"Would you like to place your order?" The awkward atmosphere was suddenly interrupted.There was a short duration of silence before Hu Lei inquired about their speciality dishes. In truth, she had already decided on her meal in her mind, but she felt that she had to break the silence. By the time, the man finished listing the details of the speciality dishes, the tension had already broken to some extent.
"I will have noodles with clear broth." Hu Lei finally said.
Zhong Mian still had a tense look on her face, but she calmly made her order after she did. Kong Ou had also recovered his senses, so he spoke with some awkwardness. Zhong Feng concluded the progression by ordering several meat dishes.
"I would like to apologise for my earlier behaviour." Kong Ou spoke as soon as the waiter left.
No one at the table responded. Zhong Mian did not know whether she should be relieved or question everything more. Zhong Feng naturally remained silent and unmoved. Hu Lei felt that it was not her place to speak. She knew that she should never have given in to the idea of coming to this volatile dinner.
Seeing no reaction, Kong Ou felt that he had to explain further.
"Miss Hu Lei saved my life once about six years ago. I overreacted when I saw her and lost my senses." Kong Ou said.
Zhong Mian finally felt the burden in her heart lifted. This was the only explanation that was acceptable, unless she was his long-lost sister.
"Why didn"t you say so earlier? I admit I was a little worried." She laughed lightly.
"I am sorry I behaved so poorly." Kong Ou reached his hand to hold Mian"s.
He had truly realised how he had made a poor impression on everyone. He was supposed to be meeting Mian"s family members for the first time. However, he had been overwhelmed by seeing the person who he had hidden in his heart for years.
When he was before her, he had felt like he had committed a grave sin by being with Mian, as if he had failed to keep himself clean for her. When the initial shock had dissipated, he had come to his senses. He could not fail Mian after all the promises they had made to each other.
"It is alright. It must have been shocking for you. So, how exactly did Miss Hu save your life?" Zhong Mian asked with a smile.
On the surface, she was willing to accept the explanation. However, she was still not willing to let it go just like that. No woman would accept such a casual statement without background details. Furthermore, Ou"s reaction had been too intense. She felt like there was more.
"It seems that Miss Hu does not remember. It is not important." Kong Ou responded.
He glanced at Hu Lei as if she would suddenly recall the details with that single yearning look. Unfortunately, Hu Lei was not looking at him. She was sipping her water while making subtle displeased faces at the taste or lack thereof. Her large eyes were fixed on the large aquarium, and they seemed to be following the movement of the ornamental fish.
It was not that she was trying to be rude. She was just making an effort to minimise her presence and not get involved. She was not stupid. She knew that Zhong Mian did not like her. If she paid attention to her boyfriend in this situation, things could only get worse. She did not want to be at odds with Ah-Feng"s family.
It was better to act the part of an airheaded companion instead of getting mixed up in the mess. Anyway, the little fishes were quite interesting.
"I would like to hear this story." Zhong Feng unexpectedly spoke.
He had not missed the longing look in Kong Ou"s eyes as he looked at Hu Lei. He felt irritable, and his eyes became darker. He felt that he could not tolerate this man. However, he did not dismiss him on account of his sister. With his words, Hu Lei turned her attention back to the table.
She was also incredibly curious about this tale of her heroism. She just did not want to be the one to ask after that dramatic reception.
Kong Ou did not have any choice but to continue, especially with the cold penetrating demon-like gaze of Zhong Feng on him.
"I was partic.i.p.ating in a humanitarian medical mission in Egypt some years ago. A team of doctors, nurses and other people were involved in the a.s.signment. There was some outbreak of parasites in a certain town, and they needed all the help they could get."
"Among them was the famous Doctor Hu. I had always heard about him, but it was my first time meeting him. He had come with his daughter." At this point, he looked at Hu Lei again.
Hu Lei did not react. But she definitely remembered that case. Her father was interested in the parasites for one reason or the other, so they had used their charity connections to get drafted into the operation.
Getting no reaction, he continued with his tale.
"We had to travel through the desert which is home to numerous venomous creatures. One of those days, while we were taking a break, I was attacked by a dangerous snake. It was not quite dramatic. A camouflaged snake rose from the sand and almost bit me."
"It happened so fast and I could not even react. Then Miss Hu threw a fruit knife and took out the snake. It was like something out of the movies. She did not even make a big deal out of it. I don"t think anyone even noticed how close I was to a dangerous situation."
At the time, he had been frozen in fear, and Hu Lei had barely spared him a look. When he had tried to show grat.i.tude, she had nodded and ignore him. Once they reached the town, she had disappeared. She had only appeared once again to pick up her father once the medical issue was contained.
Though the girl had not given him attention, he had fallen deeply in love. He had always been attracted to strong, independent women. And there was no one who made it seem so simple like Hu Lei. He had seen that she did not shy away from the harsh desert conditions. In fact, she was the one who protected the entire group.
Also, she was modest. She did not draw attention to herself even if she had to keep watch over everyone and ensure that nothing unexpected happened.
In addition, she still had the delicate and slight appearance of a cute lady.
Essentially, she was Kong Ou"s dream. If his secret thoughts could be spoken plainly, it could be said that he liked her for a simple reason. She was a woman who was strong enough to be independent but looked weak enough to keep his pride intact. Even though he had matured since that time, she maintained her position as his dream woman.
Unfortunately, he had not moved on from his naïve thoughts. For instance, he loved Zhong Mian"s strength and independence. However, he could not help feeling useless before her. From her physical stature to her background, everything overwhelmed him.