The Indifferent Ex-Husband Heartstrings in the Mall of Fate

Daniel was lining up behind Sophia in the cafeteria to get his meal, which made Sophia think he was a bit weird today.

Normally, Daniel was the kind of guy who cared about his status and keeping up appearances, so hitting up the cafeteria was a

rare sight for him.

Even on the odd occasion when he'd pop in for a change of pace, he'd have his assistant prep his meal and dodge the lunch rush.

For him to drop his bigwig CEO of Starlight Group act and stand in line at the cafeteria was totally unprecedented.

Marian was equally baffled. It was clear as day that Daniel decided to follow Sophia to the cafeteria on a whim after spotting her.

And usually, if Marian was around, he'd be all eyes on her. But today, Daniel was undeniably fixated on Sophia.

Even while chatting with Marian, he'd sneak peeks at Sophia, obviously keeping tabs on her every move.

Marian couldn't figure out what was going on, yet, this shift made her uneasy.

Daniel used to dote on her because she was Yolanda, and now she still was Yolanda, plus she'd saved his life. Logically, he should

be even more grateful and attentive to her.

Feeling jittery, Marian couldn't help but also start sizing up Daniel discreetly.

Sophia didn't look back at the two, but their intense stares were so palpable that she couldn't help but wonder if they had a screw

loose.

When it ctto dish up, Sophia, Daniel and Marian took their turns with the trays. Sophia was first in line, but Daniel, being

used to calling the shots and doing his own thing, didn't care for the concept of first-come-first-served and went ahead and ordered

a bunch of dishes.

Sophia frowned involuntarily.

Marian, on the other hand, was all eager to recommend, "Mr. Crawley, this braised pork hock is killer, give it a go."

"Sure thing." Daniel replied and called out to the serving lady, "I'll have sbraised pork hock too."

Sophia couldn't help but turn around and give him a look, "All that high-fat, high-salt, spicy stuff, didn't the docs give you a heads-

up about watching your diet when you got discharged?"

Daniel seemed caught off guard by Sophia's sudden interjection and was momentarily stunned. Sophia eyed the glistening pork

hock handed over by the server.

"Patients with cerebral hemorrhage should steer clear of fatty meats, sweets, salty pickles, and other high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt

foods to avoid hampering recovery." She said coolly, "You just got out of the hospital; don't land yourself back in there because you

couldn't resist a tasty bite."

Marian turned a shade of awkward and sour, not having thought about that aspect.

Daniel's mood soured too, not because he was dying for the meat, but because being schooled by Sophia felt like a challenge to

his authority, even though she was right.

He couldn't just put himself in danger again just to spite Sophia; he'd rather die than go through another brain surgery.

Seeing Daniel's mood and guessing he probably didn’t like being lectured by someone like Sophia who was a kid to him, Marian

tried to ease him up in an ingratiating manner, "A little indulgence shouldn't hurt. You've been in the hospital so long without a

decent meal; if you want it, just enjoy."

Daniel glanced at her, thinking the girl did have a knack for sweet talk, but her coaxing was irrelevant when it cdown to it,

because he'd be the one suffering the consequences.

"Forget it." He handed the loaded tray to Marian, "You have it; I'll go for something lighter."

And with that, he picked up another tray and switched out for slighter, healthier dishes. While getting soup, he inevitably

bumped into Sophia again.

Marian wasn't much for lining up either; seeing an open spot, she'd grab her soup and tray and was off, not going far, just stepping

aside to wait for Daniel.

Sophia, soup in hand, was about to leave when she noticed Daniel's shaky grip on his tray, clearly struggling.

After all, he was a patient with brain problem, and though timely treatment spared him severe aftereffects, the ordeal had affected

his coordination, making a simple task like carrying a tray seem Herculean; the tray was trembling unceasingly as if to fall at any

moment.

Sophia glanced at him, silently steadied his tray with her free hand.

Daniel looked at her in surprise. Sophia didn't meet his gaze; she simply set down her own tray, placed a bowl of soup on his, and

asked, "Where are you sitting? I'll bring it over."

She spoke evenly, not looking at him.

Daniel instinctively glanced at Marian, who was standing by awkwardly but pointed to an empty table, "Over there."

Sophia looked in the direction Marian had indicated, took Daniel's tray, and walked over.

Daniel quickly followed.

"I hear you're planning to leave?" He made small talk.

"That's none of your business," replied Sophia, her voice calm and steady, without a glance his way.

But Daniel wasn't about to be ignored, "How can you say it's none of my business? I'm still your elder, after all."

"Not anymore." Sophia said, placing his tray on the table, "Here's your food, enjoy your meal."

With that, Sophia turned and left.

Daniel wanted to follow, but was at a loss for words. Marian, meanwhile, sat down with her tray and called out to him with a sweet

smile, "Mr. Crawley, let's eat before it gets cold; it's not good for your health."

Daniel unwittingly flicked a glance at her. Marian's face was still all smiles, her words sweet as honey.

But in a flash, Daniel realized that Marian, sweet-talking as she was, had done nothing practical all along.

In contrast, Sophia, not one for pleasantries, had done all the work, and had been attentive, even noticing his shaky grip.

His gaze drifted towards Sophia, who had already grabbed her tray and plopped down not too far away, joining the girl she'd been

chatting about work with and a few other folks from the office.

Everyone else was gabbing away while they ate, but she was just quietly munching on her meal, not jumping into the

conversation.

After a moment's thought, Daniel picked up his tray and made a beeline for Sophia. Marian looked over at Daniel with a mix of

surprise and disbelief, feeling a tad awkward to boot.

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