"No way, I can't accept it. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even be able to ride this bike right now, so there's no way I can accept your gift," Zheng Lingshan seriously said to Ye Xiao.

But Ye Xiao just chuckled and said to Zheng Lingshan, "If you really don't want it, I'll tell you what to do."

Zheng Lingshan looked at Ye Xiao curiously upon hearing this, not sure what he meant.

"The ground is pretty clean. Just throw it on the ground and whoever wants it can pick it up," Ye Xiao said with a light laugh.

Hearing this, Zheng Lingshan immediately frowned. Even if she didn't want it, she certainly couldn't just throw it away. Besides, Zheng Lingshan knew that Ye Xiao's words meant that once a gift was given, there was no reason to take it back.

Zheng Lingshan looked at the pair of gloves and then at Ye Xiao and after thinking for a bit, she said, "Okay, I'll take the gloves, but I insist on paying for lunch."

Ye Xiao saw Zheng Lingshan looking very serious, as if she wouldn't accept the gloves if he didn't agree.

"Are you overthinking it? I never said you can't treat me to a meal. Besides, isn't today supposed to be your treat?" Ye Xiao said teasingly.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Lingshan gave a soft laugh and said, "Let's go then, hop on, I'll take you."

Ye Xiao immediately shook his head and said, "Although I'm a bit skinny, I am still a man. For a young lady to bear the chilly weather and carry a big man like me, what would people say if it got out? I have some male pride, you know."

Hearing Ye Xiao's words, Zheng Lingshan realized he had a point. Men do sometimes need to save face. Smiling and nodding, she said, "Since you want to be the big man, I'll let you."

Zheng Lingshan had indeed felt a bit cold riding her bike over, despite the warmth from the gloves Ye Xiao bought her. However, the cold wasn't immediately alleviated.

So, Zheng Lingshan handed the electric bicycle over to Ye Xiao and also said, "Here, take the gloves too."

Ye Xiao shook his head and said, "Don't you know a man generates more body heat? No need for them, hop on."

"Can you keep your voice down? People might think you're talking about a car. When they turn around and see it's just a used electric bike, they're definitely going to laugh," Zheng Lingshan reminded him.

Ye Xiao just laughed and said, "What's there to be afraid of? Let them laugh. When they see such a pretty girl on my bike, they'll just be helpless."

"You always make it sound so logical!" Zheng Lingshan retorted.

"By the way, what do you want to eat?" Although Ye Xiao had never ridden an electric bike before, he had plenty of experience with bicycles and motorcycles, so riding an electric bike came naturally as he spoke and began to move.

"Since I'm treating you to a meal, of course, I should ask what you want," Zheng Lingshan said from the backseat of the electric bike. At the same time, she realized something—she didn't know where to properly place her hands. Zheng Lingshan's electric bike might have had a backseat, but it didn't have a handrail, making her feel quite insecure.

Ye Xiao felt it too. Normally, once the bike started moving, Zheng Lingshan would be holding onto his clothes, which would be safer. But now, he felt nothing, and if she wasn't hanging on to his clothes, wasn't she unsafe?

"What I want to eat isn't important, what's important is, are you still letting me ride this thing?" Ye Xiao said as he rode.

"Aren't you riding it already?" Zheng Lingshan replied, still searching for something to hold onto.

"Since you're letting me ride, and you aren't holding onto my clothes making me feel your presence, what if I speed up and you fall off without me noticing? How would that be right?"

"Alright!" Zheng Lingshan responded softly upon hearing Ye Xiao's remark, knowing he was pointing out that she wasn't holding onto his clothes. So, she quietly pinched the corner of Ye Xiao's clothing.

Ye Xiao was very sensitive to being touched anywhere on his body, so when he noticed that Zheng Lingshan was just pinching the corner of his clothes, he smiled faintly and then suddenly sped up and stopped abruptly.

Zheng Lingshan let out a light 'ah' and found herself lying against Ye Xiao's back, experiencing what true zero-distance contact was like. At that moment, Ye Xiao was fuming at the damned weather. Why was it icy early winter? Why couldn't it be the scorching heat of June?

If it were blazing June weather right then, Zheng Lingshan would definitely be wearing less...

Ye Xiao's mind was filled with endless daydreams.

"What... what's happening?" Zheng Lingshan was startled because sudden braking generally indicated a problem, or an imminent collision with someone.

