After Secretly Marrying the Top Celebrity, I Fell in Love - Chapter 13

A dense night enveloped this land of soft pleasures and vice, the neon lights glittering brightly, and the streetlamps exceptionally dazzling.

In the lavishly decorated private room, the window was wide open.

Ye Manqing stood by the window in a moon-white dress, a vast expanse of twinkling city lights stretching out behind her. The woman’s dark hair was casually tied back, with a few wisps falling onto her neck.

She wore only a simple foundation, lightly filled in eyebrows, and a thin layer of nude-pink lip gloss close to her natural lip color.

Though Ye Manqing wasn’t heavily made up, her inherent elegance was undeniable. Standing there, the moonlight outside the window, and even the world itself, seemed to dim in comparison.

“Xiao Bai, you’ve arrived.” Ye Manqing’s gentle and bright eyes narrowed slightly, greeting her first.

“Teacher Ye!” Bo Yiyan’s face was flushed with nervousness, and her long, curled eyelashes fluttered slightly. “Good evening.”

“Come in and sit.” Ye Manqing took a few steps towards the dining table.

“Okay.” Bo Yiyan nodded lightly and stepped into the private room.

Ye Manqing had the waiter hand Bo Yiyan a menu, asking her to order.

Bo Yiyan took the menu from the waiter with both hands, lowered her eyes, and flipped through it. She ordered a few of the restaurant’s signature dishes, then handed the menu back to Ye Manqing.

Ye Manqing smiled as she took the menu, but instead of looking at it, she promptly closed it and handed it back to the waiter.

Without consulting the menu, Ye Manqing ordered verbally: “Please bring us one Peking Duck. Also, one each of Almond Tofu, Crystal Watermelon Jelly, and Kidney Bean Rolls.”

“And a pot of Osmanthus Wine.”

The waiter lowered their eyes, quickly selected the items on their phone app ordering system, then offered Ye Manqing a sweet, official smile.

“Boss, Ms. Bai, please wait a moment, the dishes will be ready soon.”

With that, the waiter left the private room. A few minutes later, a pot of Osmanthus Wine and several plates of Imperial-style pastries were brought to the table first.

The pastries were made and sold fresh daily, with limited quantities until sold out. Fuqizhai’s Imperial-style pastries were very famous and usually sold out by the late afternoon every day.

In fact, Ye Manqing had called the manager of Fuqizhai ahead of time to specifically reserve these few desserts.

It wasn’t that Ye Manqing was particularly fond of these desserts; she had ordered them especially for Bo Yiyan.

Although she wasn’t sure of Bo Yiyan’s exact taste or preferences, these Imperial-style pastries were generally very popular with girls and were the restaurant’s most frequently ordered items.

Therefore, Ye Manqing thought that Bo Yiyan might like these desserts. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t order them next time.

“Xiao Bai, have some dessert first, the main dishes will take a little longer.” Ye Manqing gestured towards the desserts on the table and said, “Try them and see if they’re to your liking.”

“Mhm.” Bo Yiyan nodded slightly.

In front of Bo Yiyan were neatly arranged three servings of desserts: Crystal Watermelon Jelly, Almond Tofu, and Kidney Bean Rolls, from left to right.

In front of Ye Manqing, there was a pot of Osmanthus Wine and two empty jade-green wine cups.

Bo Yiyan picked up a small spoon with her right hand and scooped up some watermelon jelly, as it looked very cool and refreshing. In the heat of summer, the watermelon jelly was clearly the most soothing.

With a mouthful of watermelon jelly, it was icy cold, with a rich watermelon flavor, yet a better texture than eating plain watermelon. The jelly melted in her mouth, smooth, tender, and sweetly refreshing.

“How is it? Is it good?” Ye Manqing poured herself a cup of Osmanthus Wine, held it to her nose, and lowered her gaze to smell the wine’s fragrance.

“Mhm, it’s very delicious,” Bo Yiyan said after swallowing the watermelon jelly in her mouth.

“Then try the others.” Ye Manqing’s gentle eyes gazed quietly at Bo Yiyan and said.

“Okay.” Bo Yiyan responded.

Next, Bo Yiyan sampled the Almond Tofu and the Kidney Bean Rolls in turn. As expected, both desserts were excellent. The ingredients were carefully selected, the craftsmanship was meticulous, emphasizing a great enjoyment for the palate.

