The manager frowned as he looked back and forth between them.
Shen Yuqing calmly said, “It wasn’t his fault. I accidentally bumped into him.”
The manager immediately changed his attitude and asked, “Are you alright?”
Shen Yuqing replied, “I’m fine. Just have someone clean this up.”
The manager quickly nodded and grabbed the walkie-talkie at his waist to call for assistance.
While summoning help, Shen Yuqing slightly lifted his gaze to meet Song Wangzhuo’s eyes, then gave him a subtle wink.
Song Wangzhuo froze for a moment before lowering his eyes, his grip on the tray tightening slightly.
It hadn’t been Shen Yuqing who bumped into him.
A second before the collision, his peripheral vision had caught Shen Yuqing rushing toward him at full speed. Before he could even process it, someone had slammed into him hard.
At that exact moment, Shen Yuqing had just reached the spot behind the two distinguished guests.
Once the manager finished arranging things, he turned to Song Wangzhuo and snapped, “What are you standing around for? Hurry up and serve the dishes.”
Song Wangzhuo glanced at Shen Yuqing again, who gave him a reassuring look before he resumed his unfinished task.
After Song Wangzhuo left, the manager put on a professional tone and said, “Esteemed guest, I’ve already handled the situation. Please accept my apologies we’ll strengthen staff management in the future.”
Shen Yuqing hummed in acknowledgment. “I already said it wasn’t his fault. Let’s just drop it.”
Since the guest insisted, the manager was more than happy to comply. After offering a few more polite words, he turned and left.
Once the manager was gone, Shen Yuqing returned to his previous spot.
His heart was still pounding. He had barely made it in time after receiving a call. Thankfully, he had.
The moment he noticed the suspicious waiter, both his instincts and the system’s alarms had blared red in his mind. Before he could even think, his body had already sprinted forward. Luckily, he had made it.
The only downside was that all the waitstaff wore masks, covering their faces completely, so he hadn’t been able to see what the person looked like.
Moreover, the culprit had fled immediately after the collision clearly a premeditated act.
Fortunately, Shen Yuqing had also been prepared. He had already instructed the system to lock onto the person. Once the banquet ended, he would find out exactly who it was.
When Song Wangzhuo turned back, he glanced at Shen Yuqing from afar. The latter raised a brow and tapped his wrist communicator, signaling they would talk online.
Coincidentally, the manager’s voice crackled through his earpiece just then. Song Wangzhuo gave a slight nod and disappeared into the kitchen, not emerging again.
After sending a message to Song Wangzhuo, Shen Yuqing waited a while longer before spotting Shen Zhen and his group descending from the main entrance.
He quickly walked over. “Brother, sister-in-law.”
Pei Yiyan followed closely behind them, gripping his cane tightly, his expression as unreadable as ever. Yet, Shen Yuqing inexplicably sensed his displeasure.
He moved to Pei Yiyan’s side and called out to him, but Pei Yiyan ignored him and kept walking.
Just then, a child darted out from somewhere. Seeing that Pei Yiyan was about to collide with the kid, Shen Yuqing swiftly reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him aside to prevent a fall.
Pei Yiyan shot him a sidelong glance and immediately yanked his hand back.
“Hey,” Shen Yuqing said, puzzled. “It’s crowded here, and there are a lot of tables and chairs around.”
Pei Yiyan could easily bump into things whether a slight knock or a collision, neither would be pleasant.
After speaking, Shen Yuqing reached out and grasped his wrist. “This way. About three steps ahead, you’d run into someone’s chair.”
Pei Yiyan had already seen it. He lowered his gaze to where Shen Yuqing’s hand held his wrist the distinct knuckles pressing against his sleeve, the contrast between Shen Yuqing’s fair skin and the color of his own clothes striking.
How come I never noticed before? Shen Yuqing is quite pale.
Unaware of Pei Yiyan’s gaze, Shen Yuqing carefully guided him through the crowd before following the Shen couple to their assigned seats.
Only after ensuring Pei Yiyan was seated did Shen Yuqing take his own place.
Coincidentally, from his spot, he had a clear view of the kitchen door. Whenever it swung open, he could see inside.
Not only that, he also spotted Song Wangzhuo standing at the prep station, quietly focused on handling ingredients.
Even among so many people, all dressed the same with masks on, Shen Yuqing recognized his silhouette at a glance.
There was something about him as if he didn’t quite belong in that environment.
Pei Yiyan had a server store his white cane. When he turned back, he noticed Shen Yuqing staring blankly at something. Following his line of sight, Pei Yiyan only caught a glimpse of a kitchen door just before it closed.
Something about Shen Yuqing today felt off just a gut feeling, as if he were occupied with something he didn’t want them to know.
