Chapter 32: with translation of chapter title

Su Ruoyun's brain froze for two or three seconds; before she could pretend not to understand, wondering how to get through it, Huo Jingcheng turned his head to look at her, his eyes holding a lazy smile, and he had already opened his mouth to change the subject: "Do you mind the smoke smell?"

Su Ruoyun shook her head, "Please, as you wish."

Huo Jingcheng pulled a cigarette from his suit pocket, shook one out of the pack, half of it showing, his long, distinct-knuckled fingers took it and held it to his lips.

His features were clear and regular; his eyes were habitually narrowed slightly, with a hint of a half-smile, giving him an air of frivolity.

He lounged lazily against the chair back, his shirt clinging to his abdomen, faintly outlining his abdominal muscles, full of a masculine charm that invited imagination.

Su Ruoyun cupped the teacup with both hands, her smooth fingertips brushing a faint pink on the white porcelain rim, she lifted the cup lightly to her lips, tilted her head back slightly, and the warm water slid down her throat, as if she wanted to press her hidden thoughts down with the flow.

With a "zheng" sound, his thumb scraped the sparkwheel; the lighter's deep blue flame flashed across his handsome face for an instant, then lit. Huo Jingcheng casually took the cigarette from his lips, exhaled slowly, and a bluish-white smoke rose, vaguely blurring his facial features.

Su Ruoyun feigned composure as she set the cup back on the low table, lightly biting her lip, her thoughts unbidden drifting back to the scene two days earlier at that Spanish restaurant, where his attire had been especially striking…

He wore a finely tailored white shirt, with a pair of platinum cufflinks adorning the cuffs.

That was also likely the first time she had seen Huo Jingcheng wearing a tie.

Against a black checkered background, a silver tie bar lay neatly upon it, its lines simple and smooth, the metal gleam cool.

His whole bearing was noble and ascetic.

Su Ruoyun shook her head, trying to kick the lascivious thought out of her mind, she let out a soft sigh, muttering to herself, "Beauty leads men astray."

The man's gaze swept over her absentmindedly, taking in her self‑absorbed head shake, but he didn't catch what she was muttering.

He lightly held the cigarette between his thin lips, the scarlet glow of the ember flickering with his breath, his voice muffled and languid as he slowly said, "Does the teahouse offer door‑to‑door service?"

In this society, door‑to‑door service seems to carry a hint of ambiguity.

Hearing this, Su Ruoyun's delicate brows furrowed slightly, her beautiful eyes fixed on Huo Jingcheng without speaking.

All that could be seen, Huo Jingcheng's expression was open and natural, seeming to have no hidden meaning; Su Ruoyun wondered if she had misread him.

After staring like that for a dozen seconds, a moment later Huo Jingcheng spoke unhurriedly, "There's an elder at home who likes tea."

Mentioning the Huo family elders, Su Ruoyun's expression relaxed, "If your elders need it, the teahouse can provide this service, though the cost may be higher because preparing the tea set is more troublesome."

Elderly people are best off drinking ripe pu'er, black tea, dark tea, aged white tea, etc.; drinking tea can also lower cholesterol, prevent cardiovascular disease, and boost metabolism.

Most important is moderation.

"Moderation?" Huo Jingcheng's lips twitched as he silently repeated her words, his gaze falling on the cup, he raised an eyebrow as if asking offhand, "You came to the teahouse, aren't you happy?"

"……" Su Ruoyun.

Did she mean that by what she said?

Her pair of dark almond eyes flickered, thick curled lashes casting a soft shadow on her eyelids; as her gaze shifted, ripples shone in her eyes, she also didn't know how the topic had suddenly veered, "Are you telling the truth?"

Huo Jingcheng was amused by her words, he watched her with interest, the corner of his mouth lifting in a slight arc, his tone teasing, "Otherwise, I'd like to hear lies?"

Su Ruoyun lightly held the cup with both hands, her head bobbing like a pecking chick, "I'm very happy."

Fearing Huo Jingcheng might misunderstand, she quickly added, "I'm happy that you're willing to spend money on my tea and my service."

These words clearly treated Huo Jingcheng as a pure teahouse customer.

Then, without a trace, she began to promote the tea: "The teahouse's fine teas aren't just the Lion Peak Longjing you bought a few days ago; there's also Peaceful Monkey King, Gold Swift Eyebrows, and so on," Su Ruoyun said more melodiously than singing, "Of course, I'm not insisting you buy them; I just want to share these good teas with you."

"I remember Yun Lao ban has the All Rivers Learning Sea Edition of the Classic of Tea?" Huo Jingcheng said in a leisurely tone.

The topic jumped quite a bit, Su Ruoyun raised her eyebrows slightly, "The Classic of Tea?"

"Yes, the last time I was at Yun Lao ban's place I glanced at it for a while and found myself interested in Lu Yu's Classic of Tea."

"……" Su Ruoyun.

She forced a polite smile on her face, though she felt somewhat helpless inside, and agreed, "I think it's around here somewhere; I'll go help you look for it."

She usually just puts things down wherever, and she didn't know where she had put the Classic of Tea; she braced her right hand on the tea table to push herself up and walked over to the nearby rosewood table.

On it lay a casually placed blue‑and‑white porcelain vase, its body white as jade, decorated with azure‑blue patterns; beside it, papers were scattered haphazardly, making the whole tabletop look messy.

Various drawings were spread across the tabletop; the sound of footsteps approached from behind, Su Ruoyun carefully sorted the architectural sketches, gently flipping through them, her peripheral vision catching the deep shadow cast on the rosewood tabletop.

She realized Huo Jingcheng was standing right behind her, her heart tightened, she unconsciously clenched her palms, and her searching movements sped up.

In an instant, a large hand wearing a valuable steel watch rested on the edge of the table.

Su Ruoyun turned over and over searching everywhere, still no trace of the Classic of Tea, and she could constantly feel a gaze on her, irritation spreading in her chest; she couldn't help but turn her head and blurt out, "What if I go back and look again—"

In an instant, the girl's voice cut off abruptly, as if a mute button had been pressed; the surroundings fell into dead silence, so quiet that one could hear each other's ragged breathing.

Her heart jolted violently, like a massive stone dropped into a calm lake, sending ripples wildly spreading through her chest.

Her rose‑colored lips struck Huo Jingcheng's thin lips, which as he lowered his head carried a faint woody tobacco scent.

A light kiss flitted by in an instant.

She blinked, and a scorching blush instantly rose on her face, as if burned by fire; waking from a dream, flustered, she lifted her hand and shoved Huo Jingcheng away with all her strength.

This was her first intimate contact with a member of the opposite sex; she stood there dazed, a hint of shame spreading across her brows and eyes, her once‑bright eyes gaining a flicker of avoidance.

Time seemed to freeze, the air thick with embarrassment; only after a long while did Su Ruoyun manage to whisper out a sentence:

"Mr. Huo, please conduct yourself properly."

?? Another round of PK starts, June 20‑23, hoping the babies will read more, check every day, babies who want to accumulate chapters, be sure to finish eight chapters by the 23rd.

? Please read, vote, comment, mua~