Chapter 26

Huo Jingcheng lifted his gaze, expression unchanged, and glanced at Chen Zheyan. His fingers tightened around the cognac glass, fingertips turning pale, the tendons on the back of his slender hand protruding from the force. The chill of the ice inside the glass seeped into his fingertips, leaving them bloodless.

A blind date?

The person then asked, "What's your name?"

When the name came up, Chen Zheyan felt embarrassed, flopped straight onto his back against the sofa, limbs splayed, shaking his head and saying, "I don't know, my grandma never told me."

They exchanged glances, went around the circle, and no one knew the real name of the Su family's daughter.

The blunt childhood friend at the same table said, "Huo Bro and Mingyan Bro used to be on good terms, didn't they? He must know."

Before his words finished, he got an elbow jab to the chest from the person beside him, who whispered a reprimand: "What are you saying?"

Their relationship was fine, but that was an old almanac from years ago; they'd fallen out seven or eight years back, so there's no way to bring it up now.

Realizing he'd misspoken, the childhood friend hastily lifted his glass, rose to drink as an apology, and caught sight of Huo Jingcheng lightly raising his arm to stop him.

Inside the private room, yellowish light diffused like gauze, his face hidden in the intertwining shadows, his expression hazy, hard to make out, he spoke softly in a faint voice: "Too much time has passed; I don't really remember."

Someone nearby tried to smooth things over, saying, "I recall… it might be called Zhuzi? He's been well protected by the Su family since childhood, not a word leaked."

That drew agreement from others: "I've heard the Su family elders dote on their granddaughter; this basically makes you a quasi live-in son-in-law."

Chen Zheyan raised his hand, gulped the cocktail down—too fast, too strong—and the amber liquid trickled from the corner of his mouth as he retorted, "You're the one who's the live-in son-in-law."

Saying that, he hiccuped, "I'm a fine young man, the top architect at the design institute."

The drinking party broke up at half past ten at night.

People in the private room gradually dispersed, leaving only a few; the earlier clamor faded, the surroundings fell silent all at once, with only a faint, bothersome moonlight seeping in through the window.

Qi Zhiwen languidly half-leaned on the sofa, his long, fair fingers rubbing his swollen temples, clearly showing he had drunk too much and was suffering a headache.

Beside him, Chen Zheyan was still complaining: "You tell me, am I not easy..."

He kept repeating that same sentence, hearing it made him frown; impatient, he was about to get up and leave, but Chen Zheyan, quick-eyed and swift-handed, grabbed his arm and pulled him back, resting half his head lightly on Qi Zhiwen's left shoulder, saying, "I really don't want to go, Brother Qi, help me, you go in my place..."

Qi Zhiwen was about to say, "Let him sleep tonight with his pillow raised a bit so he can dream," when a low voice suddenly sounded in the private room: "I'll go for you."

Just now, with many people around, it was hard to speak up; now the spacious private room held only the three of them.

Upon hearing that, Qi Zhiwen turned his head to look at his friend, eyeing him suspiciously.

Chen Zheyan still remembered the last time at the bar when Huo Jingcheng had his arms around the drunk Boss Lady; he waved his hand, disbelieving him: "Third Brother, don't tease me—again it's Su Mingyan's little star, again it's Su Mingyan's sister; you're deliberately picking a fight with him, aren't you?"

A flood of information hit him; Qi Zhiwen paused his rubbing of his forehead, wondering how another of Su Mingyan's little stars had popped up.

Before he could ask, Huo Jingcheng interjected: "I'm serious."

His expression did not look like a joke.

Chen Zheyan wasn't drunk to the point of being a mess; he rested his right hand on his knee, lightly rubbing his chin with his fingertip, pondering how credible Huo Jingcheng's words were.

He glanced sideways at Huo Jingcheng, who sat upright on the single sofa, pondered for a moment, then lowered his voice to ask: "Are you sure?"

……

Day and night alternated, time flew by, and it was Wednesday.

Last night, Sijiucheng, just entered summer, was hit by a strong convective hail and lightning storm.

Goose-egg-sized hail fell like a dense arrow shower, pouring down one after another; countless vehicles' bodies and windshields were pockmarked with countless 'meteorite craters'.

In May, suffering hail is even more unjust than Dou E's plight for the delicate flowers.

The various flowers in the courtyard fell to the ground, their tender petals shredded, fragrance gone and beauty ruined; the roses, wisteria, and pinks that had been in full bloom were now tattered remnants, lying in the mud in utter disarray.

Su Ruoyun directed the staff, sweeping the courtyard for a whole morning before clearing away the fallen flowers and standing water.

After the thunderstorm and hail, Sijiucheng's sky was clear and bright, the azure expanse pure as washed silk, so transparent it held not a speck of impurity, like a huge spherical blue crystal; a few soft, cotton-like white clouds drifted lazily.

I don't know if it was because of last night's hail, but few people came for tea today; Su Ruoyun lay lazily on the recliner, enjoying a leisurely afternoon nap.

Not until the time approached five o'clock, when the alarm rang, did she slowly wake up and head to her appointment.

To match their work schedules, the time was specially set for half past six in the evening, just right for them to have dinner together.

To avoid being late for the evening rush, Su Ruoyun left work early and walked out of the teahouse.

The evening wind carried the sunset's glow, but she was not in a good mood.

They had booked a Spanish restaurant; after parking her car, Su Ruoyun took the elevator to the restaurant entrance, where the server softly asked if she had a reservation. Su Ruoyun held her phone in her right hand, still thinking how to get through this meal, and casually mentioned Chen Zheyan's name. The server stared for a moment, then realized, smiling and saying, "Please this way."

Having reached the door, the server opened the private room door, half-raising his arm in a 'please' gesture; after Su Ruoyun stepped inside, the door swung shut behind her.

Inside the private room, soft dim light poured down, creating a low-key yet upscale atmosphere, with an overall minimalist theme in the décor.

However, Su Ruoyun's attention was not on the private room's surroundings; instead, she fixed her gaze on the silhouette beside the round table.

The round table sat by the window; the evening breeze gently swayed, the green branches outside trembled, and the sheer curtain lifted a corner, forming a wave that half-concealed, half-revealed the face.

The man sat still within, his back to the door, his face unseen, but his broad stature and straight spine were evident.

Is an architect's build supposed to be this good?

Su Ruoyun felt a little doubtful.

She stepped forward in her measured gait, her flat-soled shoes tapping the floor with a sound neither loud nor soft, but audible enough to be heard.

The man slowly turned his body, casting an inadvertent glance at Su Ruoyun standing at the doorway; their eyes met directly, and in that instant, her footsteps ceased.

Su Ruoyun felt as if she had been immobilized by a spell, frozen in place, unsure how to respond, and she questioned doubtfully, "Mr. Huo?"

?? PK last day, keep reading, second update later, mua~