Shen Yuqing wasn’t looking at the kitchen anymore. Instead, he was conversing with the system, his gaze casually drifting elsewhere.
[Host, we’ve located the person.] The system pulled up a clear image of the tracked individual.
Shen Yuqing pressed his lips together, brows slightly furrowed. The man’s face looked kind nothing like someone who’d do something malicious.
[Keep tracking him. Find his address if possible. I’ll visit him tomorrow to ask why he did it.]
When the incident had happened earlier, though most of Shen Yuqing’s attention had been on their distinguished guests, he’d still caught every detail of the man’s actions.
Before colliding with Song Wangzhuo, the man had hesitated for a split second clearly conflicted, as if he hadn’t truly wanted to do it.
Shen Yuqing took a sip of tea, patiently waiting for the system’s investigation.
Dinner began promptly at 7:30.
Shen Yuqing had been starving. Using serving chopsticks, he placed some of Pei Yiyan’s favorite dishes into his bowl, exchanged a few words, then buried himself in his meal.
With each bite, he felt as if his entire being was ascending to a higher plane.
Pei Yiyan ate at a leisurely pace, but his peripheral vision kept drifting toward Shen Yuqing. Watching him eat so wholeheartedly, Pei Yiyan found himself unconsciously speeding up.
Still, Shen Yuqing wasn’t entirely self-absorbed. Whenever he got up to serve himself, he’d first use the serving chopsticks to add food to Pei Yiyan’s plate.
Dining out wasn’t like home where every dish had a fixed position, allowing Pei Yiyan to serve himself accurately.
With the lazy Susan slowly rotating, the task was far more challenging for someone with impaired vision.
However, the others at the dining table weren’t really there to eat either, engrossed in conversation and thus didn’t pay much attention to the two younger ones.
On the other hand, Su Geyue subtly tugged at her husband’s sleeve, signaling him to look at Shen Yuqing and Pei Yiyan.
Shen Yuqing was meticulously taking care of Pei Yiyan knowing exactly what he liked and disliked without even needing to ask.
Shen Zhen felt a sense of relief and picked up his chopsticks to serve Su Geyue her favorite dishes as well. She smiled softly in response before quietly continuing her meal.
The banquet didn’t conclude until after 8:30 p.m.
Since Shen Zhen and Su Geyue still had friends to chat with, they wouldn’t be leaving together. After bidding farewell to the couple, Shen Yuqing led Pei Yiyan to the car.
The vehicle’s soundproofing was excellent; once the doors closed, all outside noise faded away.
Shen Yuqing pressed his fingers to his temples. “Let’s go.”
Xiao Zhao acknowledged and started the car.
Pei Yiyan sat on the other side, reclining against the seat with his eyes closed, seemingly resting.
Shen Yuqing glanced at him. Now that things had quieted down, his attention finally settled on Pei Yiyan. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but something about Pei Yiyan today felt… off.
Especially when they had held hands earlier. At the time, it hadn’t struck him as unusual, but looking back, there was an indescribable shift. The Pei Yiyan from before wouldn’t have taken the initiative to grasp his hand like that.
Normally, when going out, Pei Yiyan was accompanied by Wu Yi or Xiao Zhao. Shen Yuqing rarely had the chance to accompany him, except for necessary occasions like the previous Pei family banquet or tonight’s Song family gathering.
Though no whispers about Pei Yiyan had reached his ears during the event, many probing gazes had lingered on him.
Since the accident, apart from their engagement party, this was likely Pei Yiyan’s first public appearance among these people familiar and unfamiliar, those who knew and those who didn’t.
All of them were curious to see how the once-celebrated prodigy had fallen into the mud.
Shen Yuqing sighed inwardly. No wonder Pei Yiyan had been acting differently. After losing his sight, his other senses had naturally heightened. He must have noticed the scrutiny. It must have unsettled him.
Moreover, Shen Yuqing had been preoccupied with Song Wangzhuo’s matters, paying little attention to Pei Yiyan.
Though Shen Zhen and Su Geyue were kind, Pei Yiyan couldn’t just reach out and hold their hands like he had with Shen Yuqing. He had to rely on his cane, slowly feeling his way.
That was why, when Shen Yuqing had taken his hand as they descended the stairs, Pei Yiyan’s reaction had been so pronounced.
Regret now gnawed at Shen Yuqing. Perhaps he shouldn’t have brought Pei Yiyan along. He could have managed this alone.
Shen Yuqing hesitated before speaking. “Pei Yiyan.”
Pei Yiyan, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them. “Hm?”
When the car started, the partition between the front and back seats had risen, enclosing them in a private space.
Pei Yiyan’s gaze drifted toward him slowly. The next moment, Shen Yuqing asked, “Are you unhappy?”
