"Yueyue, we're going back to the room first."
With Su Yue present, he didn't want to lose his temper. He took her hand and walked directly past Jin Yan.
Jin Yan stood there, somewhat bewildered, unable to figure out what he had said wrong again after a long time. He could only follow them back.
However, Su Yue seemed preoccupied afterwards, and the meal quickly concluded.
Chen Ziming asked Liang Mu to have the items on the ground delivered to their home the following morning, when the housekeepers could tidy them up.
After washing up.
He took another work-related call. When he returned, he found the girl sitting quietly on the bedroom balcony, lost in thought.
"Yueyue." He sat beside her, making her sit on his lap, and gently called her name.
"Mm?"
"Still thinking about Jin Yan's words?"
Upon hearing this, she lowered her gaze, as if contemplating something. Chen Ziming did not interrupt her, but held her tighter.
Finally, she handed the phone in her hand to him.
The screen displayed the profile of Meng Ziqing.
Current President of the Lanshan Group.
Chen Ziming calmly took the phone from her hand and put it down. He looked at her, his eyes gentle:
"That's how it is."
Su Yue's feelings were complex.
This was clearly more surprising and frightening to her than Meng Hualan's identity.
Lanshan Group, a Fortune Global 500 enterprise, with countless subsidiaries, was truly wealthy enough to rival a nation.
The founder's surname was Meng.
All of this made her feel flustered and disoriented.
Why would Chen Ziming, from such a family, like her so much after seeing her only once in the auditorium?
Would her little secrets be exposed too quickly in front of such a person?
The trust she had developed for Chen Ziming diminished once more.
What she had said to Li Niannian during their phone call resurfaced in her mind.
The more she knew him, the more she liked and depended on him.
But what about after they separated?
Could she ever move on in the rest of her life?
Feng Jingjing, after only a few encounters with him, had fallen irrevocably.
She suddenly felt that getting entangled with him like this was perhaps even more dangerous than opposing Su Minghua.
The latter was an obvious weapon.
He, on the other hand, was a sweet and gentle haven, a trap dug by fate.
Fate had brought Su Minghua, teaching her that there were no free lunches in this world.
Every perceived gift from fate carried a hidden price.
A beautiful girl with a difficult life had to love and cherish herself to be who she was now.
This was her self-preservation mechanism, ingrained in her genes.
She suddenly felt the urge to escape again.
To flee to a place where even Su Minghua couldn't find her. At worst, she would give up her dreams; living a peaceful life was her true destination.
"Baby."
His heart tensed with the expression on her face. The grip of his hands tightened, and he simply pulled her into his embrace.
Su Yue couldn't speak, and her body felt numb, letting him do as he pleased.
But when she made contact with his embrace, there was a moment of stiffness.
It was a physical instinct of defense.
"Baby, don't ignore me, okay?" He lowered his head, intending to kiss her forehead, but she retracted her chin slightly, instinctively avoiding him.
It had come to this.
This was the reaction he feared the most.
"Chen Ziming." Suddenly, the girl in his arms spoke softly, calling his name.
"Mm, I'm here." He breathed a silent sigh of relief. As long as she was willing to talk to him, everything would be manageable.
"Why... why do you like me so much?"
After all, she had developed some feelings for him. She suppressed the urge to flee and voiced her inner doubts.
Silence.
At this juncture, he naturally dared not mention what happened five years ago.
If she knew he had been so calculating, it would further confirm Su Yue's belief that he was dangerous to her.
"I've told you, baby." After a long pause, he finally replied.
He had indeed said something.
But now, she couldn't be convinced.
"There are many girls like me, why is it specifically me?" She lifted her head from his embrace, her eyes questioning.
His heart finally settled. A smile appeared on his face. He gently caressed her cheek with his large hand, his voice soft as he spoke:
"It's because it's you that I like you."
"I like you just the way you are."
"Baby, you must believe me. Don't be afraid of anything, okay?"
"I will definitely marry you and give you the best wedding."