Zhong Ni laughed happily and raised his chopsticks, aiming for Lily's bowl. "What's the point of take-out? When the food turns cold it's no longer good. Let me help you take care of the problem."
Before Lily could reply, Xia Lin had already snatched the food out of Zhong Ni's chopsticks and bit into it. Then she said, "Oops, I already bit it."
Zhong Ni seethed in anger.
"Let it go. Today you managed to anger Xia Lin then you should also realize that there's no way you will be able to peacefully eat her food," Shu Kori said as he watched the humorous scene. He took sip of the wine then looked at Zhong Ni. Clearly Xia Lin was doing it on purpose, not giving him a chance to eat her food but the foolish guy didn't seem to realize it. He wondered how dense was Zhong Ni's head? Shu Kori shook his head, wondering why he was friends with someone like Zhong Ni.
Zhong Ni leaned back into the chair, his eyes never straying from the food on the table. "They were the ones who made a move first. It wasn't me who started it. It wasn't my fault."
Xia Lin furrowed her eyebrows. "It's not your fault? If it wasn't initiated by you then why would they come looking for revenge? You said you have the ability to resolve it. And how did you resolve it? If it wasn't for Su Luo who accompanied you today and luckily ran into Lily, you would have already lost your life without anyone knowing. How many times do I have to tell you. . ."
Xia Lin was starting to nag again. Lily had no interest in their conversation so she rose to her feet and left. Sometimes, knowing too much won't result in anything good. Lily knew this more than anyone else.
At the dining table, Xia Lin continued to lecture Zhong Ni and Su Luo. Sitting beside them was Shu Kori, who was listening to the conversation with amusement. His gaze changed when he looked at Lily's disappearing figure.
"Xia Lin! You talk so much to the point Lily is going home!" Upon seeing Lily leave, Zhong Ni used her as an excuse to stop Xia Lin.
Xia Lin immediately closed her mouth as she stared in the direction where Lily had disappeared to. Slightly worried, she stood up.
"She simply doesn't want to get too close to us." Shu Kori swirled the wine glass in his hand. That woman surely knew how to keep a distance to the point it was infuriating.
At dusk, Lily returned.
Standing on the porch, Xia Lin saw the Ferrari convertible speeding towards the house. Lily wore a beautiful sleeveless, light blue Qipao with a flying phoenix embroidered on the skirt. Her hair was tied up. She gave off the image of a traditional beauty from the late Qing dynasty.
Xia Lin face-palmed herself. Only Lily would dare to wear a Qipao while driving a convertible.
"Lily, tomorrow you have class with Professor Hawke. Don't be late. Professor Hawke is a strict man. Be careful he won't let you pass." Xia Lin had waited for Lily to return so that she could remind her of this. Even though they haven't known each other for a long time, without her reminders, Xia Lin could picture Lily's constant lateness and procrastination.
Lily shrugged her shoulders, indicating she knows but truthfully she didn't have much of an impression of the professor. What professor? She was absentminded about it.
To compensate for her regrets about never going to school, Lily had forked out a large sum of money for education and became a second year student. Unfortunately after attending a medical class, which she had mindlessly signed up for, she felt dizzy and confused on the subject. It was so boring that Lily decided to drop out of school altogether, completely abandoning the idea of making up for her regrets.
Early the next morning, Lily's doorbell rang loudly. Yesterday she watched TV until midnight so it was hard for her to wake up. Ignoring the sound of the bell, Lily pulled the blanket over her head and continued to sleep.
Ring, ring, ring.
The door bell continued to ring for half an hour.
At long last, Lily couldn't tolerate it anymore. She lifted herself up and reached for a button beside the bed. It was a button to open the door and let in the visitor.
"I knew it. You're still sleeping. Hurry, wake up. You're almost late. Hurry up, you can go to the tutorials. He doesn't have a lot of classes. You can sleep any other day how ever much you want but today, you have to go to class." Xia Lin glanced at the living room which was a total mess. Fortunately she knew the type of person Lily was.
"I'm not going. Who cares if I don't pass." Lily had decided to go to school because she thought school was fun. Instead school had proven to be stressful and restrictive. Although she didn't have a high education, it didn't mean she had to graduate university in order to make money.
"When you come home I'll have braised duck in honey and soy sauce, fried chicken wings, stir-fry snails, stewed beef tripe, gai lan. . ." Even though Lily was ignoring her, Xia Lin wasn't angry. She sat down on the edge of the bed and counted all the dishes she was going to cook.
"And dried shrimp with sautéed vegetables."