This time, Joanne was careful in placing the orders.

After that awkward incidence at the Moonlit Dine where she ran into Brian and ended up ordering an entire table of food that she did not finish, she swore she would never allow that kind of thing to happen again.

She had picked the meat, the vegetables and then finally, the vegan dishes meticulously. By the time she was handing over their menus, a staff had brought out their soup.

The soup had been prepared with seafood and bone. It was white and had a thick, brothy texture with a pleasant aroma. Pieces of red, plump goji berries floated on the soup's surface, like tiny red flowers that had blossomed overnight on snowy plains. All in all, the soup looked absolutely tantalizing.

Joanne turned up the heat in a well-practiced manner. Soon, the surface of the frothy soup began to bubble. Outside the window, the opera was still playing. The play had moved into the farewell scene between the king and the consort. The melancholic music had caught Joanne's full attention. As a result, she never noticed Brian watching her.

Amidst the billowing steam from the teacup, Brian's eyes had grown even more unreadable and profound.

He had not expected things to go out of control like this. Things had gone entirely out of hand, and he was powerless to turn them back.

The moment he agreed to marry Joanne, he was already prepared to divorce her.

Those cold and heartless words he had told Joanne the other day were actually warnings he was giving himself. He thought that he could let her go without the slightest hesitation when the time came, just like he had refrained himself from seeing her all these years. He thought he could go back to being nothing more than just her acquaintance.

But his control was slipping. The closer he got to Joanne, the stronger his desire to keep her by his side for the rest of her life. Any man who harbored impure intentions towards her became an eyesore to him, especially that man she was in love with.

By the time he realized that things had begun to spin out of control, it was already too late to save the situation. Otherwise, he would not have hesitated that night when he was asked whether he would let Joanne go. He would not have forced a kiss on her the following day too.

He had overestimated his own self-control and underestimated Joanne's influence over him.

He had decided not to salvage the situation. Instead, he had made a choice to bring Joanne into another side of his world.

A side that was unknown to most people. A world that was beyond anything she could ever imagine...

Whether she chose to leave or stay two years later, he would leave the decision up to her.

"Beef, baby cabbages, and enoki mushrooms."

The beef was freshly cut, which came in thin rolls and were arranged neatly on the plate. The vegetables were organic and had been obtained straight from the farm on that same day. They were washed and cleaned carefully. There were traces of dew that were noticeable on the leaves.

Joanne's attention returned to the food. The aroma of the soup had caused her stomach to emit two audible rumbles.

She glanced at Brian, her lips slightly downturned. "I haven't eaten anything for the whole day. Can you blame my tummy for throwing a tantrum..."

Brian did not comment. He stacked the freshly boiled beef onto her plate.

Joanne helped herself to the meal, holding nothing back. She dipped a piece of beef in Shacha sauce before putting it into her mouth. The pleasant flavor of beef, the freshness of the soup, and the sweet spiciness of the sauce merged in her palate. It was like her taste buds were having a feast of their own.

As she ate, her face gave away her satisfaction. While she was still trying to find the right words to describe the wonderful taste she had just experienced to Brian, the man had already placed a few pieces of vegetables on her plate. His lips curved upwards into a smile. "Eat slowly. Order some more if it isn't enough."

Joanne was stunned.

She did not know if her vision was blurred due to the billowing steam wafting above the table, but all of a sudden, she could no longer detect the coldness and aloofness in Brian's expression. He was still as handsome as ever, of course. Every time she looked at him seriously, she would find her heart racing.

She lowered her head and kept eating.

"What low standards I have. I'm starting to think of Brian as a warm person just from this..." she thought.

By the time 'Farewell, My Concubine' ended, Joanne felt stuffed. When she raised her head, she accidentally caught a glimpse of Brian's plate. Unlike the utter mess that was her own plate, his was only stained with a few drops of broth. He did not seemed to have eaten much at all.

"Why aren't you eating?" she asked, her eyes filled with confusion. "The food's so good."

Brian answered her with another question. "You're full?"

"Is he waiting for me to finish first before he starts eating?" Joanne wondered.

This time, Joanne really was touched. She nodded vigorously. "Mm! I'm stuffed! Now it's my turn to boil the food. You eat!"

In truth, Brian had not eaten much because he was not used to eating hot pots. In fact, his appetite would vanish every time he saw several chopsticks simultaneously reaching into the same pot. But before he could refuse, Joanne had already boiled a piece of beef for him. She was smiling so adorably, like she was satisfied with everything. "Dip it in the Shacha sauce. It's really good. Try it if you don't believe me!"

He could refuse a piece of beef any time, but Joanne's smile was something he could never say no to. He took a bite and found that it did not feel as bad as he had thought.

"I told you it'd be nice!" Joanne went ahead and boiled a few pieces of vegetables. "Too bad there aren't any hot pot restaurants in A City."

"You like this type of thing?" Brian asked.

"Of course I like it!" Joanne placed a freshly boiled baby cabbage onto Brian's plate. "Eating hot pots can be very fun. It just feels very intimate when you sit down together with a few others to enjoy a good meal. Ugh, now I feel like eating again."

She stole a piece of baby cabbage from Brian's plate using her chopsticks, dipped it with Shacha sauce, and then ate it.

She was the first person who dare do such a thing, though Brian did not feel repelled by it at all. Instead, his mind kept going back to that word she had said: intimate.

He smiled. "Incidentally, Wesley has plans to start a branch in A City."

"Huh?" Joanne looked like she had just been told a pleasant surprise. "Really? He's in the catering business?"

"...Yep."

