Invited for Coffee

Jiang Yingyue had thought that they would go to a cafe close to campus, but when she sat in the car, she noticed that they drove to one of the most upscale shopping areas within the entire capital.

Looking slightly sulky, she shot a glance at Han Qingshan before saying with a curt voice, "I have no money. If you want me to join you for coffee, it has to be your treat."

Han Qingshan looked at Jiang Yingyue with curiosity. He knew that the girl was not lying; she was a scholarship student and someone who had parents that worked very hard to be able to pay back the mortgage on their home.

"Don't worry," he assured her, "since I invited you, of course I will foot the bill."

Jiang Yingyue nodded her head and approved of what he had said. It seemed that he was not completely unreasonable, but then again, he was a rich young master from what she had gathered. It would be nothing for him to buy a cup of coffee for her.

When they reached the parking basement of the shopping mall, Han Qingshan parked the car and went out. Following behind him, Jiang Yingyue felt slightly annoyed and out of place.

Despite Jiang Yingyue being dressed as a young man, her clothes were somewhat trendy and fashionable, but none of them were of any famous brands. She always went for the cheaper stores to save money.

Standing next to Han Qingshan who was wearing only brand name clothes, she seemed very misplaced. When she looked at the other cars in the parking lot, she also noticed that all of them were rather expensive; it was obvious that this shopping mall was a place for the rich.

"Come on already," Han Qingshan laughed when he saw how she had stopped in her tracks and looked around with a rather dazed and absent-minded expression on her face.

Returning to her senses, Jiang Yingyue nodded her head and started moving towards him. While they were walking side by side, she realized that Han Qingshan was a whole head taller than her, and she was already rather tall for a woman.

She could not help but look at him; her eyes glistening with a strange gleam. Who was this person, and why did he have so much interest in her all of a sudden? Did he just feel bad for almost running her over with his car? It was hard to say, but she had to be extra careful around him.

Her trademark carefree smile appeared on her lips, making her seem regal yet flirtatious.

It was her protection. The more approachable she seemed on the outside, the more she hid her real emotions and fears on the inside.

Han Qingshan was unaware of this, but when he saw the young gal by his side send winks and smiles at the girls that were passing by, he felt strangely annoyed. He had never gotten treated this well by her.

These girls were all wearing brand name clothes and expensive handbags as they were strolling the shopping mall. There were also groups of students who had just come out of their university, socialites who were out gossiping with their friends, and even career women who rushed from one place to another.

All of them would look at Han Qingshan with starry eyes, and when they saw the handsome Jiang Yingyue by his side, they would display looks of shock and curiosity.

Every person from the upper ranks in the capital knew about Han Qingshan, but amongst the people here, although they were considered socialites and nobles, they were ranked far below the Han group and were incapable of striking up a conversation with him.

This time he was with a young woman, who was smiling at the girls, causing many of them to blush when they saw her black eyes glisten with mischief.

Han Qingshan could only laugh when he saw how easily the girls started blushing; it was as if they had completely forgotten about him while looking at his companion. This was a first for him.

"That's enough, stop looking. Who knows, they might get pregnant," he joked as he shook his head in resignation.

"As if you can get pregnant from a glance," Jiang Yingyue muttered, but she stopped doing it. It was clear from his behavior that he had not noticed anything, so there was no reason for her to become so alarmed.

"Young Master Shan." The manager came out as they reached the cafe, and he personally led the two of them towards an empty table to sit down and handed them a menu.

"Order whatever you please, it is my treat," Han Qingshan said casually as he handed the menu over to Jiang Yingyue.

She liked sweets a lot, but because they were usually expensive, she rarely ate them. Instead, she would cook healthy food every day, to ensure that her parents were fed well when they worked as hard as they did.

"A caramel macchiato and a slice of strawberry cheesecake," Jiang Yingyue said as she handed the menu back to Han Qingshan, who raised an eyebrow in surprise. So this girl had a sweet tooth? He would never have expected this.

"A coffee latte and a slice of strawberry cheesecake for me as well," he said, and for the first time, he got to see a gentle smile on Jiang Jingyue's face. She was childlike when smiling like this, clearly excited about getting some sweets for the first time in a month.

Looking at the gentle smile on Jiang Jingyue's face, Han Qingshan found himself completely spellbound. He was unaware of what exactly he was doing, where he was, and who was around him, all he saw was that gentle smile.

After returning to his senses, he frowned. What was wrong with him? Being entranced by the smile of a man seemed rather bad for him. Maybe he had been more curious about this person than he had initially thought.

In the end, none of them spoke before the coffee and cake arrived. Jiang Yingyue was looking out the windows at the crowd outside, while Han Qingshan was looking at her with great curiosity.