It was all because of the lunatic in front of her that she’d been brutally punished by Beitang Yao; that pain was still branded on her body, burning like fire!

"Heh, no, not that one." At this point, the man’s face dimmed a few degrees, and he said with disappointment, "Honey, my heart’s already been taken by you."

Xia Qingqian swallowed hard. "Don’t talk nonsense, this is an upscale, classy place." She could feel the other guests’ eyes on her, and she instantly felt timid, unable to keep her composure. Her skin was thin to begin with; she really couldn’t handle someone saying such explicit things to her in front of so many people.

"So what you’re saying is we should change to a more private place?" The man raised his brows and asked, "Qian Qian, I’m your man, Ye Chenfeng."

Xia Qingqian glanced over at the man who claimed to be Ye Chenfeng, her face scrunching into a bitter gourd. "That’s not what I meant at all, Mr. Ye. I hope this is the last time we ever meet!"

She wished she could disappear and never see this man again. If this got back to Beitang Yao’s ears, her end would be miserable. She didn’t dare take that risk!

"But I’ve already decided I’m going to pursue you." Ye Chenfeng had no intention of just watching his prey slip away right in front of him and be taken by someone else. He refused to lose to anyone. And this girl gave him a very special feeling, stirring up a fierce urge to pull her into his arms and protect her well, to keep anyone else from even knowing she existed. Because he vaguely sensed: the more people saw her, the more rivals he’d have fighting him for her.

"I’m sorry, I don’t need that." Hearing him say this made Xia Qingqian break out in an even colder sweat. She clutched tightly at the waiter’s sleeve. "Could you help me find out when Beitang Yao is coming back?" She really was scared out of her wits! A wild card had suddenly jumped out halfway—how was she supposed to handle that?

The waiter had also been instructed by Beitang Yao to take good care of Xia Qingqian. Now, seeing her being pestered by a man she clearly didn’t know, of course he was obligated to step in and help her out. The waiter looked at Ye Chenfeng and said, "Mr. Ye, you’re a distinguished guest of our restaurant. If you need anything, just let us know. Miss Xia belongs to Mr. Beitang."

"This has nothing to do with you. You all can leave." Ye Chenfeng cast the waiter a cool glance. "I just want to be alone with her."

Beitang Yao and Ye Chenfeng were both people you couldn’t afford to offend. The waiter was put on the spot, his gaze shifting back and forth between Xia Qingqian and Ye Chenfeng. But he still stuck to his principles and said to Xia Qingqian, "Miss Xia, then please follow my colleague back to the private floor. That area is reserved year-round exclusively for Mr. Beitang." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

That way, without Beitang Yao’s invitation, no one would have the privilege of going up.

Xia Qingqian couldn’t have asked for more. She nodded quickly and said in a low voice, "Okay!" Then she followed the waitress beside her and left.

But she had barely taken two steps when her wrist was seized tightly from behind by Ye Chenfeng. His masculine scent swept over her at the same time. "Honey, how could you bear to just abandon me and walk away? Do you have any idea? I pulled every string I could, and still couldn’t find you. If Beitang Yao hadn’t sent the ring back, I wouldn’t even know where you were. Now we’ve finally managed to meet again. Shouldn’t we sit down, have a nice meal, and reconnect a bit?"