Under the moonlight

When Huang Meng arrived, Xu Ao was already there. She had planned everything, but she hadn't expected that the driver would be so clueless and just follow the navigation. That lousy navigation was really something, it led her to the most congested roads!

"Sorry I'm late, hehe~" Huang Meng sat down and looked at Xu Ao with a smile.

"It's alright, it's just traffic time right now. It's my fault, I was supposed to pick you up, but I got a last-minute assignment from work that I had to finish quickly, so I couldn't pick you up," Xu Ao said with a smile, seemingly not at all bothered by her lateness.

"Mmm, it's nothing." Huang Meng said, looking at Xu Ao. In the dim and ambiguous light, his facial features were soft, and his eyes were gentle and tender as he looked at her.

"Why did you suddenly decide to invite me to dinner? Didn't you say you had a lot of work to do these days?" Huang Meng said, taking a sip of the drink Xu Ao handed her.

"That company this morning, is that the new job you found, as a translator?" Xu Ao said unhurriedly.

Huang Meng, biting her straw, nodded obediently. "Yes, it's that company. They have business dealings with S country and happen to need a translator."

"Yes, their company was indeed established not long ago. The information they submitted shows that they mainly deal in daily necessities, and the boss's name is Zhao Meng, is that right?"

When Huang Meng heard his words, her heart skipped a beat. She looked into Xu Ao's eyes, but his eyes were still gentle, without the doubt and inquiry she had imagined.

"Yes, his name is Zhao Meng."

"You two knew each other before?" Xu Ao leaned forward, his face exposed to the overhead light.

Unexpectedly, he asked the question directly. Huang Meng looked at the face that suddenly loomed large in front of her and felt a little scared. Just now, he was hidden in the shadows and looked so gentle. But now, under the light, his eyes were sharp and he seemed to be able to see through all her disguises when he looked straight at her.

"Yes, that's right." Huang Meng paused for a moment, but didn't intend to hide it, and answered honestly.

Xu Ao didn't respond. Just then, the waiter came to serve the food. Huang Meng breathed a sigh of relief as if she had been saved. However, in Xu Ao's eyes, this small gesture seemed like she was avoiding the question.

Huang Meng glanced at the table, which contained several dishes she loved. Her stomach was already rumbling uncontrollably, and her eyes darted around as she decided which one to eat first.

Seeing her expression, as if she was about to have a big meal, I couldn't help but laugh, as if she hadn't eaten in centuries.

"Eat quickly, the food won't taste good if it gets cold." Xu Ao wiped the chopsticks clean and handed them to her.

Huang Meng didn't care about anything else and just wanted to eat her fill first. She took the chopsticks without ceremony and started with the beef rolls.

Seeing her enjoying her meal, Xu Ao wondered if he should ask her about Zhao Meng later. But when he looked up at Huang Meng across from him, who was also enjoying her food, she smiled at him, not even bothering to wipe the soup from her lips.

Xu Ao smiled slightly, leaned forward slightly, reached out and wiped her mouth, and told her, "Eat slowly, your stomach isn't very good, eating too fast will make it hard to digest."

Huang Meng nodded, her chopsticks still moving. Xu Ao smiled at her. Never mind, he wouldn't ask anymore. Since she said they knew each other before, why worry so much? As long as she belonged to him now and in the future, that was enough.

Having figured it out, Xu Ao's appetite returned, and the two of them stopped talking and just focused on eating. It must be said that although the restaurant was far away, the food was indeed delicious. Only then did Xu Ao understand why Huang Meng was eating so heartily.

After the two finished eating, they truly achieved the "Clean Plate Campaign," leaving nothing but empty plates. Huang Meng patted her round belly and kept complaining, "Oh dear, I can't take it anymore, I'm so full."

Seeing that she was almost lying on the chair, Xu Ao laughed and said, "Little glutton, what did I just say? Let's go for a walk."

Xu Ao had already paid the bill. He walked over to Huang Meng, picked up her bag and slung it over his shoulder, then reached out to help Huang Meng, who was sprawled on the chair.

"It's your fault, you ordered all my favorite dishes!" Huang Meng rarely acted so coquettishly, and Xu Ao was quite pleased. Looking at her pouting and adorable appearance, his lips almost stretched to his ears. "Hehe, yes, yes, it's my fault. Let's go, standing up and moving around will make you feel better."

Xu Ao half-lifted Huang Meng up, and Huang Meng leaned against him for a while before standing up and following Xu Ao forward.

Sure enough, it was more comfortable to leave the restaurant and feel the breeze. They strolled slowly along the roadside. This street was a newly developed commercial street with not many shops and few people. They wondered where Xu Ao had found this restaurant.

“Yes, the evenings in late summer and early autumn are the most comfortable. There’s a breeze, and it’s neither too hot nor too cold, making it perfect for a walk.” Huang Meng walked ahead, and Xu Ao followed slowly behind her.

"Well, if you like, I'll pick you up when I have time, and we can take more walks together," Xu Ao said, taking a few steps forward and holding Huang Meng's hand.

"Well, that depends on how busy you are. I'm quite free." Huang Meng smiled, looking at the stars faintly visible where the pink and blue sky met, a gentle breeze blowing by, and she felt instantly relaxed.

Xu Ao looked at her upturned lips, seemingly in a good mood, and said, "I think it's not bad to have a more relaxed life."

"When I was in school, I used to have all sorts of fantasies. I imagined myself as a powerful businesswoman who would dominate the business world, and how amazing I would be. But the truth is, I almost couldn't even find a job at first." Huang Meng laughed self-deprecatingly. Xu Ao squeezed her hand but didn't say anything.

"Sigh, have I told you before? I used to study in X city, and I didn't come back until middle school. At that time, there were some policy restrictions that prevented students from other places from continuing their studies, otherwise they would have to pay a lot of tuition fees. Originally, my dad didn't care about paying tuition fees. The reason he transferred me back to school was because of one thing."

Huang Meng watched as the sky gradually turned deep blue, making the star stand out even brighter. This evening was just like every evening she spent after school in X City.

She vividly remembered the slightly salty taste of the sea breeze brushing against her cheeks. Since leaving that place, she had never smelled the same sea breeze again. It seemed that the feeling belonged only to X City and only to Huang Meng, who was thirteen years old at the time.