Chapter 191

November.

Jingcheng had already reached sub-zero temperatures. The howling, biting cold wind became a regular guest in the entire Sijiucheng, and the air was dry and cold.

Beside the red walls, the trees were full of golden ginkgo leaves. In every hutong and alley, every gust of wind would roll up the fluttering fallen leaves, which would drop with a rustle.

Over these past few months, Huo Jingcheng visited frequently, whether it was the courtyard or the family courtyard. Three out of five times, he would run into other high-ranking officials in the same residential area, satisfying his wish to be there openly and aboveboard.

The news that the Su family and the Huo family had happy events approaching was rampant.

The weather was getting colder, but girls still loved to look pretty.

Su Ruoyun was wearing only a creamy-white wool coat, the collar and cuffs clustered with a circle of fluffy, fine fur. Her slightly wavy long hair was draped behind her, her porcelain-white little face hidden in the dark hair, her lips red and teeth white.

Perhaps because she was in a good mood today, a light layer of makeup was just right, making her look exceptionally bright and moving.

She was "busy here and there" in the bedroom, while downstairs Huo Jingcheng had been waiting for a long time. However, this time he wasn't visiting, but taking Su Ruoyun out on a date.

Seeing that the servant had already poured tea twice, Ming Manrong couldn't help but go upstairs to urge her daughter. She leaned against the wall at the doorway and raised her hand to knock on the bedroom door, not going in directly.

"Are you ready? Jingcheng has been waiting downstairs for a long time."

The voice reached inside the room. Su Ruoyun hurriedly stuffed the lip glaze from the vanity into her small square bag while speaking back to her: "Ready, ready."

Two seconds later, the bedroom door opened.

She smiled with her eyes curved, a curve blooming at the corners of her lips.

Ming Manrong straightened the fur collar of her coat for her. "Aren't you cold wearing so little?"

There is a kind of cold called "Mom thinks you're cold."

Hearing this, Su Ruoyun didn't answer, but instead reached out her hand to let her test the temperature.

Ming Manrong touched her palm; it was warm and toasty, like a little warm stove. Seeing that she was indeed not cold, she finally let her go downstairs.

Hearing the light footsteps, Huo Jingcheng stood up unhurriedly, watching her walk over gracefully. He skillfully took Su Ruoyun's hand in his palm, then nodded to Ming Manrong to signal.

There was no driver; Huo Jingcheng drove himself. Today, the private club newly opened by Li Wenye was having its grand opening, and he had invited everyone to gather.

In the car, Su Ruoyun learned of Li Wenye's assets from Huo Jingcheng and couldn't help but exclaim: "So he is the real big shot."

Huo Jingcheng grew jealous. With one hand on the steering wheel, he freed his right hand to pinch her thigh. "Do you need me to tell you how many assets I have?"

From his tone, Su Ruoyun heard that something was wrong and tilted her head to look at Huo Jingcheng. "Jealous?"

"Not jealous," Huo Jingcheng said with a calm and composed expression, driving with one hand with ease, his thin lips curling into a smile. "I want to eat you."

In front of her, he didn't have a serious bone in his body for three sentences. Su Ruoyun glared at him fiercely, as if scolding him.

It was clearly a look of frowning and glaring, but her cheeks were slightly hot and her earlobes were red, clearly showing a look of shyness.

Taking advantage of a red light, Huo Jingcheng spared a glance to look at her. His pitch-black, deep pupils reflected her flushed face, and his throat felt inexplicably itchy.

It wasn't until they got out of the car and a cold wind blew that the special irritation in his heart was finally suppressed.

Upon reaching the private room, Huo Jingcheng squeezed Su Ruoyun's soft palm, and she turned her head to look at him.

Huo Jingcheng: "You go in first, I'll smoke a cigarette outside."

Hearing this, Su Ruoyun frowned and gave him a dissatisfied look. "Smoking again."

Smoking was only one part of it; it was more for the purpose of relief.

Huo Jingcheng tugged at the corners of his lips, leaned down, and bent over to whisper in her ear, his thin lips moving slightly.

Once the sentence was finished, red clouds floated onto Su Ruoyun's fair face again, her eyes drifting, not daring to look him in the eye at all.

Seeing that she didn't speak for a moment, Huo Jingcheng shook her hand, his voice deliberately lowered, revealing a seductive feeling. "Are you going or not?"

Recently, Su Ruoyun had been living in the family courtyard, and he hadn't "eaten meat" for half a month. He was at the age of being "like a wolf or a tiger," so it was inevitable that he couldn't hold out.

"..." Su Ruoyun.

After the "negotiation" was finished, Huo Jingcheng was in a great mood, a faint smile always lingering on his lips.

The two walked into the private room hand in hand.

Inside the room, the people had mostly gathered.

Some people were already denouncing Chen Zheyan for his absence during the Qixi Festival, and for not knowing where he had been for the past few months, refusing to come out of his nest and not attending any gatherings in the circle.

Su Ruoyun looked at the decor in the private room, which felt inexplicably familiar. Looking through the window, she could see the layers of bamboo shadows in the courtyard, swaying in the cold wind. The entire club was decorated in a Chinese style, flowing with a freehand, elegant charm.

Before she could figure out what it was, the owner of the private club, Li Wenye, walked in gracefully.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Su Ruoyun turned her head and saw a man and a woman walking in after going around a folding screen.

A flash of inspiration struck her, and she bit her lip in annoyance.

She wondered why it looked so familiar; it turned out it was similar to the layout of her tea house. It couldn't be said to be exactly the same, it was completely copied and pasted.

Su Ruoyun gritted her teeth, narrowed her eyes, and her chest heaved slightly from anger.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, Huo Jingcheng noticed the change in her mood and asked, "What's wrong?"

Li Wenye, who was being stared at, touched his nose with a guilty conscience.

Su Ruoyun: "You ask him."

"Actually, I was just about to bring this up," Li Wenye said, and the assistant next to him handed over a document at the right time. "I went to your tea house a few times and thought the decoration was good, so I borrowed it without asking. I was thinking of using 10% of this club's shares to offset it?"

Chen Zheyan joined in the fun, leaning on both their shoulders and saying: "Damn, why didn't you borrow my aesthetic?"

10% of the profits was a win-win deal.

Someone laughed and scolded: "With your aesthetic, can you compare to our Yun-mei?"

"Who are you calling Yun-mei?" Huo Jingcheng glanced sideways at them.

Everyone burst into laughter.

The Beijing circle gathering didn't come to an end until 9:30 in the evening.

On the way back, passing by Di'an Gate, Su Ruoyun had sharp eyes and saw a chestnut shop.

In the dry and cold northern winter, the three essential items for winter are: roasted sweet potatoes with hearts that melt, sweet and sour icy sugar-coated haws, and freshly roasted chestnuts that are fragrant and powdery.

She got out of the car to line up to buy roasted chestnuts. There were quite a few people, and Su Ruoyun waited in line for more than ten minutes. Besides chestnuts, she also bought some preserved fruits.

The hot chestnuts, carrying the sweet fragrance of being stir-fried with sugar, were held in her palms, and the warm temperature immediately radiated out.

Su Ruoyun bent down to get into the car. Once seated, she couldn't wait to peel a chestnut. The golden, plump fruit was perfectly revealed, and she handed the chestnut to Huo Jingcheng's mouth like she was presenting a treasure.

Huo Jingcheng followed her lead and opened his mouth to take a bite.

Time flew by, and it was near the end of the year. The All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce work summary meeting was held in Beijing.

?? Next chapter, famous scene two — Mr. Huo calls him "Big Brother."