Chapter 205: Join Me in a Youth without Regrets
Lan Cai usually sat in the back seat, but today, she was sitting in the passenger seat.
Gazing out the window at the swiftly passing scenery, Lan Cai asked, "How did you know I was back?"
Li Xiaoyao smiled faintly and said, "I can tell fortunes."
"Tell fortunes?" Lan Cai was stunned for a moment; she knew that it must have been Lin Yuanyuan who told him, and the reason she asked even though she knew was just to make conversation. However, she hadn't expected Li Xiaoyao to answer her that way.
Lan Cai laughed and said, "Then help me tell mine."
Li Xiaoyao asked, "Tell what?"
Lan Cai replied, "Anything is fine."
Li Xiaoyao pretended to look her over for a few seconds and said, "You're wearing a front-hook black bra, C cup, a custom Tiffany design, and your panties are light purple with a subtle stripe..."
Before Li Xiaoyao could finish, Lan Cai's cheeks had turned red with embarrassment, and she interrupted him with a hint of annoyance, "Stop talking."
Li Xiaoyao shrugged and said, "You told me to say anything."
The blush on Lan Cai's face faded slightly, and as her mood settled, she couldn't help but be surprised.
No one but she herself knew about her underwear, and if anyone did, it most definitely would not be Li Xiaoyao.
"Can you really tell fortunes?" Lan Cai asked curiously.
Li Xiaoyao nodded and said, "My fortune-telling is very accurate."
Lan Cai hesitated for two seconds, then shyly said, "Then help me see... my love life."
Li Xiaoyao replied, "Okay, but we need to find a place to park first."
Lan Cai said, "I haven't had a meal yet, let's find a place to eat, my treat."
Half an hour later, the car stopped on the city's food street, and the two walked into a delicately decorated Chinese restaurant, taking their seats on the second floor by the window.
Li Xiaoyao ordered one of every dish on the menu in one breath, leaving Lan Cai staring in astonishment.
"Can you finish all this food?" Lan Cai felt that Li Xiaoyao was being wasteful.
"I have a big appetite; these dishes might not even be enough," Li Xiaoyao brushed off the subject and said, "Didn't you want to know about your love life? Let me see your right hand."
Lan Cai stretched out her right hand, which Li Xiaoyao held in his palm.
Lan Cai's palm was soft and seemingly boneless.
Li Xiaoyao looked carefully at her love line; seeing his serious expression, Lan Cai also grew a bit nervous.
A few minutes later, Li Xiaoyao released her right hand, his eyebrows slightly raised, and said, "Your love line is a bit strange."
"Strange how?"
Li Xiaoyao thought for a long time and said, "According to your love line, it seems you have a marriage coming up, only..."
"Only what?" Lan Cai was startled, as she was the only one who knew that what Li Xiaoyao said was true—she did indeed have a marriage coming up soon.
"Only, this marriage is quite peculiar," Li Xiaoyao frowned in thought, then added, "Looking at the palm lines, this appears to be your first marriage, and it's very unstable."
"You will marry someone you don't like."
Lan Cai's face fell, and with a bitter smile she asked, "As a woman from a large family, when could we ever make decisions about our marriages?"
Hearing this, Li Xiaoyao suddenly understood.
No wonder her palm reading was so strange; it was all because of an arranged marriage by her family.
Soon, the food was served.
Li Xiaoyao always had a good appetite, while Lan Cai, in contrast, didn't have much of an appetite at all.
Li Xiaoyao swept through the dishes like a storm, leaving Lan Cai astounded.
"Can your stomach handle eating so much?" Lan Cai asked with concern.
After finishing off the last dish, Li Xiaoyao replied, "No, my stomach is not like those of ordinary people."
"Alright, I'm full. Let's go," he said.
The two got up to leave the restaurant, but as they walked down the street, Lan Cai suddenly stopped.
"Li Xiaoyao!"
Li Xiaoyao stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Lan Cai, asking, "What's wrong?"
Lan Cai smiled gracefully, "Your prediction wasn't accurate."
"Not accurate?" Li Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow. Reading palms was something that Jiang Lichun had taught him. Although he was not yet up to Jiang Lichun's standard, he could still accurately predict the marital prospects of a woman in eight or nine cases out of ten.
"Yes, not accurate at all," Lan Cai approached him, and, under Li Xiaoyao's surprised gaze, suddenly grabbed his palm and held it tightly, saying, "From a young age, I've been taught how to be a certain kind of girl. I've never lived according to my own wishes, and I haven't even had a single romance. I am about to marry a man I don't know and do not like, but before that, I want to experience a love. A grand and passionate love affair that doesn't betray the vibrancy of youth and will always be remembered in the heart!"
With a resolute look, Lan Cai gazed at Li Xiaoyao and asked, "Will you be the one to accompany me?"
Li Xiaoyao really wanted to refuse, but faced with Lan Cai's hopeful eyes, he found himself unable to utter any words of rejection.
Lan Cai was a good girl, a brave girl, and as she had said, she was about to get married. This was her last request, and Li Xiaoyao couldn't refuse.
"Have you ever drunk alcohol?"
Lan Cai shook her head.
"Come on, I'll take you for a drink."
Li Xiaoyao took Lan Cai's hand firmly in his own and walked forward with purposeful strides.
Lan Cai felt the strength and warmth of Li Xiaoyao's hand, a happy smile spreading across her face.
This feeling was very nice.
...
Zhang Meng called to talk about the shop's renovation; Li Xiaoyao directed Zhao Ge to take someone over there to prevent any issues.
Lin Yuanyuan called to inquire whether Li Xiaoyao had picked up Lan Cai; he briefly acknowledged and then hung up.
Xiao Ya called on behalf of Xiao Dingguo, inviting him out for a meal, which Li Xiaoyao directly declined.
Chairman Ji called, also inviting Li Xiaoyao for a meal, but he declined.
Zhuo Yi called, asking if he could meet her that day; Li Xiaoyao replied that he was very busy and didn't have time.
Zhu Xiaoyue called, wanting to see Li Xiaoyao; he found an excuse to put her off.
Finally, Ye Qinglian called, her voice cold over the phone as she asked why Li Xiaoyao wasn't waiting for her at the entrance of the residential complex.
It was then that Li Xiaoyao remembered that he had promised to meet Ye Qinglian today.
"Something came up unexpectedly; I really couldn't help it."
Ye Qinglian wasn't an unreasonable woman, so she asked, "When will you be free?"
Li Xiaoyao said, "It might take a few days, I'll call you when I'm done."
After saying this, he didn't wait for Ye Qinglian to respond and hung up.
Your journey continues at empire
For the next few days, Li Xiaoyao's time belonged to Lan Cai.
This woman needed someone to comfort her, and Li Xiaoyao, he was that person.
Li Xiaoyao took her to "Gone with the Wind," and Hu Fei immediately came up to them, leading them to the best seat in the bar.
This seat wasn't available to the public; it was reserved especially for Li Xiaoyao.
Having seated themselves, Hu Fei asked which drinks they wanted and began to retrieve them without delay.
Being noon at that time, the bar was quiet with only a scattered dozen or so patrons.
Hu Fei brought over a bottle of red wine, and Li Xiaoyao poured a glass for Lan Cai, saying, "You can only have one glass."
Lan Cai didn't understand, "Why?"
"Because later, we are going shopping."
"Shopping?" Lan Cai felt a bit dizzy. Although she often went shopping with Lin Yuanyuan, that was between close girlfriends.
Now, Li Xiaoyao taking her shopping was akin to the relationship between a boyfriend and girlfriend, and it felt entirely different.
[First update in the early morning, asking for recommendation tickets.]