Chapter 17: I am Huo Jingcheng

Su Ruoyun shifted her gaze to the string of unfamiliar digits above the text message chat box; the phone number was not in her contacts, and she had never seen it before.

Unsure if it was someone's prank, Su Ruoyun did not reply to the message immediately, but the next second, a green message popped up in the chat box.

——【I am Huo Jingcheng】

As the five characters came into view, Su Ruoyun raised her eyes to scan the surroundings, found a nearby parking space, pulled over temporarily, and then dialed the number.

The phone rang for less than three seconds before the person on the other end answered. She spoke tentatively: "Mr. Huo?"

"Boss Yun."

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Su Ruoyun let out a sigh of relief and asked politely: "I would like to ask, where is Panda right now?"

Huo Jingcheng said two words, concise and to the point: "My house."

Hearing this, Su Ruoyun's right hand holding the phone tightened slightly, feeling a bit troubled. "Are you free now? Can we meet somewhere? Would you mind bringing the cat over?"

She only heard a firm voice from the other end of the line: "No."

Her temple throbbed, and her heart tightened abruptly, as if it were being firmly gripped in a large hand. Before she could ask why, Huo Jingcheng continued, "I don't know where it is now."

Su Ruoyun felt that Huo Jingcheng wouldn't go so far as to toy with her. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly. "You..."

Through the phone, Huo Jingcheng also sensed her hesitation and took the initiative to explain the sequence of events.

After he discovered the kitten, he brought it into the villa and placed it on the sofa. When Huo Jingcheng went to pour a glass of water and came back out, the kitten was already gone.

Only then did Su Ruoyun understand the reason. After some hesitation, she decided to go over there now. "Would it be convenient for you to give me your address? I'll come over now, is that alright?"

The fact that Huo Jingcheng was only notifying her now meant the kitten had just been discovered by him, which meant the kitten had gone an entire afternoon and evening without eating.

"Fine, I'll send you the address."

After ending the call, Huo Jingcheng sent a location.

【Xiyuan】

Xiyuan, a famous villa area in Sijiucheng and a gathering place for the wealthy; it is said that the owners of every single-family villa there are at the pinnacle of power and wealth.

Su Ruoyun lowered her hand, placed her phone back in the armrest box, and entered the two characters 'Xiyuan' on the center console screen. The navigation broadcast "Now navigating for you" sounded inside the car. Once the navigation was successful, she flicked the left turn signal and drove the car out of the parking space.

The distance wasn't far, but it still took over half an hour. It wasn't until past eleven o'clock at night that she drove to the entrance of the residential area. Perhaps Huo Jingcheng had already given instructions, because when the Mercedes drove into the complex, the security guard at the gate only confirmed her name and let her through without further questioning.

The straight-bar gate slowly lifted. Looking through the front windshield, the first thing that came into view was an endless lawn.

The car drove inward for about ten minutes, crossing this vast lawn and passing through a forest of green dawn redwoods and an artificial lake, before finally stopping at the entrance of a single-family villa.

The dim yellow pillar lights illuminated the driveway. The car stopped in front of the villa, and Su Ruoyun nimbly unbuckled her seatbelt, got out of the car, and walked quickly to the courtyard gate.

The pitch-black courtyard gate was as tall as a person, with European palace-style decor that exuded nobility and elegance. Through the fence, the villa's overall architecture was Baroque, grand and dignified.

Huo Jingcheng had already told her the gate password in the text message. Out of politeness, she did not rush in, but chose to stand in front of the steps and press the doorbell first.

After waiting for a short while, no one answered, so she sent Huo Jingcheng another text message.

【Mr. Huo, I have arrived at the villa gate.】

But there was still no reply.

With no one opening the door and her desire to find her cat becoming too urgent, Su Ruoyun finally stepped up the stairs and pressed a few digits with her slender fingers.

With a faint electronic sound, she pushed open the side door, passed through the greenery and fountain at the entrance, and walked into the villa.

Inside the magnificent villa, only the crystal chandelier in the center of the living room was on, and the cold light reflected by the crystal pendants shone on the bright tiles all around.

"Mr. Huo... Mr. Huo..."

The interior space of the villa was large, and one couldn't see the whole picture at a glance. After Su Ruoyun scanned the area, she didn't find any sign of Huo Jingcheng.

Just as she was about to call Huo Jingcheng again, Su Ruoyun suddenly stopped.

The second floor had initially been unlit and pitch black. Standing in the center of the living room, Su Ruoyun hadn't noticed the orange wall lamp that had quietly lit up.

When she looked up, her peripheral vision suddenly swept across the stairwell. A figure had appeared silently, bathed in dim yellow light, and her breathing almost stopped.

Su Ruoyun clasped her hands in front of her, feeling slightly reserved. She turned around and lifted her eyes to look at the man leaning sideways against the railing.

She saw Huo Jingcheng wrapped in a knee-length bathrobe, the belt at his waist tied loosely, revealing a small patch of skin. Droplets of water trailed down his neck and disappeared into the front of his robe, giving off an inexplicably ascetic vibe.

She feigned composure, but her eyes drifted, not knowing where to look. To avoid her gaze meeting his again, she could only stare into the void. She didn't ask why Huo Jingcheng was standing there without making a sound, just gave a simple greeting.

"Mr. Huo."

Near midnight, outside the glass windows of the high-ceilinged living room, the bright moon hung in the sky, and long mists permeated the air. The graceful arc of the full moon rose to the zenith, and the girl's clear and beautiful face was reflected in the cold moonlight.

Their gazes met in the air for no more than two or three seconds, yet Su Ruoyun felt it was as long and agonizing as a century.

The man's eyes were a bottomless black, surging with an ambiguous attitude. His pupils reflected the cold light of the crystal chandelier, seeming even more profound than the bottomless, boundless moonlight and night outside, carrying a fatal attraction.

Su Ruoyun felt flustered by this dangerous gaze, clenched her palms involuntarily, and took a small step back.

The next second, a series of *thump, thump, thump* sounds reached her ears.

When she looked up again, the figure leaning on the railing had disappeared. Huo Jingcheng had turned and was walking down the stairs.

The sound of his footsteps, neither light nor heavy, seemed particularly "deafening" in the silent villa.

Su Ruoyun counted the footsteps in her heart, and suddenly Huo Jingcheng's voice rang out by her ear, "Did you find the cat?"

She came back to her senses. "Not yet."

Mentioning the cat, Su Ruoyun looked around the massive villa and sighed imperceptibly, fearing it would be difficult to find it anytime soon.

However, she still wouldn't give up, and called out to her kitten softly, "Panda... Panda..."

Over there, Huo Jingcheng had already walked into the living room. Seeing her discouraged, his thin lips spoke softly: "Do you want to keep looking for a while, or should I have someone find it tomorrow and help you deliver it to the tea house?"

He stood behind her, his voice coming from the rear. His tone was low and hoarse, as if rubbed by grit, lower than his usual pitch, steady and mellow, yet revealing an indistinct, indescribable laziness.