"Yina, where are you?" Miles Gu's call came out of nowhere.
Yina Yin held her phone, a little dazed.
This was the first time Miles Gu had called her since he asked to break off their engagement.
Looking at the familiar number, hearing the familiar voice—yet that person was no longer the man she loved.
Yina snapped out of it and calmly replied, "Just finished the concert. I'm about to have dinner with Senior Gavin."
"Gavin's show is over?" Miles Gu's voice gave nothing away, so calm it seemed emotionless.
But only Miles Gu himself knew how much effort it took to stay composed.
"Yes."
"Where are you eating?" Miles Gu asked, pretending it was a casual question.
"At Puzzle Palace." Yina glanced at Ryan King and Yuzhen Yin happily ordering ahead, then lowered her eyes as she answered.
"What a coincidence, I'm nearby too. Want to meet up?" Miles Gu quickly entered Puzzle Palace's coordinates, and the GPS told him he was seven kilometers away.
"Sure." What else could Yina say?
It's just a meal.
They eat together all the time anyway.
"Wait a bit, I'm stuck in traffic." Miles Gu lied, staring at the empty street.
"Okay." Yina hung up and told Gavin Gao, "Miles Gu is coming too."
Gavin's eyes darkened for a second, then he smiled, "The more the merrier. If Jenny was here, she could join too."
"Jenny went to eat with Jason. Let's not bother them." Yina explained with a smile, "I don't know if Jason suits Jenny's temper or just her taste, but lately Jenny keeps asking me about him. Jason's so quiet, just like Jenny. Two introverts eating together—who knows what they're talking about."
Gavin joked, "Jenny isn't trying to chase Jason, is she?"
"No way," Yina denied instantly. "Jenny's only twenty, Jason's almost twenty-seven. Plus, we all know how strict Grandma Kerr is with Jenny. There's no way the future Mrs. Kerr would be allowed to marry a bodyguard assassin."
Ethan Yin would never let anyone get in the way of his date with Cherry Miller.
Miles Gu arrived about twenty minutes later, carrying a small basket of fruit.
"On the way, I saw someone selling fruit. It looked nice, so I bought a basket." Miles Gu set the fruit in front of Yina and said, "It's late and they're still out working—must be tough. Consider this a good deed for the day."
Ryan King and Yuzhen Yin both looked at Miles Gu.
Miles Gu was really acting strange today.
Gavin Gao laughed, "Senior Miles has a soft heart, always feeling for others. We should help finish off this basket of fruit. But if we eat fruit now, there won't be room for dinner. How about we eat first and have fruit after? Besides, these dishes were earned by Ryan and Yuzhen's hard work. We shouldn't waste their effort."
Yina listened to the banter between Miles Gu and Gavin Gao, smiled, and pretended not to notice, saying, "It's so late, I'm actually hungry. Let's eat first."
With that, she was clearly siding with Gavin Gao.
Miles Gu quietly moved the fruit basket aside, acting as if nothing had happened.
"Let's eat!" Ryan King echoed, "I'm hungry too."
"Alright, let's eat first," Miles Gu replied naturally.
Thirty seconds later, two peeled prawns were placed on Yina's plate at the same time.
Gavin Gao and Miles Gu's hands both paused.
"You two don't need to peel for me, I can do it myself," Yina said, looking at the two prawns on her plate. "I'm not some weak little woman who can't take care of herself. This is no problem for me."
"It's different. Shrimp peeled by someone else tastes better," Miles Gu smiled. "I've been peeling shrimp for you for years, I'm used to it."
Gavin refused to be outdone, "Shrimp tastes best when it's hot. You just eat, I'll peel. I need to watch my weight anyway, can't eat much at dinner. If I just sit and watch you eat, that's awkward. Better I serve you, so I won't feel so lonely."
Ryan King: "Oh wow."
Yuzhen Yin: "Yikes!"
Miles Gu was about to speak when Yina frowned, "Why bother? Peel your own and eat your own. If you keep peeling for me, I won't eat it."
With that, Miles Gu and Gavin Gao finally stopped serving Yina.
Yuzhen Yin quietly picked up his own plate, "You can peel for me, I'll eat it."
The next second, Yuzhen Yin was met with four murderous stares. He shrank back and muttered, "Just kidding, just kidding."
Ryan King couldn't bear to look.
Yuzhen Yin is such a lovable fool.
Didn't he notice Miles Gu and Gavin Gao are competing for Yina's favor?
Why is he joining in the fun?
This meal was really uncomfortable.
Though Miles Gu and Gavin Gao stopped peeling shrimp for Yina, they still competed to serve her.
When they'd almost finished eating, Yuzhen Yin finally realized something was off about the atmosphere.
"Ryan, should we leave?" Yuzhen Yin asked.
"Sure," Ryan King agreed, showing no brotherly loyalty.
The two of them made an excuse to go find Jenny and slipped away.
Now, only Miles Gu, Gavin Gao, and Yina were left at the table.
While Yina was in the restroom, Miles Gu and Gavin Gao finally began their first real showdown.
"You're really eager, Gavin. I haven't even broken off my engagement with Yina, and you're already rushing to take my place?" Miles Gu started, his tone sharp.
Gavin smiled, "That's not fair, Senior Miles. I asked you if you were really giving up on Yina. Since you have a new love, why can't I pursue Yina? You brought your new fiancée here but still stick close to Yina—aren't you afraid your fiancée will get jealous?"
Gavin isn't a pushover; Miles throws a straight punch, and Gavin responds with one too.
"That's my business," Miles Gu said.
"Funny, it's my business too," Gavin replied with a perpetual smile, but his words were decisive.
"Yina won't choose you," Miles Gu said, finding Gavin more and more annoying.
"Whether Yina chooses me or not is her business, Senior Miles. You don't need to worry," Gavin said.
At this moment, Gavin realized that Miles Gu was completely different from the one in his memories.
Gavin's eyes flickered.
During his two days at Sunset Villa, Gavin clearly sensed that the people there treated Miles Gu with polite distance.
Even if Miles Gu and Yina broke off their engagement, it shouldn't have come to this; at least, he and Mo Yu and Mo Shuo were still friends.
Yet everyone seemed to be avoiding Miles Gu.
It was a bit strange.
Back in college, Miles Gu was famous for being gentle, with high intelligence and emotional intelligence, always kind to others, and universally liked.
But now, Miles Gu seemed like a completely different person—irritable, unpredictable, contradictory, almost as if he had a split personality.
Could something really have happened to Miles Gu?
Still, for Gavin, this was a good thing.
With Miles Gu like this, Gavin actually stood a chance.
After thinking it over, Gavin continued, "Senior Miles, do you want to have it both ways? Want the new love and refuse to let go of the old? Have you considered whether Uncle Yin and Aunt Gu would approve?"
Miles Gu's face instantly darkened.
Gavin might look all smiles, but he's actually tough to deal with.