Chen Ziming picked up his cup and drank water, avoiding her gaze.
As expected, he couldn't resist her even with a single look, spilling everything he had to say.
Suddenly, he heard a light laugh from across the table.
Then she flipped through her phone and held it up to him, saying with a smile, "Chen Ziming, look for yourself. Did I ever not wear my ring when I was abroad?"
Those were photos she had taken overseas.
There was indeed a ring on her finger.
Seeing his expression soften a bit, Su Yue continued to flip through the photos, showing him every one that revealed the position of her ring.
"The day I returned to the capital, I noticed my ring had too many scratches and sent it to the shop for maintenance. I only got it back after work on Wednesday."
"I originally planned to trick you into coming home today for a surprise, but I didn't expect to see you on Tuesday."
"Here are the maintenance records and chat logs as proof. Do you want to take a closer look?"
Su Yue flipped through her phone again and brazenly shoved it in front of him.
Chen Ziming glanced at it without a word, feeling considerably more at ease.
On the surface, he merely hummed softly.
"You're already a section chief, almost thirty, and still so childish," Su Yue mumbled softly as she put away her phone.
"Are you ordering food or not?" Feeling bored herself, Director Chen changed the subject.
"Of course, I'm ordering. Didn't you want me to find an opportunity to coax you? I had to drag it out a bit longer," Su Yue took his phone, but first exited the current app.
"Hmm, the background is still a photo of me. Good."
"What are you rummaging through?" Chen Ziming frowned and reached out to snatch the phone away.
Su Yue dodged him, stood up, and walked to his side to sit down.
"It's more comfortable to look at it this way," she smiled at him, and in the next second, leaned directly against him.
She casually ordered a few dishes and returned the phone to his hand.
While waiting for the food, Su Yue started getting restless again.
Each table had a roller blind that hung down, forming a relatively independent and private space, invisible from the outside.
So, her restless little hand moved to his leg and gradually upward.
"Trying the same trick again?" The man swiftly pinned that hand, his voice low as he stopped her.
"I'm not trying any tricks, I just genuinely want to touch," her voice carried a hint of innocence.
"If you keep touching me, I'll send you to the police station."
"Why?"
"Indecent assault, assaulting a police officer – both can be charged."
Su Yue: ...
She had never been so speechless in her life.
"Director Chen, are you sure you don't want me to sit on your lap?" she asked with a smile, recalling his earlier coy confession.
As expected, she saw his eyes flicker.
But his words remained devoid of warmth.
"You think I'd fall into the same trap twice?"
Su Yue was speechless again.
So, she was the trap?
"Then let go of my hand, I won't touch anymore," she sighed and said.
After he let go, she sat up straight and obediently flipped through her phone, replying to someone else's message.
She deliberately let him see the screen.
The wallpaper and lock screen had always been their photos together, even after changing phones.
When she opened WeChat, he was at the top of her contacts, still marked as "Boyfriend."
He also saw her replying to others.
Someone asked what she was doing and if she wanted to go out and play.
Without hesitation, she typed a few keys and sent a message:
"Busy, coaxing my boyfriend (￣▼￣)"
The other person sent back an incredulous emoji, surprised that such a popular figure as her still had to coax a boyfriend, and wondering which man was so insensible.
Su Yue chuckled, thought for a moment, and replied:
"Go to my social media profile page, the pinned post. It's always been him."
A moment later, the other party replied with a thumbs-up emoji.
Signifying that they understood now.
Seeing her reply to many people that she was busy and had to coax her boyfriend, the stern-faced Director Chen couldn't help but slightly lift the corners of his mouth.
Just as the dishes arrived, he picked up his chopsticks and, out of habit, started serving her.
However, after serving the first plate, he realized it made him seem too accommodating.
"Thank you, Director Chen." The girl beside him took her chopsticks as a matter of course, took a bite, and then exclaimed:
"The food here is still so delicious."
Watching her eat meticulously with small bites, Chen Ziming still picked up the serving chopsticks and continued to serve her promptly.
Some habits, once formed, were hard to break.
Even though she had perfectly capable hands and feet, he couldn't help but indulge this habit.
"I'm full," she said after a while, putting down her chopsticks.
"Mm." Knowing she didn't have a large appetite, he didn't blame her for eating little.
"Director Chen," she suddenly turned her head and looked at him with a smile, her expression rather playful, and called out to him.
Then she asked, "Why are you being so nice to me right now?"
His hand, which was putting down his chopsticks, froze.
This was exactly how she had asked him back then.
But this time, he didn't leave the opportunity to answer to her. Instead, he put down his chopsticks and replied nonchalantly:
"Reporter Su is mistaken. I was just anxious watching you eat so slowly, like a kitten. If you consider that being nice, then I'm also nice to the stray cats in the Public Security Bureau."
Su Yue: ...