Leon didn't have a preference for desserts. The mere sight of sweets would mostly make him queasy, but there were occasions when he would be curious enough for a taste. Many people around him refused to eat desserts because it was fattening.
Michelle was the first girl he'd ever met who loved sweet things so much. Every time he saw her eating desserts with relish, he would feel inexplicably happy as well. It made him believe that eating sweets could make people happy.
But it wasn't only dessert—anything Michelle ate caught his interest, making him want to have a taste.
Michelle ate another sugarcoated strawberry. Her cheek was stuffed and the sight made Leon swallow.
"Is it really delicious?" he couldn't help asking.
"Yes, of course!" Eyes wide with excitement, Michelle held the stick up close to his mouth and urged, "Try it, Leon. It's delicious."
The stick originally came with three strawberries. Michelle had eaten two of them, leaving the last one for Leon. The red strawberry looked fat and juicy, covered in a sugar glaze.
Since that last strawberry was at the bottom end of the stick, he had to hold the stick horizontally. But it wasn't elegant to eat the fruit like this. He might also get sugar stains on his cheeks just like Michelle had now.
Leon hesitated.
"It's really delicious. You can have this one." Having finished chewing and swallowing the strawberry she just ate, Michelle's voice became clear. She watched the man expectantly.
Leon didn't want to lose face but he wanted to know how delicious the dessert was to make Michelle so happy. So he took out fresh sugarcoated strawberries on a stick from the fridge because it was easier to eat the topmost strawberry.
"I'll have a new one instead. Since you like it so much, you should eat more."
After saying that, Leon opened his mouth and took a whole strawberry off the stick in one bite. He chewed on the fruit cautiously. The sweetest part was the sugar coating. The strawberry itself was tangy and quite juicy.
After swallowing, he remarked, "It's sweet and sour but it tastes good. No wonder you like it. But don't eat too much because we're going to have lunch."
Leon walked out and Michelle followed after him with a satisfied smile. She looked down at the last strawberry on the stick in her hand and thought, 'It seems that he doesn't like what others have used or eaten from. I'll remember that for next time.'
Atop the table were several dishes which made Michelle's mouth water once more. "Wow, Wynn is really rich and generous."
"You can say that. And in the future, you can ask him to buy you food. He can afford it," Leon replied with a sly look in his eyes. Smirking, he took a seat.
Michelle sat opposite Leon, looked at the dishes on the table and swallowed audibly. "Leon, when is Wynn coming? I'm so hungry. I want to eat already."
"He's not coming." Leon picked up a serving spoon to ladle the soup into a bowl. Its fragrance filled the air which increased Michelle's appetite. She reached for her own bowl and waited for her turn to serve herself.
"He's treating us to lunch but he's not having it with us?" Michelle was a little surprised.
"That's right," Leon confirmed, setting the full bowl in front of Michelle and taking the empty bowl from her hand.
Michelle thanked him. "How strange. I don't understand why he didn't come to have lunch with us when he is the one paying. Did he say why he couldn't come?"
"He's still on a business trip in another province and can't come back for a while. Thinking that you're finally done with your training and that he can't come back in time, he is treating you to this fancy meal." Leon was used to telling small lies like this. There were no facial tells or tics that would have revealed his deception.
Michelle was also naively innocent. She believed just about anything others told her, especially when it was Leon who did the telling. She didn't think too much about it and pronounced, "He's so kind! Although he can't eat with us, I can let him see how much I appreciate it. I want to take a photo."
Leon stiffened in his seat. It wasn't that he was afraid that his lie might be exposed—Wynn didn't have the guts to do such a thing—but he felt that it would torture the other man a little bit to see the food and not be able to eat it with them.
But he wouldn't stop Michelle.
"All right. Take a picture and thank him for me," Leon suggested slyly.
Michelle picked up her phone and tried to take a photo of the food from above but she was too short. She had to stand on tiptoe to achieve that.
With a click, she took a picture and sent it to Wynn, thanking him sincerely.
Michelle waited but no reply came. Instead, the screen of Leon's phone lit up. He glanced at it knowingly. The message was from Wynn who criticized him and sent emojis of bombs and knives.
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