’t even want to go outside.” Si Yuming spoke casually, thinking of things as they came to mind. “There were also tons of thieves. In just a few years, my phone got stolen five or six times.”

“That sounds terrifying.”

“So we absolutely can’t let Xiaotie study abroad in the future.”

“What if she wants to?”

“No.”

“Careful. She might fight with you and stop acknowledging you as her father.”

“Still no.”

Lin Ke suddenly thought of something and immediately stopped taking their daughter’s side.

“Mm, maybe we really shouldn’t send her abroad. What if some blond-haired punk kidnaps her away?”

“If she dares get kidnapped by some punk, I’ll break her legs.”

Lin Ke laughed.

“You better stick to that. Don’t go soft-hearted and spoil her when the time comes.”

The couple continued walking deeper into campus while chatting.

Near the dormitory area, there were more students around, and increasingly more people looked their way—

especially the female students.

Perhaps because the atmosphere felt relaxed, Lin Ke suddenly teased him.

“When you studied overseas, did lots of girls like you?”

After seven or eight seconds passed without an answer, she looked up.

“Why aren’t you answering?”

Si Yuming stopped walking.

Meeting her gaze, amusement flickered in his eyes.

“Jealous?”

“…Who’s jealous?” Lin Ke replied speechlessly and continued walking forward.

After a while, they reached a convenience store outside the dormitory buildings.

Si Yuming asked,

“Want water?”

“Yes.”

He went inside to buy drinks while Lin Ke waited outside.

Two or three minutes later, he emerged to find a young male college student standing beside her.

Not too close.

But close enough for him to hear the conversation.

“Excuse me, are you an alumna?”

“Not exactly. I already graduated.”

“Oh, oh. Senior, are you waiting for someone?”

“Yes. My husband’s inside buying water.”

“Ah… sorry.”

The boy awkwardly retreated.

The woman turned around.

The moment she saw him, she immediately looked away, her cheeks flushing visibly red.

Even her neck turned a soft coral shade.

Si Yuming smiled faintly as he walked over, unscrewed the water bottle cap, and handed it to her.

Lin Ke took it, drank two mouthfuls, then hurriedly shoved it back into his hands before quickly walking ahead.

But after only two steps, she suddenly froze.

Si Yuming followed her gaze.

Only then did he notice the young couple beneath a ginkgo tree near the dormitory building, kissing passionately as though the world contained no one else.

The air itself seemed to turn pink.

The temperature rose too, burning faintly.

Lin Ke turned around blankly.

Unexpectedly, the man behind her bent down naturally and gently kissed the corner of her lips.

At that instant, her heartbeat thundered violently.

Through eyes that hadn’t yet closed, she saw countless stars explode behind him beneath the streetlights.

……

By the time they got home, it was nearly ten.

After going upstairs, the woman headed directly toward the children’s room without even looking back.

“I’m sleeping with our daughter tonight.”

Inside the room, the little girl already asleep was awakened by her mother climbing into bed after showering.

Half-asleep, she opened her eyes groggily and spoke in a soft, sticky voice.

“Mommy… you’re back from your date…”

“……”

“Daddy…”

    “Forget him.”