Chu Lingzhi entered a private room.
Sitting here sipping tea felt like traveling back in time to an ancient era, drinking tea in a bygone age.
By the window, she looked out at a garden of red, yellow, and purple flowers.
The tables, chairs, and teacups in the room were all antique in style.
As a result, the soundproofing here was poor—she could hear the conversation of guests in the next room.
Chu Lingzhi ordered Biluochun tea, osmanthus cakes, corn pastries, and a plain steamed bun.
She took a sip of the tea first. The warm liquid was rich in aroma, refreshing and delightful.
The lingering fragrance in her mouth made her want to take another sip after the first.
If not for the tempting pastries on the white porcelain plate, she would have downed the entire cup of tea in one go.
Reluctantly, she set the teacup down, her fair, slender fingers picking up an osmanthus cake and taking an elegant bite.
The pastry was soft and chewy, delicious and smooth.
"Nangong, next time we have time, let's bring Yichen. He loves tea and osmanthus cakes."
Chu Lingzhi's breath caught, the osmanthus cake frozen mid-air in her hand.
The woman's voice was gentle and soft, as melodious as a warbler's song or a phoenix's cry.
Chu Lingzhi remembered clearly that the owner of this voice was Ouyang Ruobing.
They were in the next room!
Chu Lingzhi pursed her lips. Could it be such a coincidence?
In the adjacent room, Nangong Yehen and Ouyang Ruobing sat cross-legged across from each other, separated by a square table.
His well-fitted black suit accentuated the man's tall, upright figure. He was like a beacon, drawing the gaze of countless women.
But the coldness radiating from him made Ouyang Ruobing's heart sink, a trace of sorrow crossing her beautiful face.
Ouyang Ruobing tried her best to appear cheerful in front of him.
Suppressing the pain in her heart, she looked at his cold, handsome face and still managed a smile.
"In Xia Country, Yichen loves the osmanthus cakes made by Aunt Jia the most."
Hearing this, Chu Lingzhi lowered her head and glanced at the osmanthus cake in her hand.
Nangong Yichen liked them, Chu Junsu liked them, and she liked them too—they all inherited her genes.
Though Nangong Yichen was cold toward her, they shared the same blood, and many of their interests were alike.
Nangong Yehen's face was icy, unmoved by Ouyang Ruobing's words.
He drank his tea and ate his pastries, his movements elegant, his demeanor aloof, as if he were the only person in the room.
Ouyang Ruobing's heart ached again. She would rather he mock her a few times than see this cold expression on his face.
Nangong Yehen had always been naturally cold, ruthless, and decisive.
But in the past, he had never treated her with such indifference.
Ouyang Ruobing smiled bitterly. If she hadn't left T City five years ago, he might not be so cold to her now.
She knew her choice back then was wrong, so in recent years, she had poured all her love for him into Nangong Yichen.
She treated Nangong Yichen as her own, doting on him endlessly, but it couldn't move Nangong Yehen's wounded heart.
"Nangong, do you hate me?" Ouyang Ruobing couldn't help asking.
If he hated her, why would he still answer her calls and agree to have dinner with her?
Nangong Yehen lifted his eyes to look at her, his gaze icy cold, a faint, contemptuous sneer curling at the corner of his perfect lips. "Do you even deserve to be hated by me?"
Hearing this from the next room, Chu Lingzhi immediately perked up.
So there really was something between them. From Nangong Yehen's tone, it seemed he had indeed been abandoned by Ouyang Ruobing.
Chu Lingzhi pursed her lips. No wonder he reacted so strongly when she brought it up in the car.