Shen Su was ultimately unable to resist Feng Feng's gaze, and leaned down to kiss her neck. The moment his lips landed, Feng Feng pressed his head, "I should go back."
Those five words brought Shen Su back to his senses abruptly. He released Feng Feng, smiling, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself."
Feng Feng didn't respond. After Shen Su got up from her, she tidied her clothes and hair, then walked towards the restaurant in her heels. Shen Su followed closely behind her, his body's reaction still lingering.
That kiss just now was initiated by Feng Feng. Shen Su wasn't sure of her intentions. Was it the atmosphere, or an uncontrollable urge? Did this mean she still had some desire for him?
He had questions, but Shen Su couldn't ask them directly.
After about fifteen minutes, the two returned to the restaurant's parking lot. Before getting into the car, Feng Feng said goodbye to Shen Su. Without waiting for his response, she closed the car door.
Shen Su stood in place, waiting for Feng Feng to drive away before getting into his own car.
On the way home, Shen Su kept thinking about Feng Feng's actions today. From agreeing to have dinner with him, even suggesting they eat together after work, to telling him about her breakup with Li Yue, and emphasizing that she no longer liked Li Yue... and finally, the kiss by the river.
If it were just one unusual action, he wouldn't have been so confident to overthink it. But these three things happened on the same day.
An absurd thought popped into Shen Su's mind: could Feng Feng be interested in him? Otherwise, he really couldn't think of any other reason for her to be so proactive.
Xing Zheng had told him before that the main conflict between Feng Feng and Li Yue was that Li Yue wanted to get married, but Feng Feng hadn't considered it.
Shen Su was always a man of action. Once this idea surfaced, he immediately made a call for help. This time, he bypassed Xing Zheng and, as an exception, contacted Lin Mei directly.
After four or five rings, the call was connected. Lin Mei on the other end was clearly surprised by his call, "Shen Su? Are you looking for me?"
Shen Su responded with an "Mm" and said, "I wanted to ask you something, about Feng Feng."
Lin Mei: "Mm?"
Shen Su didn't beat around the bush, "Is she interested in me?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Mei fell silent for a few seconds.
Shen Su steered the car, waiting quietly.
After a while, Lin Mei finally spoke, but she didn't answer the question. Instead, she asked him back, "What about you?"
Shen Su chuckled, "I'm calling you, what do you think?"
When intelligent people converse, there's no need for excessive directness. Lin Mei on the other end also smiled, "Then I'm relieved. The rest is up to you."
Shen Su said, "I hope you can keep this call a secret for me."
Lin Mei didn't think too much about it. She guessed that once Shen Su knew Feng Feng's thoughts, he would take action and actively pursue Feng Feng. In this way, Feng Feng would have less to worry about, and it would be good to go with the flow.
Therefore, Lin Mei agreed almost without hesitation, "Don't worry."
After finishing the call with Lin Mei, Shen Su felt he had a clearer understanding. He didn't actually know how Feng Feng became interested in him, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it.
With this premise as a safeguard, the line of interaction between him and Feng Feng could be adjusted by him at will.
Shen Su didn't plan to confront Feng Feng directly at this time. Since Feng Feng hadn't spoken up herself, it meant she was still contemplating. With his previous failed experience, Shen Su knew well that he couldn't push her too hard, otherwise, it would only backfire.
He even naively hoped that Feng Feng might actively pursue him once she figured things out. Honestly, he was looking forward to that day. Men have vanity, and after suffering such a significant setback with her, he would inevitably have such a mentality.
He wanted to enjoy her initiative, not just in bed.
After returning home that night, Feng Feng's mood was still unsettled. Her mind kept replaying the kiss by the river, and the more she thought about it, the more confused she became.
In reality, that kiss was nothing compared to what she and Shen Su had done before. However, its meaning for her was entirely different.
It was she who had lost her head today and kissed him first, but Shen Su's subsequent reaction was also genuine. They were so close, she could feel it. But she couldn't tell if Shen Su's reaction was purely animalistic or if it carried other undertones.
And what was the deeper meaning of his "couldn't help myself"?
This was the first time Feng Feng had analyzed someone's words so repeatedly, but after much thought, she couldn't arrive at an answer. The only thing she could confirm was that Shen Su was definitely interested in her physically, which gave her a bargaining chip.
At her age, pursuing a man again was indeed awkward. Because she was mature enough, she couldn't be like she was in her early twenties or during her student days, making frequent overtures, which would seem undignified. But if she didn't make overtures, the other party wouldn't seem to notice her intentions.
Feng Feng couldn't find a way to break the deadlock for now, so she could only tell herself to let nature take its course.
In the following days, whether by coincidence or work arrangements, Feng Feng saw Shen Su almost every day at the institute. However, their work对接 had ended, and Shen Su was mostly meeting with the institute's leaders, reportedly discussing new collaborations. Feng Feng didn't know much about this.
On Friday night, Feng Feng worked overtime until ten o'clock before leaving her office. At this hour, there were very few people left in the institute, and the corridors were very quiet.
Feng Feng, carrying her bag, walked to the elevator. While waiting, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and saw Shen Su.
Shen Su walked towards her with a smile, as if greeting a friend, and casually asked, "Working so late?"
Feng Feng nodded and replied, "Finishing up a proposal. Why haven't you left either?"
Before Shen Su could answer, the elevator arrived. He smiled and said, "Let's go, down together."
The two stepped into the elevator one after another. After the doors closed, the confined space was left with only the two of them standing side by side. Feng Feng unconsciously tightened her grip on her bag strap.
When the elevator stopped at the parking garage, Feng Feng asked Shen Su, "I'm going to a pub, do you have time?"
For Feng Feng, this was the limit of her invitation. Apart from Lin Mei and Lan Lan, she rarely invited others to go to nightclubs.
Fortunately, Shen Su agreed readily, "Yes, shall we go together then?"
Shen Su's answer made Feng Feng slightly relieved. Afterward, Shen Su added, "My driver is picking me up. I'll let him go back first. You don't mind if I ride with you, do you?"
Feng Feng shook her head, "Whatever you wish."
Shen Su took out his phone and called his driver, telling him to leave. He then followed Feng Feng and got into her car.
Shen Su naturally opened the passenger door and sat beside her. After Feng Feng fastened her seatbelt, she started the car and drove towards the parking lot.
On the way to the pub, Shen Su's phone suddenly rang.