My Darling, My Dearest

"Damn it! Why can't I ask you? If I can't, then who can?" Eric snapped.

The cluster of people gathered behind Eric couldn't help but poking him on the shoulder. "Hey!"

Eric turned around and asked in an aggravated voice, "What's with you?"

"Can you lower your voice? They all are looking at you." reminded the girl wearing a light grey baseball coat.

Eric was flabbergasted as he realized that his high-pitched voice had attracted the attention of innumerable people. A shade of red appeared on his pretty face. He felt embarrassed as he said in a hushed tone, "Sorry. Thank you for reminding me."

"You're welcome." The girl grinned from ear to ear. Her sparkling teeth caught Eric's attention, and he blushed.

"Rachel! Who on earth do you want to go out with?"

Eric continued to ask.

At that moment, Rachel, who was followed by Jack, came downstairs. "Jack Fu," she answered.

The person on the other end of the line was silent for a moment. Before hanging up, he cursed, "Fuck."

Eric didn't have the guts to compete against Jack. He had vowed to find out as to who was bold enough to ask Rachel out. But when he knew it was Jack, he could do nothing. When did he resurface again in her life?

Eric had no intentions of going back and having an encounter with Jack as he was no match for him.

He was beaten up so severely that Jack's name haunted him. He felt as if he was less of a being whenever he encountered Jack.

"Hey! Hey!" A soft, gentle voice was heard from behind. Still exasperated from the thought of Jack, Eric turned around and was greeted by a bright smile which portrayed a row of gleaming, white teeth. His sou mood immediately lightened, and he smiled readily.

He then cleared his throat and asked in a soft voice, "What's the matter?"

The girl in the baseball coat raised her head. "Move forward; you are blocking us."

Only then did Eric realize that there was no one in front of him, and the people behind were glaring at him.

He took a big step forward.

The girl took out her phone and sent a message to her friend.

"Damn it! There is an idiot in front of me!"

Eric was feeling quite hungry. He purchased a large order comprising of three meals and headed towards home. As expected, Rachel wasn't there.

Furthermore, the black Land Rover that was ■3

earlier parked downstairs was no longer there.

'Fuck!1 Eric screamed inwardly. 'Turns out Jack has arrived even before us.'

Rachel wanted to eat noodles from Green Leaf Restaurant, but it was hard to find the alley where it was situated.

After steering through several streets, Jack finally found a place to park his car. Since he couldn't take his car inside the alley, he had to park in such a grubby area.

After they got out of the car, Rachel let them to the alley. Jack, who was walking beside her, wondered whether the restaurant was there or not.

They walked further ten meters, and the road ahead became distinct.

Hot shops filled with mouth-watering food were situated consecutively. Countless tables and chairs were present on the street, and masses of people were lined at the gate of each restaurant.

A few street lamps were shining dimly. The aroma from all the restaurants amalgamated into a single odor which smelled delicious.

Rachel started to regret.

'Alas!

I shouldn't have taken him to a place like this.

What a waste of a brilliant opportunity!' I should have asked him to take me to the most expensive restaurant in Ninwell City, even though I have no appetite.'

But the first restaurant came to her mind was Green Leaf Restaurant. It was Lea who had taken her to this place.

After that, Rachel had come to this place from time to time.

When Jack offered to buy her food, Rachel thought of the food here and asked him to take her here.

She still couldn't figure out as to why she brought him to such a place when she could have gone to an expensive one.

Jack had never eaten food from such a place before.

But he finally gave in to the thought of dining with Rachel. And besides, he'd never have a chance of eating here again, so he thought to make the best of this opportunity.

Rachel seemed to know the way to the dining area and went inside.

After hesitating for a second, Jack followed suit. There was assemblage of people all passing by.

It was peak dinner time, and the restaurant was packed with individuals. The aroma of fresh hot food filled the air.

A long queue greeted the couple. A pile of cutlery and crockery were racked up in a corner.

The man who led the queue was waiting anxiously for his food. As soon as the waiter brought two steaming hot soup pots from the window, the glutton paid for the meal and carried his food outside. ■3 Jack stepped aside to avoid colliding with the ravenous man.

