Chapter 22

A man in a white shirt and black trousers stood on the steps at the doorway, tall and upright; as he lifted his eyes, his cool, thin, black-dark eyes could not hide the sharp edge, his shirt fluttering in the wind, his face grim to the extreme.

Mrs. Li's face turned deathly pale from fright, her voice trembling, 'Su… General Manager Su.'

When she had just said those words, she never imagined the person concerned would hear them; now, upon suddenly seeing Su Mingyan, she dared not be rude, let alone retain the arrogant manner she had just shown.

Su Mingyan crossed the threshold with leisurely ease, one hand in his pocket, his cold, stern gaze sweeping over her; a single look sent a shocking pressure over her, and he asked, 'Just now, who were you talking about?'

His voice was steady and cold, yet inexplicably sent a chill down one's spine.

Mrs. Li had wanted to speak up and explain, but the moment her eyes met Su Mingyan's sharp gaze, her words died in her throat, as if someone had choked her; she could not utter a word, stammering helplessly, 'I… I…'

Su Mingyan ignored her stammer, tugged at the corner of his mouth, the slight curve mixed with coldness and mockery, and said in a low voice, 'Shouldn't you apologize?'

Hearing this, Mrs. Li clenched her palms, glanced sideways at Su Ruoyun, her eyes full of unwillingness, but with Su Mingyan still standing beside her, she had no choice but to bow deeply in a standard ninety-degree salute, 'Sorry, Boss Lady, I was just too excited and spoke harshly for a moment; I hope you can forgive me.'

Su Ruoyun gave a faint reply, then said, 'I will dismiss that tea artist; as for other matters, I cannot interfere further.'

Mrs. Li's face flushed red; she awkwardly smoothed her wavy long hair, nodded at Su Mingyan, then hurried out of Qian Yuan in her high heels, as if fleeing.

After the woman's silhouette vanished, the brother and sister left Qian Yuan.

Along the covered walkway, both sides were lined with wisteria; the flower clusters hung among the green leafy vines, pale purple blossoms drooping like waterfalls, swaying in the breeze and releasing wafts of faint fragrance.

Sunlight poured down, dappled light and shadow leapt across the corridor, a few playful strands landing on Su Ruoyun's porcelain-white cheeks, flickering back and forth.

She casually plucked a wisteria blossom, picked out the butterfly-shaped buds, and idly played with them in her hand.

Seeing this, Su Mingyan slowed his steps, hands resting on his belt, a trace of the earlier coldness still in his eyes and brows, and said softly, 'If you don't intend to explain, then let them keep misunderstanding.'

He arrived neither early nor late, catching the latter part of the conversation.

After his words fell, Su Ruoyun let out a 'yeah', turned to look at Su Mingyan, and said, 'Obviously it was you who bought me off with money at the start; now you want to go on a blind date and just ignore me—how is that? I haven't even crossed the bridge yet, and you're secretly sabotaging the planks over there.'

In the business world, women are never lacking; even if you refuse, someone always wants to send one, openly or covertly—Su Mingyan has turned them down many times, yet it hasn't deterred them.

In early February, the One River Tobacco Chaguan opened; Su Ruoyun had Su Mingyan help with promotion, and after the strange rumors spread, the practice of sending women diminished, as everyone went to the teahouse to 'pay court,' hoping to gain a foothold there and thus be remembered by Su Mingyan.

Coincidentally, during that period Su Ruoyun lacked initial funds, so Su Mingyan made an agreement with his own sister—no explanation, he would provide the money.

'Unilateral breach of contract comes at a cost.' Su Ruoyun playfully shook her head and swayed, her ponytail lightly brushing her neck as it swung back and forth, smiling mischievously, her words carrying a hidden meaning.

Su Mingyan curled his long finger to pinch the bridge of his nose, feeling nothing but helpless; understanding her meaning, he felt both amused and exasperated by his money‑loving sister, and said, 'Go on, how much do you need?'

Su Ruoyun lifted her head, glanced around the surroundings, and pointed to a vacant spot in the courtyard, 'Not much—I just want to tend that piece of land.'

'Hmm, go find Peng Ran later; tell him what flowers or plants you want and he'll get them for you.'

Su Mingyan settled the matter with a single remark, then brought up another topic, 'She just scolded you like that, and you're not angry?'

Su Ruoyun had been pampered and spoiled since childhood; the offspring of the Su and Ming families, as daughters of aristocratic houses, certainly would not lack temper.

Regarding those vulgar remarks just now, he had expected Su Ruoyun to retort, but instead she let the other party speak on; Su Mingyan found he could not tolerate it, so he spoke up.

However, Su Ruoyun took this matter surprisingly lightly, saying, 'Isn't that how business goes? Haven't those old-timers on the board ever scolded you?'

Upon hearing this, Su Mingyan fell silent—it wasn't just scolding; they would even slap the table and smash chairs as they went on……

'When will you turn around and promote for me again, ride the last wave of traffic, and I'll clarify everything at once?'

All that was heard was Su Mingyan saying, 'Good wine needs no bush.'

Su Ruoyun retorted with reason and evidence, 'With an east wind, the wine's fragrance spreads even faster.'

She couldn't very well borrow the name of another family member, so she could only leech off Su Mingyan's 'reputation'; this teahouse locale is a money‑sink, what matters is having connections.

Su Mingyan's lips curved into a growing smile, an expression of indulgent acquiescence, 'You've got a whole lot of twisted logic—are you leaving?'

Tonight we must return to the Family Courtyard for dinner.

Su Ruoyun crossed her arms, glanced down at her wristwatch, and said, 'There's still one customer; I'll wait another half hour.'

Huo Jingcheng had set the time for three to five o'clock; it's only half past four now.

Speaking, she walked to the end of the covered walkway, took two or three steps down a few flights of stairs, and stopped at the door of the East Wing Room, 'Anyway, you know the way—I won't take you there.'

……

Upon entering, Su Ruoyun saw Huo Jingcheng half‑leaning against the white wall, his back to the window sill.

His posture was relaxed and at ease; his gaze swept over the exquisite wood carvings on the window lattice, and upon hearing the footsteps approaching from afar, he turned his eyes toward the sound—just in time to meet Su Ruoyun's gaze.

Su Ruoyun compared his position; evidently the scene from just now in the covered walkway had already been taken in by his eyes.

'Mr. Huo.'

Huo Jingcheng withdrew his arm resting on the window sill, then stepped back to the tea table and sat opposite Su Ruoyun.

His distinctively jointed fingers lightly tapped the sandalwood tea table, off and on, and he suddenly asked, 'Boss Lady Yun, do you know what my relationship is with General Manager Su?'

Su Ruoyun's hand, holding the lifted‑handle Yixing clay teapot, paused briefly, then recovered; while she filled Huo Jingcheng's enamel tea cup with water on one side, she pondered her wording on the other, 'I have heard some rumors.'

Huo Jingcheng raised his brows; his typical peach‑blossom eyes, when he smiled, had the outer corners naturally lifting, giving him an air of roguish charm, the curve of his lips hinting at playful teasing.

'Boss Lady Yun knows what my relationship is with General Manager Su, yet still personally receives me?'

?? Thanks to Baobei for the collections, this first test push has garnered so many collections, wow, so many people; I also hope Baobei will keep reading, reading is important, mua~

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