“I’m sorry…”
Elena clutched her nose and hurriedly backed away. However, she withdrew so fast that she stumbled and sprained her ankle. Her already unstable center of gravity wobbled, and she fell onto the ground.
“Careful.” The man reached out to help her.
“Thank you.” Elena finally found her footing, and she looked up at the man.
The very next moment, her guard was up, and caution flashed across her face. “It’s you… you… Ouch!”
There was a sharp pain on her hand, and when she lifted it, she noticed a small cut as blood trickled out of it. Even though it was only a tiny cut, it still hurt.
Henry’s eyes fell onto the back of her hand. His beautiful eyebrows immediately frowned. “Have I hurt you? I’m sorry!”
“I accidentally brushed it onto your button.”
Elena glanced briefly at his button. With just one look, she knew that Henry’s shirt cost a lot. Each of those buttons must have been carefully carved.
Henry also looked down at his buttons. He sounded a little helpless as he said, “It seems like I shouldn’t own these fancy things; it’ll just become a weapon to hurt other people.”
He took a napkin and used it to gently wipe the blood off the back of Elena’s hand. However, Elena immediately withdrew her hand and then stared at him to study him cautiously.
Henry laughed. “At least I didn’t hide the fact that I knew your fiancé, did I?”
That was true. Elena did not know why she was so vigilant around him. After all, he had not done anything wrong. Perhaps it was her subconscious need to keep herself distant from Eldest Young Master Williams.
“Would you treat me like an ordinary person? Since I have hurt you, why don’t I treat you to a meal?”
“There is no need for that. I have already eaten.” Elena refused him straightaway.
“Then what about this? You have dirtied my buttons, so you can treat me to a meal as an apology instead. Okay?” Henry rephrased his invitation.
“Why do you want to eat with me?” Elena looked at the button on his shirt. Indeed, her blood had stained it.
“No reason. I just wanted to have a meal with you.”
“But I don’t want to.”
“Then, I will keep trying to find opportunities to eat with you until you accept my invitation.”
“You…” Elena glared at him. She had never seen such a thick-skinned person.
Henry grinned as a slow smile blossomed on his lips. She would admit that she was mesmerized by his good looks. Nonetheless, as soon as she thought of his relationship with Eldest Young Master Williams, Elena did not want to look at him any longer.
“Come on, I’m hungry.” Henry walked past her in an attempt to lead her away.
He threw the used tissue into the trash can beside him. However, Elena was reluctant to leave. She stood still at the spot.
“You are in Ning University’s 1801 Design Class, right? If you don’t agree to eat with me, I’d go directly to your class next time.”
“You…” What an annoyance!
Henry spun his head around to look at her with a smile. His casual smile made the surroundings lose its color and beauty instantly. The girls who passed by could not take their eyes off of him. Elena was perplexed as she did not know why he would want to keep bothering her!
“I’m famished, and I have a problem with my stomach. If I don’t eat on time, it will hurt later. Would you accompany me, please?”
The humble request was like a favor that a boyfriend would ask his girlfriend. All the female passers-by glowered indignantly at Elena. How could she be so indifferent and even cruel to such a handsome man? They wanted to kick Elena’s butt and take that handsome man to his much-needed meal. Did she not hear that he had a stomach problem and would have to eat on time?
Elena closed her eyes and took a deep breath to suppress the sick feeling that bubbled in her chest.
She fixed a sharp gaze on Henry as she announced coldly, “I don’t have time.”
“Relax, I just need a little time for a meal.” Henry smiled, and all the girls went mad again.
How could there be such a good-looking man; how could there be such a beautiful smile?
If he were to beam, then all the flowers around him would bloom immediately. Another smile from him and the sky would become clearer. Blue sky and white clouds; the beauty was beyond words!
The man was really handsome and elegant. Every heart would beat for him if they could!
They walked into a nearby restaurant that Elena had picked. However, the smile on Henry’s face disappeared as they walked through the door. It was a small restaurant, and there were no VIP rooms. It was also a peak hour, and there were already two groups of people who were waiting for an empty table before them. Elena felt better when she noticed that his smile was gone.
“I like the food here. If you don’t like it, then we don’t have to eat. You can go elsewhere on your own, okay?”
Henry rolled his eyes at her. He knew that she had done that on purpose.
He said softly, “It’s okay. I haven’t eaten in this kind of restaurant. It’s good to try something new.”
“I think that it is very likely we will have to share tables with the other diners. The cutleries and chairs may not be very clean too.”
“Since it’s not clean, why would you still want to eat here?” Henry frowned.
His stomach felt funny when he thought of those greasy images.
“I am fine with it as I’m used to eating at places like this. I’m just afraid that your fancy clothes might be ruined if they get splattered with oil. Who knows, perhaps hundreds of thousands of yuan might be wasted.”
Elena wanted to provoke Henry. When the people around them heard about the possible price of his clothes, they immediately distanced themselves from him. They did not want to dirty his clothes accidentally. The boss was also startled when he overheard their conversation, and he quickly wiped the oil off his hands with a towel. He scanned around the room and spotted a table that had been recently vacated. He went to the table and took extra care in cleaning it up for them.
“Sir, Miss, is this all right?” The boss asked cautiously.
Henry’s eyebrows were still furrowed, but Elena had walked over and sat down by the table before she looked at him.
“Well? Do you still want to eat? Otherwise, let’s go.”
“Why won’t I eat?” Henry walked over to her as his eyes were locked onto the tabletop.
Even though the boss had scrubbed it carefully, he felt as if the table was still greasy. Even the chair seemed to be glowing with oil…
“The chair is not dirty. It’s really not dirty; it’s just a bit old.”
The boss rushed toward them and started to wipe the chair with his bare hand. Then, he turned the inside of his palms to show it to Henry.
“Look, sir, the chair is really not dirty.”
Elena pitied the boss, who had been unduly careful just to make them feel better. After she thought about it, she had wanted to change to another restaurant as she did not want to cause more trouble to the owner. To her surprise, however, Henry had also already taken a seat next to her.
He looked at her and said, “I’m not familiar with this place, so you should order.”
Elena exchanged looks with him and the boss. The boss was still standing attentively by their side as he was ready to offer his best and most dedicated service. A small shop like his could not afford to offend such a rare and wealthy customer. It was not easy to do business and to make a living.
“Boss, please bring us some of your best dishes. Serve them as quickly as you can.”
She did not have enough for lunch anyway. She had only taken two bites out of the steak before Ava ruined her appetite. She was already hungry again.
“Sure, we’ll serve it right away.” The boss immediately placed their order to the kitchen as if he just received a strict command.
Elena looked at Henry. “Can you give me a reason? Why do you keep bothering me? What exactly do you want from me?”
“I don’t know.” Henry lowered his eyes to meet her gaze.
He noticed that she was rather short after they sat down together.
He laughed as he pondered a question that was in his mind. “Why would he fall for such a petite girl like you?”