Si Ming and Cha Cha arrived early.
"Hey! Come in. The food is all prepared! We can start eating anytime. Where's Lian Song and Cheng Yu? I thought you guys were coming together." Feng Jiu casually asked.
"Oh well. You should know those two by now." Si Ming winked.
Shortly after they settled down at the dining table, Lian Song and Cheng Yu arrived.
"It's your fault, Lian Song. You drove so slowly! Look, we are late now!" Cheng Yu reprimanded Lian Song.
"This shows that I'm a safe and steady man, someone that you can rely on, Cheng Yu." Lian Song replied with a cheeky smile.
"Both are you are always bickering! All that bickering must be making you hungry! Come sit down, and we can start eating now." Si Ming chuckled and interrupted their conversation.
Dong Hua helped Feng Jiu with taking out the utensils and bowls.
"Come sit beside me, Dong Hua." Feng Jiu waved for Dong Hua to come over. He put on a huge smile and immediately ran towards her.
Lian Song then silently sat down beside Cheng Yu.
"Why do you have to sit beside me, Lian Song?!"
"Because it's easier for me to get more food for you."
"I don't need your help, and I'm not a kid!" Cheng Yu then tried pushing Lian Song away.
As they were bickering, everyone started eating. Feng Jiu kept putting more food on to Dong Hua's plate and told him to eat more.
Then Feng Jiu turned to Dong Hua, and whispered to him, "Those two are always fighting. Lian Song actually likes Cheng Yu a lot, but we are unsure about how she feels about him. Just leave them alone, it's funny to watch sometimes too!"
Dong Hua laughed softly and cheekily whispered back, "Those two are cute, but we are cuter together. Although I'm not a kid as well, I love how you're feeding me with all this food. You're the best, Jiu-er!"
"What are you both whispering about?!" Lian Song smirked at Feng Jiu.
"It's none of your business, Lian Song." Cheng Yu immediately replied.
"Why are you always against me, Cheng Yu?! My heart is in pain now." Lian Song then clenched his fist and put it up on his chest, acting like his heart was in pain.
"Eat some meat to help your heart then!" Cheng Yu then picked up some chicken meat and put it on to Lian Song's plate.
Everyone burst out into laughter upon hearing their bickering, and they were all having such a great time together.
At first, Dong Hua was feeling left out because he mostly didn't understand what they were talking about, but he slowly blended in with the rest.
Cha Cha then started to talk about Feng Jiu's past experiences in school, so that Dong Hua could join in on their conversations.
"Feng Jiu was always brave in school, and she would often stand up to bullies just to protect her friends. You really don't want to mess with her!"
"Oh, wow! My Jiu-er is indeed a good friend. Tell me more!" Dong Hua excitedly replied.
"Well! Feng Jiu was voted for "Top Beauty of Qing University" 2 years in a row. She was very popular in school, and everyone thought that she would end up dating Ye Qingti because he was so popular too!"
Cha Cha spoke without thinking, and Feng Jiu quickly nudged her to stop talking.
Dong Hua instantly widened his eyes and turned to Feng Jiu.
"Oh. So why didn't you date Ye Qingti then?"
Feng Jiu immediately tried explaining to Dong Hua. "Uhh... I have always treated Qingti as my best friend, and nothing more than that."
"I see."
Dong Hua then kept quiet and started stuffing himself with food, hiding his jealousy.
Feng Jiu noticed that Dong Hua's dipping sauce plate was almost empty. She asked Lian Song to pass over the vinegar and chilli paste so that she could make more dipping sauce for Dong Hua.
"Are you sure he needs more vinegar? I think he has enough vinegar on his plate." Lian Song winked at Feng Jiu when Dong Hua wasn't looking.
*Eating Vinegar means feeling Jealous*
It's a direct translation from Mandarin and a common 'cold joke' between many Chinese people. So Lian Song was making a cold joke here, and he was trying to tease Feng Jiu.
Si Ming choked on some rice and starting coughing. Lian Song then patted his back and whispered to him, "Si Ming, if you die from choking now, you will miss out on a great show later when Ye Qingti arrives."
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The doorbell rang, and it was Ye Qing.
Feng Jiu then brought out a chair and placed it beside her. Then she told Ye Qingti to come over and sit down beside her.
Lian Song and Si Ming kept staring at Dong Hua, trying to see his reaction. Dong Hua was extremely jealous, but he tried to play it off by stuffing himself with more food.
"Pass me the vinegar and chilli paste again, Lian Song. I'll make some dipping sauce for Ye Qingti."
"I think it's better if Ye Qingti doesn't add any vinegar into his sauce, I don't think he can take it." Lian Song and Si Ming chuckled and smirked at each other.
Everyone else was too busy with eating, and they were clueless as to what was happening.
"Are you full, Dong Hua?" Feng Jiu casually asked after noticing that Dong Hua stopped eating.
"Yes, I'll head over to the living room and watch some TV now." Dong Hua quietly took his bowl to the kitchen, and then headed towards the living room.
