The spicy chicken was flavorful and tender, while the hand-held lamb had no hint of a gamey taste, instead carrying a faint milky aroma. There was also a dish Zhou Wang had never tried before called fried Na Ren. If his stomach wasn’t already full, Zhou Wang would definitely have asked for another bowl...
Seeing Zhou Wang eat so heartily, Ding Yi was infected by his good mood, and Nie Xiaoyun also had a cheerful expression. The atmosphere at the dinner table gradually became harmonious.
"Aunt Nie, another day, you and Ding Yi come to my house for a meal. I’ll cook some Jing City specialties for you. I guarantee you’ll get to taste my culinary skills..."
"Aren’t you afraid your parents might misunderstand if you invite us to your place?"
Nie Xiaoyun chuckled and couldn’t help but ask.
"They won’t misunderstand... because in their eyes, I might date early, but there’s no way I could find such a pretty girlfriend."
Zhou Wang sighed. Hearing this, Nie Xiaoyun couldn’t help but smile, while Ding Yi blushed and pinched Zhou Wang under the table.
Nie Xiaoyun rarely met such an interesting young person, just as she was about to say something else, her phone suddenly rang.
Nie Xiaoyun got up to take the call, while Ding Yi lightly hit Zhou Wang, chiding, "Are you crazy? This is the first time meeting my mom and you’re making all kinds of jokes..."
"Well, I haven’t met you many times either, but aren’t we quite familiar now?"
"Who’s familiar with you... But it’s strange, Zhou Wang, I feel like we’ve met somewhere before. When I first saw you, I felt so close to you."
Ding Yi said softly.
"Do you believe in parallel universes?"
Zhou Wang smiled, "Maybe in another space-time, we’ve already known each other for a long time."
"Parallel universes?"
Ding Yi was momentarily stunned and then muttered, "So if we’ve known each other for a long time, what would we have been like then?"
Zhou Wang paused for a moment and then softly said, "We might have been like strangers."
"Why?"
Ding Yi asked puzzledly, "But I feel we get along quite well. Although you’re always joking around, I can feel that you often know what I’m thinking. If this goes on, we could be friends for a long time, right?"
Ding Yi paused slightly before saying "friends," possibly because she couldn’t find the right word at that moment.
"Why bother to explore the reason, isn’t regret the norm in life?"
Zhou Wang shrugged, unwilling to continue with this topic.
"But if you can avoid it, why leave yourself with regrets?"
At this point, Ding Yi’s expression showed hints of what would come later. She displayed a bright smile but her demeanor became firm, "There might still be regrets even after trying hard, but if you don’t try with all your might, isn’t that even more regretful?"
"Hey, don’t move... There’s something on your mouth."
Zhou Wang, not knowing how to handle this version of Ding Yi, could only try to divert the conversation.
"Where?"
Ever mindful of her image, Ding Yi indeed forgot to continue the discussion and quickly picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth.
"Let me do it."
Seeing that she didn’t clean it off after two wipes, Zhou Wang took the napkin from her hand, wiped off the tiny grain of food at the corner of her mouth, and accidentally touched her soft lips, which made his heart skip a beat, causing him to pause his movements.
"What’s wrong?"
Ding Yi blinked her clear eyes and looked at Zhou Wang innocently.
Gazing at her cherry-like lips, Zhou Wang was dazed for a moment before muttering, "If it’s just a small parallel version, making up for a little regret shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
"What did you say... Mmm!"
Just as Ding Yi was puzzled and about to speak, Zhou Wang leaned in and kissed her corner of the mouth.
The girl’s eyes widened instantly and her whole body stiffened, with her mind going blank.
Her first reaction was that Nie Xiaoyun was just outside the restaurant, talking on the phone with her back to them. How dare Zhou Wang do this?
Then she realized, it wasn’t related to Nie Xiaoyun’s presence. Even if Nie Xiaoyun wasn’t there, that didn’t mean Zhou Wang could kiss her casually...
