Female Novel
Chapter 1478
Liam and Maria had a good grasp on the situation at hand. It was apparent that Ernest understoodthe kinds of flavors Leah gravitated towards and locked it into his memory, refusing to forget.
Liam and Maria exchanged a look and shared a moment of awareness.
Leah couldn't take it. What was up with them?
Ernest was in the boat. Why did he suddenly say that? She didn't feel like eating porkchops today,so she shook her head and said, "No, I think I'll have pork ribs today. Do they have it on the menu?"
Eek!
The corner of Ernest's lips twitched softly, and there was a smile in his eyes. "Okay, one order ofpork ribs."
"Isn't that almost the same thing?" Maria smiled and teased. "Is there a difference?"
"Of course there's a difference," Leah told her firmly. "Pork ribs are beyond the scope of any cuisine,it's culturally rich, it's a historical staple, it's a symbol of culture, and girl, I eat culture, you
know that?"
Hearing her winded explanation, Maria couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Even Liam couldn't stop himself from cracking up.
Ernest followed suit, he couldn't hold it in and let his lips curl into a smile. He was maintaining aface, so he didn't erupt into laughter.
Leah paid no mind to the reactions of the three of them. She scooted closer to Ernest and looked atthe menu. "Oh I almost forgot, who's treating today?"
"It's on me," Ernest said with a doting smile, "so order whatever you want."
"Then you'll have to excuse me for my discourtesy." Leah snatched the menu from his hands andasked Liam and Maria, "Mr. Celebrity, what would you like to eat?"
"Not pork ribs," Liam smiled and said. "I'll have something lighter."
"Okay, if Mr. Celebrity needs to maintain his figure then I'll order a few light dishes for you." Leahpicked out a few light dishes and suggested them to Liam.
Liam ended up ordering steamed foods. Each dish was certainly mild and authentic.
"Maria, why don't you pick a few heavier dishes?
Look at how thin you are." Leah gave Maria a thoughtful look. "You need to make up for it, don'tyou?"
Maria blushed and lowered her eyes. Before she could say anything, Liam had begun answering inher stead. He said, "The poke bowl in this corner seems like a good choice. Look, it even says hereat the bottom that it's completely nutritious, you can order it."
"Wow, you're right." Leah looked at the poke bowl dish that was comprised with a variety of healthyfoods, and it looked delicious. "Then we'll take one serving of this."
When she was done, Leah handed the menu back to Ernest and said, "I don't know what you'd liketo eat, so you can choose for yourself."
Ernest went over the dishes they chose and added a few more. Only then did he felt satisfied withtheir order.
"I need to use the bathroom," Maria said. "Leah, do you need to go?"
Leah was confused. She didn't feel the need to, but seeing how Maria was asking her deliberately,she nodded in compliance. "Yeah, I'll go with you."
Very quickly, the two girls went out hand in hand.
Liam and Ernest were the only ones left in the private room.
Liam said, "And they left just like that. Do you think they're planning something?"
Ernest was taken aback and looked at Liam when he saw a scheming smile on his face. He leanedback on his chair and smiled languidly. "What do you mean by that, Liam?"
"I guess I don't need to beat around the bush with smart people," Liam smiled and said. "Mariadidn't ask me to do this. She cares about your personal affairs, so now I'm here probe and see ifthere's anyone you fancy."
"No." Ernest's answer was blunt.
Liam chuckled instead. "Even if there isn't anyone you're interested in, you didn't have to answer meso quickly, now did you?"
Ernest smiled and said, "Even if I delayed my answer the result wouldn't have been any different."
"That's a shame." Liam sighed, looking a little disappointed. "She's quite a catch, you should tryharder. She might be won over by some other guy in the future."
There was a flash of light in his eyes, and Ernest raised his brow. He asked with a smile, "Who areyou talking about? Since when did you start playing the matchmaker?"
Liam smiled gently and said, "Ernest, there's no need to play dumb. What is there to cover up? Youknow who I'm talking about."
