Under the moonlight

Li Shuo reached out his chopsticks and picked up a piece of braised pork, placing it heavily on Huang Meng's plate. "Come on, Mengmeng, eat more. Look how thin you are."

The adults opposite didn't think anything of it. After all, the two had grown up together since they were little. Even if Li Shuo served Huang Meng food, or even fed her a bite of rice, they would just think that the two children were playing around.

But Miao Miao found these words and Li Shuo's act of serving her food strange. Even if she knew Huang Meng was Li Shuo's cousin, how could there be such a close cousin?

While picking up food, she secretly glanced at Huang Meng. Her profile resembled Li Shuo's, with a full forehead, a high nose bridge, and equally deep-set eyes.

Huang Meng hadn't noticed that Miao Miao had been observing her. She rolled her eyes at Li Shuo, leaned closer to him, and whispered, "You should serve food to the person next to you. Don't get the wrong person."

"What? You've got a girlfriend?" Li Shuo suddenly shouted. Huang Meng stared at him blankly, thinking, "What the hell is he doing?"

"What? What? You're dating someone?" Xiao Yun looked at Huang Meng, who was stunned, and then at Li Shuo, who looked surprised.

"Oh dear, Auntie, Huang Meng said she's... oh, no, she has a boyfriend." Li Shuo said, glancing at Huang Meng with a smug grin in his eyes.

Huang Meng then realized why Li Shuo had said she would cry earlier; he was waiting for her here. What a clever way to shift the blame!

Huang Meng turned her head blankly to look at her parents, who were both puzzled, and gave an awkward laugh. "Hehe, he, he was just joking."

“Yeah, I knew it. She hasn’t even settled on a job yet, why bother with dating? Haha~” Huang Guodong said with a laugh. Although they were relatively open-minded, they still didn’t approve of her dating before her job was stable.

Xiao Yun breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Huang Meng, saying, "That's right, get your job settled first. You're a girl, if your job isn't stable, even if you find a boyfriend, it won't be stable either, you know? Do you think all the boys in the world are like Li Shuo, with a stable job and handsome looks? Hurry up and get your job sorted out!"

Huang Meng watched as they suddenly turned their attention to her. She helplessly dealt with them while turning to look at Li Shuo, who was eating his rice with his head down, but the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes were showing through his smile.

Huang Meng was furious, so she reached out and pinched his thigh hard, then continued eating without saying a word.

Miao Miao, who was standing to the side, noticed their subtle actions. She gave Huang Meng a deep look, then lowered her head and continued eating.

During the meal, because of Li Shuo, the conversation never went back to Huang Meng's job, as if not having a job was even more terrifying than not having a partner.

Reluctantly, Huang Meng finally told them that she would be starting work at Lianhua Trading Company the next day. She had originally planned to go and see if the job was suitable before telling them.

"What Lianhua Trading Company? I've never heard of it before," Xiao Yun asked skeptically, putting down her bowl and chopsticks.

"Mom, you don't do this kind of thing, so you definitely won't have access to it."

"Is this company reliable? Don't let them scam us!" Huang Guodong said nervously.

"They probably aren't scammers, right?" Huang Meng said, sounding unsure of herself after being asked that question.

Miao Miao looked at Huang Meng with concern and said, "We really need to be careful. Many people have been tricked into going abroad by these so-called trading companies."

"Oh, really?" Huang Meng wasn't that worried, but since the other person had kindly reminded her, she had to put on an act and reciprocate their concern.

"All this talk is no substitute for seeing it for yourself. What time are you reporting for duty tomorrow? I'll go with you."

"Yes, let Li Shuo go with you." Xiao Yun felt a little more at ease when she heard that Li Shuo had offered to go with Huang Meng.

"Aren't you going to work tomorrow?" Miao Miao asked softly from the side.

"I'm taking a day off. I can't just stand by and watch Mengmeng get tricked into going abroad!" Li Shuo said to Miaomiao with a serious look in his eyes.

“Yeah, that’s true.” Miao Miao forced a smile and looked at Li Shuo, but before she could finish speaking, he turned to look at Huang Meng. Moreover, his whole body was almost pressed against her, and he lazily draped his arm over the back of her chair.

Even though Miao Miao was unhappy, she was his cousin, and they hadn't officially started dating yet, so she had no right to say anything.

She looked up at Xiao Feng and Li Qiangmin across from her. They were talking to Xiao Yun. However, after carefully considering her options, she realized that they both liked her quite a bit. As long as they didn't dislike her, she would have their support and many opportunities to get closer to him. She didn't believe that with her elegant and refined temperament, which was different from other so-called "beauties," she wouldn't be able to win him over.

She suppressed her temporary displeasure, put on a well-behaved smile, and sat quietly. Li Shuo, on the other hand, seemed quite immature, chatting and laughing with Huang Meng and ignoring everyone else.

Seeing that everyone had almost finished eating, Xiao Feng said to Li Shuo, "Li Shuo, Miao Miao's home is quite far away. You drove here, so could you give her a ride?"

She was afraid that Li Shuo would refuse on the spot, so she kept winking at her son after she finished speaking. Fortunately, he was very obedient this time and agreed without saying a word.

Li Shuo walked out first, and Miao Miao seemed not to have reacted yet, until Li Shuo turned his head and looked at her at the door and said, "Come on, if we don't leave soon we'll get stuck in traffic."

She quickly grabbed her bag, and before leaving, she bid farewell to the group, showing great thoughtfulness.

Huang Meng had lost all interest in watching the spectacle. The group chattered amongst themselves, making her wonder if she had really been scammed by some fraudulent company! How could they have let her join so easily? When Miao Miao said goodbye, she was still lost in her thoughts and only gave a simple reply.

But in Miao Miao's eyes, she seemed angry. Angry about what? Because Li Shuo promised to take her home? For some reason, she felt much better. It seemed he wasn't so cold to her after all; maybe he was just embarrassed in front of the adults.