“Xiao Bai, would you like a drink?” Raising her cup, Ye Manqing looked up at Bo Yiyan. “This Osmanthus Wine is not very strong, only fifteen degrees, it won’t make you drunk.”

Bo Yiyan softly said, “Mhm.”

Ye Manqing reached for the round, plump wine pot nearby, picked up the other jade-green wine cup, filled it with Osmanthus Wine, and extended the cup to Bo Yiyan.

Bo Yiyan quickly took the wine cup with both hands, habitually saying, “Thank you.”

They gently clinked their cups and each took a sip of the Osmanthus Wine. The wine had a rich, mellow, and lingering sweet taste, without being intoxicating.

While drinking, the first main course was served.

First to arrive at the table was the freshly sliced Peking Duck, along with the accompanying thin pancakes, spring onion slivers, cucumber sticks, and authentic Jing (sweet bean) sauce.

The steaming hot roasted duck was sliced into translucent thin pieces. The presentation was a peacock displaying its tail, accented by red and green fruit and vegetable garnishes, with the duck slices forming the peacock’s tail.

Ye Manqing: “The duck chef at my restaurant was hired with a high salary from Quanjude. Try it while it’s hot, see if you like this flavor.”

Ye Manqing openly stated her identity as the restaurant owner, while carefully observing Bo Yiyan’s expression. Sure enough, a flicker of surprise crossed Bo Yiyan’s eyes, quickly vanishing.

Bo Yiyan obediently nodded, put on disposable gloves. She held a thin pancake in one hand, and used chopsticks in the other to place a slice of duck meat in the center of the pancake. She then added some spring onion slivers and cucumber sticks dipped in Jing sauce, placing them all on top of the duck meat, and finally wrapped the pancake into a roll.

She brought the fully stuffed roll to her mouth and took a bite. The duck meat was succulent but not greasy, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The cucumber sticks brought a hint of freshness, and the Jing sauce was savory with a sweet aftertaste.

Bo Yiyan was constantly mindful of her eating manners, trying to appear ladylike, chewing slowly and gracefully.

“The taste is very good,” Bo Yiyan said to Ye Manqing after swallowing the duck meat in her mouth.

“Then eat more.” Ye Manqing held the jade-green wine cup in one hand and rested her cheek on the other.

The woman’s fingers were beautiful, slender and delicate like the tender bamboo shoots of early spring, with pointed, thin, translucent fingernails.

The jade-green wine cup, like a piece of jade, was eclipsed by the beauty of the hands holding it.

“Teacher Ye, aren’t you eating?” Bo Yiyan noticed that Ye Manqing hadn’t picked up her chopsticks and was merely slowly sipping her wine.

“I’ll drink some wine first,” Ye Manqing explained.

The dishes were continuously brought to the table.

Both of them were the type who didn’t talk much.

Ye Manqing occasionally asked a question, and Bo Yiyan would answer, the conversation revolving around work and preferences, with the questions being moderate and not making anyone uncomfortable.

There was no awkwardness or unease.

Throughout the entire conversation, Ye Manqing never mentioned the result of the audition.

Bo Yiyan wanted to ask about the audition results but kept holding back. Even when the meal was almost finished, Bo Yiyan still hadn’t been able to ask.

“Finished eating?” Ye Manqing put down her wine cup and asked.

“Mhm, I’m finished,” Bo Yiyan nodded, though she had actually finished a while ago.

“Then let’s talk about the main business,” Ye Manqing said, suddenly becoming serious, her gaze fixed on Bo Yiyan’s clear eyes.

“…Okay.” Bo Yiyan paused slightly.

Ye Manqing looked at Bo Yiyan with gentle yet firm eyes and said earnestly: “Xiao Bai, I want to marry you.”

Bo Yiyan was a person whose emotions were not easily revealed; her inner world rarely showed fluctuation, and even when her emotions were highly volatile, she wouldn’t show it too obviously.

Yet at this moment, Bo Yiyan was staring with wide, almond-shaped eyes, her face showing an unmistakable expression of surprise, and the chopsticks in her hand fell onto the table with a clack.

“I didn’t mishear, did I? Teacher Ye, you said…”

“No, you didn’t mishear.” Ye Manqing narrowed her long, slender eyes, looking at Bo Yiyan and gently said, word by word.

“Xiao Bai, will you marry me?”

Support