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Despite the storm of thoughts raging in her mind, Jin Shiya maintained a professional smile, "I apologize for being late."

Noland tilted his chin toward the seat across from him, gesturing for her to sit. "Sit."

Jin Shiya took her place across from Noland. As she settled in, her mind began to calm. Looking around the room, she couldn't help but feel a little... strange?

Could it be that this man—who had such an extraordinary background and was skilled at getting under her skin—was actually trying to pursue her?

It wasn’t entirely unreasonable for Jin Shiya to think so. He had made up an excuse to invite her to dinner earlier; she wasn’t foolish and had easily picked up on his intentions. Now, he had gone all out, booking an entire restaurant and arranging a candlelight dinner. Wasn’t that the kind of thing wealthy second-generation men did when they were trying to win a woman over?

However, even Jin Shiya was hesitant to believe her own thoughts. After all, in terms of appearance, though she considered herself quite beautiful, there were definitely others more beautiful than her. And as for her family background... He might not even be interested. Besides, he was a foreigner, and their standards of beauty were different. 

Jin Shiya didn’t see herself as the type to catch his eye.

At least... not the type he would like.

Jin Shiya thought about her own looks—modest—and her personality, which was anything but gentle. She was certain that wasn’t Noland’s type.

With a quiet sigh of relief, she relaxed a bit. Her tone became more confident as she asked, "Mr. Harris, may I ask why you invited me to dinner?"

Noland glanced at her and then put his phone down. "Food is for eating, not for talking."

Jin Shiya was momentarily at a loss for words.

Before she could recover, the dishes Noland had ordered were served. This restaurant specialized in authentic French cuisine, and it was far superior to the one they had before.

The chef had been specifically flown in from abroad, and Jin Shiya had previously visited to sample his dishes. However, the chef didn’t always stay at the restaurant, so reservations were necessary if she wanted to taste his creations.

The presentation and the color of the dishes seemed to have been carefully prepared by the chef himself, and from what she could tell, the level of refinement had certainly improved since her last visit.

Though Jin Shiya was eager to dig into the food, her good upbringing reminded her of the proper dining etiquette.

While she thought her own method of cutting steak was already quite graceful, the man across from her executed his movements flawlessly.

In her twenty years of life, Jin Shiya had never seen a man eat with such... sensuality.

He lifted his wrist, expertly using his fork to cut into the tender red meat, bringing it to his lips. His lips, perfectly shaped, parted slightly as he took a bite. His eyes, with a soft gaze, lowered slightly, making him seem both sharp and calm. The warm yellow light cast over his nose, creating a subtle glow that trickled down to his collarbone...

Jin Shiya picked up her glass and drank several large gulps of lemonade, reminding herself that she couldn’t drink tonight—she had an exam tomorrow.

Not to mention, she wasn’t about to drink in the company of a man!

Jin Shiya rarely had dinner alone with a man. In fact, only three men had that privilege: her father, her boss Chen Zichen, and her childhood crush.

However, even when faced with her childhood friend, she never felt this nervous. 

This man, ignoring his personality, was simply too much her type!