Feng Jiu noticed that Dong Hua wasn't himself and that he was acting weird. She figured that she would talk to him after everyone was gone.
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Soon, everyone finished their dinner, and they started to gather around the living room.
"Should we play a game of truth or dare?" Lian Song suggested.
Everyone excitedly agreed with the plan, and they started spinning the bottle. Everyone agreed that whoever refused to speak the truth or do a dare; they would be punished by drinking.
The bottle landed on Cheng Yu first.
"Truth or dare?"
"Truth." Cheng Yu immediately replied.
"What do you think of Lian Song?" Si Ming asked, and Lian Song gave him a thumbs up.
"I choose to drink." Lian Song was visibly upset, and he chose to drink on behalf of Cheng Yu.
They spun the bottle again, and it landed on Cha Cha.
"I'll pick truth as well!"
"Do you have a crush on anyone? Who is it?"
Cha Cha briefly looked at Ye Qingti and chose to drink. It seems like Cha Cha does have some hidden feelings for Ye Qingti.
The bottle landed on Dong Hua.
"I choose dare."
Lian Song cheekily replied, "Kiss Feng Jiu in front of us now!" He raised his eyebrows and looked at Feng Jiu.
Feng Jiu nervously replied, "I'll drink on his behalf!"
"No, Jiu-er." Dong Hua stopped Feng Jiu from drinking and kissed her on the cheeks.
"That's cheating! Kissing on the cheeks doesn't count." Lian Song protested.
"You should just shut up, Lian Song." Cheng Yu interrupted.
"Fine, fine. I'll do anything you say, Cheng Yu." Lian Song winked at Cheng Yu, and she rolled her eyes.
Then the bottle turned to Ye Qingti.
Dong Hua immediately exclaimed, "So have you ever cooked for anyone?"
Everyone was puzzled at the question, but Feng Jiu knew exactly why he was asking. She realized that Dong Hua was feeling jealous.
"No, I can't cook. I can only cook rice and instant noodles." Ye Qingti casually replied.
Dong Hua smiled and silently thought to himself, "so Jiu-er wasn't lying about it. I'm so much better than him, at least I cooked for Jiu-er!" Dong Hua totally forgot that he was a lousy cook as well.
The bottle then landed on Feng Jiu.
Si Ming tried to ask a question, but Lian Song quickly interrupted him.
"Who do you like, Feng Jiu?"
".........."
Everyone stared at Feng Jiu, especially Dong Hua and Ye Qingti.
"Umm. I'll just drink." She nervously replied.
Dong Hua and Ye Qingti looked upset. Cheng Yu noticed the tension, and she turned to Lian Song and said, "If you're going to keep asking stupid questions, I'll kick you out of the game."
"Fine fine. I promise that I'll stop. Let's continue!"
Then they played a few rounds more before everyone left, as it was getting late.
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Feng Jiu tried talking to Dong Hua while they were cleaning up the place.
"Are you okay, Dong Hua? I noticed that you were feeling a little off tonight."
"Well. Yes and no."
"What do you mean by that?" Feng Jiu was confused.
Dong Hua then pinned Feng Jiu against the wall and stared deep into her eyes, "What are your true feelings towards me, Jiu-er? It seems like you're afraid to admit them, is it because I'm not good enough for you?"
"Are you drunk, Dong Hua? And no... Why would you ever think that you're not good enough for me? I do have strong feelings for you, but..."
"But what? You like Ye Qingti too?!" Dong Hua was getting agitated, and he was feeling a little tipsy too.
"No! Nothing ever happened between Qingti and me. He's just a really good friend of mine."
"Then tell me the truth, Jiu-er!"
"It's because I'm afraid... Dong Hua, what would I do if you remember everything? You'll leave me behind and go back to your old life."
Feng Jiu bowed her head and held back her tears.
"So this is why you're afraid to be with me...? You're so silly! Even if I remembered everything, I'd never leave you behind. Even if I have to ditch my old life, I'll willingly do so for you, Jiu-er."
Feng Jiu silently thought to herself, "Dong Hua can't ditch his old life. What would happen to Tai Chen Group? Dong Hua wasn't just any ordinary man; he was the most powerful and richest man in China!"
Then Dong Hua gently kissed Feng Jiu's forehead.
"I feel so stupid now. I didn't realize that you were holding back your feelings because you're afraid. I always thought it was because of Ye Qingti! I was so jealous of him!"
Dong Hua then smiled at Feng Jiu, and he was relieved to know that he was just overthinking all along.
"We will see what happens when that day comes, the day that you recover all your memories." Feng Jiu replied softly.
"I promise that I'll never leave you, Jiu-er. You meant way too much to me, and I won't be able to let you go. The day that I'll let you go is the day that I die."
Feng Jiu then hugged Dong Hua tightly, and he whispered, "You're mine forever, Jiu-er."
Will Dong Hua still love me when he remembers everything?