340 Suspicions Confirmed (1/2)

”I'm not panicking.” Cedrick flashed a faded smile. ”I was looking around, and I admit I wish to see this woman as soon as possible, but honestly, I've lost all hope toward her. I just want to meet her to get it over it.”

”Oh.” Ye Shuang nodded. ”Then do you mind letting go of my shirt?”

Cedrick blushed and quickly let go of the corner of Ye Shuang's shirt that he had grabbed. He held his fist by his lips and coughed. ”Sorry… Fine, perhaps I am panicking a little bit.”

Madam Grace always paid attention to her appearance when she showed up around Brother Shuang. Even though she did not go in a dress every time, it would at least be a more neutral outfit that could accentuate her body shape and not like before, where she wore a man's suit to a dinner. Once her face was ignored, she could even be treat like a man.

”Your mother has quite a good fashion sense,” Ye Shuang told Cedrick. ”She isn't exactly a beautiful woman, but the key is her presence; she's able to grab anyone's attention wherever she goes.”

Cedrick looked at her in alarm. ”You seem to have a good impression of Madam Grace.”

Ye Shuang was speechless when she saw Cedrick's expression. ”Didn't you say you have no anticipation toward her anymore?”

If you're already so protective when you have no anticipation, then if you have a little anticipation, wouldn't you go mad if a man just looked at her?

”I have no interest in someone like her, and even if I did… with my age and looks, why do you think I'd settle for your mother?”

Cedrick saw how he had overreacted, and he waved his hands, sighing. ”I'm being too nervous. However, there's one thing that you got wrong—I'm not averse to this because of anticipation, but it has more to do with pride.”

While they chatted, Madam Grace walked over, taking a shortcut through the trees. Ye Shuang pretended that she had just seen her and revealed a shocked expression. Then she smiled naturally, actively greeting her. ”This is such a coincidence, Madam Grace.”

”It really is,” Madam Grace replied with equal grace. ”I'm surprised to meet Mr. Ye again.”

Coincidence? This coincidence had happened at least seven times in the past month already, so no one would have believed that it was a mere coincidence.

Just as Ye Shuang was wondering how to bring Cedrick into the conversation, she was surprised that Madam Grace did the job for her. ”Is this gentleman your friend?”

Ye Shuang was startled before smiling. ”This is Cedrick—we met in France. He happened to come to Feng Yuan City, and we decided to hang out together.”

Madam Grace nodded. Of course, she knew about Cedrick, but her focus was merely on his 'reputation' and not his own person. To put it more precisely, Madam Grace actually suspected Cedrick's intention for getting close to Ye Shuang. Perhaps he wanted to steal something from Ye Shuang, or perhaps Cedrick had some new thoughts in mind.

Even though she looked down on Cedrick's lack of ambition, the man was ultimately a famous thief, and Madam Grace's interest in Brother Shuang was at its height. Naturally, she would not allow someone else to go after her target. Other than to brush up on the affection level, the other reason that Madam Grace had dropped by that day was to save the beauty… or rather, to mark her territory.

Cedrick was made uncomfortable by Madam Grace's deep stare, and he even thought that it was perhaps because she had identified him. Madam Grace opened her lips then and offered a fake laugh. ”Since you're Mr. Ye's friend and I also came to Feng Yuan City to travel, how about we get to know each other over a meal?”

Ye Shuang and Cedrick shared a look. ”Sure.”

It was not the right time for a meal. In reality, they just found a random diner and sat down. After ordering their drinks, Madam Grace had a brief conversation with Ye Shuang before changing the topic to Cedrick. ”Mr. Cedrick, are you from America? I seem to have heard of your name before. Is it perhaps from my line of work?”

Cedrick was quite confused. Was this a type of recognition? But if the woman really wanted to confirm his identity, should she not talk about things like his place of birth or family?

”Maybe.” Unable to think about an answer, Cedrick could only be vague, and then he tossed back a question to probe. ”Perhaps I look similar to someone that you knew, Madam Grace?”

”I am very good with people's faces.” Madam Grace thought that Cedrick was trying to pull one over her, so naturally, she would not allow him to do that. Thus, she made her tone heavy and once again implied that she had already found out about his identity. ”Mr. Cedrick, you don't look like anyone I know, and the only Cedrick I know is you.”

This is so confusing, what is she trying to say?

The two went back and forth, each carrying a hidden meaning in their words.