Joanne looked excited. "When his branch is launched, I'll definitely go check it out."

Wesley, also known as the seventh Young Master of G City's Hayes Family, was an influential man who could pretty much summon the rain and winds with just a wave of his hand. Brian had just reduced such a man to a mere business owner who ran hot pot restaurants. The truth was that until now, Wesley himself was clueless about this plan to set up a new branch in A City.

It was a little past eight when Joanne and Brian left the restaurant. The wind was chilly that night. Brian picked up Joanne's hand. "It's quite late. Let's go back to the hotel and rest early."

Joanne pointed at the park up ahead. "I'd like to take a walk."

Brian's eyes were filled with doubt. "You can manage?"

"Why can't I?"

"I'm considered half a cop, mind you! I've even passed the physical examinations!" she thought.

Feeling indignant, Joanne jumped twice on the spot. She wanted to show him just how much energy she had. "Just look, I..."

The smile on her face froze instantly.

Brian's brows furrowed. "What's wrong?"

"No-nothing." Joanne's face was as red as a poppy. "I'll head back to the restaurant for a bit."

She turned around and ran. Brian was just about to make a grab at her when he saw the red stain on her pants. Finally, he understood. Surprisingly, he felt a little warm at the ears at that discovery. Awkwardly, he followed her back into the restaurant.

When Joanne went to the waitress for help, the waitress had, much to her surprise, addressed her as 'Mrs. Lambert'. "Why don't you wait in the bathroom," said the waitress, "I'll take it for you."

"Thank you!" Joanne said, feeling endless gratitude.

She did not expect to see Brian waiting outside the ladies room when she walked out.

"He knows. He has to know that something's up," she thought. At that thought, Joanne blushed furiously. Lowering her head, she said, "Let's go."

Brian made no moves to leave. He removed his jacket and handed it to her. "Put it on."

Joanne looked at him blankly. "But I'm not cold."

Brian turned away awkwardly. "Your pants."

It was as if Joanne was hit by a sudden realization. She turned around and looked at the mirror behind her. Indeed...

A wave of dizziness hit her instantly. It was as if all the blood in her body had rushed to her cheeks. She took Brian's proffered jacket and scrambled to put it on. Once the stain on her pants was covered, she ran out of there as if her life depended on it.

Other than the sudden passing of her mother, Joanne's life had always been smooth. She had done well in her studies and her career and had not encountered any troubles at all. Perhaps God got jealous of her and had therefore decided to mortify her in front of Brian repeatedly.

But Brian was the last person on earth that she wanted to humiliate herself in front of.

Joanne sighed as a shadow enveloped her body. Her small hands were once again held by a familiar palm.

Instinctively, she glanced sideways at the person holding her hand. His expression was as composed as ever. His eyes held a deep but calm look. The dim lights encased his tall and straight frame. Although the view was not clear, she could still make out his distinctive profile and his handsome features.

"The driver's waiting for us at the front entrance of the park. Let's walk there."

It was as though his voice had some kind of magical power. His voice pierced through the darkness and entered Joanne's ears. Soon, Joanne found herself trailing after his steps.

The park was huge. Its front entrance was located on the side facing south, which was near the subway station. From the restaurant, it would take roughly ten minutes to get there on foot. Along the way, they were granted a full view of the ferries, which were adorned with colorful lights and filled with tourists. As they walked, the ferries floated slowly along the river.

The park was very quiet, so quiet that Joanne could practically hear her own heartbeat.

She had never shared a walk like this with Brian before, where he held his hand and she could clearly feel the heat of his palm on hers. Unable to help herself, Joanne gave him a surreptitious sidelong glance. The sharp lines of his jaw were all she could see. It made her heart beat even faster.

The pain had once again returned to her lower belly after all that jumping just now, though she did not mind it at all. In fact, she hoped that the path would be longer just so she could keep walking like this.

Brian felt the small hands in his palms tensing up. When he turned around, he did not expect their eyes to meet.

Joanne had a pair of beautiful, peach-blossom eyes. Instead of feminine sensuality, he saw clearness in her eyes. It was the type of clearness that contained no impurities whatsoever. Her eyes were bright as if they had been infused with sunlight.

Not even the gloomy darkness of the night could obscure the brilliance of her eyes.

Those were the same eyes that had seen their way into his heart over ten years ago.

Joanne did not expect she would be caught in her act of staring. Brian's eyes had the night's color. In fact, his eyes were several shades darker than the night. Every time their eyes met, she would feel as if those eyes were pulling her in.

"What's wrong?" she asked, lowering her gaze hurriedly.

"Are you cold?" Brian asked.

"No." Joanne raised her head in confusion. "Why do you ask?"

Brian massaged her hand, which was a little stiff. Then, he held the hand in a firm clasp. "Good. Let's go."

"Mm."

Joanne followed Brian's strides obediently. She dared not glance at him again for the rest of the walk.

It took them over ten minutes to traverse the park. When they walked out of the park's entrance, they immediately saw the S600. Joanne heaved a sigh of relief and got into the car. Brian ordered the driver to take them straight back to the hotel.

Back in the suite, Joanne went to take a bath first. Upon entering the bathroom, she remembered her pajamas.

The two pairs that Brian's secretary had bought for her yesterday were too skimpy. One after the other, the pajamas just got worse and worse. Initially, she had intended to shop for new pajamas today. Now, it was clearly too late to do anything about it.

In the end, she had no choice but to put on the pair she had worn last night. All of a sudden, the image of Brian's body pressing down on her floated into her mind. Her cheeks reddened instantly...