The apparently insatiable man perfectly balanced the bowls in his hands and didn't spill any of the soup. The green onion present in the soup left a trail of odor.

The onion smelled quite appetizing.

Even though Jack had tasted many delicacies before, the whiff of the onion soup smelled like no other. His stomach growled with hunger.

The presence of various sauces in the boiling soup further enhanced the mouth-watering scent.

This snack bar served noodles and wontons, each with sweet sauces. There wasn't any particular type of food that was being provided. Jack threw a quick glance at the menu that exhibited the price of a bowl of noodles and wontons. The sauces were complimentary.

Soon it was Rachel's turn to order. Jack followed behind her. She had somehow lost her appetite; therefore, she just ordered a bowl of wontons.

The chef picked some fresh wontons and tossed them into a pot. A couple of minutes later, he collected them from the pot, put some seasoning and scallion into the bowl, and scooped some soup. His smooth actions pointed out to the fact that he had complete command over his craft.

Rachel took her bowl from the chef and went out. Jack took his eyes off her as she made her way towards an empty table.

Before long, Jack came over, both of his hands ■3

carrying a bowl.

Jack's eyes were fixated on trying to find Rachel among the horde. He then finally found her sitting at the table.

Jack thought that if people saw him wearing handmade Italian leather shoes while buying food from a greasy snack bar and holding two bowls, he would surely hit the headlines tomorrow.

Rachel lowered her head, trying to suppress her laughter. The thought of Jack in a place like this truly felt as if he held her very dear.

Jack then sat down next to her and asked surprisingly, "How did you find a place like this?"

Glancing at the grease stains on the table in front of him, Rachel scooped out some burning soup in her bowl and whispered, "Is it too dirty for your liking?"

He smiled and said, "It looks good."

Jack had ordered for himself noodles and snacks. Rachel observed that he really enjoyed the food.

Rachel was unsure as to whether her bringing him here was a punishment, because he really liked the place.

The two of them sat opposite to each other and ate their food in silence. They looked like an ordinary couple in a regular restaurant.

As for Jack, he had never ever taken a woman out to a place like this.

Judging by the cheap and delicious traditional food, Jack thought that this place was alright if not ■3

too grand. But the idea of the city's local cuisine being served in a place like this enthralled him.

Jack looked around and observed that there were all types of cuisines provided in the restaurants. He noticed how the whole food street was crowded. Judging by their clothes, he found that most of the people were ordinary officers and students, who were a major contributing factor in making this place a success.

He thought about whether introducing such traditional food in MK Group's exclusive hotels would be a good idea or not.

The scallion residue in the soup exuded a strong fragrance as Rachel finished every bit of her meal. Then she gobbled down all the wantons that were present in her soup. As her belly warmed up, so did her hands and feet.

And Rachel was able to take a nap during the afternoon, thanks to the sleeping pills; therefore, her spirits were considerable high.

After finishing his food, Jack asked Rachel, "Will you go back?"

She had chalked out a plan to torture him, but he liked the food here. Rachel stood up slowly, a look of dismay on her face, her hands in her pockets.

Jack perceived Rachel's sudden actions as her leaving the place.

"Wait, don't go back. Let's go for a walk," Jack said hastily.

"Go for a walk?" She raised her eyebrows in astonishment. Did she mishear Jack? ■3

Jack's liking to this place enraged Rachel. She felt as if she made a complete fool of herself and the plan of bringing him here wholly backfired on her.

She questioned her motives of torturing Jack and coldly refused his request. "No, you can go by yourself."

Her negative attitude towards Jack made him give a chuckle as he shook his head in vain.

Rachel was startled by his laughter. She confronted him, suspiciously, "What are you laughing at?"

He said thoughtfully, "Rachel, I apologize to you for what I've done."

The streetlamps along the road attracted a lot of visitors, and the slightly stuffy air was overflowing with the fragrance of all kinds of food.

When Jack walked by each shop, he stopped for a moment and glanced at it. He even fancied going inside and buying some food.