The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife
Chapter 158. Lunch Invitation

Chapter 158: 158. Lunch Invitation

Near noon, the woman invited Shen Qinglan to stay for lunch, but Shen Qinglan refused. As she was leaving, the woman had the shop pack up several boxes of pastries for Fang Tong to take away.

As they left the teahouse, Fang Tong finally took a deep breath and patted her chest, "I’ve just realized that interacting with such a woman can be quite stressful."

"What kind of woman is that?" asked Shen Qinglan.

Fang Tong thought for a moment, "A woman seasoned by time. Qinglan, how did you meet her?" Fang Tong had been curious about this since she met the woman, but she felt it was inappropriate to ask in front of her.

Shen Qinglan smiled, "By a chance encounter, when I came here for tea with Grandpa, and then I got to know her."

Fang Tong had thought there might be an interesting story behind their acquaintance, but it turned out to be quite uneventful.

Although Shen Qinglan’s act of carelessly spending a million had somewhat astounded Fang Tong, as the daughter raised by the Fang Family, who was used to seeing much of the world, she wasn’t too shocked.

It was nearing noon, and neither Shen Qinglan nor Fang Tong had eaten lunch. They drove to the city center and found a nearby restaurant.

"Hey, Qinglan, isn’t this near Junlan Group?"

Shen Qinglan surveyed the surrounding area and realized that it indeed was.

"Can I give Ding Minghui a call then and ask him to join us for lunch?" Fang Tong held her phone, seeking Shen Qinglan’s opinion.

Shen Qinglan nodded, and Fang Tong called Ding Minghui. However, the phone rang for quite a while before it was picked up.

"Tongtong."

"Minghui, have you eaten lunch yet?"

"I was about to."

"Why don’t you skip it then, I’m near your company. Come eat with us, Qinglan is here too."

Ding Minghui seemed a bit embarrassed, "Uh, Tongtong, I better not come over. I have to go with the manager to a business engagement this afternoon, it’s not convenient."

Fang Tong felt a bit disappointed, but she suddenly found it a bit puzzling, "Aren’t you guys in the tech field, why do you need to go out for business engagements?"

Seeing his manager not far away, looking impatient, Ding Minghui panicked a bit and quickly said over the phone, "Tongtong, we need to head out, I’ll explain later."

After being hung up on, Fang Tong felt somewhat unhappy, but she didn’t want to show it in front of Shen Qinglan, so she merely forced a smile, "Qinglan, he doesn’t have time, let’s just eat by ourselves."

Shen Qinglan nodded.

"Qinglan, why don’t we call your brother to join us? It feels a bit lonely just the two of us." Fang Tong suddenly suggested.

Shen Qinglan didn’t mind, and recalling that it had been a long time since she had eaten with Shen Junyu, she gave him a call.

When Shen Junyu received his sister’s call, he was instructing his assistant to order takeout. Hearing his sister’s lunch invitation, he immediately stopped his assistant, grabbed his coat, and walked out of the office.

Shen Qinglan and her group chose a place not far from Junlan Group. Shen Junyu arrived quickly, probably without an umbrella, as there were some droplets on his shoulders.

Shen Qinglan handed him a napkin, which Shen Junyu took and smiled at Fang Tong. Seeing Shen Junyu again, Fang Tong regretted letting Shen Qinglan invite him.

She still felt he was a dangerous man and should be avoided.

After greeting Fang Tong briefly, Shen Junyu sat down next to Shen Qinglan. "How come you have a conscience to invite me for a meal today?"

Shen Qinglan glanced at the full table, "Ordered too much, can’t finish it all."

Shen Junyu: "..." That hurts, little sister.

"Hengyi should be back soon, right?" At the dining table, Shen Junyu asked Shen Qinglan gently.

"Yes, on the ninth of next month." That’s what Fu Hengyi had told her over the phone that morning.

Fu Hengyi hadn’t called her for about a week this month, Shen Qinglan guessed he must have been out on a mission during that time. She was still apprehensive about his assignments, even if it didn’t show on her face, the worry remained deep down. She couldn’t forget the time Fu Hengyi was injured and almost didn’t make it back. Only after Fu Hengyi had called and she heard his voice as normal did Shen Qinglan finally feel relieved.

Shen Junyu thought for a moment. The ninth of next month would be the 28th on the lunar calendar, "Spending the New Year at home this year?"

Shen Qinglan glanced at Shen Junyu, her look indifferent but Shen Junyu could see the disdain in her eyes. Alright, he touched his nose, truly, once a daughter is married off, she’s like the water thrown out, not even spending the New Year at home.

Speaking of which, Young Master Shen, have you ever seen a married daughter who spends the New Year at her parents’ home, especially in her first year of marriage?

Fang Tong quietly ate her meal, more accurately she kept her head down and kept eating, although Shen Junyu always seemed gentle and elegant, Fang Tong still felt a great deal of pressure.

Suddenly, an extra pair of chopsticks appeared, and then a piece of braised pork rib landed in her bowl. Fang Tong looked up to thank Shen Qinglan, but instead met Shen Junyu’s warm gaze as he retracted his hand.

"Seeing you only eat plain rice, eat more dishes, it’s best for girls not to be picky eaters." Shen Junyu said with a gentle smile, exactly like an older brother.

Fang Tong felt a bit uncomfortable and stood up, "Um, I’ll go to the restroom first."

Shen Junyu looked at Shen Qinglan, his expression somewhat defeated, "Do I look very scary?" He could naturally sense Fang Tong’s distancing.

Shen Qinglan also didn’t quite understand Fang Tong’s attitude towards Shen Junyu, and she didn’t speak, just silently took a sip of her soup.

Shen Junyu chuckled, suddenly finding his sister’s two friends very interesting. One called him an idol, always starry-eyed when she saw him; the other avoided him like a plague, scared he might devour her.

Fang Tong left the private room, took a deep breath, and finally exhaled the breath that had been heavy on her heart. She caught a waiter, got directions to the restroom, but while passing through the lobby, she glanced inadvertently and her eyes paused.

There, Ding Minghui was dining with a woman. Although his back was turned to her, she recognized his figure at a glance.

The woman across seemed a bit older, around thirty, recalling what Ding Minghui had said about having to entertain a manager at noon—could it be with this woman, but where was his manager?

Fang Tong instinctively wanted to grab her phone to call Ding Minghui, but then realized she had left it in her bag. She stood still for a while longer, watching the two just eating normally without any intimate behavior, Fang Tong suppressed the slight unease in her heart, shook her head and chuckled. She was probably just influenced by her parents’ words, suspecting everything just because he was having a meal with a client.