Ye Chuqi laughed at Gaines's silence. "Did you only want me to talk, Lord Gaines? Don't you have anything to say yourself?"
The deck hardly looked like a place for conversation. If Gaines had come all the way here to talk to her, he must have had something in mind. He simply hadn't expected her to see through his intentions at a glance and take control with a single question.
"My apologies for being so forward." Gaines suddenly smiled. He had prepared himself before coming here—or rather, he had been prepared ever since he left the Thirteen Misty Islands. "This way, Miss Ye."
With practiced ease, Gaines set out a table and chairs nearby. He even laid out steaming tea and pastries, along with fresh fruit.
Ye Chuqi looked him up and down in surprise, then laughed. "Is this a steward's skill? Or is living in comfort just part of your daily routine? I think you and Jun Ruofeng would have plenty to talk about."
They certainly had the same approach to enjoying life.
Ye Chuqi picked up a piece of fruit and took a bite. It was sweet and juicy. "Is this a specialty of the Thirteen Misty Islands?"
"Yes." Gaines pulled out a chair and invited her to sit with gentlemanly courtesy. "Please, Miss Ye."
But Ye Chuqi only weighed the fruit in her hand. She didn't move.
Gaines watched her with a smile.
Ye Chuqi smiled back at him.
San San's grumbling sounded in her ear. "That smiling mask of his doesn't look sincere at all."
She Was Only Saying It in Passing
Gaines had long since grown used to wearing that smile. But under Ye Chuqi's clear gaze today, he had the unsettling feeling that she could see right through him. Even his practiced smile grew