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Chapter 168: Chapter 168: More Lovestruck Than You?

But Ian Sterling stopped her, suggesting, ”I know a place in Quartos that’s open twenty-four hours. The food is great.”

Lynn Winslow glanced at his back. ”Doesn’t it hurt anymore? You still want to go out and eat? Can you even manage that?”

”It’s nothing serious. I’ll be fine as long as I don’t make any sudden moves or lean against the back of my chair.”

”All right, then. Let’s go eat out.”

Lynn Winslow drove while Ian Sterling sat in the passenger seat. He was hunched forward slightly to avoid putting pressure on his injured back, making for a strange posture.

When they arrived at the place Ian Sterling had mentioned, Lynn glanced around. It wasn’t crowded, but the parking lot was nearly full. The restaurant’s decor leaned toward a European style, but Ian Sterling said their specialty was Northeastern cuisine.

Lynn had never tried it before, which made her a little curious.

She offered to support him, but Ian Sterling sternly refused. ”I can manage. It’ll look weird if you have to help me walk.”

Ian Sterling didn’t care about other people’s stares or chatter, but he did care if they were talking about his back.

Lynn was exasperated by his peculiar hangups but did as he asked. The two of them walked slowly inside, and as soon as they entered, they came face-to-face with Jasper Jennings and Kenneth Keller, who were seated at a table in the main dining area.

Nigel Abbott, sitting across from the two, only turned to look after noticing where they were staring.

”What are you two doing here eating so late?”

Lynn and Ian walked over to join them at their table. Lynn explained, ”We missed dinner and got hungry, so we came over.”

Jasper Jennings shot a look at the expressionless Ian Sterling and smirked. ”Didn’t Finn get his ass kicked? You’re not in pain anymore?”

”...” Ian Sterling looked up at him. ”Is that supposed to be concern?”

Jasper Jennings asked innocently, ”Am I not showing my concern for you?”

”You blabbed about my injury in the group chat. I haven’t even settled the score with you for that yet.” Ian Sterling turned his head away, refusing to engage with him.

Nigel Abbott draped an arm over the back of his chair, amused. ”Is my future father-in-law really that ruthless? He actually laid into you that hard? And my future mother-in-law dotes on you so much, yet she didn’t stop him?”

Ian Sterling ignored them and turned to Lynn, who was trying to hide a laugh. ”Let’s get a private room. I don’t want to eat with them.”

Just as Lynn was about to say that eating together was perfectly fine, Kenneth Keller propped his head on his hand and said lazily, ”If you want to go, go by yourself. Lynn is much less petty than you are.”

”...” Ian Sterling forced a smile. Lynn reached out and soothingly patted the back of his hand.

A waiter came over, and Lynn took the menu, ordering a few dishes that looked appetizing. Jasper Jennings commented from the side, ”Red wine won’t work with this food. Baijiu and beer are both good choices, though.”

He ordered some drinks, but Lynn said, ”We’re driving.”

”We have a driver, don’t worry.” Kenneth Keller jutted his chin toward Nigel Abbott. ”With him around, who’d dare to drive drunk?”

Nigel Abbott shot him a glare. ’This bunch...’ he thought. ’Which of them ever actually respects my position? They cause just as much trouble as they always have. Heck, even my own future brother-in-law has pulled stunts that I had to clean up.’

The drinks arrived first. Jasper Jennings poured a glass for Lynn, deliberately skipping over Ian Sterling. Just as Ian started to frown, Lynn said, ”You shouldn’t drink right now.”

”Oh.” Ian Sterling nodded obediently and picked up his chopsticks to eat.

The others hadn’t been there long either. They’d mostly been drinking, so the feast of dishes on the table was largely untouched.

Lynn clinked glasses with them and took a few sips before asking, ”I’m surprised you guys eat this kind of stuff.”

It wasn’t that the food was bad, but all the rich young men she’d known back in Morelia would only ever eat at places with sterile, impersonal decor.

Ian Sterling placed a piece of chicken on Lynn’s plate, urging her to try it.

The flavor was unusual, but exceptionally good. Lynn’s eyes lit up as she praised it, ”No wonder you all like this place.”

”Veridia has countless cuisines, and they’re all fantastic—way better than what you get in Morelia.” Kenneth Keller said with a grin. ”The owner here is from the Northeast. After making his fortune in Quartos, he wanted to open a Northeastern restaurant so he could have a taste of home whenever he wanted. He bought this location, and the decor was left over from the previous business. He never changed it, said he found it interesting.”

Lynn wholeheartedly agreed with Kenneth and raised her glass to toast his.

Ian Sterling was usually possessive, but he didn’t intervene this time. He wanted Lynn to be able to fit in with his friends.

More dishes arrived, and the restaurant owner came over to greet the group before leaving. Only then did Ian Sterling ask, ”Where’s Zachary?”

”He went traveling abroad with Esther Abbott.”

Ian Sterling scoffed. At that, something stirred in Lynn, and she shot him a sidelong glance.

The other three men had grown up with Ian, after all. They all noticed his strange reaction.

”What’s wrong? Are you fighting with Zachary?” Nigel asked with concern.

Ian Sterling shook his head. He then realized his reaction might make Lynn suspicious, so he explained softly, ”No. I just think he gets stupid when he’s in love.”

”Is Zachary as bad as you? How long has it been since you hung out with us? You turn us down every single time.” Kenneth Keller looked exasperated. He then turned to Lynn. ”Nothing against you, Lynn. Don’t take it personally.”

Lynn bit her chopstick and smiled, shaking her head at the comment. Ian Sterling just huffed and went back to eating his food.

By the time the meal was over, Lynn’s face was flushed. Jasper Jennings called a driver to take her and Ian home.

Lynn sat in the back seat. She wanted to lean against Ian, but she was worried it would be too tiring for him, since he couldn’t lean back himself and would have to support her. In the end, she just rested her head against the car door, closing her eyes to ease the slight dizziness.

Ian raised his hand to pull her closer, but Lynn waved him off.

”You just focus on sitting still. I’m fine like this, it’s not uncomfortable.”

Ian had no choice but to relent. He just watched her for the rest of the ride, leaning over anxiously whenever she so much as furrowed her brow.

By the time they got home, Lynn had sobered up quite a bit. She yawned and said, ”I just got my sleep schedule back on track, and now it’s all messed up again.”

Ian cupped her cheeks and gave them a gentle shake. He smiled. ”It’s okay. Sleep when you’re sleepy, don’t when you’re not. No need to worry so much.”

Lynn hummed in agreement and went back to Ian’s room. She only went into the bathroom after he had finished his shower.

When she came out, she was scrolling on her phone as she walked toward the bed, completely missing the strangely hopeful look in Ian’s eyes.

Lynn was only thinking about his injury; it never occurred to her that even while hurt, Ian would still have the energy for... other things. She walked over to his side of the bed, picked up the ointment, and gestured for him to lie on his stomach. After applying the medicine to his back, she took her phone, walked around to the other side, and climbed into bed, leaning against the headboard to scroll.

”Babe, it actually doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Lynn just ”oh”-ed, her eyes still glued to her screen.

Unwilling to give up, Ian tried a different hint. ”Babe, does your stomach still hurt?”

”Why would it hurt?” Lynn asked absently. ”It doesn’t. That was ages ago. My next one should be starting soon.”

Ian’s eyes grew even brighter. He reached out for her.