Free Web NovelChapter 249: Chapter 249: Riding Together
The Ming Family Restaurant’s opening day fell at the very end of summer.
However, the day before, while Ming Lingyi was still at Ming’s Restaurant, she saw the manager she had posted at the Ming Family Restaurant come rushing over.
"Manager Qian, is something wrong?" Ming Lingyi asked, calm and composed.
Manager Qian had worked at Ming’s Restaurant for a while. Only after he had familiarized himself with its menu and the upcoming new dishes was he sent to the Ming Family Restaurant to oversee its progress.
After all, opening day was sure to be hectic.
The busier it got, the easier it was for mistakes to happen. He had to go to the Ming Family Restaurant to get acquainted with the layout and the staff under his command, all to ensure the grand opening tomorrow went off without a hitch.
But right now, Manager Qian couldn’t worry about all that.
"Boss, this is bad! A group of people suddenly showed up at the restaurant. They claim they’ve already rented the place, and they’re asking what we’re doing inside. They even want to throw us out." This was the first time in his many years that Manager Qian had encountered such a thing. If they were just making empty claims, he could have dealt with it. But to his surprise, they had a lease agreement, and it truly listed the restaurant’s location.
The contract didn’t look like a forgery.
Manager Qian was stunned and had no choice but to find Ming Lingyi. After all, he wasn’t privy to the finer details, like who exactly the restaurant was rented from or the terms of the profit-sharing agreement. He had to get confirmation from Ming Lingyi first.
The moment she heard this, Ming Lingyi stated firmly, "Impossible."
’The restaurant is Feng Shuyu’s property, and she leased it to me as a form of investment. To the public, it’s still considered part of the Hu family’s assets. That was precisely why no one would be foolish enough to approach Feng Shuyu about leasing it. Besides me, it’s impossible for anyone else to have signed a lease contract with her.’
"But at the restaurant..." Manager Qian trailed off.
’He trusted his boss, but this situation was tricky.’
’After all, the restaurant is opening tomorrow. For this to happen right at the last minute... anyone can see these people are here to cause trouble.’
’And since they’re looking for trouble, they won’t be easy to get rid of.’
"I’ll go with you to take a look." As she said this, Ming Lingyi was already rising to her feet, preparing to head out.
Manager Qian quickly followed.
Just as Li Yun arrived at the entrance of Ming’s Restaurant, he happened to run into Ming Lingyi rushing out the door.
He knew, of course, that the Ming Family Restaurant was opening tomorrow. Considering Ming Lingyi would be incredibly busy then, he had specifically chosen today to leave the palace to see her.
The mountain wouldn’t come to him, so he had no choice but to chase the mountain whenever he had a spare moment.
Li Yun had ridden here by himself today. By the time he saw Ming Lingyi, he was already swinging himself off his horse. "Heading out?" he asked in a familiar tone.
Manager Qian, who was behind Ming Lingyi, tactfully took a step back when he saw Li Yun.
Ming Lingyi nodded. "To Vermilion Bird Street."
"Trouble at the restaurant?" Li Yun’s gaze swept over the middle-aged man behind Ming Lingyi. He recognized him as a former servant of the Ming Family.
There was no need for Ming Lingyi to hide anything at this point, so she simply nodded.
Li Yun swung himself back onto his horse. Seated atop the black steed, he reached his hand out toward Ming Lingyi.
When she didn’t immediately react, he couldn’t help but ask, "What are you waiting for? Don’t you need to get to Vermilion Bird Street? I’ll take you."
’Riding a horse is much faster than a carriage.’ He’d seen her hurried expression and figured the matter was urgent.
Ming Lingyi hesitated for only a moment before placing her hand in the large one Li Yun held out to her.
She felt his palm—dry, warm, and powerful. With what seemed like effortless strength, he pulled her up from the ground and onto the horse.
Ming Lingyi found herself completely encircled in Li Yun’s arms.
His arm tightened around her waist for a moment, as if checking that she was steady.
Her back was pressed unavoidably against his chest. Though it was late summer, the midday sun was still warm, and she was dressed in a light summer blouse and skirt.
The thin summer blouse offered little barrier. The vibrant warmth and steady heartbeat of the young man behind her passed through, impossible to ignore.
Feeling slightly ill at ease, Ming Lingyi tried to shift forward.
But before she could move, the arm wrapped around her midsection held her in place.
"Hold steady," Li Yun’s voice drifted down from just behind her head, his breath grazing the wisps of hair at her temple.
The next moment, the steed shot forward. The sudden burst of speed made Ming Lingyi gasp, and she instinctively fell back, pressing more tightly into his embrace.
Li Yun seemed to let out a low chuckle, a faint vibration rumbling through his chest.
Ming Lingyi: "..."
’She found it very hard not to suspect he’d done that on purpose!’
As if he knew what she was thinking, Li Yun started explaining before she could say a word. "You looked worried, so I assumed it was urgent. I just want to get you there as fast as I can. If you’re frightened, hold on to me."
Li Yun delivered this explanation with such noble-sounding justification.
Ming Lingyi really couldn’t refute it.
The wind rushed against her face, yet it couldn’t dispel the unending warmth radiating from behind. The faint rustling sound of her skirt tangling with the hem of his robes made her instinctively glance down.
Ming Lingyi’s back was stiff at first, but the horse’s steady, rhythmic gallop and the unwavering support of the man behind her gradually helped her relax. Or maybe, what truly put her at ease was the familiar feeling of riding together on one horse.
Before she came to Shangjing City, whenever she wanted to sneak out and have some fun, she and Li Yun would ride a single horse. He would sit behind her, holding her tight.
The clamor of Vermilion Bird Street grew louder. Behind her, Li Yun pulled on the reins, slowing the horse from a gallop to a trot.
Without the wind whistling past her ears, the sound of his long, steady breathing just above her head became strikingly present.
Ming Lingyi’s heart stirred.
"We’re almost there," came Li Yun’s voice.
Upon arriving at the Ming Family Restaurant, Li Yun dismounted first. Then, just as he had done many years ago, he placed his hands on Ming Lingyi’s waist and, with a smooth motion, lifted her directly off the horse.
The movement was gentle and fluid, without a hint of clumsiness.
Ming Lingyi turned her head, as if only just realizing that Li Yun had come all this way without an entourage.
"You’re alone?" she asked.
Li Yun wasn’t sure what she meant. "I came to see you. Was I supposed to bring someone else along?"
’He had come early today, originally planning to take Ming Lingyi for a ride outside the city.’
’When it was just the two of them, there was certainly no need to bring along anyone unimportant.’
’He’d even left Liu Ye back at the palace, bringing only his agile Hidden Guards.’
Ming Lingyi: "..."
She began walking toward the restaurant, choosing not to reply to a comment she had no response for.
To her surprise, Li Yun followed.
