Chapter 81: That way, we

Seeing Huo Jingcheng choked up, Su Ruoyun felt a sudden surge of good spirits. She tugged at the corners of her lips, a pleasant smile blooming.

Huo Jingcheng raised his left hand, curling it into a loose fist to press against his lips, trying his best to hide the cough brought on by Su Ruoyun's shock. Once his breathing steadied, a trace of awkwardness flickered across his expression. He gripped the sofa armrests with both hands, subconsciously scooting backward.

With a fatal distance between them, ensuring they were no longer pressed together, he let out a silent sigh of relief.

"The kissing is done, I'm leaving." Su Ruoyun's tone was flat and ripple-free, as if the words she had just spoken were not worth mentioning.

Yet Huo Jingcheng shook his head with a straight face, lazily spitting out three words: "That won't do."

"Can't you be serious for once?"

The words had barely left her lips when, before Huo Jingcheng could answer, a crisp, melodious ringtone drifted through the lounge.

Su Ruoyun recognized it as her own phone. Following the direction of the sound, she leaned forward slightly to look for it, only then remembering that after being dragged back and forth by Huo Jingcheng, her phone had long since slipped from her hand and was now lying on the carpet beside the sofa.

Huo Jingcheng had long arms; with a single reach, he easily picked up the phone for her. Glancing at it with the corner of his eye, he saw the caller ID was "Ming Nüshi," and he raised an eyebrow.

She took the phone from his hand, her pale, translucent fingertips swiping across the screen to answer. She said softly, "Hello."

A series of muffled words came from the other end of the line.

"……"

After listening for a moment, she replied, "Alright, I'll be back immediately."

After speaking a few simple sentences, Su Ruoyun placed her hands on his shoulders, using the leverage to slowly rise, the hem of her qipao gathering as she did so.

This time, Huo Jingcheng merely watched her silently, making no move to stop her.

"I'm leaving." After smoothing out her qipao, she dropped this sentence and turned to go.

Before leaving, catching sight of his arrogant smile out of the corner of her eye, Su Ruoyun narrowed her eyes. An unnamed fire surged into her heart. She turned her steps, and in her high heels, she walked forward a few paces with a *tap-tap-tap*, stepped onto his leather shoes with her toe, and then ground down heavily.

Huo Jingcheng's expression didn't change; his demeanor remained unmoved. He continued to lean lazily against the back of the sofa, his long legs, encased in suit trousers, crossed, watching her with great interest.

When Su Ruoyun angrily withdrew her foot, he said in a leisurely tone, as if discussing a trivial matter: "If you don't leave now, you'll be caught in the act."

When Su Ruoyun was on the phone earlier, the two had been too close; it was hard for him not to listen, and he had inevitably heard the conversation. Ming Nüshi had asked Su Ruoyun where she was.

"Hmph, ivory doesn't come out of a dog's mouth."

Dropping this line, Su Ruoyun turned and walked out without looking back. With a heavy "Bang—" sound, the door was closed.

Returning to the women's lounge, Ming Nüshi took her hand. "Where did you go? You were gone so long."

Su Ruoyun raised her hand to tuck her hair back unnaturally, her long, loose curls covering her exposed arms, terrified that Ming Nüshi would discover the bite marks on her skin. "I went to get some air. I drank too much wine just now."

Ming Nüshi did not suspect anything.

After returning to her apartment, Su Ruoyun went straight to the bathroom to remove her makeup. It was too late, so she didn't choose to take a bath, opting instead to turn on the shower.

Fine streams of water fell, and curling hot steam rose, quickly filling the bathroom with mist. As she applied body wash to her arms, Su Ruoyun subconsciously lowered her eyes, her gaze landing on the row of shallow tooth marks on the inside of her arm. She felt inexplicably familiar, as if she had seen them somewhere before.

She shook her head, casting the thought from her mind. Then, she closed her eyes slightly, immersing herself completely in the warm embrace of the hot water.

……

After the birthday banquet ended, Su Ruoyun returned to her idle days, burying herself in the tea house. A few days later, there was an event in Shencheng, an international tea party spearheaded by the government, and they had sent her an invitation.

That day, she went to Su Mingyan's villa to bum a meal. Su Jiayi had already returned to the military region, and the little cousins had returned to Hong Kong, leaving only the brother and sister.

Seeing Su Ruoyun bored all day, Su Mingyan held a black signature pen in his right hand, signing his name on the paper with fluid grace: "I'll take you out to play."

"Where are we going?" she asked lazily, raising her eyes with indifference.

Su Mingyan: "Golf."

"With those business friends of yours again?" Her interest vanished instantly.

In the business world, everywhere was a negotiation table—drinking sessions, dinner parties, and golf games... Following Su Mingyan, it certainly wouldn't be as comfortable as going alone or playing with friends.

Noticing her reaction, Su Mingyan raised an eyebrow: "Forget it then, I'll go myself."

"Hey, don't."

In the end, Su Ruoyun decided to go play golf with Su Mingyan.

The next morning.

Su Ruoyun slept in, turning off her alarm in a half-dream, half-awake state, which left her running late.

After washing up, she hurried into the walk-in closet and picked out a suitable sports outfit to change into.

Standing in front of the mirror, she hooked her right hand around the silk hair tie on her left wrist, weaving it back and forth through her slightly wavy long hair. She tied her black hair into a neat ponytail; as she moved, the ends swayed, her entire look fresh and simple.

There was no time to sit down for breakfast. Li Ayi efficiently packed up the morning meal and handed it to her. Just as she took it, she was urged downstairs by Su Mingyan. Su Ruoyun sat at the entryway, changed into a pair of sneakers, reached up to hook a golf sun hat from the rack, and hurried out the door.

Walking out of the building, the Maybach was already waiting downstairs.

The sun was scorching, so she jogged over, pulled open the car door, and bent to sit inside, her movements fluid.

About an hour later, the sleek silver Maybach drove smoothly into the club. As soon as the two got out of the car, a valet came up to take the keys and drive the car to the parking lot.

The two switched to a golf cart.

The golf club was a high-end private club, positioned for high-end business people, with a strict pure-member invitation model.

The sunlight was blinding, making people feel hot.

Su Ruoyun leaned against the back of the seat, tilting her fair face upward. The light dazzled her eyes, and her apricot eyes narrowed slightly. The brim of her hat perfectly shaded most of her face, leaving only a small, delicate chin reflected in the morning light.

The vast, boundless lawn was green as far as the eye could see, with deep green trees standing in a scattered, orderly fashion. Water-blue lakes dotted the greenery. Beside the lake, looking up, the outlines of the Shell Hotel and the tower were clearly visible.

Arriving at the course, they got out to walk.

Su Ruoyun had her hands behind her back, her steps light, her eyes scanning the surrounding lawn. "Brother, who did you invite today?"

"Huo Jingcheng."