Ye Ci's mind was set. She wasn't the host of today's dinner, and she would definitely not be the one to let the cat out of the bag. Since her opponents had decided to remain quiet, she showed no mercy towards the free lavish meal that was served. If they decided to confront her, however, Ye Ci would of course be glad to entertain them.
Seafood was a rare delicacy for a family like Ye Ci's. They would only have the chance to have some during festive seasons, and would never even think of treating guests. Hence, Ye Ci literally buried her face into the plate as she gobbled down the food. Of course, part of the reason she did so was to avoid looking directly at He Xiao, and therefore she had never raised her head since the feast began.
Ye Ci had a big appetite, and no matter how much she ate she would never grow fat. He Xiao raised his eyebrows as Ye Ci devoured four mitten crabs while Zero Arsenic smiled on.
When compared to Ye Ci's unrestrained actions, Liu Chang was more reserved. She carefully observed the situation around the table. Although her chopsticks never stopped moving, she was not as bold as Ye Ci. In contrast, Dong Yin, who was sitting beside He Xiao, had barely eaten anything.
Ye Ci stole a glance at Dong Yin and noticed her eating delicately. A bitter smile formed on Ye Ci's lips. She could still remember scrambling for every last scrap of food with her childhood friends. Although Dong Yin's appetite was not a big as Ye Ci's, she was still a far cry from being delicate. If He Xiao was not present, Dong Yin would definitely have wolfed down all the seafood placed in front of her. She would definitely not behave like she was currently doing.
Was it really necessary?
Was it really worth it?
Changing herself into an entirely different person because of a so-called "love?" If He Xiao had really loved her, he would definitely appreciate her ability to eat. Was it necessary for her to pretend to be so graceful?
Of course, the onlooker sees more of the game.
Unfortunately, Ye Ci could no longer bring herself to say such words. She would probably have reminded Dong Yin of such things before this meal, but after tonight, she would never be able to do so again. There was no turning back from some things, even if they had years of friendship.
It was apparent that He Xiao had something in mind. While he was eating, his left hand was tapping rapidly on the table and his gaze was fixed on Ye Ci. He tried his best to gauge Ye Ci's thoughts through her body language, looking for signs of fear and uneasiness. He Xiao, of course, got nothing out of Ye Ci. The girl was busy chomping down on the food in front of her, as if nothing else in this world was of interest to her.
He Xiao could still remember his first meeting with Ye Ci. Dong Yin, Yi Cang and Liu Chang were the ones who cheerfully interacted with him, while Ye Ci was silently gobbling down food at a side, as though she had never eaten in her life before. If the situation continued, she would probably excuse herself after she was full and part ways with them as she burped loudly. He Xiao did not want to stay passive for much longer and finally spoke up, "It's been awhile since we've eaten together."
His words of course, were aimed at trying to smooth it over and lighten up the mood.
Ye Ci pursed her lips slightly and resumed burying her face into the plate in front of her. They were never close to begin with. She remained silent. Noticing Ye Ci's unwillingness to talk, Dong Yin laughed and began talking with Liu Chang, "Yeah, we're all busy and it's not easy to get the chance to get together."
He Xiao was actually expecting Ye Ci to respond, but the girl had completely ignored him. He was slightly annoyed, but was able to get his temper under control. He chuckled and said with a hint of mockery, "Ye Ci, the dishes in this restaurant must taste really good. I noticed that you've never stopped eating."
Ye Ci of course would understand the meaning behind his words. She looked up at He Xiao and smiled, while her hands never stopped. She cracked open the shell of a crab, extracted the meat, and nom it down after dipping it into vinegar. Her eyes narrowed visibly, appearing to be enjoying the crab meat, which was a rare delicacy during winter.
"When I was young, my grandma used to say that the happiest thing for a cook is to see his or her dish being finished. I've always eaten with a heart full of appreciation. This was why I'm very serious and try my very best whenever I'm eating, hoping that whoever that prepared the meal can feel my appreciation, that's all. The taste is not important. As long as the food is not poisonous, I don't really mind."
"That's a very good habit." Zero Arsenic, who had totally adopted the mentality of an onlooker instead of scheming like He Xiao, was surprised by Ye Ci's words. He nodded and gave Ye Ci his praise.
He Xiao rolled his eyes at Zero Arsenic.
He didn't want to beat around the bush. He had witnessed first hand Ye Ci's ability to play dumb. It wasn't an easy task to try to worm facts out of Ye Ci. The easiest way would be to confront her directly. With that, he might even be able to get an unexpected answer.
"Today's occasion was for us to gather and have fun. Of course, I have something to ask Ye Ci as well."
As expected, the lavish seafood was not for free. See? Ye Ci was not even finished with her meal yet and trouble was already knocking on her door. Ye Ci answered absent-mindedly while her hands worked on yet another piece of crab meat, "What is it?"
"What do you think?" He Xiao responded with a question of his own.
Ye Ci looked at He Xiao and scoffed, "How would I know? Don't tell me you're getting married and want me as one of the bridesmaids?"
Ye Ci's words were purely gossip, but it disrupted He Xiao's tempo. Dong Yin blushed and sneaked a sideway glance at He Xiao. She then glared at Ye Ci, "How could you say things like that!? I'm still too young!"
Ye Ci chuckled and remained silent.
He Xiao spoke up awkwardly, "You do know that our guild warehouse was robbed, right?"
"Everybody who plays Fate knows about it, how could I not?" Replied Ye Ci as she stuffed a piece of lobster meat into her mouth, with sheer bliss showing on her face.
He Xiao visibly gulped. He then stared at Ye Ci and squeezed his question out word by word, "With your knowledge of the game, who do you think did it?"
Ye Ci's movement paused slightly. She narrowed her eyes and stared coldly at He Xiao. She the pursed her lips, "I think great leader Thousand's real question is this: was I the one who did it?"
The warm atmosphere of the room froze instantly the moment the words left Ye Ci's mouth. All the conversation in the room immediately died down.