Ye Xiao just chuckled and said, "Sorry about that, I thought I saw something. It's my first time riding an electric bike, really sorry."

Ye Xiao then continued to ride forward.

Listening to Ye Xiao, Zheng Lingshan suddenly felt very worried. After all, Ye Xiao had mentioned it was his first time on an electric bike, which was really dangerous for her. Zheng Lingshan felt her life was in Ye Xiao's hands, so she kept her eyes wide open, hoping to spot a place to alight at any moment.

However, because of Ye Xiao's sudden braking, Zheng Lingshan couldn't help but wrap her arms around Ye Xiao's waist, not for any reason other than feeling a bit safer this way.

This, however, was exactly what Ye Xiao had wanted. Since he was riding an electric bike in the cold weather, he naturally wanted some kind of return, and right now, he felt this was the best return.

Meanwhile, Zheng Lingshan was constantly looking on both sides of the road, seeking a restaurant to dine in. Just then, a place called Saint Paul Barbecue Restaurant caught her attention, primarily because of its price.

Dining out usually cost them over a hundred yuan, but the per-person price at Saint Paul Barbecue Restaurant was 72 yuan, adding up to 144 yuan for two people — neither too high nor too low, at least within Zheng Lingshan's budget. Plus, she was really worried about riding further on the electric bike, so she immediately said to Ye Xiao, "I've heard good things about that Saint Paul Barbecue Restaurant ahead, how about we go there to eat?"

"Barbecue?" Ye Xiao looked up and also noticed the Saint Paul Barbecue Restaurant, then nodded immediately, saying, "Alright, let's go!"

Soon after, they quickly arrived at the entrance of Saint Paul Restaurant. Seeing some cars already parked at the entrance, they locked the electric bike and walked in.

"Hello!" A girl at the door greeted Ye Xiao and Zheng Lingshan with a smile.

Zheng Lingshan immediately said to the girl collecting money, "Table for two."

"Would you like to sit in the regular area, high-level area, or the VIP area?"

Zheng Lingshan, upon hearing this, looked puzzled and asked, "What? There are differences between them?" The difference is just in the seating. The food is the same. For the high-level area, it's closer to the food and has a separate small hall which is relatively quieter, costing 99 yuan per person. The VIP area has private rooms, with food delivered directly by dedicated staff, and offers the best environment at 198 yuan per person."

After hearing the cashier's explanation, Zheng Lingshan hesitated. She wanted to treat Ye Xiao to thank him, so it shouldn't be too shabby. However, choosing either 99 or 198 yuan seemed excessive, especially when the food was the same.

Ye Xiao could tell Zheng Lingshan was having a hard time deciding, so he was about to suggest the regular area. But just then, a couple walked out of the restaurant, looking very intimate and even kissing as they walked, resembling a newlywed couple.

However, upon seeing the man, the man also noticed Ye Xiao, and his expression changed immediately.

"You... what are you doing here?" The man looked at Ye Xiao, surprise written all over his face.

"Why can't I be here? You don't own this place, do you?" Ye Xiao didn't give the man any face. Honestly, it wasn't Ye Xiao's fault—the man wasn't anyone else but Feng Hai's subordinate, Wu Pinliang.

"President Wu!" The person collecting money greeted Wu Pinliang respectfully upon seeing him.

Ye Xiao looked Wu Pinliang up and down and said, "Is this really yours?"

"Yes," Wu Pinliang replied, still looking uncomfortable as if he really didn't want to encounter Ye Xiao. It seemed very strange to Ye Xiao that Wu Pinliang was so surprised, as if he knew about his identity.

That probably wasn't the case.

Moreover, to Ye Xiao's surprise, Wu Pinliang suddenly said, "Ye Xiao, last time it was only because of Young Master Feng that I fought with you. Please don't take it to heart. Little Zhang, arrange a VIP room for them."

"Yes, President Wu," the money-collecting Little Zhang immediately nodded in agreement.

Ye Xiao was genuinely surprised. Logically, Wu Pinliang should dislike him, but why was he seemingly trying to curry favor? Perhaps there was some other reason.

"Is this your girlfriend?" Wu Pinliang looked at Zheng Lingshan next to Ye Xiao and immediately smiled, saying, "Brother Ye, you excel in both arts and arms, and your girlfriend is absolutely stunning. From now on, whoever dares to charge you for food here, I'll fire them."

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