Pretty Obvious

Inside the car.

The two sat in silence.

The third female lead drove with an indifferent expression, though her eyes kept flickering toward Lin Yu. The emotions in her gaze were complex and unreadable—clearly, her inner turmoil didn’t match her calm exterior.

Lin Yu, meanwhile, looked around restlessly.

It was his first time in such a luxurious car. Maybe it was the novelty, or maybe it was the psychological effect of knowing its worth.

Either way, the more he observed, the more he admired it.

It was impressive.

After another long stretch of silence, the third female lead finally spoke. Her voice was cool, with a hint of huskiness.

"Made up your mind?"

Lin Yu shook his head without hesitation.

"Nope."

"Then why did you get in?"

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she stared ahead at the bustling street, confusion lacing her tone.

"Because there are things I don’t understand," Lin Yu replied. Then, turning to study her flawlessly sculpted profile—so perfect it seemed unreal—he asked,

"What’s your name?"

"Qing Mo."

Her lips parted just enough to answer, her gaze never straying from the road.

"Alright, Qing Mo. Let’s find a place to talk."

Lin Yu straightened in his seat, eyes fixed on the windshield ahead.

"Somewhere with food."

"I’m hungry."

...

Scanning the menu filled with dishes priced in the four-digit range, Lin Yu calmly closed it and pushed it aside. He sniffed lightly.

"Actually, I’m not that hungry anymore."

"Let’s get to the point."

Qing Mo sat in the third seat to his left, idly flipping through the menu.

"This restaurant is mine. Order whatever you want."

"Why didn’t you say so earlier?"

Lin Yu shamelessly retorted before grabbing the menu again and picking several expensive dishes.

Once the waiter left, the private room held only the two of them.

With no one else around, Lin Yu cut straight to the chase.

"Care to explain why you chose…"

He hesitated, swallowing the last word, then added with self-awareness,

"Me?"

"I don’t think there’s anything particularly special about me that makes me irreplaceable."

"Whatever it is you want, with your background and resources, you could easily get it from someone else, right?"

"And love? Let’s not even go there."

"This is only our fourth time meeting."

"Not to mention, the first three times didn’t leave the best impressions on either side."

"So I’m curious."

"Why me?"

Lin Yu’s barrage of questions hung in the air, but Qing Mo didn’t answer a single one.

She sat poised, her innate aloofness now tinged with a faint, almost imperceptible laziness.

She had shed her khaki trench coat, leaving her in a form-fitting black sweater that accentuated her flawless figure.

Her slender elbow rested lightly on the table, fingers delicately pinching the handle of a white porcelain spoon adorned with blue patterns. She toyed with it, tracing the rim of the bowl.

The soft clinking of porcelain filled the silence.

Lin Yu studied her—this stunning, almost surreal woman—but didn’t press her. He waited patiently.

Yet after what felt like forever, she still hadn’t spoken.

Still playing with that damn spoon!

Lin Yu’s patience wore thin. He opened his mouth to demand an answer—then froze.

Through the strands of her hair, he caught a glimpse of her ear.

A deep, burning red.

Following that flash of crimson, he realized her entire ear was flushed scarlet, so intense it looked feverish.

Only then did it dawn on him.

She wasn’t being cold on purpose.

She was just… embarrassed?

Just then, a knock interrupted them. Servants entered, carrying tray after tray of lavish dishes.

Finally, Qing Mo spoke, her voice noticeably rougher.

"Let’s eat first."

Lin Yu picked up his chopsticks and reached for the braised beef, deciding to give her more time.

But his curiosity only grew.

What could possibly be so hard for her to say?

She didn’t seem like the type to be this shy.

She’d cornered him at the school gate.

She’d calmly proposed that in front of everyone.

Tsk.

Most people wouldn’t have the nerve to do either.

...

Mid-bite, Lin Yu paused.

He glanced at Qing Mo, whose expression remained unreadable, and a thought struck him.

What if she hadn’t been calm back then?

What if, like now, her makeup and minimal expressions masked her real feelings?

What if she’d been just as mortified as anyone else would be, saying something like that?

She’d insisted he get in the car.

Then, when he’d demanded she speak on the spot, she’d stared at him for a long moment.

Both signs she hadn’t wanted to say it in public.

But why hadn’t she refused?

Lin Yu couldn’t figure it out.

Just because he’d told her to say it at the school gate, she’d endured the humiliation and done it?

It wasn’t like he had some hypnosis pocket watch—the kind of ridiculous plot device you’d see in adult comics.

Why had she been so obedient?

Giving up, Lin Yu shoved the thought aside. He’d just make her explain later.

For now, he dug into the feast before him.

By the time he finished, Qing Mo still hadn’t spoken.

Lin Yu’s patience snapped.

He stood, wiping his mouth with a napkin, his tone light but firm.

"Look, I’m not here to force anything out of you."

"I just wanted to talk, to give us both a chance to clear things up."

"But if you’ve got nothing to say, fine."

"Don’t come looking for me again."

"And drop the whole ‘sponsorship’ nonsense."

"How can I trust you when I don’t even know why you approached me?"

"That’s it."

"We’re done."

"Actually—let’s not meet again."

With that, Lin Yu strode toward the door.

Sure, Qing Mo had plenty of mysteries about her.

But as long as he stayed uninvolved, none of it concerned him.

Besides, unlike Tang Manman or Xia Muzhu, Qing Mo’s life didn’t need him.

For her, the best outcome was never crossing paths again.

With that thought, Lin Yu suddenly felt those issues weren’t so important anymore. His steps quickened as he hurried to leave the place.

Passing by the third female lead, Qing Mo, he reached the private room’s door. Just as Lin Yu was about to open it and walk out, Qing Mo—who had remained silent until now—suddenly spoke up:

“I’m sick.”

Hearing this baffling remark, Lin Yu paused mid-motion and turned to look at Qing Mo, who sat poised at the dining table. He blinked and replied,

“That much isn’t hard to tell.”