Chapter 15: Reminiscence-A Cat for Every Cat Owner(Wise as snow, cold as ice.)

Faced with her friend's teasing, Lin Luoyou laughed and admitted, "Of course! Both of their cats are incredibly cute! But the other one is so fierce, I still haven’t managed to pet it yet."

"Hello, what can I get for you?" Qin Shishen noticed Lin Luoyou’s friend had arrived, so he walked over with two menus.

Jiang Xiaohan quickly took the menu, picked out her dishes in no time, and handed the menu back to Qin Shishen. Leaning forward, she said to Lin Luoyou, "Hey, Luoyou, you didn’t just drag me here for a meal, did you? Something’s up, right? Let your wise older sister give you some advice."

"It’s… nothing major." Lin Luoyou had also finished choosing and returned her menu to Qin Shishen. "Zhen Hao found out I turned down XM."

"Pfft, that’s hardly a big deal! It was their company’s interview after all. He might not be in HR, but it’s not hard to get some news. He dotes on you so much, pays attention to every step you take—of course he’d hear about it quickly."

After speaking, Jiang Xiaohan shifted her posture, her eyes full of gossip. "No, you’re not telling me everything. You wouldn’t have called me out just for this minor thing."

"What, I can’t ask you out for a meal if nothing’s wrong?" Lin Luoyou looked displeased. "I’m not that calculating!"

"Alright, alright, you’re not."

"But actually, there is something else." Once Jiang Xiaohan finished, Lin Luoyou slowly revealed her real reason for calling her out. "I turned him down. Just now. I got really upset by what he said, and I think I spoke a bit harshly. Well, maybe more than a bit. Do you think I should apologize?"

Lin Luoyou recounted everything that had happened after she hung up the phone with him.

"It’s good you finally said it. With how dense you are, I doubt you’ll ever figure out love. As for apologizing, I don’t think there’s any need! You never intended to be anything more than friends with him, right?"

"Besides, our precious girl—my darling, I barely have time to cherish you, so how could he bear to say something so harsh to you? If he got hurt, he had it coming! Just ignore him, let it blow past like the wind—gone and forgotten. You’re amazing and capable, perfect inside and out! In my heart, you’re number one! And anyway, if you’re going to end it, end it clean—don’t leave him any hope for a second chance."

Jiang Xiaohan rambled on, finally raising her drink. "Come on, let me toast you with this drink instead of wine. Congratulations to our Lin Luoyou, newly rejoining the ranks of the single elite!"

Lin Luoyou clinked glasses with her, laughing. "What do you mean rejoining? I never left in the first place!"

Qin Shishen took the menus from the two of them and went back to his work.

But his mind was still turning over the name: Luoyou, Luoyou’s Deer Call… Deer Call, Luoyou! Oh, so it’s her!

Finally, Qin Shishen pieced it all together. He remembered the little one who used to stick to him as a child, insisting on following him home, always so curious about his homework; and her brother, who was constantly on guard, afraid she’d be spirited away, eyeing Qin Shishen like a thief and declaring war on him every day.

He really should have realized when she mentioned loving that particular candy.

Back then, the two families lived in the same compound, and Lin Luoyou would often come running over to his house. Whenever he got tired of her pestering, he’d hand over all the sweets and snacks his mom had just made. He’d thought she might dislike the taste after a while, but it only made her visit even more frequently.

Was this what they called digging your own grave?

In the blink of an eye, more than ten years had passed. He never expected that after moving away, he’d run into his old neighbor again. But the grown-up Luoyou seemed less lively than she once was.

"Boss, here’s the order for table sixteen," came a call from the kitchen, snapping Qin Shishen out of his memories. "Alright, got it," he replied.

Table sixteen was Lin Luoyou’s table.

Carrying the dishes, Qin Shishen walked over, using the opportunity to steal another glance at Lin Luoyou. "Hello, here are your dishes. Everything’s been served. Please enjoy your meal."

Once he’d left, Jiang Xiaohan nudged Lin Luoyou with a suggestive look. "Hey, that guy just now was really handsome! He kept glancing your way—maybe he’s interested in you, hmm?"

Lin Luoyou rolled her eyes. "What are you thinking? He was probably just looking at his cat."

With that, she freed her left hand and gave a gentle rub to the little cutie resting on her lap.