But precisely because she was concerned about Nie Xiaoyun’s presence, Ding Yi didn’t know how to push him away. Meanwhile, Zhou Wang took it a step further, wrapping his arm around her soft waist, pulling her closer to him, making their bodies press more closely together.
Zhou Wang let out a grunt, as Ding Yi, even though not struggling, pinched his waist hard, while her bright eyes reopened. As she allowed Zhou Wang’s advances, she just stared at him.
Zhou Wang had truly never seen a girl react like this when being kissed; he felt uneasy under Ding Yi’s gaze, but since he had mentally prepared himself, thinking it was just a "small version," Zhou Wang didn’t let go of her, only using the pain from his waist as fuel to press on with his kisses.
It was only when Ding Yi could no longer hold him back and her body seemed on the verge of yielding that Zhou Wang, who was keeping an ear on Nie Xiaoyun, finally released her.
Ding Yi gasped for air, her eyelashes fluttering, yet her eyes still looked at Zhou Wang. But before she could say anything, Nie Xiaoyun ended her call and returned, prompting Ding Yi to quickly bow her head, hiding her face from her mother’s view.
Fortunately, Nie Xiaoyun seemed preoccupied with other matters and didn’t notice Ding Yi’s strange behavior. Frowning, she said somewhat troubled, "Yiyi, there was an incident at the factory. I need to go deal with it..."
"Okay, it’s fine, Mom. You go ahead."
Because Ding Yi’s voice sounded a bit subdued, Nie Xiaoyun, thinking her daughter was upset, quickly added:
"I don’t have to go, or I could stay home with you tonight."
"Really, there’s no need. I have some studying to do. Whether you’re here or not doesn’t matter."
By this time, Ding Yi seemed to have adjusted her mood. She pursed her lips and raised her head to flash a bright smile at Nie Xiaoyun.
Seeing that Ding Yi seemed genuine, Nie Xiaoyun heaved a sigh of relief and after a few more reminders, hurriedly left.
The dining room fell silent for a moment. Not expecting Nie Xiaoyun to leave so suddenly, Zhou Wang awkwardly laughed, "Well, should I..."
"You’re not allowed to leave!"
Ding Yi turned to him seriously, making Zhou Wang a bit uneasy. Then Ding Yi suddenly smirked and hummed, "At least finish the desserts my mom prepared for you first. They were specially made for you."
With that, Ding Yi pushed Zhou Wang toward the living room and went to fetch the desserts from the oven.
Watching Ding Yi’s seemingly calm back, Zhou Wang couldn’t help but click his tongue.
Alright, he admitted... Even with the straightforward version of Ding Yi, there were still times when he couldn’t quite figure her out.
At least right now, Zhou Wang had no clue what Ding Yi was thinking.
But since Ding Yi didn’t confront him, Zhou Wang naturally chose to play dumb. When Ding Yi came back with yogurt puddings, they resumed their playful banter as if nothing had happened.
"What kind of factory does Aunt Nie work at? I heard her mention something about an accident just now?"
Trying hard to find a topic and avoid any awkward silence, Zhou Wang asked offhandedly.
"It’s Chi Hong Company. You’re from Jing City, you should be familiar with this state-owned enterprise... Mom transferred here with Dad and now she’s the general manager at this company."
Ding Yi laughed, "As for the accidents she mentioned, they happen now and then since they’re relocating the plant. They’re usually minor, so there’s nothing to worry about."
"Chi Hong Company?"
Zhou Wang was taken aback, "That smelting plant?"
A scene from [Event Overview] of a huge fire, and a woman within the flames, flashed through Zhou Wang’s mind.
Previously, in that scene, he couldn’t see the woman’s face clearly, but now as he matched it, it looked eighty percent like Nie Xiaoyun.
At this thought, Zhou Wang couldn’t sit still anymore.