Upon hearing that, the young lady looked visibly disappointed and quickly walked away.

Shen Zhilie turned his attention back to his phone and began to flood Ye Qianqian’s WeChat inbox.

Ye Qianqian couldn’t tolerate the spam any longer and replied in frustration, “You’re so damn annoying! Which airport are you at?”

“South!”

Ye Qianqian changed her clothes and quickly got moving.

When she reached the destination, Shen Zhilie was pitifully standing all alone.

Next to him was his luggage. His looks alone were enough to attract a second look from the passersby.

When Shen Zhilie saw Ye Qianqian coming, he immediately rushed up to meet her and said, “You’re finally here! My legs are about to turn to jelly from standing for so long!”

Ye Qianqian felt her conscience pricked and replied, “Let’s go.”

“I can’t walk anymore. I stood for more than two hours! That’s more than the total amount of standing I did the rest of the month!”

Ye Qianqian huffed and replied, “It’s the first day of the month today!”

Shen Zhilie rushed up to her sheepishly and said, “Well, look. I guess I’m fine.”

Seeing how lively and mischievous he was being, the guilt Ye Qianqian initially harbored in her heart instantly dissipated.

As they walked toward the taxi stand, they were discussing what to have for dinner.

When Ye Qianqian turned her head, she caught sight of a familiar figure standing not far from her.

Upon noticing that person, Ye Qianqian stopped talking mid-sentence.

Shen Zhilie noticed Ye Qianqian’s expression and turned his head in that direction to look.

When he saw Li Jinnan and Ye Youyou, he was caught by surprise. He waved at them in greeting and called out, “Hey! What a coincidence!”

Ye Youyou felt as if something were amiss when she saw Shen Zhilie acting in such a familiar and natural way.

Ye Youyou nudged Li Jinnan and said, “Let’s go over to them. Put me down. I can walk on my own.”

Li Jinnan acted as if he hadn’t heard her second statement and simply walked forward.

The taxi queue was very long. It took some time for Li Jinnan to finally reach where Ye Qianqian and Shen Zhilie were.

By the time they got there, it was coincidentally their turn to board the taxi.

The four of them got into the vehicle. Li Jinnan, Ye Youyou, and Ye Qianqian sat at the back while Shen Zhilie automatically got into the front seat.

“Older Sister, what are you doing at the airport?”

Ye Qianqian had been feeling infinitely awkward from the time they had bumped into each other. Other than the fact that she lived with Shen Zhilie, they were nothing more than platonic friends.

What would Ye Youyou think if she told her that she, a woman, had gone to the airport to pick a man up?

Ye Qianqian was at a loss of how to reply. She resorted to forcing a laugh and asked, “Why did you suddenly come back without any word? You should have told me beforehand so I could have welcomed you back. GM Li and I have an agreement! Tonight’s dinner will be my treat. No one is to fight for the bill with me!”

Ye Youyou knew immediately that Ye Qianqian had deliberately changed the topic.

Subconsciously, she looked at Shen Zhilie, who was sitting quietly in front, and astutely decided not to say anything further.

At the dinner table, Shen Zhilie took his seat beside Ye Qianqian without a second thought.

As for Ye Qianqian, she took the menu unaffectedly and paid no heed to the fact that Shen Zhilie was sitting beside her.

Ye Youyou observed the entire scene unfold. She pretended to ask out of passing curiosity, “Zhilie, how long has it been since you were transferred to Kingstown for work?”

“Hmm, quite some time. Probably a month,” Shen Zhilie replied as he poured the tea into individual cups.

“Oh,” Ye Youyou replied. “Did your company arrange lodging for you?”

When Ye Qianqian heard the question, her hand froze in mid-air as she turned the page of the menu.

Before Shen Zhilie could make out what Ye Youyou was getting at and reply, Ye Qianqian intercepted him immediately. “Yes!”