Philip smiled silently, clearly having initiated this topic himself, merely echoing what he wanted to hear. He then shifted the conversation quite seriously, saying, “I’ve heard that the new Far East military mission has begun recruiting; this is no longer a secret within the army. The Führer’s plan is quite wise; gold and silver will never change color with the owner’s skin tone.”
As he spoke, his gaze remained on the two charming girls approaching from a distance. He saw that she was holding a small plate piled high with fruit, while her companion had a similar plate filled with various fruits. However, her plate only contained apples, both red and green. He lowered his head, smiling helplessly; this was the only fruit she had managed to force him to eat after much effort.
“Annabel , it seems we’ve taken too much.” Looking at the entire plate stacked like a small mountain of fruit, Khanyi frowned and said.
The two girls walked towards their seats, each holding a plate of fruit, when Khanyi suddenly stopped, pressing a hand to her chest.
“Khanyi, are you okay?” Annabel hurriedly supported her shoulder, asking with concern. She had noticed Khanyi’s face looked a bit pale earlier, but since her mood seemed fine, she didn’t press further.
Khanyi covered her mouth, her brows furrowed. “It’s nothing serious, I just ate too much cured sausage this morning, and my stomach is still churning. Ugh, I can’t handle it, I need to go to the bathroom.”
“I’ll go with you…” Annabel took the plate from Khanyi’s hands and instructed the waiter to take it to their table. Gently supporting her shoulder, she walked towards the restroom.
He had been watching them and saw this scene unfold, but he merely frowned slightly and didn’t approach to offer any comfort. His ice-blue eyes scanned the friends across from him, and he noticed Philip gazing intently at their retreating figures, his expression somewhat unusual.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke again about his work, “The current mission is quite troublesome; we can’t crack the genetic issues with the twins.
However, in several of my subordinate’s labs, the surgeries for sterilization and placing contraceptive rings are already very mature. They won’t have any adverse effects on the human body. Just in terms of this technology, we are far ahead of other countries in the world…” Philip paused, lifting his eyes to gauge his expression. “You know, quite a few people in the military have come to me for that. If I told you their names, you’d be shocked.”
“Really?” He nodded slightly at the waiter who came to deliver the fruit. His ice-blue eyes inadvertently swept over Philip, as the black-clad waiter skillfully placed the plates on their table and then politely withdrew. He stared at the two plates of fruit, which seemed a bit excessive, and Philip took a small sip of wine, a smile appearing at the corners of his lips. His gray eyes, through the glass lenses, focused on him. “But I must keep my patients’ information confidential.”
“Then you could open a private clinic to make up for the loss of military pay due to your overdue single status.” He replied, his cold expression revealing no emotion as he downed the remaining half glass of wine.
Philip laughed even louder, “If we’re talking about that, you’d be penalized worse than me; you have dual identities in the party and the military.”
“You’re right; relying solely on my quarterly military pay, I wouldn’t be able to afford food, let alone buy you drinks.” He raised his glass, clinking it with Philip’s across the table, and downed it in one go.
The girls emerged from the restroom and saw the two men chatting intimately in the distance. Annabel linked her arm with Khanyi’s, helping her to sit on the sofa before returning to her own seat.
“Are you okay?” He turned his head and asked softly. She nodded and smiled back, leaning her head against his broad, flat shoulder. “I’m fine, you all continue.”
He gently tapped her forehead, while Philip lowered his head in silence, seemingly lost in brief contemplation.
“This year’s weather is really strange; it’s already March, and it’s still cold!” Annabel suddenly said. The two men exchanged glances before their eyes fell on her silk black floral dress. Annabel was taken aback by their gaze, blinking her black eyes and innocently protesting, “Why are you both looking at me?”
Seeing her lively expression, Khanyi couldn’t help but laugh, and Philip looked at her and said, “This is a mountainous area, so naturally, the winter temperatures are lower.”
“This winter has been particularly long; the climate is indeed a bit abnormal.” He chimed in.
Soon, several waiters took turns bringing out the main dishes, and the conversation at the table began to revolve around the city’s climate and various international cuisines.
Khanyi had little appetite; the dishes he ordered for her were quite light, and there was an enticing pie topped with fruit. Annabel across from her was enjoying herself, sipping her amber-colored drink, which later turned green.
