Chapter 411: Chapter 410: Get Lost, A Waste of Effort

Xue Yue shouted, "Dinner’s almost ready."

Hearing them arrive, Ding Ruzhi stood awkwardly in the kitchen, unsure of what to do. She didn’t know how to cook, so she felt like she was just supervising.

When the last dish was ready, Xue Yue said to Ding Ruzhi, "Help me bring out the food."

"Oh, okay."

Carrying a plate of food, Ding Ruzhi finally felt less awkward.

She followed Xue Yue out with the dishes.

As soon as she entered the room, she saw him. He was just as handsome as she remembered. At that moment, he was laughing and talking about something. Ding Ruzhi’s heart skipped a beat. ’I didn’t realize he was so handsome when he smiled, too.’

When Little Chen saw Xue Yue come in, he stood up. "Auntie, I’ve come to mooch a meal off you."

Xue Yue smiled at him. "You should come over more often. Anytime you feel like having my cooking, just let your uncle know. Don’t be a stranger; we’re all family."

Little Chen nodded. "Then I won’t be a stranger, Auntie."

It was only then that He Zichen noticed the young woman behind Xue Yue, but he just gave her a glance before sitting back down.

Ding Ruzhi placed the dish on the table.

She then followed Xue Yue out again.

Only after all the dishes were brought in did they sit down.

Little Chen just looked at the food and said nothing.

Xue Yue and He Lang exchanged a glance, and Xue Yue said, "This is my colleague, Ding Ruzhi. She came by to visit, so I asked her to stay for dinner."

He Lang had met Ding Ruzhi before. He said to her, "I remember you. You were the one who gave me directions last time."

Ding Ruzhi smiled at He Lang, then glanced at Little Chen from the corner of her eye, but he had no reaction.

Xue Yue said to Ding Ruzhi, "This is my husband, He Lang, whom you’ve met before. And that’s He Zichen, my husband’s nephew."

Ding Ruzhi smiled and said, "It’s nice to meet you all."

Little Chen still didn’t look at her, merely nodding his head.

Seeing this, Xue Yue said, "Alright, let’s eat. Little Chen, eat up."

"Okay."

Even though there were four people at the table, the atmosphere somehow felt a little awkward.

Xue Yue gave He Lang a look, and he instantly understood and broke the silence.

"Little Chen, is your new place almost ready to move into?"

Little Chen nodded. "Yeah, it’s been airing out for over a month now. All that’s left is to buy furniture and stuff."

He Lang said, "Want me to go take a look with you?"

"No need. Furniture is easy enough to buy. I’ll go pick some out when I have time and just have them deliver it straight to my place."

He Lang nodded. "That works too. If you need any appliances or daily necessities, just grab them from our supermarket. No need to buy them from somewhere else."

"I know."

Xue Yue asked, "Once you move into your new place, will it be closer to the hotel?"

"Yes, it’s just two bus stops away," Little Chen said.

"That’s great. Little Chen, have you settled into your work at the hotel?"

Little Chen looked up at Xue Yue and said, "Yeah, the guest rooms are always full. The cleaning staff can’t keep up. I was thinking of hiring two more."

He Lang swallowed a mouthful of food and said, "You can make the call on things like that yourself."

Little Chen nodded. "Okay."

For Ding Ruzhi, the whole meal tasted like ash in her mouth, because she couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

Xue Yue put a piece of meat in her bowl. "Don’t just eat plain rice, have some of the other dishes. How’s my cooking?"

"It’s very good."

"If you like it, eat up. It’s a rare opportunity."

"Mm."

Then she fell silent again.

He Lang glanced at Little Chen and Ding Ruzhi. Seeing that neither was looking at the other and were both just staring at their own bowls, he raised an eyebrow.

Not long after dinner, Little Chen got ready to leave.

Ding Ruzhi’s fingers curled as she watched him.

Xue Yue nodded. "Okay, come again when you have time."

"I will, Auntie."

He Lang went out to see him off.

At the door, Little Chen said to He Lang, "You don’t have to see me out. I’ll walk a little and take the bus back. I’m stuffed anyway, so the walk will help me digest."

He Lang chuckled. "I wasn’t planning on walking you out. Stop playing dumb with me. What did you think of the girl?"

Little Chen sighed. "Uncle, I’m not looking to date right now. You don’t have to worry about me."

He Lang lowered his voice. "You’re not interested? We’re both men, so cut the act. You just weren’t into her. Don’t give me that ’not looking’ excuse."

Little Chen just gave a slight smile.

He Lang gave him a light kick. "Get out of here. All that for nothing. My poor wife went to all that trouble for you."

Little Chen laughed. "Uncle, please tell Auntie I’m sorry for troubling her."

He Lang scoffed. "Can’t blame you for not being interested. Your uncle’s been around the block. You have to marry someone you really like, that’s the only way you’ll have a happy marriage. Alright, I’m heading back in. Call me if you need anything."

"Bye, Uncle!"

When He Lang came back inside, he glanced into the living room and then went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.

In the living room, Ding Ruzhi was sitting with her head hung in dejection.

Xue Yue asked, "Disappointed?"

Ding Ruzhi nodded.

It was a little strange for Xue Yue to see her like this.

"So, what’s your plan now?"

Ding Ruzhi shook her head. "I don’t know."

Then her eyes actually started to well up.

Xue Yue’s eyes widened slightly.

"Whoa, hey, don’t cry now. You were the one who said you wanted to give it a try, so I brought you over to meet him. It looks like you two just aren’t meant to be, so there’s no need to force it. If you ask me, there are plenty of fish in the sea. If this one doesn’t work out, we’ll just find another."

Ding Ruzhi pouted. "It’s not as easy as you make it sound. It’s been so long since I’ve had feelings for someone, and now it’s been nipped in the bud. I’m so sad."

"Sister Xue, did you and your husband fall for each other the first time you met?"

Xue Yue blinked. "Uh..."

Xue Yue was at a loss for how to answer. If she said no, she worried that Ding Ruzhi’s dashed hopes might be rekindled. But if she said yes, it would feel like a lie.

So all she could do was give a vague, noncommittal "uh."

With tears in her eyes, Ding Ruzhi said, "How come you’re so lucky? Ahh, poor me."

Xue Yue: "..."

After finally managing to see Ding Ruzhi off, Xue Yue breathed a sigh of relief.

He Lang chuckled. "Matchmaking isn’t as easy as it looks, is it?"

Xue Yue nodded. "I never intended to set them up; they’re clearly not a good match. But I couldn’t find a way to refuse. The girl is just so set on Little Chen, she came and pleaded with me. We see each other at work all the time, so I had no choice but to bring her home. By the way, what did Little Chen say?"

"That he wasn’t interested, what else? That kid is sharp. He probably figured it out the moment he walked in and saw an unfamiliar young woman in the house. You saw how he acted. He kept his head down and just ate, barely giving her a second glance. What else could it mean?"

Xue Yue said, "We all saw it. Ding Ruzhi must have sensed that Little Chen wasn’t interested in her, she was crying about it just now. Sigh, love really puts you through the wringer."

He Lang said nonchalantly, "It takes two for it to be love. One person is just a one-sided crush. That kid, Little Chen, has a mind of his own. If a situation like this comes up again, don’t feel awkward. Just refuse them directly."

"Mm, you know, Little Chen has gotten more and more handsome these past two years. He’s not much different from you back in the day."

He Lang pinched Xue Yue’s nose. "What do you mean, ’back in the day’? Are you saying my charm has faded?"

Xue Yue looked at him and burst out laughing. "Not at all."