Ernest knew unmistakably that he was talking about Leah. He also suspected that Maria draggingLeah out of the room was for Liam to start his inquiries, but Ernest wasn't going to give in.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Liam. Why don't you just tell me?" Ernest continued smiling.He would not give anything away as long as a name wasn't mentioned.
"Leah." Seeing how Ernest was acting, Liam got straight to the point. "Maria seems to be closefriends with her. I've only seen her a few times, but in the several instances that I've met her it looksto me like she's a decent and sensible girl."
"She's quite intelligent." Ernest smiled. His impression of Leah was that she was a sharp personwho knew when to withdraw instantly at any given moment when she decides to test someone.
Ernest would not deny that she was a keen girl. Someone like Leah was very rare.
"Don't you think she resembles someone"
"Who?"
"You," Liam said with a smile. "She knows when not to overdo things, but she's just a tad braver
than you are."
Ernest contemplated for a moment. Braver... It was true.
That girl was much braver than he was.
"I don't think she's even remotely like me."
"She's compassionate and always on standby to lend a hand, but it doesn't feel like she's forcing it,and it comforts people instead. You won't find a girl like that so easily," Liam said with a suggestive
smile. "You even know the type of food she likes, which means you're already thinking about her.Why not give it a try?"novelbin
Ernest lowered his eyes and said helplessly, "Liam, what are you saying? I know you like eatinglighter foods, so going by your words, this would mean I'm interested in you."
"Stop bringing up unnecessary arguments. The more you try to cover it up the easier it is for me toexpose your thoughts. Don't forget what I do. I know how to observe people's words andexpressions, so I can see through every little action you make. You can't look me in the eyes, andit's telling me that you've thought about this, but your heart's still unsure, am I right?"
Hearing what Liam said, Ernest had no choice but to face him.
He smiled faintly and said, "You, Liam, are truly perceptive, but life is filled with unknown factors.Having an affinity for someone doesn't equate to being interested in them."
"Then admit that you have an affinity for Leah." Liam dissected Ernest's words with ease.
"As you said, intelligent girls would catch a lot of people's attention, but there's not much of them togo around. Still, that doesn't mean you can just seize them, some matters with remarkable peopleare meant to be viewed from a distance. There's no need for you to joke around like this, Liam." Hespoke calmly.
"It's all up to you, Ernest. Maria and I have good intentions. I hope that you can think about thisbefore you leave the country. Don't wait till she's moved on, or else it might be too late." Liamlooked at him and said seriously, "Sometimes being a step late will miss you the chance of alifetime, the opportunity will just pass you by."
Liam's words were clear as day, it was only natural that Ernest took in the advice he was giving.
At that moment, he looked down, and his eyes dimmed for a brief instant.
He pursed his lips and subtly changed the subject. "They should be coming back soon. Care forsome tea, Liam?"
Liam laughed radiantly. He flipped the topic back
onto him. "No thanks. If you're really not planning on doing anything, don't say you won't regret it. Itwould be a pity."
Ernest dabbed nose and said, "You people are determined to force out my feelings, aren't you? IsMaria doing the same to Leah right now?"
"Most definitely." Liam didn't hide the truth. "Maria's questioning her, so I'm questioning you.Whatever you're thinking of, we won't pry. You still have one more day to mull it over. If you decideof doing something, then act on it. Don't give yourself any regrets."
Ernest was silent for a while. He didn't have anything to say.
In the corridor outside, Maria pulled Leah to the edge as soon as they were out, not even stepping asingle foot into the restrooms.
"You had no intention of using the bathroom but pulled me out here to talk, didn't you?" Leah askedwith a smile.
"Totally, you catch on fast. You can probably guess why I dragged you out, right?"
"It's related to Ernest, isn't it?" Leah asked with a smile.
"You're spot on." Maria sighed. "Leah, I'll say it straight, I really want you to be my cousin-in-law."
Leah was dumbfounded. She giggled and said, "Alright, just let me kidnap your cousin and bringhim back to my lair. Once I've obtained full control over him you can start calling me your cousin-in-
law."