The Obsessive Tycoon Claims the Deserted Heiress-Chapter 159 - 158: Riverside Barbecue, Liu Lan suggests meeting again

Chapter 159: 158: Riverside Barbecue, Liu Lan suggests meeting again

Near a small creek by the ranch, a long table covered with white cloth and several silver-black chairs and stools were set up.

Surrounding the table were two barbecue grills and some already skewered meat and vegetables.

The softly flowing creek water produced gentle sounds, even more melodious than the light tapping of spring rain against a windowpane.

A young woman sat at the table, resting her chin on one hand as she gazed at the man by the barbecue grill holding a few corn skewers.

His gaze was lowered, and every flutter of his thick lashes softly brushed the corners of his almond-shaped eyes.

His sleeves were slightly rolled up, revealing strong, muscular forearms. Each twist of the skewers made faint veins appear across the back of his hand.

Perhaps sensing her gaze, Shi Wei slowly turned his head, meeting her clear almond-shaped eyes.

At that moment, it was as if all the surrounding sounds faded away, leaving only the two of them in the world.

The young woman stared directly at the man, the emotions in his eyes profound and heavy, like a delicate net woven of feathers.

While enveloping her, it also gave her an overwhelming sense of security, making her willingly sink deeply into him.

A sudden wave of longing surged in her heart, prompting Yu Zhi to dash behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist from the back and tiptoeing to kiss his cheek.

"Zhizhi, be good. I’ll be done soon." Shi Wei reached out with his clean, large hand to ruffle her hair, his deep voice full of tender affection.

At the moment the girl rushed toward him, his entire being seemed filled with boundless joy, like floating amidst the clouds.

"Alright." Yu Zhi smiled up at him for a few seconds, then couldn’t help but tiptoe again to kiss his lightly flushed lips. "I’ll wait for you over there."

"Kiss me again."

"..."

Ruan Yuan leaned back in her chair, her eyes enviously fixed on the girl who was walking back, her face radiant with happiness.

She pulled out the chair next to her, teasingly saying, "Little Zhi, you’re so different when you’re around him."

The difference between how she treated others and Shi Wei was evident in their interactions.

If it were in the past, she wouldn’t have imagined seeing Little Zhi in such an affectionate and clingy state.

"Not really..." Yu Zhi knew what Ruan Yuan was implying, and her lips pressed into a small line.

The tips of her ears turned a faint shade of pink almost instantly.

"Hey, did a mosquito bite you here?" Ruan Yuan stretched out her finger to poke the few red marks on the girl’s neck.

Although her expression was serious, her eyes were brimming with suppressed laughter.

"..." Yu Zhi quickly swung her hair forward to cover her neck and tugged her collar up.

This morning, when leaving the hotel, she was so groggy that she hadn’t noticed the marks on her neck.

And the man hadn’t reminded her... leaving her to spend the entire morning wandering around with these conspicuous red marks.

Lowering her gaze, her fluttering lashes cast a shy shadow.

Just as she was searching for a random excuse to gloss over the situation, the phone on the table suddenly started vibrating continuously.

"Hello, is this Little Zhi?" As soon as the call connected, Liu Lan’s voice came out of the receiver.

A flicker of surprise flashed in Yu Zhi’s eyes. "What’s the matter?"

"Are you free tomorrow night? I’d like to treat you to a meal." Liu Lan paused briefly at the end, her tone becoming remarkably cordial.

"I mainly want to discuss the matter of the pigs and cattle you’re raising in the countryside."

Ever since the day she left the Yu Family, there hadn’t been any private contact between them, and she thought this so-called arranged marriage was already fizzling out.

"Alright, send me the address," Yu Zhi replied casually, fidgeting with the lighter the man had left on the table. Her cool voice offered no hints about her emotions.

Within one or two minutes, a new unread message popped up in the notification bar. The girl glanced at it indifferently, her eye betraying an inscrutable glimmer.

"What’s wrong?" Ruan Yuan picked up on her change in expression and immediately lowered her voice, leaning in a little closer.

"The Yu Family arranged a marriage for me."

Ruan Yuan: "?!"

She swallowed hard, then gestured toward Shi Wei, who was still by the barbecue grill. "Does your man know?"

Yu Zhi followed her gaze, her eyebrows furrowing slightly as she shook her head in small increments. "I didn’t tell him."

"Why not?"

"I can handle it."

"This isn’t about whether you can handle it or not." Ruan Yuan shook her head in exasperation, poking the girl’s soft cheeks twice.

"If any word of this leaks, do you think he won’t find out?"

Once he discovers it, it becomes a matter of psychological betrayal—potentially damaging their relationship even further. Wouldn’t that be far more troublesome?

The girl’s delicate brows creased tighter as she absent-mindedly flicked the lighter’s wheel back and forth. "But I don’t want him to help."

She didn’t want to depend on him for everything.

"You can still talk to him about it, silly, can’t you?" Seeing the soft red imprints on her cheeks, Ruan Yuan quickly withdrew her hand, reluctant to poke her again.

She threw an arm around her shoulder, her tone turning serious. "The last thing couples should do is keep secrets. Try to put yourself in his shoes and consider his perspective."

Ruan Yuan had initially thought that dating had helped the girl mature, but in truth, Yu Zhi still lacked sensitivity in many areas.

If she didn’t explain this to Shi Wei properly, and he one day overheard his girlfriend had been set up for an arranged marriage with someone else, he’d probably lose it.

"Hmm." Yu Zhi mulled it over for a moment, a vivid image of the man’s simmering anger flashing through her mind.

Her furrow deepened as she exhaled sharply, pushing away her chaotic thoughts before turning to Ruan Yuan and asking, "Can you find some pigs and cattle for me?"

"Pigs and cattle? For what?"

"Sell them."

"..."

The two whispered back and forth for a good while before those men started placing the barbecued food on the table little by little.

Shi Wei wrapped an arm tightly around the girl’s waist, picking up her favorite corn and feeding it to her with care.

Only when her lips got speckled with bits of corn kernels did he start to eat.

The young woman bit into the corn in small nibbles, her fingers clutching his sleeve, stealing glances at him every so often, her demeanor hesitant.

"Zhizhi, don’t want corn anymore?" Shi Wei mistakenly thought she was feeling shy again.

He reached out with his long fingers to wipe the corners of her lips but refrained from kissing her this time.

"Shi Wei, I—"

"Miss Yu, are you planning to open a farm?" Jin Yunzhi’s voice interrupted her unfinished sentence.

Chewing on a piece of ribs, he mumbled, "Can I join you guys?"

"What farm?" Yu Zhi looked at him in confusion, utterly clueless about what he meant.

"Aren’t you going to buy cattle and sheep? Isn’t it for a farm?"

Yu Zhi: "..."

Pigs and cattle, not sheep.

Yu Zhi picked up a glass, took a sip of juice, and responded, "No farm—we’re selling them to others."

Visit freewe𝑏no(v)el.𝘤𝑜𝓂 for the best novel reading experi𝒆nce