The meal was nearly finished when Su Ding received a WeChat message from Jin Ye.
Jin Ye: Just finished. I'm on my way to pick you up. Send me the address.
Su Ding: Okay.
Xue Zhiqiao saw Su Ding looking down at her phone, a gentle smile on her face. A pang of bitterness pricked him, but he shook his head, unwilling to let the emotion consume him.
"Shall we head back?" Su Ding looked up at the two of them.
"Sure, I'll drive you," Xue Zhiqiao said with a smile. "What do you say, will you give me a chance?"
Su Ding was about to politely refuse when Xue Zhiqiao interrupted himself, "Alright, alright, I know your Mr. Jin is picking you up. You're prioritizing your romantic interests over your friends."
As the three were about to leave, Xin Jia'er spotted Xue Zhiqiao. Feeling it was a rare opportunity to have dinner with a big star, she shyly proposed, "Could we take a photo together?"
Su Ding paused, then seeing Xin Jia'er's expectant eyes, said, "Sure."
She glanced at Xue Zhiqiao, who shrugged indifferently.
Xin Jia'er stood in front, raised her phone, and captured all three of them in the photo. Xue Zhiqiao looked handsome, Su Ding beautiful, and next to them, her own appearance seemed a bit plain and overshadowed.
Still, she was very happy.
Stepping outside, they discovered it was pouring rain and strong winds were whipping around. Su Ding's WeChat showed her location sharing with Jin Ye, indicating he would arrive soon.
Xue Zhiqiao went to get his car.
Xin Jia'er kept calling Xu Lang. He had promised to pick her up beforehand, which was why she hadn't asked her family's driver.
However, her calls went unanswered for a long time.
As Xue Zhiqiao drove up and ran onto the steps with an umbrella, a white Bentley slowly pulled to a stop by the roadside.
The sound of rain splashed down, and the cool wind made one's skin crawl.
A car door opened, a black umbrella was unfurled from within, and a tall, upright figure strode steadily towards Su Ding on the steps.
Just as Xue Zhiqiao was about to speak, he heard the movement behind him.
He wiped the rain from his face. His wet hair clung to his cheeks, but it didn't detract from his handsome features. "What a coincidence."
If he had been a moment later, he could have driven Su Ding home.
A smile bloomed on Su Ding's face, her eyes only seeing Jin Ye, the man walking towards her.
Upon seeing Xue Zhiqiao, Jin Ye's already expressionless face grew even colder.
"Mr. Jin, what a coincidence," Xue Zhiqiao greeted with a smile. Jin Ye gave a barely perceptible nod of acknowledgment.
Then, he looked at Su Ding. "Let's go home."
Su Ding nodded and turned to Xin Jia'er, who was shivering in the cold wind, looking desolate. "Jia'er, shall we give you a ride?"
Seeing Jin Ye's stern expression, Xin Jia'er said timidly, "Is it on the way?"
She softly stated her address. "If it's too much trouble, I can just take a taxi."
Su Ding then remembered that their homes weren't exactly on the same route, but with a car, a little extra distance wouldn't matter.
Just as she was about to say it was fine, Xue Zhiqiao chimed in, "I'll take her. It's on my way."
Su Ding felt it wasn't quite appropriate. After all, she was her friend, and leaving her with someone she had just met felt wrong.
Xin Jia'er, however, was unbothered. Compared to Jin Ye, she found Xue Zhiqiao more approachable.
In Jin Ye's presence, it felt as if the air was being sucked out of the room, leaving everyone with an inexplicable sense of suffocation.
"Okay, Ding Ding, you go with Mr. Jin."
Su Ding looked at Xue Zhiqiao, who said, "I live in the same complex as her. What do you think?"
Su Ding had nothing more to say. "We're leaving then. Bye."
After bidding farewell to the two, Su Ding was pulled into Jin Ye's embrace, shielded from the wind and rain. They got into the car and set off for home.
In the car, Su Ding used a towel to dry her hair. Her peripheral vision caught the man beside her driving with a sullen face and saying nothing.
Having spent so much time together, Su Ding could sense Jin Ye's mood, whether he was happy or angry, even when he had no expression.
Right now, he was very angry.
"Was work smooth today?" Su Ding broke the silence.
"Mm."
"What did your mother say to you today?" Su Ding asked again.
"She didn't say much," Jin Ye replied coolly.
Su Ding was 100% sure he was angry. Recalling the situation earlier, she suspected it was because of Xue Zhiqiao.
"Are you jealous?"
"..."
Su Ding chuckled. "What does your silence mean? Are you going to give me the silent treatment? Sigh."
"No," Jin Ye said awkwardly, saying the opposite of what he felt.
"Really?" Su Ding teased him.
"...Mm." Jin Ye's expression worsened.
"He's just a friend, and this is a gift from him to Xiao Rui. It was a chance encounter today, not that I deliberately hid it from you," Su Ding explained patiently.
"Mm," Jin Ye still had a stern face.
"Hey, can we communicate properly?" Su Ding stared at him. "Everyone has their own social circle, and it's inevitable to interact with people of the opposite sex. You can't be like this."
But he was different; he liked her, she wasn't just any person of the opposite sex.
Jin Ye thought this to himself, but his lips remained tightly pursed for a long time. After struggling for a while, he managed to let out an "Mm."
What Su Ding said wasn't wrong. He couldn't appear petty in front of her.
"I understand," Jin Ye said drily.
"That's better," Su Ding smiled. She looked at her phone, confirming tomorrow's schedule with Xiao Yuan for joining the crew.
Upon returning home, Su Xiaorui excitedly took the Barbie doll box.
"Daddy, you bought this for me! I love it!"
Su Xiaorui was enamored with the Barbie doll, her eyes shining with stars. Jin Ye appeared even taller and more imposing to her.
As soon as she said it, Jin Ye's expression froze.
Su Ding awkwardly lifted the little one and whispered in her ear, "Uncle Xue Zhiqiao bought it."
Su Xiaorui, being a clever child, quickly realized the misunderstanding.
She immediately put down the Barbie doll and threw herself into Jin Ye's arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and saying sweetly, "Daddy, Xiao Rui missed you so much."