Chapter 146

Su Mingyan's words drifted into the night wind without missing a syllable, stimulating Huo Jingcheng's eardrums.

"..." Huo Jingcheng.

"Can't you say something nice about me?" Huo Jingcheng said gloomily.

Su Mingyan gave him a thoughtful look and spoke slowly: "If you want to increase the profit margin or want to trap me somewhere else, just tell the truth; there's no need to be so..."

His deep, pitch-black eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were pondering the specific appropriate word.

"A weasel paying respects to a chicken."

A weasel paying respects to a chicken—harboring evil intentions.

Huo Jingcheng was so angry he laughed, a barely audible hum escaping his nasal cavity as he turned around first and walked toward the private room.

The night wind blowing in lifted the hem of Huo Jingcheng's suit jacket, and the stray hair on his forehead was blown about.

He and Su Mingyan were just like that—not a single sentence in common.

Tonight, having suffered a bellyful of "grievances" from Su Mingyan, Huo Jingcheng couldn't wait to seek a bit of comfort from Su Ruoyun; he wanted to cry to his girlfriend.

Returning to the villa, it was nearly ten o'clock at night, and the night was already deep.

At the villa's entryway, a warm yellow wall lamp was still quietly glowing.

The dim light elongated the man's figure; his footsteps slowed slightly as he entered the door.

Because the housekeeper had given instructions in advance, a servant was waiting on the side of the kitchen. As soon as Huo Jingcheng entered, the servant immediately stepped forward to ask if he wanted hangover soup.

He hadn't drunk much at the dinner table, so Huo Jingcheng dismissed the servant and turned directly to step onto the wooden stairs, his pace steady, walking upstairs step by step.

As soon as he entered the study, he dialed the phone.

At that time, Su Ruoyun, who received the video call, was curled up comfortably on the bed scrolling through her phone when a video call suddenly popped up on the screen. She casually grabbed a StellaLou doll from beside her, propped it behind her head, and then raised her hand to answer the video call.

"Dinner party over?"

Huo Jingcheng replied with a nonchalant "Mm," then propped his phone on the desk. His long, clearly defined fingers untied his tie, placed it on the desk, took off his jacket, and strolled over to the coat rack outside the screen to hang it up.

Only a tall, slender back remained in the upper left corner of the screen. The high-end shirt clung tightly to his robust body, and as he raised his hands, the knotted muscle lines on his back were vaguely visible, causing Su Ruoyun to sneak a few glances.

When Huo Jingcheng walked back, he sat down on the office chair unhurriedly. What came into view was an expensive white silk shirt, three buttons at the collar undone, the collar slightly open, revealing his exquisite collarbones.

The man's brows and eyes actually revealed a hint of grievance, like thick clouds and mist, making his features appear even deeper.

It was as if a powerful, galloping wild beast had instantly transformed into a weak, domestic little white rabbit.

This alluring contrast caused Su Ruoyun to reveal a trace of "girlfriend love," her voice soft and gentle: "Didn't you go out to eat? What's wrong?"

"Am I very annoying?"

As soon as the "affected" male voice came out, Su Ruoyun got goosebumps all over, but she touched her forearm calmly, her expression remaining as usual.

"... I feel like your brother doesn't seem to like me. Am I really that unlikable?"

The "tea-like" words were too much for Su Ruoyun to handle. She took the teacup from the coffee table and drank two sips of green tea to calm her shock, then asked cooperatively: "Then what should we do?"

"Do you like me?" Huo Jingcheng stared fixedly at Su Ruoyun on the screen, his black eyes seemingly carrying hooks, drawing people into sinking deep.

Not receiving Su Ruoyun's answer immediately, he leaned his upper body forward slightly, his impeccable handsome face suddenly drawing close, full of oppressive force. "Hmm? Speak."

Su Ruoyun leaned back, sinking comfortably into the soft leather headboard, and hurriedly spoke: "Like, I like you~"

Her voice was sweet, coaxing him.

"So you were really eating with my brother tonight?"

Huo Jingcheng pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth and nodded slightly, a malicious smile curling at the corners of his thin lips as he lowered his voice: "Will you put in a good word for me?"

"..." Su Ruoyun fell silent.

The already pitifully small amount of "girlfriend love" vanished instantly.

Su Ruoyun remembered Su Mingyan's reaction when she mentioned Huo Jingcheng during dinner at the courtyard last time.

She shirked the responsibility: "This is your business; you go do it yourself."

Huo Jingcheng sighed. It wasn't that he wouldn't go, but that it would be useless even if he did.

Having known Su Mingyan for so many years, he had never thought that one day he would be reduced to the point of needing to curry favor with him. A penny can stump a hero, but in his eyes, it was a brother-in-law stumping a hero.

The phone receiver clearly transmitted his deep sigh, and Su Ruoyun muttered in a low voice: "Who told you to say those self-destructive things before? Now you know, right? This is what you call getting what you deserve..."

As Huo Jingcheng listened, his thoughts drifted away with her words, and the agitation in his heart gradually spread and overflowed.

He subconsciously reached into his pocket to take out a cigarette case, a thin cigarette jumping out. His long fingers nimbly pinched the cigarette out, and he lit one for himself.

The night was deep, and the surroundings were pitch black, with only a desk lamp glowing on the office desk. Coupled with the blue-white, ethereal smoke, it rose in curls under the dim light. The dim yellow light and the blue-white ethereal smoke intertwined, inexplicably creating a sense of desolation and loneliness.

While he sat there quietly smoking, Su Ruoyun was still chattering like Tang Seng. Later on, she felt a bit thirsty, so she raised her hand to take the cup and drank a sip of tea.

Accompanied by the "clack" of the cup being set down, she frowned and asked: "Are you listening to what I'm saying?"

Huo Jingcheng's thin lips immediately curled into a smile, replying with obvious indulgence: "Yes." He slowly changed to a more casual sitting posture, his whole body leaning lazily into the sofa.

Su Ruoyun felt she wasn't quenched, so she picked up the cup from the coffee table again and took a sip. A few tea stains remained on her lips, and she licked the corners of her mouth very naturally.

Although he answered that way, Huo Jingcheng wasn't listening at all to what Su Ruoyun was chattering about. Looking at her crimson lips, he had only one thought in his mind: I want to kiss her.

Su Ruoyun said: "My brother has a pretty good temper. If you say more nice things, he will understand you..."

"Brother, brother, brother all day long, and I've never heard you call me brother once."

Huo Jingcheng was extremely annoyed. He hadn't seen where Su Mingyan's temper was good at all; he was vengeful, had a poisonous tongue, and smiled on the surface all day, but the smile never reached his eyes. Calling him hypocritical was a compliment.

Su Ruoyun looked up and asked calmly: "He is my own brother; what kind of brother are you to me?"

She was one step away from saying, "What are you even?"

Huo Jingcheng was born with a pair of bewitching peach-blossom eyes, the contours of the corners of his eyes long and deep, slightly upturned. His thin lips curled slightly: "Doesn't 'lover brother' count as a brother?"

The man's light, low voice was mixed with a bit of hoarseness, still the same nonchalant tone from his youth, with an uncontainable, arrogant, and defiant pride hidden in his bones.

?? Please follow, mua

? Extra, extra, the next chapter is locked; wait until tomorrow morning.