When Dai Zhiqiang was about to open his mouth, their order arrived. The staff arranged their order on the table before leaving. Li Caiyi helped him scoop some vegetables and meat from the hotpot into his bowl.

They relished the savory and light taste of the broth and the softness of the meat. The vegetable was fresh and made a crunchy sound when chewed.

Li Caiyi was pleasantly surprised to know that Dai Zhiqiang had a huge appetite. She was barely finished half of her bowl, but he had already asked for another rice bowl. It was worth it to find this restaurant branch on the internet beforehand.

"And here I thought Yueguang made the best broth in the world," Dai Zhiqiang said before drinking the soup from his bowl.

Li Caiyi giggled. "I also liked Yueguang's noodle, particularly because of its rich soup, so I thought you must like it here too."

"Yeah, thanks for showing me this place. I might visit more often from now on because my father and Shenqiang probably will like it too."

Seeing the wonderful smile on his face was enough to fill her hunger. Dai Zhiqiang didn't notice it, but he smiled a lot whenever he talked about his family. It was cute, so she wouldn't tell him about it, afraid that he would be self-conscious.

"Yes, let's pack some for them, too."

"Why don't you eat more? You are so small and thin; you need more meat in your body." Dai Zhiqiang said before transferring a lot of meat from the pot to her bowl.

"Wait! I can't eat that much!"

"Just eat as much as you can. If you can't finish it, I will finish it later."

Li Caiyi pouted before saying jokingly. "I'm the type that will gain weight easily. And here I'm trying to restrain myself."

"Why would you do that to your body? Don't do that to the body I like so much."

"Cough!"

Li Caiyi choked on the soup she was drinking and coughed violently. She smacked her chest repeatedly with one hand and reached out for her glass of water with her other hand.

Why did he have to say it like that? It was really unfair because she couldn't take that line lightly. She had the memory of her previous life, which he hadn't; that was why he could say that carelessly.

'Seriously. He didn't even know other people's feelings,' Li Caiyi grumbled inwardly. Her cheeks felt hotter, and it definitely was not caused by the hotpot.

"Are you okay? You should swallow slowly," Dai Zhiqiang said after her coughing fit subsided.

"Whose fault do you think that is?" Li Caiyi glared at him.

"Are you thinking of something naughty? Hm, what are you thinking?" Dai Zhiqiang smirked provocatively.

Li Caiyi's mind automatically flew back to the steamy and sexy scenes of her and Shen Qiang and wanted to slap her mouth for saying something unnecessary.

She shook her head to chase away that thought before replying, "Nothing! Just finish your food. We don't have much time left!"

Dai Zhiqiang laughed, seeing her flustered reaction prompting another glare from her. He wiped the tears forming in the corner of his eyes and said, "There is never a boring moment when I'm with you."

"I'm glad my presence entertains you."

"Hey, don't sulk. What I said is the truth. I like you, so why wouldn't I like your body? Don't bully your body to please other people, including me."

Li Caiyi sighed. "Zhiqiang, I was just joking earlier."

"Is that so? Thank god if it was just a joke then. Treat your body with care."

Li Caiyi harrumphed. "Says the person who kept working without taking care of his body."

"We are built differently, and I eat a lot every day, so it doesn't count."historical

"Hmm, I assume your workplace fed you many good things, then?"

Dai Zhiqiang's corner of mouth twitched before answering, "It's decent, but you can say that."

After that, they continued eating while chatting, and they emptied the hotpot in no time at all. Dai Zhiqiang was really a boy in his growth. He ate a lot, leaving nothing to be left behind in the pot.

He gulped a big mouthful of water before heaving a sigh of relief. "Oh yeah, our conversation before was interrupted because of the food. Shall we continue?"

Li Caiyi, who was dabbing her mouth with a tissue, slowly lowered her hand. "Do you mean the conversation about your mother?"

"Yeah, I thought it wasn't appropriate to talk about that while eating, so I waited until we finished first."

"Can you tell me now, then?"

Dai Zhiqiang nodded with a serious expression on his face. "I wanted you to know, so I'll tell you."

He took a deep breath before explaining. "My mother left us when I was in my third year of elementary school."

Li Caiyi listened to his story silently and waited for him to continue his explanation. Dai Zhiqiang smiled before adding. "It was nothing unordinary. My mother couldn't bear the harshness of living without having many things, so she left one day. I was the one who found the letter she left behind."

"It was a day like any other. There was no sign that she would leave the house anytime soon because she was still smiling happily at us in the morning. But I guess we could never tell what a person truly feels inside. Behind that smile, who knows how much resentment she held for us?"

Li Caiyi could hear the bitterness in his voice. Even if he said he was over it, some pain would still linger, and her heart ached for him.

"Zhiqiang, it was all in the past now. You still have your father and Shenqiang. And me too, of course. We are real and will always stay by your side."

Dai Zhiqiang let out a weak smile. "You're right. I guess I wasn't unaffected by it as I thought I would be. And it has been a few years since it happened. How pathetic."

"No, that's not true."

"Caiyi, please don't laugh at me, even if I look pathetic."

Li Caiyi frowned. "Why would you say that? There's no way I would do that."

"I don't know anymore. Women always hide their true feelings deep inside. You won't even know when they will get fed up with you and leave you behind. I'm scared that will happen again with you."